Street Fighter Sound Drops

Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, and the rest of the original Street Fighter gang return to the world thanks to the efforts of Bandai. The brawlers aren't featured in a new game but in a collection of eight toys known as Sound Drops. Although the toys look like mere teardrop-shaped pieces of plastic, they contain the muffled voices of legendary fighters. For example, press the thumb-friendly button on the Ken Sound Drop and the man bellows out, "Shoryuken" as if he was right there in the room and rarin' to go. Chun-Li chimes in with her recognizable "Yata!" or "Spinning Bird Kick" while Sagat yells out "Tiger Uppercut." Press Sagat's button ten times and he'll repeat those two words ten times like a well trained robot... «more»

Animal Crossing Plush - Theater Version

The rascals from Animal Crossing have endured a spate of merchandising deals over the past year and Banpresto pushes their way into the AXing space one more time. The sleepy-eyed Tanukichi aka Tom Nook leads a quintet of plush figures which measure 16cm or 6.29" tall and are made of soft and lightweight material. Cradle the whole gang of them in your arms and you still wouldn't be exerting yourself.
From the upper left and rolling clockwise, the Animal Crossing characters are: Tanukichi, Daruman, Bouquet, Bianca, and the crazed Mr. Resetti who carries a felt pickaxe. Cross him at your peril. Preorders are shipping today and new orders are welcome at US$9.50 per plush. «more»

Dragon Quest Dot Monsters Magnets

Toy manufacturers have used Nintendo's brands and characters in various dot graphics toy, strap, and keychain offerings over the past couple of years. The products have invariably been popular and sold well which has encouraged further merchandising attempts.
Square Enix gets into the dot graphics trade by releasing the Dragon Quest Dot Monsters Sets. A total of 16 magnets are featured in the collection along with 6 background montages. Each magnet measures 3cm or 1.18" and SquarEnix throws in 2 magnets and 1 montage per retail box. Stick the magnets on your refrigerator and use a smiling Slime to hold up "To Do" and shopping lists. Pricing is set at $39 for a factory sealed case of 12 randomly packaged toys. New orders are welcome. «more»

Dragon Quest Character Figure Collection

When a new Dragon Quest game is released in Japan, lines of anxious gamers may be seen snaking around the block outside LAOX or Sofmap shops as harried employees inside prepare for the queue. It's good then that most Japanese patrons are mild-mannered and mob mentality is rare although not unknown since the advent of PS3.
Although the DQ games sell like hotcakes, Dragon Quest toys receive a more tempered reception from the fan base. Square Enix's DQ Figure Collection Legend may change all that with its gathering of seven beautifully sculpted 7cm PVC figures which are based on the heroes and heroines of the Dragon Quest games through the years. Pricing is set at $49 for a factory case of 12 figures. New orders are welcome. «more»

Feeling Figure Collection: One Piece Styling 3

The motley assemblage of brigands known as the "Straw Hat Pirates" strut their stuff in another collection of PVC figures from Bandai. The cook of crew, Sanji, is missing from the default roster but the characters that did make the cut are:

Monkey D. Luffy | Roronoa Zoro | Nami | Nico Robin | Sogeking & Chopper

Along with the standard figures, two secret character repaints/variants are randomly packaged in the factory sealed cartons for fans to ferret out. Each toy measures 8cm or 3.14" tall and every box contains a wrapped piece of lemony-sweet candy to destroy your teeth.

NCS supplies this item as a factory sealed carton of 10 randomly packaged figures. One of the secret variants that we found in our opened case was Usopp (Sogeking unmasked) + squinting eyes Chopper. «more»

Transformers Kiss Players: Autolooper X Atari

New orders are welcome for the second Transformers Kiss Players toy which features the Autobot named Autolooper and a miniature Atari gal figure. Autolooper transforms from a Mazda RX-8 with police colors and rooftop siren to a barrel-chested robot capable of swinging its arms and posing like a superstar. Along with the PVC figures, a Kissplay drama CD is also included in the package for some listening pleasure.
Please note that the Atari figure in the photo is not to scale and she's a little thing that may be perched on Autolooper's shoulder. In addition to Atari, a small PVC figure representing the demonic-looking energy entity known as Kremzeek is included inside the package.

Pricing for the set is listed at JPY6500 or US$58 from NCS. «more»

Oretachi Game Center: Thunder Cross

When an alien force conspires to take over the galaxy, it's up to the mighty Thunder Cross spacecraft to beat back the menace. Armed with only a single gun at the outset, assorted weaponry power-ups may be picked up to even the odds. In addition to the different types of guns, up to four weapon units may be aligned alongside the ship to fire off a barrage of buckshot that'll cover nearly 1/3 of the screen. Notable weapons include the napalm blast which isn't really true video napalm but is still effective and a boomerang shot that bounces about. The Oretachi Game Center version of Thunder Cross includes seven items:

01) Thunder Cross Game CD
02) Miniature CD which contains background music and sound effects
03) Miniature DVD which contains developer interview and master play
04) A placard which contains playing rules and holds both mini discs
05) Game trading card with cover artwork and original artwork
06) A thin and flimsy official guide book with game hints and tips
07) Booklet which contains PS2 game info and photos of the original JAMMA pc-board from way back in the day. «more»

Oretachi Game Center: Trio the Punch

According to Ainu lore, there was once an old and grizzled hermit who traveled between cave residences on the Chishima Islands. He never spoke but before he died, he imparted a single sentence to a washerwoman named Reiko. According to Reiko, the old hermit muttered with his dying breath, "To know Trio the Punch is to love Trio the Punch." With that, he shuffled off this mortal coil and Reiko was left with a puzzled look on her face and a distinct pang in her heart. To be continued.

The Oretachi Game Center version of Trio the Punch includes seven items:

01) Trio the Punch Game CD
02) Miniature CD which contains background music and sound effects
03) Miniature DVD which contains developer interview and master play
04) A placard which contains playing rules and holds both mini discs
05) Game trading card with cover artwork and original artwork
06) A thin and flimsy official guide book with game hints and tips
07) Booklet which contains PS2 game info and photos of the original JAMMA pc-board from way back in the day. «more»