Early Import Releases Tomorrow; Japanese Holiday

NDS Mitsukete! Keroro Gunsou, PS2 Fantastic Fortune 2: Triple Star [Best Hit], and PSP Eiyuu Densetsu Sora no Kiseki SC were originally scheduled to arrive today since they were released early to Japanese distribution last Friday but our shipment was delayed a day. The three games will arrive tomorrow and all preorders will ship on Tuesday.

Today was a national holiday in Japan known as Autumn Equinox Day (Shubun no hi) where families visit the graves of relatives and pay their respects. Families burn incense and leave offerings of flowers and ohagi which are rice balls since the traditional view is that the spirits of our ancestors prefer round foods. In other words, hamburgers are anathema.

Japanese Import Outlook

NDS	Picto Image DS	Sega
	Pro Yakyuu Famista DS	Namco
PC	Phantasy Star Universe: Ambition of the Illuminus	Sega
PS2	Bleach Blade Battles 2nd	Sony
	Generations of Chaos Desire	I.Factory
	Phantasy Star Universe: Ambition of the Illuminus	Sega
PS3	Agarest Senki	Compile
PSP	Jet de Go! Pocket - Ultimate Hits	Taito
	Wangan Midnight Portable	Genki
X36	Halo 3 First Print Limited Edition	Microsoft

USA Release Outlook

NDS	Chibi Robo: Park Patrol	Nintendo
PS2	Bratz: The Movie	EA
	CSI: 3 Dimensions of Murder	Ubisoft
	Dance Dance Revolution SuperNOVA 2	Konami
	Jackass the Game	Redmile
	NBA 08	Sony
	Soul Nomad & the World Eaters	NISA
	World Series of Poker 2008	Activision
PS3	Skate	EA
	NBA 08	Sony
	World Series of Poker 2008	Activision
PSP	NBA 08	Sony
Wii	Bratz: The Movie	THQ
	Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party	Konami
	Dewy's Adventure	Konami
	Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire	D3P
X36	Hot Wheels: Beat That	Activision

Sealed Game Heaven

New and interesting site for game collectors.

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A new forum site has recently just been set up aimed at collector's who prefer to collect factory sealed video-games, called Sealed Game Heaven ( http://www.sealedgameheaven.com ), and has already so far been reported on by Kotaku.com; InsertCredit.com; And also BitParade and Siliconera.com and so on ...The forum features in-depth guides and discussions regarding sealed games from all regions, as well as useful information regarding what to look out for, as well as the differences between factory seals and reseals. It also has another section where members have posted pictures of their impressive sealed game collections for your viewing pleasure!The forum is predominantly English and German, with area's for discussions in both languages. Even if you are not a fan of this unique collecting phenomenon, it may still fascinate you or even provide enlightenment!
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Jojo no Kimyouna Bouken: Ougon no Kaze [BEST Price] - In Stock

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure first appeared on Weekly Shonen Jump in 1987 and has enjoyed a healthy run and seven major story arcs since its debut. In the original story, the year is 1868 in England and the cries of a baby are heard by a vandal named Dario Brando. He follows the crying to an overturned stagecoach and intends to rob the occupants whom he presumes are dead. He finds a male that is still alive named George Joestar who offers Dario a reward for helping them. Fast forward to 1880 and Dario Brando is dying in bed and tells his son Dio to go to the Joestars to cash in Dario's reward. George Joestar welcomes Dio to the family but son Jonathan is less welcoming when he discovers Dio's true nature...

A fast paced and action-packed manga, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure regaled fans in 7 parts spanning a century of blood feuds. Dio Brando and Jonathan Joester started the adventure in 1880s England and their bloody legacy would span generations. The fifth storyline takes place in 2002 where Dio's son, Giorno Giovanna and his crew travel to Naples and go up against a band of evil Stand users. The Stand is a form of psychic force / manifestation which stands next to the conjurer and battles foes with bombastic effect.

Slim & Lite PSP - Partial Stock Arrival

Sony downsizes the Playstation Portable slightly and injects a little bit of excitement into an otherwise sedate PSP market of late. The Slim & Lite PSP (aka the PSP-2000 stateside) is true to its namesake in that it's slimmer heightwise than the original and approximately 1/3 lighter. Pick one up without the battery installed and it's about as feather-like as a slim television remote.

Home in closer on the unit and it looks just like the PSP-1000 but the UMD ejection slider is gone. To open up the UMD caddy, simply push it open with a finger. The d-pad and analog nub feel slightly springier and the buttons feel snappier but that might be a tactile illusion caused by the mild excitement in testing out a new piece of hardware this morning.

According to Sony, additional ram has been built into the Slim PSP to improve loading times and we do detect some improvement when playing Burnout Legends. The battery for the Slim PSP matches the height reduction that the unit itself underwent but it's just as big as the original battery in terms of length and width. Perhaps the most welcome functionality upgrade for the Slim PSP is the video out capability which allows PSP games to be viewed on a monitor or television.

Please note that we have begun processing and shipping preorders for the Ceramic White, Piano Black, and Ice Silver versions of the Slim PSP but we will process and ship preorders for the Felicia Blue, Lavender Purple, and Rose Pink models on Monday when the remainder of our stock hits.

Mario Strikers Charged - In Stock

From the Publisher
The captains from Super Mario Strikers are back, joined by four new ones, and now you can create your own original team by mixing and matching your captain with an all-new cast of sidekicks. All characters have their own sets of special abilities, making each one play completely different from one another. New captain super-abilities and sidekick skill-shots add a new level of depth to already crazy soccer battles on the most unpredictable and hazard-filled pitches in the Mario universe. Each field features its own set of interactive hazards that alter game play over the course of the game. Play in single or multiplayer mode and battle locally or online! Primary game controls use both the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers. This game gets you into the action only the way the Wii can!

Features:
» Battle on the most unpredictable and hazard-filled pitches in the universe.
» New captain super abilities, sidekick skill-shots and charging the ball add a new level of depth to an already crazy soccer battle.
» Compete against friends and other strikers in online matches over Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.

KOF Mai Shiranui 1/5 Scale PVC Figure

Mai has been serving her duties as objet d'art for a number of sculptors recently and sales have been expectedly good. To cash in on the flurry of Mai love this year, manufacturer Daiki Kogyou throws their hat into the ring and starts preorders for a 33cm (12.99") Mai statue that's scheduled to ship in December.
The version of Mai featured in the new sculpt is her classic King of Fighters incarnation where Mai is dressed in regulation issue red attire and her hair is tied up in a whippy ponytail. Mai sports a healthy bosom that's adequately restrained and her wide hips are clearly designed for child-bearing. We don't recall them being so expansive though...
Preorders are welcome to ship in mid-late December 2007 at JPY14000 or US$175 from NCS. Shipping costs will be weighty for this particular figure.