Takt of Magic - New Japanese Import

«©NCSX» A lad named Orwell and his childhood companion Charlotte are patrolling the woods when they see smoke billowing above the tree line in the direction of their village. They race home to find the entire town under assault by enemy forces. Fireballs rain down on the houses and everything's aflame. Furthermore, the King has been assassinated and the enemy forces now turn their attention to Orwell and Charlotte...

Takt of Magic is a real-time strategy game where the Remote is used to move the player's party across battlefields to engage enemy forces. There's no conventional attacks on the part of the protagonist Orwell and his offensive moves are entirely magical in nature. To activate spells, some simple maneuvers through the Nunchuk and Wii Remote are performed to shoot fireballs, set up barriers, blow out wind attacks, and even heal party members. Later in the game, traps may be set to trigger when enemies step upon them. A rune/sigil system is used to activate magical effects which requires that the Remote be moved in the shape of such as a reverse "Z" (barrier), a crescent (conical magic blast) or an upward pointing arrow (arcing fireball). A total of eight runes are available and two runes may be doodled in sequence to create new and powerful magical effects. The most difficult rune to draw looks like a pretzel... «More details and spoilers»

Final Fantasy Versus XIII Tumbler Noctis - New Import

«©NCSX» Last week, NCS stocked two gloomy Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Tumblers which featured Cloud Strife and Sephiroth in very depressing scenes. The FFXIII Tumbler featuring Noctis Lucis Caelum is also gloomy but at least the hero of FFXIII looks up and appears vigilant. The artwork is from Square's official Fabula Nova Crystallis -> FFVSXIII website and enterprising tumbler creators can probably make their own by printing out a high quality scan and wrapping it around a cup.

Each tumbler holds 457ml or 16 ounces of liquid and is made of shatter-resistant plastic. Notice that we didn't describe the tumbler as "shatter-proof" because we had a couple that arrived damaged due to poor handling by our courier. New orders are welcome to ship today. Please note NCS' pricing reflects the special arrangements required to import the tumblers into the United States from Square's online shop.

SaGa Series 20th Anniversary OST Premium - Preorder

«©NCSX» The very first "SaGa" game was Makai Toushi SaGa which was released on the original Gameboy in December 1989. Square followed up with two sequels on the GB and eventually expanded the franchise with three Romancing Saga games on the Super Famicom and the Saga Frontier/Unlimited Saga/Minstrel titles on the Playstation consoles. That's a lot of games and a lot of music was created for those games. A single CD nor even a quadruple CD package could hold all those tunes. There's so much music that Square's 20th Anniversary SaGa OST contains 20 CDs which hold over 500 music tracks for your listening pleasure. In addition to the CDs, Square's also throwing in a Creator's Interview DVD and a special 20th Anniversary Commemorative illustration. Preorders ship on Aug 26, 2009.

inFAMOUS - inSTOCK, Ships TODAY

«©NCSX» Sony's inFAMOUS will be in stock later today and orders placed this afternoon will ship today before 5PM EST. If you reside in the USA and order the game with USPS Express Mail, you will receive the game on Friday.

From the Publisher
A massive explosion rips through six square blocks of Empire City, leveling everything and killing everyone in its path... everyone, except you! From the creators of the award-winning Sly Cooper series, Sucker Punch brings you inFAMOUS, an open-world action-adventure title exclusively for the PLAYSTATION 3 system. Players will feel what it's like to be granted incredible powers... how you use them is up to you. The consequences of your actions will affect you, the citizens, and the city around you. You'll develop and grow your powers, and eventually uncover the purpose of it all. Feel what it's like to wield extraordinary electrical-based powers; and grasp the responsibility that comes with it. Battle against powerful iconic villains and uncover your true purpose.

Ichigeki Sacchu!! HoiHoi-san ID-3 Toy Figure - Preorder

«©NCSX» When Konami released Ichigeki Sacchuu! HoiHoi-San on the PS2 back in 2003, they also shipped a limited edition bundle which included a HoiHoi-san toy figure. She's the blonde robotic moppet in the maid's uniform with an unusual job. HoiHoi is an insect killer. She was designed by Maazu Pharmaceuticals to exterminate bugs with a variety of weaponry including guns, swords, and super-strength bug spray. Kotobukiya celebrates HoiHoi-san with a new action figure which includes a sword, a spray-gun, a broom, and an extra pair of hands. The figure measures 11cm or 4.33" tall which is 1:1 scale. Preorders ship in late Sept 2009 at JPY3150 (US$35.90).

Ikkitousen Kanu Unchou School Uniform Noir - Preorder

«©NCSX» Kanu Unchou of Ikkitousen fame has reached a pinnacle in Japan where she'll probably be sculpted into perpetuity. Year after year, toys bearing her likeness will be released in the Japanese marketplace for devoted fans who'll continue to pay homage (literally) to their PVC Queen. The latest Kanu figure from Taki Corp is a school uniform rendition but it's not just any school uniform. Kanu's apparently been fighting again and her clothing is "battle-damaged" which means gratuitous viewing for voyeurs. Preorders ship in June 2009 at JPY8800 (US$92.90).

Ultraman EX Jamirah - Import Preorder

«©NCSX» An Ultraman toy revival is about to hit Japan but NCS is unsure if we'll participate in all of the histrionics. Sure, Ultraman is legendary but he's kinda hokey when viewed against the backdrop of 2009. Besides, he wears spandex. Red spandex. Ultraman's adversaries are a more interesting lot and Bandai will release a number of Ultra Monsters Series toys which begins with EX Jamirah in July. Following him will be Megasamu in August, EX Bakishimamu in September, and EX Armor Gurozamu in October. A number of other Ultraman toys are scheduled to ship between July and December but we'll update again if we decide to import them.
Jamirah looks like Lurch from the Addams Family but J has more personality. The EX Jamirah toy measures 15cm or 5.90" tall and preorders will ship in a cardboard backed blister pack sometime in July 2009.

Full Metal Alchemist Coin Bank - Import Preorder

«©NCSX» The new Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood television series made its debut in Japan last month and NCS anticipates another spate of product merchandising and video game adaptations later this year. Bandai's the first to announce a new product in the form of two Full Metal Alchemist Coin Banks which feature Edward Elric and Roy Mustang respectively.

Edward's Coin Bank is colored red to match his cloak and a little LCD screen on the front displays little spot animations that feature the brothers Elric in short gimmicky sequences that are accompanied by sound. Roy's Coin Bank is painted blue and also sports an LCD screen on the front which plays little animations of Roy Mustang whenever a JPY100 coin is inserted. For stateside savers, please note that a standard nickel can be used in place of the JPY100 coin since the dimensions are very similar. Preorders are welcome to ship in June 2009 at JPY3800 or US$48.90 from NCS.