TOYS Pixtone Black Rock Shooter - Import Preorder

NCS Product Synopsis
«©NCSX» Good Smile Company has started preorders for the first two figures in their new "Pixtone" series of toys which are inspired by dot-graphics. What are dot-graphics? If you look back to the 8-bit era when the original Mario was comprised of big pixels so that he looked pixelated, that's one example of dot-graphics on display. In recent years, dot-graphics have made a sort of comeback in art, games, and toys. Could it be the precision of the orderly dots that makes dot-graphics attractive? No one knows.

   GSC chooses two characters from the popular Black Rock Shooter series to be their debut heroines for the Pixtone toys. The first character is Black Rock Shooter herself, with the blazing blue eye, choppy hair, and blank expression. Her rock cannon lies to the side in an apparent moment of peace. The second figure is the Black Rock's nemesis, Dead Master in all of her dot-graphics glory. DM's eyes are green and her hair is less choppy than Black Rock's tresses. Dead Master wields a scythe which she raises in her Pixtone incarnation. Both figures are fixed-posed, measure 5cm tall, and are mounted on checkered bases.

   Preorders for both figures are welcome to ship in May 2011 at JPY680 or US$11.90 each. The Pixtone figures are fully assembled, pre-painted, and ready for display.

TOYS New Super Mario Bros Crystal Maze - Restock Import

NCS Product Synopsis
«©NCSX» Japanese manufacturer Epoch is primarily a toy maker although they've dabbled in video games and related products in the past. The company dabbles a little bit more by releasing two board games based on New Super Mario Bros. The first game on offer today is called the "Crystal Maze Board Game" which ships in a large cardboard box and is suitable for children at least 4 years old and adults with a penchant for anything related to Mario gaming and frivolity.

   Anyone who's played Super Monkey Ball will take to Crystal Maze like a fish to water. By using the red joystick/lever located at the bottom of the game, players tilt the play board to move three metal marbles (one at a time) from the START area at the bottom of the board to the GOAL located at the upper left corner of the board. It's pretty challenging due to the convoluted and tight-spaced maze one has to maneuver through.

MAG Dengeki G's Festival Vol. 19 [Jan 2011] - New Import

NCS Product Synopsis

«©NCSX» The animation property featured in the latest issue of Dengeki G's Festival magazine is Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai! or Oreimo for short. The special bonuses included with the magazine are:

» Kirino Kōsaka microfiber big towel which measures 125 x 60cm (49.21 x 23.62") in area and depicts Kirino in a green 2-piece bikini. Her name is printed on the right side of the towel.
» Niitengo "Kuroneko" figure which is mounted on a circular pedestal. The figure is a 2.5 figure which refers to the ratio of Kuroneko's head to her body.
» Oreimo Travel Edition CD

   Preorders have shipped as of Friday and new orders are welcome to ship today.

NEWS Japanese Release Outlook - Arrivals on Thursday

PS3	Nobunaga no Yabou Online: Shinsei no Shou	Koei
	Nobunaga no Yabou Online Premium Box	Koei
PSP	The 3rd Birthday	Square
	AKB1/48: Idol to Koishitara...	Bandai
	AKB1/48: Idol to Koishitara... First Print Limited	Bandai
	Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 4 Aizouban	Koei
	Togainu no Chi: True Blood Portable	Kadokawa
	Togainu no Chi: True Blood Portable Limited	Kadokawa
360	Dennou Senki Virtual-On Force	Sega
	Dennou Senki Virtual On Force Limited Edition	Sega
Wii	Mom-Chan Diet Wii: Figureobics	IE Inst.

MAG Weekly Famitsu Vol 1150 - New Import

NCS Product Synopsis
«©NCSX» The December 30, 2011 issue of Weekly Famitsu includes coverage for the following games and/or events in the Japanese marketplace:

» Preview for PSP Photo Kano which is a dating game where the protagonist takes photos of his virtual girlfriends by tapping the "R" trigger.
» Famitsu reviews PSP The 3rd Birthday (10/9/8/9), PSP Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 4 Aizouban (8/8/7/8), PSP Uta no * Prince-Sama: Amazing Aria (7/7/6/6), X360 Dennou Senki Virtual-On Force (7/7/8/7), and PS3 Borderlands Game of the Year Edition (9/8/8/7).
» PSP Dogma Wars and Another Century's Episode Portable previews.
» Konami reveals their Nintendo 3DS lineup which includes Doctor Lautrec and the Forgotten Knights and Winning Eleven 3D Soccer.
» Continuing coverage on PS3 Gran Turismo 5.
» Confections from Lotte, Meiji, and Glico are featured in PICK UP FOOD.
» IdolStudio photo spread for cover model Nanami Sakuraba. 
» Preview for PSP Patapon 3 which ships sometime next year.
» Wii Last Story preview which spans 4-pages.

TOYS Revoltech Yamaguchi 097: Lupin the Third - New Import

NCS Product Synopsis

«©NCSX» Arsene Lupin is a master thief who's highly skilled, good with a gun, and would probably outsmart Danny Ocean if another sequel to Ocean's Eleven got the greenlight. Despite being somewhat goofy, Lupin has the wherewithal to get what he wants and he does it with panache and style.
 

   Lupin gets his proper respects from Kaiyodo in the form of a Revoltech toy figure which ships in a few months. The Lupin Revoltech contains 13 joints which allow for remarkable poses including a wiry kneeling posture and another one where Lupin has apparently dislocated his neck. Props included with the Lupin figure include a table that looks like the same one that was included with the Professor Layton Revoltech, a chair, a safe (to crack), three extra faces, nine extra hands, a wired hook to ride, a mounting stand, and five bullet marks to create scenes where Lupin is being shot at. 

MAG Ore No Imouto Ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga nai 3 - New

NCS Product Synopsis

«©NCSX» Dengeki Comics presents another volume of Ore No Imouto Ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga nai (translation: My Little Sister Cannot Be This Cute) which spans 178 pages of black & white manga. The special bonus that's included in this issue is a limited edition "Nitengo" Ayase Aragaki figure which is packaged in a separate cardboard box in pieces. The figure is made up of Ayase's head, a front hairpiece, her entire body in 1 piece, and a circular stand which Ayase's hoof-like feet plug into for stability. The fixed-pose figure measures approximately 2.5" in height and is made of PVC.

   All preorders have shipped as of yesterday and new orders are welcome to ship this afternooon.

X360 Dodonpachi Daifukkatsu Black Label - Import Preorder

NCS Product Synopsis
«©NCSX» Preorders are welcome for the X360 port of Dodonpachi Daifukkatsu Black Label which originally reached Japanese arcades in January of this year. What does the "Black Label" version of the game feature that the previous 1.5 release didn't? For starters:

» The capacity to unleash vulcan shots and lasers at the same time. A new "Red Mode" in Black Label adds an energy bar on the top of the screen which tracks the simultaneous usage of the vulcan and laser. Use both weapons too much and the bar changes to a red color which ramps up the difficulty level of the game. Stop shooting both weapons at the same time and the difficulty ramp eventually subsides.
» Updated ship selection process where players choose the fighter followed by the choice of bomb-type, power-type, or strong-style (easy, medium, hard) and then opt-in or out for auto-bomb.
» The music in Black Label has been replaced entirely with tracks by Manabu Namiki, Yoshimi Kudo, Noriyuki Kamikura, and Azusa Chiba which are pretty sweet ear candy.
» The onslaught from the final boss Hibachi's attack is ferocious and magnificent and much tougher than 1.5.
   Preorders are welcome to ship on February 3, 2011.