Bokujou Monogatari: Kimi to Sodatsu Shima

After being shipwrecked and stranded on an island, the hero of the latest Bokujou Monogatari teams up with a small family of survivors to make a new home. By developing the land and creating a vibrant island economy supported by agrulcture, trade, and livestock, the newfound home away from home might become a teeming commercial jewel. At the outset of the game, players may select a male character named Mark or a female character named Chelsea.
With the promise of a better life, immigrants will visit your pristine shores and possibly settle down. The game mandates a population limit of 100 people but inhabitants aren't set in stone and may leave and arrive at any time which allows for a constant state of flux. «NCS Game Notes»

Hiite Utaeru DS Guitar M-06

Guitars generally have a pear-shaped body, a long neck, and head stock. Thanks to clever programming and a simple control mechanism, software developer Plato redesigns the acoustic guitar and puts it inside the squatness of the Nintendo DS.
Meet the strangest axe ever in the annals of guitar technology. With 16 chords to use at any time from a library of 120, users may strum out a song relatively easily if you're familiar with basic guitar playing. We were able to play the Main Riff I for "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman and "Torn" from Natalie Imbruglia this morning by following guitar tabs found on the web. In addition to its function as a guitar, the software also includes a library of 20 songs and a listening-then-repeating exercise. «NCS Game Notes»

Saint Seiya: Meiou Hades + Bonus

The glittering knights of Saint Seiya face off against each other in 3D battles that hew closely to the Hades Saga from the Sanctuary to the Inferno arcs. The storyline is based on the manga original although the game is peppered with animation spooled from the televised series. Two main game modes are featured at the outset:

1) Story Mode: Join Pegasus Seiya and Mu in the first chapter where they face off against Death Mask and Specters.
2) Versus Mode: Choose a fighter from five possible characters (at the outset) and battle through a total of 26 combatants.

Three additional game modes are hidden by question marks. Along with the two game modes, a Gallery Mode which contains exactly one available piece of artwork may be viewed but additional works, animations, and BGM may be unlocked by meeting certain conditions while playing the game. All orders for the Saint Seiya Meiou Hades game will ship with a collapsible Saint Seiya Memory Card holder which features Dragon, Phoenix, Pegasus, Cygnus, and Andromeda on its five viewable sides. «NCS Game Notes»

Silicon Cover DS Lite

The Silicon Cover DS Lite consists of a top and bottom portion which are connected with hinges. Installation is very simple and once installed, the cover wraps around the entire NDS and provides a pliable and protective skin to guard against potential dangers. Openings that are cut into the cover allow for easy access to the various ports and inputs on the NDS Lite unit.
NCS stocked white, pink, and black Silicon Covers earlier this month and Hori releases light-blue and light-green versions this week.

Hori Fighting Stick 3

As the default supplier of gaming accessories for the Japanese marketplace, Hori releases the first joystick for the PS2. Thick, sturdy, and fitted with candy colored buttons, the Fighting Stick 3 is a digital controller which connects to the PS3 by way of USB cable.
The standard face and trigger buttons are located in two rows across the face of the base while the following buttons span the top portion of the stick: TURBO, HOME, L3, R3, SELECT, and START. Three gradations of turbo-fire are available with speeds of 5, 12, and 20 shots per second.

Monsieur Bome Vol. 16 Repaint

Kaiyodo has started preorders for another Oni Musume figure repaint which will be released under the Monsieur Bome label. Fans of the Bome sculpts may recall that Oni Musume kicked off the series with Vol. 1 where the she-devil wore tiger print skivvies and sported a healthy head of red hair. The repaint of Bome Vol. 1 featured Oni Musume with blue hair...

The original version of Monsieur Bome Vol. 16 features Oni Musume with red hair and yellow tiger print wisps of clothing. The Vol. 16 repaint gives her a light purple do and white tiger print threads. In the sculpt, Oni is on all fours and drops an arm lazily around her weapon of choice. A pair of ivory-ish horns protrude from the top of her head and seemingly match the waves of her hair. When viewed from a head-on stance, Oni Musume reveals a generous amount of cleavage. The kind that's pushed together like a package of Drake's coffee cake.
Preorders are welcome to ship in mid-late March 2007 at JPY4500 or US$39 from NCS. Note: A USA localization is highly likely from Diamond.

Star Wars Deformed Figure Collection

Tomy has started preorders for a six-character collection of Star Wars super-deformed figures as follows:

1st Row: Bob Fett, Darth Vader, Storm Trooper
2nd Row: Yoda, R2-D2, CP-3O

The figures measure between 5-6 cm in height. The prototypes are monochrome but rest assured that they'll be colored with bright paint when shipping to retail The product solicitation states that the 6 figures are randomly packaged in factory cases of 12. Preorders are welcome today.

General Updates

Aquapict Update We love our drifting silicone jellyfish but we emptied the tank yesterday. When we originally filled the Aquapict up, we used regular tap water in our rush to check out the show and suffered through bubbles and stuck jellyfish. We're going to refill it with distilled water that's been boiled and then cooled which eliminates the bubble problem along with the fluorine and chlorine from the tap. End result? Possibly healthier jellyfish.

Idolm@ster Limited Edition Another batch of Idolmaster LE is scheduled to arrive tomorrow and all new orders submitted on Friday of last week will ship upon arrival. Please note that we're unable to accept new orders at this time.

Dreamcast Last Hope Update The game may be released tomorrow based on an email this morning from Max Scharl of Van Basilico / redspotgames. Place your wagers.