OST Final Fantasy XIII Original Soundtrack - Import Preorder

NCS Preorder Synopsis
«©NCSX» The original Final Fantasy games belted out melodious beeps and boops for the sound effects and music. They didn't sound bad but that was old-school chiming and sound technology has marched onwards since the ancient days of gaming. When the Final Fantasy series reached the Super Famicom, lush musical scores became the norm for the franchise. The songs progressively got grander and more mellifluous under the guiding hand of Nobuo Uematsu as console generations came and went.

As we head towards the thirteenth Final Fantasy, Nobuo steps aside and hands the reins over to Masashi Hamauzu who has worked on Final Fantasy X and Saga Frontier 2. The upcoming FFXIII Original Soundtrack spans four CDs which are packaged neatly in a foldout binder. In addition to the regular edition of the soundtrack, Square is also releasing a limited edition (pictured to the left) which includes a few bonuses as follows:

» Drama CD "Final Fantasy XIII Episode Zero -Promise- Story"
» FFXIII Visual Booklet (32-pages)
» Special packaging to hold the soundtrack and bonuses
» FFXIII Original Soundtrack 2009 Winter Campaign entry ticket

Preorders for both versions of the soundtrack are welcome to ship on January 27, 2009. Please note that Square's distributor mentions that the limited edition of the soundtrack may be short-shipped from Square Enix but we're dismissing their warning as a scary sales tactic for now.

TOYS Soul of Chogokin: Fireball Drossel - Import Preorder

NCS Preorder Synopsis
«©NCSX» Our private collection of "Soul of Chogokin" toys contains robots like Mazinger Z, Getter Robo, Dancougar, and Raideen. We've got a few Evangelion in there along with a King Joe toy too. Still waiting for a Voltes repaint but maybe we'll get one in 2012 when the Mayan calendar ends.

NCS never thought we'd see Disney's Drossel join the Soul of Chogokin series but she's coming. Drossel measures 18cm or 7.08" tall and is packaged with helm attachments that bolt onto Drossel's head. Five pairs of hands are also included so Drossel can be expressive. Her facial expression is pretty much non-existent so she'll have to signal her mood with finger jive. Preorders are welcome to ship in mid-late February 2010 at JPY8400 or US$92.90 from NCS.

TOYS Rockman & 1-Up Bearbrick Set - Import Preorder

NCS Preorder Synopsis
«©NCSX» Rockman's been around for ages but he's changed through the years with newfangled renditions in Rockman X, Rockman Zero, and Rockman EXE. The upcoming Rockman & 1-Up Bearbrick Set in Medicom's Kubrick & Bearbrick (#262) product line places the blue knight squarely in his original 8-bit Famicom persona.

Rockman measures 7cm or 2.75" tall and is tinted two shades of blue. His boxy body is painted a light-blue while his helmet, hands, and feet are colored navy blue. His expression appears to convey angst... or gas. In addition to the Rockman figure, Medicom also throws in a transparent-blue Bearbrick who has a Rockman tattoo on his chest. Preorders are welcome to ship in mid-late January 2010 at JPY2800 or US$40.90 from NCS.

NEWS General Updates

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 Retail shops in metro New York that got COD:MW2 last week started selling the game immediately despite the official street date being today. Signing those distribution agreements didn't mean squat...

Bayonetta Another batch of PS3 Bayonetta is scheduled to arrive on Thursday and we'll fill all outstanding backorders with the new supply.

Bullish on Dollar We've started buying dollar contracts this morning after watching the $ trade yesterday. A pyramiding strategy is being used to accumulate contracts on the way up. The selling looks done but a "generous" stop is on the position in case the trade is early. Gold is tempting as a short but there's too many starry-eyed rainbow and unicorn chasers on the bid.

SOTW Sega Mouse for Sega MegaDrive - Sale

NCS Sale of the Week Offering: November 10, 2009
Original Release in Japan: April 23, 1993
«©NCSX» Brand new and factory boxed official Sega Mouse for the Sega MegaDrive that's packaged with a blue mouse pad which bears the Sega imprint on the lower-right corner. The pad alone is worth at least $1.33.

Product Condition
NCS' remaining inventory is brand new and factory boxed from our original warehouse inventory circa the Spring of 1993. The product packaging is structurally sound but please note the cardboard has slight scuffing, dings, and/or minor markings caused by years of warehouse-to-warehouse transport as NCS has shuffled premises a few times.

Sale Offering
Pricing per Sega Mouse is set at US$23.90 each. If you reside within the continental US, NCS recommends shipping by USPS Media Mail for the most economical domestic carriage cost. International customers can select USPS First Class Airmail International which delivers within 6-12 days.

Product SKU: HAA-2651
JAN Code: 4974365526511
Japanese Product Name: セガ マウス MD
Compatibility: Sega MegaDrive, Genesis (Controllers are Region-Free)
Manufacturer: Sega

TOYS Metal Gear Solid Kubrick Collector's Edition 2 - In Stock

NCS Product Synopsis
«©NCSX» The original collection of MGS Kubricks sold like gangbusters and NCS eventually sold out of complete cases despite the lofty price. Medicom releases a new MGS Kubrick Collection this week and the characters in the new collection are (Left to Right):

Top Row
» Old Snake in Octocamo Facemask [MGS4] Box Ratio: 6/24
» Solidus Snake [MGS2] Box Ratio: 5/24
» Liquid Ocelot [MGS4] Box Ratio: 3/24

Low Row
» Liquid Snake [MGS] Box Ratio: 4/24
» Iroquois Pliskin [MGS2] Box Ratio: 2/24
» PMC Soldier [MGS4] Box Ratio: 4/24

In addition to the standard figures, two secret Chase figures are randomly packaged in the following ratios:

» Naked Snake [MGS3; Clear Plastic] 1:96 (1 in every 4 factory boxes)
» Old Snake [MGS4; Clear Plastic] 1:96 (1 in every 4 factory boxes)

New orders are welcome at JPY23520 or US$239.90 per factory sealed box of 24 figures.

PSP Genso Suikoden I & II - New Import, In Stock

NCS Game Synopsis
«©NCSX» Over a decade after Genso Suikoden appeared on the original Playstation, Konami bundles together the first two Suikoden games and updates them with graphical improvements and the radical idea of diagonal movement. Let us explain - in the original Suikoden games, characters were only able to walk in the four cardinal directions. Any attempt to move diagonally in the original games was met with resistance. In the new PSP updates, characters are capable of stepping diagonally to cross distances quicker in addition to standard left, right, up, and down movements. Based on our short play test this morning, we're assuming that Konami used the Saturn version of Suikoden and the Playstation version of Suikoden II for the PSP compilation. The intro from Suikoden is the same as the Saturn intro and Suikoden II was never released for Sega's 32-bit console. Konami also touched up the graphics for both games with little details and both Suikodens translate beautifully to the small screen with sharp and spiffy visuals that show the care that the development staff put into porting the games over to the PSP.

Additional portable Suikoden tidbits in the game include a BGM playlist which includes over 160 music tracks from both games, a movie gallery which features the cinemas from both games including the Sega Saturn introduction for the first game, and the ability to watch event cinemas and ending sequences after completing either game. The "PSP Best" version of Genso Suikoden is the same as the original release but at a lower price point along with a "Best" re-release game cover.

PS2 Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater - New Import, In Stock

From the publisher
In the aftermath of the Second World War, the world was torn in two between East and West. It was the beginning of a new era-the Cold War.

October 16, 1962. The President of the United States received word that the Soviet Union had deployed nuclear missiles in Cuba. The world trembled in fear as the prospect of nuclear war loomed ever closer. After days of tense negotiations, the Soviets finally agreed on the 28th to withdraw their missiles from Cuban soil. With the resolution of this incident, later to be known as the Cuban Missile Crisis, it seemed that humanity had survived yet another threat to its existence.

However, there was a secret condition in the deal that put an end to the crisis. Nikolai Stepanovich Sokolov, a Soviet scientist who had defected to the West, was to be sent back to the Soviet Union. The U.S. government agreed to this stipulation, and returned Sokolov to his native land. Little did they know that Sokolov was to be the designer of a nightmarish weapon. Now, with Sokolov back in their hands, the Soviets are ready to resume its development. If this weapon is completed, it will mark the beginning of a new age of fear.