Thursday, October 05, 2006

Kawaii Koinu DS

Kawaii Koinu first appeared on the Gameboy Advance in 2002 and MTO evolves the brand to the touch screen of the NDS. The game allows players to interact with puppy versions of man's best friends and 18 breeds are featured such as Chihuahua, Pomeranian, Golden Retriever, Miniature Dachshund, Toy Poodle, and French Bulldog.

The gamer's onscreen actor shares the universe of Kawaii Koinu with his pooch and the two may be seen interacting on the upper NDS screen. Commands may be scribbled in kana on the touch screen and orders barked into the NDS microphone. To encourage the dog's loyalty to its owner, mini-games and exercises may be enjoyed as a sort of bonding ritual.

Dragonball Z Sparking! Neo

Cel-shaded super saiyan bout it out in a blazing 3D fighting game where the air, land, and sea serve as the expansive battlefields upon which fighters mix it up, take flight, and hurl blasts of energy.

The latest DBZ game features over 120 super saiyan from Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, and Dragon Ball Theater Edition. A total of 16 large battlefields allow fighters to soar and jet around as if they were starring in an episode of DBZ. The freedom of movement in Sparking! allows a fighter to dash away from a battle or close distances quickly. The Story Mode allows for character development and background storytelling, a Versus Mode pits players against each other, and a Tournament Mode starts off with eight fighters which eventually whittles down to two top bruisers.
«NCS Game Notes»

All preorders will include a bonus Space Pod digital clock. While supplies last, we will also include the timepiece with new orders.

Gundam Battle Royale

Gundam mechs rocket into battle once again and ricochet off the floors and the walls (if there were walls) on dusty battlefields. The game includes 70 types of mechs that are gradually unlocked as missions are dominated by an agile and capable player. The timeline of the game is the oft-played run from UC0079 to UC0087 and all of the major campaigns are visited including Jaburo and White Base. Mobile suits may be tuned up and upgraded as a handler successfully complete missions and ramps up the credits. Battles take place on terra firma, in outer space, on the moon, and the Zeon space colonies. Up to four players may link up wirelessly for competitive fire fights. Then there are cooperative battles where players defend bases from attackers and team up to accomplish missions. «NCS Game Notes»

Early preorders will ship with a bonus Gundam Battle Royale Carabiner which doubles as a keychain or a cellphone strap with the included red twisty strap. Unfortunately we have given them all away as of this morning.

Pokemon DS Lite

An allocation of the Pokemon Center exclusive Pokemon DS Lite arrived this morning and preorders are shipping today.

The body of the Lite sports a metallic black sheen and top lid features the sketched imprints of
Dialga in gold ink and Palkia in silver ink. The unit ships in an attractive black box with a photo of the NDS Lite on its face. NCS is sold out of this item but if we are able to stock another allocation, we'll update our website with more information.

Neo Geo Stick v3.0

Retro games were the rage a few years back along with retro controllers such as the Gamecube Digital Controller. A few years back, SNK released a joystick styled after the old Neo Geo stick which appealed to fans of old gaming ergonomics/nostalgia/etc/whatever. For an encore, the company has announced a Neo Geo Stick v3.0 which differs from the earlier stick only in color scheme. Bright red buttons on top of a white base make the stick look festive. There's also a red hand fan imprint on the lower-right corner. Preorders are welcome to ship in mid December 2006 at US$78.

Royds Pad.Net

The word "Royds" has a negative connotation in the American vernacular but we're overlooking that. NCS focuses on the positives today with Try Electronics' upcoming Dual Shock Pad + Keyboard "all-in-one" controller. A USB cord on the Royds Pad.Net plugs into the USB port of the PS2 while a standard cord goes into a controller slot. Once connected, action games as well as online-games which require keyboard input may be controlled through a single controller. Preorders are welcome to ship on November 30, 2006.

Playstation 3 Update

Yesterday's update prompted a flurry of preorders and questions. Since there were so many of the same inquiries, here are some answers:

Why isn't NCS accepting preorders for the 60GB PS3?
According to suppliers in Japan, the 60GB model will be scarce. To be assured that we'll receive the quantities that we need for the launch, they recommended that we submit preorders for the 20GB model which they can supply. Chances of importing the 60GB PS3 appear low at this time.

I thought the 20GB PS3 didn't include an HDMI port?
Sony announced at the Tokyo Game Show that both 20GB and 60GB models will include the HDMI port. The only other difference other than the HDD size is the Wifi functionality out of the box and the Memory Stick/Multimedia Card reader.

Can a Japanese PS3 play USA PS3 games?
Unlikely, but we won't be able to confirm PS3 region lockouts until we test a Japanese console with a USA game and vice versa. NCS is aware of the rumors of "region-free PS3" out there but we're dismissing them.

Guitar Freaks Arcade Style Controller

After a shaky start and a couple of delays, Konami makes good on their Guitar ASC production for the home Bemani consumer. Cloning the design and quality of the actual guitar used in the arcade versions of Guitar Freaks, the ASC axe allows gamers to play the game with a solid and durable controller. The first batch of Konami's Guitar Freaks Arcade Style Controllers arrived on Monday and the rest of the controllers arrived earlier this morning.

All remaining Guitar ASC preorders are shipping today and emails will be sent out by 2PM EST with an order confirmation and UPS tracking details. Shipment tracking will be activated after 8PM EST once the packages are scanned into the distribution hub.
NCS ordered a surplus quantity of the guitars and we have a buffer quantity for new orders to ship this afternoon.
Due to the large carton size for the Guitar ASC, NCS recommends only shipping by UPS Ground if you reside in the USA and normal USPS Airmail for our international customers. Pricing remains at US$289 + shipping.