Friday, February 29, 2008

Shooting Game Historica SP - New Import, Restock Soon

Following the sales success of the Shooting Game Historica collection in gashapon form, Yujin releases the SP (Second Product) version of the very same toys. The original Historica renditions were packed in plastic capsules but the SP toys are packaged in fanciful boxes that come 12 per factory case. There is one major difference between the two sets however. In addition to the 6 original ships from the first set, the SP edition also includes 3 new color variants. The source games and ships are as follows:

» R-Type featuring R-9A Arrow-Head (original and color variant)
» Image Fight featuring 0F-1 Daedalus (original and color variant)
» Gradius featuring Vic Viper T301 (original color only)
» Gradius 2 featuring Metarion (original and color variant)
» Darius Gaiden featuring Silver Hawk (original and color variant)

Pricing is set at US$45 per factory case of 12 toys. Please note that a partial shipment arrived but we were able to ship most preorders yesterday. The remainder of our stock is scheduled to arrive next week.

Links of Interest
»
New photo link for the Shooting Game Historica Second Product
» Original NCS photo gallery for the Shooting Game Historica toys
» Partial sets from the original gashapon version available

Real Action Heroes 359: Old Snake - New Import, In Stock

When we first met Solid Snake nearly 20 years ago, he was a punk kid with some skills but nowhere near the legend he is today. Through the decades, we watched him grow in stature and renown as his escapades were painstakingly chronicled across multiple gaming platforms. If asked to describe noticeable features about Snake, we might conjure up his camouflage suit, the billowing headband, an endless supply of cigarettes, and the stubble. The words "dashing," "unerring," and "loner" might also be thrown into the discussion but we never thought we'd ever used the words, "old guy."

As the upcoming release of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots begins, Snake is an old man. White-haired, wrinkled, and somewhat wobbly, Snake is a shadow of his former self but he's still got skills. Years of training and his innate survival instincts just don't disappear overnight. The years of smoking cigarettes has taken a toll on his lungs however and Snake coughs up a storm. Per usual Medicom convention, the company releases a Real Action Heroes figure for Grandpa Snake which measures 30cm or 11.81" tall. The figure is highly posable for kinetic action postures that only a seasoned warrior can achieve. «Photo Gallery»

Kera Magazine Vol. 114 - Recent Import, In Stock

The Japanese magazine scene is an interesting one, especially if you reside outside of Japan. On the video game side of the periodical trade, Famitsu has been around since the early years and it's pretty much the magazine of record for the Japanese gaming industry at this point. For toy lovers, there's always Hobby Japan to cover all things PVC and ABS. If your interests swell towards the more avant-garde however, you can always find a friend in Kera Magazine.

Kera is a monthly lifestyle and fashion magazine with a strong slant towards bleeding edge Goth-Loli style. We have a sneaking suspicion that Mr. Burton of Nightmare Before Christmas fame subscribes to Kera magazine. In this month's issue, readers follow a girl named Uri as she visits different shops such as Sexy Dynamite London Punk and Jimsinn. She gamely clowns for the camera, shows off her shopping discoveries, and makes funny faces. The cover model is featured in a 4-page spread where she dresses up in a Goth-Santa outfit and a Goth-Nurse get-up. Our favorite part of the magazine is the Street Snap section where a roaming photographer takes to the streets and snaps shots of Goth-Loli garbed citizens in all their sub-culture splendor. Very entertaining stuff.

Night Wizard: Denial of the World - New Import, In Stock

Back in 2002, Enterbrain released a table talk RPG titled Night Wizard which plied the dungeon-crawl trade. In 2004, a PC game based on the TRPG was released dubbed Night Wizard Mahou Taisen: The Peace Plan to Save the World. Fast forward to 2007 and the brand made the transition to manga and anime. With momentum building, the franchise jumps to the Playstation 2 with a brand new adventure which features characters from the animated series and utilizes the game system and command structure of the original TRPG.

Renji Hiiragi is a member of an order of Night Wizards who protect the world from those who would plunge it into darkness. Night Wizards have special abilities and are armed with weapons called artifacts which allow them to attack discarnate beings known as Emulators. The Playstation 2 game starts off with a relatively lengthy interactive intro which sets up the characters, their relationships, and the travails that lie before them. The main portion of the game plays like an interactive novel where text is read and choices are selected to proceed further. When a battle pops up, simple combat commands are chosen to beat back enemy forces. «G-Notes»

One Piece Neo-3: Roronoa Zoro - New Import, In Stock

According to our neighbor Timmy, the greatest sword fighter on the planet is a lanky, green-mopped misfit known as Zoro Roronoa. Most swordsmen use a single blade to dispatch their adversaries but that's not how Zoro rolls. No, he's most comfortable when both of his hands are gripping a sword and his teeth are clenched around a third blade. In this manner, Zoro slashes and slices like a dicing machine.

Bandai's One Piece Portrait of Pirates toy series honors Zoro with a re-release of his figure from the original OPOP. Zoro measures 20cm or 8" tall and appears to be unsheathing the sword that's in his hands. Two additional swords are included in the package which may be tethered to his side. A pair of goggle accessories are also packaged inside the box which may be slipped around the swordsman's neck.
«Photo Gallery»

Evangelion Rei & Asuka Beachside Cold Cast - New, In Stock

When Asuka Langley and Rei Ayanami visit the beach, they wear two-piece bikinis and crouch thisclose next to each other. The two girls also do their damndest to look fetching so voyeurs can stop, gawk, and leer as voyeurs are apt to do. New Line's Evangelion 1/6 scale Beachside Cold Cast figure was originally released in 2003 but a reproduction is now in stock at JPY21,000 (US$220) for the pair.

Haruhi Suzumiya Bunny Figure v1.5 - New, In Stock

In the The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, the selfsame heroine of the series is a high school student name Haruhi who can alter reality without knowing it. Bandai takes a more direct approach to Haruhi's shifting realities with a special 20cm (7.87") tall figure which changes color depending on the temperature.

When the mercury rises over 30°C or 90°F, Haruhi wears red bunny ears, a red skintight dress, and a red bow to complement her bare legs. However, when the temperature drops below 30°C, Haruhi's ensemble changes color to black and her legs are covered with black hosiery. If Haruhi is caught in a zone with different temperatures, her coloring will change according to the formula listed above. All preorders have shipped as of yesterday and new orders are welcome. Jan Code: 4543112513779.

Assassin's Creed 10" Altair Vinyl Figure - In Stock

From the Manufacturer
This figure has been created from the original 3D gaming data directly from Ubisoft. Tha accuracy of the figure is amazing and totally authentic. Altair comes complete with all his weapons and packed in a full color window box. Assassin's Creed is the next-gen game developed by Ubisoft Montreal that will redefine the action genre. While other games claim to be next-gen with impressive graphics and physics, Assassin's Creed merges technology, game design, theme, and emotions into a world where you instigate chaos and become a vulnerable, yet powerful, agent of change.

The setting is 1191 AD. The Third Crusade is tearing the Holy Land apart. You, Altair, intend to stop the hostilities by suppressing both sides of the conflict. You are an Assassin, a warrior shrouded in secrecy and feared for your ruthlessness. Your actions can throw your immediate environment into chaos, and your existence will shape events during this pivotal moment in history.

MegaDrive StormLord Cartridge - Clearance

An English company known as Hewson published a bunch of Commodore 64 games that were either shooters or platformers a couple of decades ago. We recall titles such as Uridium, Cybernoid, Deliverance, and of course StormLord. The game was eventually ported over to the Megadrive in 1992 and to the Amiga computer in 1993.

The year 2008 represents the 16th anniversary since NCS took initial delivery of StormLord for the MegaDrive. Perhaps it's a little sad that the game is still in stock but we're rectifying the situation today. StormLord is a platform action game where players take control of a grizzly Viking who's been charged with the task of liberating fairies from circular capsules. Along the way, an army of enemies seek to stop the Viking's progress.

NCS Sale Offering
Pricing per copy of Stormload is set at US$12.90 which includes free shipping by USPS Media Mail. Inventory is new and from original NCS stock Please note Japanese MegaDrive cartridges will only play on Japanese MegaDrive consoles unless an adapter is used. [Larger photos]