Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Yuusha 30 - Import Preorder

«©NCSX» Humans and demons have warred against each other for five centuries. Satan has grown tired of the battles and he's started to cast a devastating magical spell to obliterate the world. Before that happens however, a party of valiant heroes has 30 seconds to rise up, defeat the demons, and save the world from certain doom.

To enforce the 30-second rule, a timer on the top of the screen keeps track of how much time has elapsed in each bite-sized portion of the game. To reset the clock, players may run into towns and stop in front of a codger statue to gain additional seconds. The exploration sequences are viewed from an overhead perspective while battle sequences shift the view to a side scrolling interlude where monsters are mowed down by barreling forward. The visual style of the game hearkens back to the 8-bit heyday but with 32-bit gloss. Preorders for the Japanese PSP import Yuusha 30 are welcome to ship on May 28, 2009 at JPY4200 or US$45.90 from NCS.

Bakuretsu Tenshi Sei 1/8 Scale Swimsuit Figure - Preorder

«©NCSX» Firearms are rare in Japan and uncommon to find outside of the local Yakuza stronghold. This all changes in the Bakuretsu Tenshi (Burst Angel) animated series which debuted in 2004 on TV Asahi. As the story goes, an increase in crime and violence forces the Japanese government to pass a decree which allows average citizens to carry guns. A special task force is also established called RAPT (Recently Armed Police Taskforce) whose mandate is to kill criminals rather than apprehend them. Finally, a third group known as Bai Lan opposes the actions of RAPT - its members are a group of girls with weapons experience.

The leader of Bai Lan is a gal named Sei who's stoic, strong, and reasonably intelligent. None of those qualities matter in Taki Corp's upcoming Sei Swimsuit figure which is sculpted to 1/8 scale and features the Burst Angel heroine in a revealing outfit. The figure is fully painted, assembled and ready for display upon the included circular base. Preorders are welcome to ship in mid-late April 2009 at JPY7800 or US$82.90 from NCS.

Resident Evil 5 Collector's Edition - New Release

«©NCSX» Preorders for the USA Resident Evil 5 Collector's Edition have shipped out as of yesterday but we're currently sold out at this time. We may be able to stock some additional quantities in the next few days and we'll update accordingly if there's any news. Capcom didn't package the contents of the box well and you'll hear things rattling and shifting around inside the roomy cardboard carton. A rigid paper retainer might have cost an extra 11 cents to hold everything securely and immobile inside but whatever. At least our Kijuju Necklace didn't get splintered. Pricing is set at US$95.90.

Witch Tale Mirai Majo to Seven Hime - Import Preorder

«©NCSX» It's been a millennium since a coven of rampaging witches was sealed underground by a goddess named Alice. As the story in Witch Tale goes, the witches are stirring once again and it's up to a blonde witch-in-training named Ridell to defuse the threat. To accomplish her quest, Ridell travels to seven different kingdoms to find answers, level-up, and gain enough experience to tackle the Witch Queen herself. The controls are handled entirely through the NDS stylus where tapping the touch screen triggers attacks, magic, and other actions. Preorders are welcome to ship on May 28, 2009 and early preorders will include a bonus Witch Tale Art & Sound Collection CD in 1:1 ratio.

Hello Kitty no Happy Accessory - Import Preorder

«©NCSX» PSP players have gone without an official Hello Kitty wallpaper design on their handheld for far too long. Their torment ends on May 28 when Sanrio and Dorasu release the Hello Kitty no Happy Accessory software for the PSP which features the following:

1) Software clock and calendar that have been Hello-Kitty-rized with cute graphics and displays that would make any lil' or big person happy.

2) Desktop accessories which allow PSP players to paste Hello Kitty themed wallpaper and icons on the XBM.

3) A selection of mini-games including Hello Kitty Jigsaw, Hello Kitty Oekaki Logic, and Hello Kitty Tetris.

Preorders ship on May 28, 2009 a US40.90.

Agarest Senki (The Best Selection) - Import Preorder

«©NCSX» In a world known as Agarest, five continents hold sway over the lineage of a family which spans five generations. The game starts off with an aristocrat-cum-knight named Leonhardt who's decked with feathered hair and wears a crisp military uniform with white Versace overcoat. Leonhardt has been assigned to a guard post but deserts the military life after much disenchantment with war. In the process of going AWOL, he's mortally wounded by a conspiracy of events but he's given a second chance at life by a deity named Dishana. In exchange for his services, Leon is revived and made into a Soul Container which allows him to live a normal life and sire offspring with one of three possible maidens to continue his bloodline.

Agarest Senki mixes interaction with tactical turn-based battles where Leonhardt hunkers down to strategize on skirmishes and then develops a relationship with a girl. After Leonhardt's chapter is over, his son Radius takes over the family business and woos a bride to continue the bloodline... and so on and so forth for a total of five generations.

General Updates

The Curse of Demon's Souls
Our incoming second shipment of Demon's Souls (Asian Version) was delayed last night and has been rescheduled to tomorrow. Is the game cursed or something? Did Sony mess with the wrong kind of souls? When will the madness end?
UPS also "lost" one of our Japanese import shipments which contained
Biohazard PS3 Tricell Bundles which will be a major PITA to replace if they can't locate them. We're thinking the shipment was "misrouted" into someone's car/van/truck and the bundles will eventually show up on Ebay.
Three Friday the 13ths in 2009
The second week of February 2009 had a Friday the 13th and the second week of this month also features a Friday the 13th. Fast forward to November 2009 and there'll also be a Friday the 13th on the second week of the month. The last time there was three FT13s was 1998 and the next time will be in 2015.