Thursday, December 03, 2009

NDS Kaiju Busters - New Import, In Stock

«©NCSX» According to the almanac of space destinations, there's a bevy of planets across the cosmos which are populated by massive monsters of every stripe, color, and blood type. Expeditionary forces are sent to these unexplored worlds where teams of intrepid peacekeepers hope to subdue the creatures and prevent them from being transported to other worlds by nefarious agents where they'll wreak havoc.
In Kaijuu Busters, players join the peacekeeping corps and travel to one planet which is brimming with monsters. In fits and starts of exploration and monster battling, players and party members quell monster uprisings in assorted missions. Up to three players can link up wirelessly and play a cooperative game. Early preorders will ship with a bonus "Secret Recipe Card" that was given away by Bandai in 50% ratio.

NDS Relaxuma Rhythm: Mattari Kibun de Da Run³ - New Import

«©NCSX» Relakuma is a pancake-eating rascal who has been greeted with love by the Japanese populace. Love generally begets love so software developer Rocket is releasing a collection of rhythm-action mini games featuring Rela and his friends Korilakkuma and Kiriroi-tori. One game involves jumping rope while another involves eating eggs, and yet another features trumpet tooting where the Relakuma and friends sit next to each other and play their trumpets in sequence. Early reservations will ship with a bonus Relakuma stylus-toy in 50% ratio as shown to the right.

NDS Yggdra Unison Seiken Buyuuden - New Import, In Stock

«©NCSX» Princess Yggdra doesn't have her own toy figure yet but we think it's only a matter of time before she's exploited by her makers. It's a predictable trajectory in Japan where popular games that become series eventually become merchandising fodder. Until the trinkets make it to market, Princess Yggdra's domain is in the video game realm.

Originally a mobile phone game available in Japan, Yggdra Unison is being ported to the Nintendo DS and serves up a "gaiden" or side-story where the waif-like Yggdra and her party roam the world in a top-viewed adventure game with real time battle sequences where members of the party obey commands without hesitation. Unison attacks where multiple fighters collaborate on the strike are possible in order to deal strong offensive blows against the opposition.

PSP Gundam vs. Gundam NEXT PLUS - New Import, In Stock

«©NCSX» Gundam and Zaku are back in the swing of things in the new Mobile Suit Gundam vs Gundam Next Plus which is the sequel to last year's Gundam vs Gundam. The "Plus" in the title refers to the addition of a Mission Mode where a party of 4 Gundams team up on run 'n gun escapades. The "Plus" mode may be played by a single player or two participants linked up via ad hoc mode. The game runs fast and fluid with mechs running, gunning, and slashing like the dickens thanks to Bandai's superb portable Gundam game engine. The beauty of the games in the series is the uninterrupted flow of play where commands from the PSP's analog controller and buttons are relayed in precise fashion to the Gundam or Zaku on screen. Thanks to the superb controls, missions and bouts can be enjoyed without hiccups or bottlenecks when the action gets hot. A new feature is the "Next Dash" system where move cancellations are possible.

GVG Next Plus features mechs from 18 Gundam series such as "Z-Gundam," "Gundam F91," "Endless Waltz, "Stardust Memory," "Victory Gundam," "Gundam Seed," and "Unicorn." New mechs in the game include
Reborns Gundam from "Gundam OO," 00 Raiser from "Gundam OO," and Gundam Nataku from "Endless Waltz." All those flashy robots engage in over 250 missions of varying objectives such as search and rescue, escort, and destroy everything that moves. The missions take place on the planet, in outer space, and on space platforms where starry skies serve as the backdrop. New stages in the game include Colony Inner from Gundam W, Orbital Elevator from OO, and Jaburo from the One Year War.

PSP Tokimeki Memorial 4 - New Import, In Stock

«©NCSX» It's been over 15 years since the original Tokimeki Memorial captured the hearts of players and Konami continued the series with sequels, side stories, and a whole lot of merchandising. Tokimeki Memorial 3 was released in 2001 so the canon has been dormant for about 8 years but Konami rouses the franchise from its slumber this week.

In Tokimeki Memorial 4, players return to Kirameki High School where the onscreen protagonist socializes with classmates and potentially finds love amongst the student body. By interacting with the eligible classmates, players may obtain a love confession from a girl under the "Tree of Legend" and live happily ever after. Or something unrealistic like that.

Students in the game include covergirl #1 (on the right) Maki Hoshikawa, covergirl #2 (on the left) Yu Satsuki, a blonde named Elisa Doolittle Naruse, and a rough 'n tumble soccer player who answers to Itsuki Maeda. NCS has play-tested most of the canonical Tokimeki games as well as the side stories and the PSP version plays similar to the previous volumes. One improvement we noticed are the subtle facial expressions and mood changes that the girls show during interaction sequences. A girl's eyes and eyebrows can convey happiness at one moment but change into trepidation in the next moment. When speaking to a girl, you'll be able to watch her expression for clues indicating her mood along with reading and listening to her dialogue. In addition to the dating simulation, a number of mini-games and challenges are also playable during the course of the interaction.

PSP Phantasy Star Portable 2 - New Import, In Stock

«©NCSX» The story of Phantasy Star Portable continues this week in a sequel that's exclusive to the Playstation Portable. The game features new enemies to battle, new missions, new wearables, rare monsters such as Olga Dilan, and a host of features that should make hardened Phantasy players feel right at home. Sega boasts over 2000 items in the game to find, buy, and utilize. Character data can be transferred over from the original PSP game but we consider it a useless feature since you'll only be able to transfer name, race, physical attributes, and sex. Note that items, Photon Arts, storage items, special customizations, and levels won't be brought over. Those restrictions are implemented to keep online participants on an even keel when the Japanese server officially goes live. (Edit: That happened last night). A new mission titled "Fanta Quiz Battle" also became available for download last night as well. Fanta refers to the softdrink and players will have to answer questions about the drink. Sega plans new missions to be released on a weekly basis henceforth.

Notes, Observations, and Alerts
» A code is printed on the left side of the UMD case and you'll need this access code to play the game in Wi-Fi Mode on the Playstation Network.
» The language in the game is Japanese only. There is no English option.
» Costumes and characters are customizable and special outfits and hairdos may be purchased from the Style Shop.
» The battle system adds "shield" and "rolling" moves to the character's repertoire. Oncoming blows may be blocked head-on or avoided entirely.
» Party members actually participate in battles and perform healing.

Wii Kamen Rider Climax Heroes W - New Import, In Stock

«©NCSX» TV Asahi debuted the new Kamen Rider W (Double) television series in Japan earlier this year and viewers have been watching the adventures of a new spandex-wearing superhero who wears a helmet that was inspired by a bug. He's the green-suited bruiser shown on the cover of the new Kamen Rider Climax Heroes W with his snazzy duo-tone costume and big red eyes.

Climax Heroes W features 14 Kamen Rider fighters from the Heisei Era which began with Kuuga from 1999 and includes Agito, Ryuki, Hibiki, Kiva, and more. Similar to the PS2 version of Climax Heroes, fighters can use conventional punches and kicks but standard four-hit chain combos are also possible along with alter-ego combo chains. Game modes include "Survival Mode" and "Battle Mode" along with a "Gallery" mode which contains 3D models of the Riders and a collection of finishing moves which last a few seconds each. The Wii conversion of the game features Nunchuk + Remote control where the Nunchuk moves the Rider around and the buttons and D-pad on the Remote launch attacks and dash moves. In one of our "Survival Mode" games this morning, we chose Hibiki and put him through the paces against a number of challengers. Hibiki is beloved in our offices because he breathes purple haze and smacks opponents with a pair of batons.

Wii Wii Remote Controller - New Import, In Stock

«©NCSX» The relatively recent release of the black Wii Remote in Japan was met with a burst of interest and activity. In the ensuing weeks however, the excitement subsided and outright died. New colors were needed to whet the market's appetite once more to ignite another burst of activity.

Nintendo's latest trick to drum up interest with the mere use of paint lies in two Wii Remotes which are tinted pink or blue. The blue variant has been pre-selling better than the pink version over the past few weeks but we think pink might eventually outrun blue.

All preorders for the new Wii Remotes are shipping today. New orders are also welcome to ship this afternoon.

Wii Sengoku Musou 3 - New Import, In Stock

«©NCSX» Koei releases three editions of Sengoku Musou 3 this week:

» Sengoku Musou 3 Regular Edition
Koei debuts their latest Sengoku-era hack and slashing action game on the Wii which introduces new play mechanics, new military commanders, and scenarios which are based on battles from Japanese history such as the Battle of Okehazama where Nobunaga bested Imagawa Yoshimoto. All preorders will ship with a bonus 2010 calendar in 1:1 ratio,.

» Sengoku Musou 3 + Limited Edition Classic Controller Pro
Koei and Nintendo collaborate to produce a limited edition black Classic Controller which is imprinted with the Sengoku Musou 3 logo on the lower left and wavy golden designs on the upper left and lower right portion of the pad. The waves appear to be flowing strands of hair in our eyes.

» Sengoku Musou 3 Treasure Box
[Sold Out]
A big bundle of goodies including the aforementioned limited edition Classic Controller Pro are packed in the Sengoku Musou 3 Treasure Box as follows: A painting and illustrations booklet, a Sengoku Musou Original Soundtrack, and a miniature toy figure.

NEWS General Updates

NDS Nintendo DSi LL - In Stock
«©NCSX» All preorders for the Natural White and Dark Brown DSi LL units are shipping today but please note the Wine Red versions will ship out to customers tomorrow.
TOYS Pac-Man Card Case - In Stock and shipping
«©NCSX» The two variants of the Pac-Man Card Case are in stock and shipping today. We'll post more photos and a proper update tomorrow.
X360 Espgaluda II - Release on February 25, 2010
«©NCSX» NCS expects to open up preorders for the regular and limited editions of Espgaluda II for the Japanese Xbox 360 within the next 2 weeks.