Naruto crew rise up once again in an action-adventure where exploration and raucous 3-D fighting go hand in hand. Marvel at the sharp cel-shaded graphics as fighters bout it out on city streets and other makeshift venues. Character interaction scenes are shown with industry standard text boxes and the fighting is replete with special effects and clean-cut edits. Fighters featured in the game include Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha, Hinata Hyuuga, Kiba Inuzuka, Shikamaru Nara, Chouji Akimichi, and many many more. The game is broken up into missions where a little bit of dialogue and set up precedes the level before the ninja are sent on their tasks.

   Similar to Beatmania but colored by bright pastel colors and an eclectic cast of characters, Pop 'n Music 7 pilots players through a rainbow explosion as opposed to Beatmania's subtle shades and somber lighting. The gist of Pop 'n Music is this: A judgment bar sits on the bottom of the screen and notes fall from the sky towards the bar. These notes are called Mr Pops and one must slap the corresponding button for each Mr Pop in order to receive a rating. Hit the button as the note massages the judgment bar perfectly and you'll receive a favorable rating ranging from Fever to Good. Miss the bar and meet Mr Bad. New characters to the game include the bohemian Mutsuki, psychedelically colored Machuchu, and the space-faring Sumire, among many others. New modes in addition to the standard arcade mode allow players to practice skills, create custom levels, and engage in a 4-player tournament mode. There are 64 songs in the game but an additional 33 secret songs may be unlocked by meeting certain conditions.
   Pop 'n Music 7 includes two modes on one DVD - Side A features the Arcade Edition of the game while Side B features an Original Home Edition made especially for the PS2 which includes game modes that are not in the Arcade Edition such as a 4-player Party jam.

   Time your perfect attack and win praise in Konami's eighth home version of their Beatmania variant. Slap the buttons (on joypad or Pop 'n Controller) in time to the cues on screen and graduate to ever increasing levels of difficulty. Pop 'n Music 8 contains over 100 songs and a bevy of new characters which add to the musical rhythm thrills. Standard tunes include "Can't Stop My Love," "Chase! Chase! Chase!," "HONEY-BEE," "Love Love Sugar," and more. Secret songs include catchy rhythm busters such as "El Dia Feliz," "Spell on Me," "Bicycle," "BoaBoaLady," "Manhattan Sports Club," "Gautama Buddha," and "Line Times" which are unlocked by playing the Sugoroku de 8 board game for hours and hours on end.

   For beginners, there's a Normal Mode to start off with but seasoned Bemaniacs may find the Challenge Mode and the Expert Mode more to their taste and skill level. There's also a Battle Mode for two players to compete against each other on a single Pop 'n Music controller and a Study Channel which teaches tyros the ways and means of playing the game. In Battle Mode, each player takes over three buttons on either side of the Pop 'n Controller and hit the cues as well as distract the opponent with attacks.

Features of the clock
-Tells time/date in Earth time (regular) as well as Vana'diel time (fantasy)
-The Lunar phases of Vana'diel are shown (very useful function)
-Alarm function with a choice of four possible chimes
-Blue backlight which allows for night time viewing of the digits
-Different time zone settings allow for use around the world

   Please note that this is the USA version of the clock and from Hori's new re-release of the clock this week. Pricing is set at US$50. A Japanese re-release of the clock is not expected, at least not this year.

   Hori has also shipped the USA version of the Dragon Quest Slime Controller which we expect to receive in the next few hours. Pricing for the DQ Slime Controller is set at US$43.