PLEASE READ: The NEW SHOP is separate and distinct from the OLD SHOP. If you place an order on the OLD SHOP, you will not be able to use the NEW SHOP to check on your order and vice versa. Unfortunately, we were not able to resolve the two shop databases in order to transfer customer histories and accounts. Both shops are fully operational and capable of taking orders.
 

GBA Mother 3 JPN
 GBA Mother 3 - New Import
«©NCSX» After languishing in development limbo for nearly a decade, Mother 3 finally reaches market. The game looks nothing like the original that was designed for the Nintendo 64 which had a decidedly polygonal bent to the visuals. The GBA rendition features crisp hand drawn artwork that's very much in the style of the original Mother and Mother II. Yes, producer Shigesato Itoi has gone back to the roots of the series instead of attempting newfangled tech such as rendered polygons. <more>
 
 

NDS Conversation Book China JPN

NDS Conversation Book Korea JPN

NDS Conversation Book Thai JPN

 NDS Tabi no Yubisashi Kaiwachou DS - New Import
«©NCSX» Ever wanted to travel to a foreign land but eventually steered away because of the language barrier? Ever find yourself in a "foreign" part of town where the mother tongue of the localized population is practiced fluently? You're in luck with Nintendo's Tabi no Yubisashi software which gives Japanese citizens a friendly and interactive way to "converse" in five different languages by way of five separate customized pieces of software. Instead of awkward interfaces and overly convoluted routines, the user friendly icon-based software allows for easily executable point and tap conversation translation services.

   Upon starting the software up, users may set the brightness of the screen as well as the presentation mode. Once in the actual software, the top screen of the NDS shows an animal from the host country on the left side of the screen while a bald-headed representation of the Japanese visitor appears on the right. On the touch screen, 10 boxes representing different situations are arranged neatly along with a "suitcase menu" icon that is located on the lower right corner of the screen. Each situation box contains the Japanese text  as well as the target language below it to indicate what it's used for. When tapped, each box reveals a page or six of translated queries that may be activated and then shown on the top screen. If you're interacting with someone face to face, press the L-TRIGGER to flip the top NDS screen so that the orientation is right-side-up for him/her.

   Along with automatic Japanese to Mandarin/Korean/Thai text translation, the software can also vocalize your question in a clear female voice. To activate a vocalized saying, tap on the box for it and then tap the "suitcase menu" icon on the lower-right corner which brings you to a screen with seven icon-based actions. Tap on the icon on the upper right corner which contains a megaphone image and the NDS will intonate the question or comment. NCS would have preferred a speak option directly on the language snippet selection screen since there's a little wedge of space that's blank. As it is, Nintendo added an extra two steps to access the ability to speak the desired phrase or question. 

   The top NDS screen depicts the conversation as icons are tapped along with the two characters in various states of action. When the toilet icon is tapped, the bald-headed figure may be seen in an exaggerated state to depict the local emergency about to occur. <more>
 

 

 

NDS Tsubasa Chronicle JPN
 NDS Tsubasa Chronicle Vol. 2 - New Import
«©NCSX» Syaoran and Sakura are joined by the supporting cast members of Tsubasa Chronicle in an original card battling adventure game where janken (rock, scissors, paper) serves as the basis of battle. As the heroes gain experience, new abilities and powers are added to their janken repertoire for more efficient combat skills. A few new characters are introduced in the adventure for added dramatic foil and interaction.
   To add some variety to the Tsubasa overview, a baking mini-game may be enjoyed where ingredients are mixed together and then crafted into confections, cakes, and other sweets. Customers place their orders and you bake their desires. For example, a cheesecake may be created <more>
 
 

PS2 Dragon Quest Boy Yangus JPN
 PS2 Dragon Quest: Shounen Yangus - New Import
«©NCSX» When Yangus of Dragon Quest VIII fame was a young lad, he had a steely-eyed stare (some might call it a blank visage), orange hair, a wicked spiked helmet, and the attitude of a thug in training. The scion of a thief lord, Yangus had aspirations to become an accomplished vandal to emulate poppy.
   The PS2 game looks back at Yangus when he was 12 years old and already a dungeon savvy explorer. Reflect back on Yangus' youth in a 3D exploration game where he's been gifted with a magical urn that his father brought home one day. Yangus uses the urn during the adventure to vacuum creatures into its cozy confines and transform them into comrades.

   Shounen Yangus also chronicles the first encounter with the winsome Geruda where the two young thieves forged a relationship and rivalry. The first meeting between Yangus and the legendary peddler known as Torneko is also shown near the beginning of them game when the two share a prison cell together. When roaming the world, Yangus may have up to three animal familiars trail him in a party. Particularly endearing is the blue slime as it bounds along merrily when following master...  <more>
 
 

PS2 FFXI Treasures of Aht... JPN
 PS2 FFXI: Treasures of Aht Urhgan Expansion - New Import
«©NCSX» The world of Vana'Diel continues to expand as the new land of Aht Urhgan is opened up for exploration, plunder, and new adventures. Updated features include:

» New monsters such as the Mamool Ja from the Mamool Ja Savagelands
» New occupations such as Corsair and Blue Mage
» Besieged Mode where adventurers defend towns against monsters
» Chocobo raising simulation which will be expanded in future updates
» Assault mission mode for fast 'n dirty gaming sessions
» Jobs will be rebalanced when Aht Urghan goes live
» Mog Locker for storage which holds 30 items and may be expanded later to hold 50 items. The Mog Locker requires a recurring fee - nonpayment results in blocked access to your goodies. 

   NCS received the USA versions of the game on Tuesday of this week but to keep all players on an even keel in the new land of Aht Urghan, Square Enix will not allow access to the new features until today (April 20, 2006).
 

 

 

PS2 Okami JPN
 PS2 Okami - New Import
«©NCSX» The world has been ravaged and ruined by the power of an eight-headed monster known as Orochi (serpent) but there is hope. The sun god Amaterasu descends upon terra in the form of a white wolf to set things wholesome once again. At the outset of the adventure, a goddess named Sakuya visits and gifts Amaterasu with the Yata no Kagami or sacred mirror which is used as a slashing weapon. Sakuya also sends a little friend known as Issun to help Amaterasu on his quest. Once nigh omnipotent, taking a physical form enforces some restrictions on Amaterasu but heavenly powers may be regained by locating and re-absorbing 15 scattered celestial characters.
   Okami uses a beguiling visual style that is striking not only in its fluid animation quality but also in the uniformity of the world. Everyone and everything meshes properly and one imagines that if a stylized Japanese charcoal brush painting ever came to life, Okami would be its embodiment and tell its inner story.
   Game play follows the simplicity of Okami's art style where Amaterasu runs, jumps, and attacks enemies in swift motion. When enemies are met, they'll perform a little cinematic routine before the slaughter <more>
 
 

PS2 Garo JPN
 PS2 Garo: The Fanged Wolf - New Import
«©NCSX» Based on a live action television series on Tokyo TV, Garo features the adventures of a shiny-armored action hero who wields the mighty Garo Blade and battles the forces of darkness. The Makai Knights have kept watch over humanity for 500 years. Their adversary is the Maju Horror and its countless minions. To help them with their formidable task, each successive generation uses a golden suit of armor and a sword to sweep away evildoers.
 
   As the Garo story begins, Koga Saejima is the current keeper of the flame and he resides in the family castle. To activate his unearthly power, Saejima rips into time and space  to transform into Garo who is active for exactly 99.90 seconds. After that, he reverts back to his puny human form. The PS2 game features 3D punch 'n kick action where Koga runs around in a white jacket and battles henchmen in metropolitan settings. When big danger arises, Koga may call upon the power of Garo to transform into a glittering powerhouse with explosive moves. Game modes include a VS mode for 2-player action and a gallery mode which contains 165 secret selections of television show screen caps and character voice samples. <more>
 
 

PS2 KOF Orochi Collection JPN
 PS2 King of Fighters Orochi Collection - New Import
«©NCSX» Delayed a couple of times, SNK Playmore finally makes good and King of Fighters Orochi Collection reaches the PS2 this week. The KOF games included on the DVD are as follows:

King of Fighters '95
King of Fighters '96
King of Fighters '97

   For a new type of KOF experience, an online mode is available for battling against opponents through the KDDI Multi Matching BB service.

   Playing the games this morning, NCS found the loading times fast and the visual mimicry of the Neo Geo originals nigh identical, down to the jagged text, the thumping music, and the Neo-Geo-esque color palette. A color edit mode is available to turn the classic color schemes of recognizable characters into something new and if so desired, something very strange. The controls are responsive and we tested the three games with the PS2 Neo Geo joystick for an authentic blast to the past. <more>
 

 

 

PS2 KOF Orochi Collection LE JPN
 PS2 King of Fighters Orochi Collection Deluxe - New Import
«©NCSX» Delayed a couple of times, SNK Playmore finally makes good and King of Fighters Orochi Collection reaches the PS2 this week. The KOF games included on the DVD are as follows:

King of Fighters '95
King of Fighters '96
King of Fighters '97

   For a new type of KOF experience, an online mode is available for battling against opponents through the KDDI Multi Matching BB service.

   The Deluxe Pack version of KOF Orochi Collection includes an authentic Neo Geo joystick that's been designed to interface directly with the PS2 for old school Neo Geo Shock love. <more>
 
 

PS2 Shooting Love Trizeal JPN
 PS2 Shooting Love Trizeal - New Import
«©NCSX» After releasing XII Stag a few years ago, developer Triangle Service tried their hand at a vertical shooter featuring a ship known as Antares. Controls are rudimentary with three buttons which control the functions of "Shoot," "Shift," and "Bomb." The "Shift" button morphs the ship into different forms which fire out different attacks - Wide Shot, Missile, and Laser. Standard power-ups may be picked up to upgrade weapon systems together - for example, if in Wide Shot form, boosting the fire power will also power-up all of the other weapon systems to the next level.

   Trizeal features 5 stages of action and players may chain together hits to gain power-ups and scores by shooting at least 15 enemies consecutively. A 2-player simultaneous mode allows for cooperative play against squadrons of enemy ships.  The PS2 conversion of Trizeal features a "Shooting Skill Assessment Mode" where a players does his best to match up against other players' scores. New functions include a 30-shot per second rapid-shot feature and the mighty "Dadada Shot" where shots are blasted off in quick succession even when you're switching between weapon <more>
 
 

PS2 Spectral VS. Generation JPN
 PS2 Spectral VS. Generation - New Import
«©NCSX» Ten generals from the Spectral Force and Generation of Chaos games eschew the tactical shenanigans and jaunt to another type of battlefield for 1-on-1 bouts in 2D arenas. Razor-edged bruisers such as Erile, Earth, and Wells face off against each other in fast paced action and they're pretty much evenly matched in terms of speed and power. Then there's the dainty and delicate Mayura who not only looks fragile but her moves are more like gestures or cheerleading moves than attacks.
The ten fighters featured in the game are:
Hiro / Scythe wielding lassie who wears a demon gauntlet
Wells / Adventurer who battles for pleasure and sport
Orochimaru / Blonde samurai warrior with an enchanted sword
Roze / Demon girl who vows vengeance against mankind
Krayce / One-eyed master swordsman with flaming red hair
Ryuken / Martial artist who looks down upon those who use weapons
Erile / Redheaded knight who is protected by guardian spirits
Jadou / Purple haired demon with tentacles emanating from his back
Mayura / Human and demon half-breed who wishes to be human
Earth / Controlling angel of Neverland  <more>
 
 

PSP DBZ Shin Budokai JPN
 PSP Dragonball Z Shin Budokai - New Import
«©NCSX» Cel-shaded super saiyan punch, dash, and launch fireworks at each other in 3D battlefields. Game modes include:

Dragon Road: A story that occurs after the DBZ Fusion Returns movie
Arcade: Fight against opponents while collecting Dragon Balls
Z Trial: Battle under conditions and restrictions
Network Battle: Link up with a second player in ad hoc mode
Training: Hone your attack skills by practicing
Profile Card: Check out card collection or battle logs

   In Dragon Road Mode, the game starts off with the tale of DBZ where seven Dragon Balls are sought after by warriors to have a wish granted. After the introduction, Goku is off on a camping trip when Gohan tells him that he's accompanying him also. Before they head out for their trip, dad and son decide to have a match where they battle on the ground and in the air. Controls are responsive and Goku has a wide array of moves available to him including standard punches, laser beam attacks, dashes and combinations thereof. The next match pits Goku against Krillin where the bald-headed bruiser uses blinding attacks to stun and a speedy dash move where he circles an opponent for surprise attacks. The third match allows players to control Gohan where he takes on Piccolo. More matches are played as the heroes head towards a camping trip...
 
 

PC FFXI Aht Urghan Expansion JPN
 PC FFXI: Treasures of Aht Urhgan Expansion - New Import
«©NCSX» The world of Vana'Diel continues to expand as the new land of Aht Urhgan is opened up for exploration, plunder, and new adventures. Updated features include:

» New monsters such as the Mamool Ja from the Mamool Ja Savagelands
» New occupations such as Corsair and Blue Mage
» Besieged Mode where adventurers defend towns against monsters
» Chocobo raising simulation which will be expanded in future updates
» Assault mission mode for fast 'n dirty gaming sessions
» Jobs will be rebalanced when Aht Urghan goes live
» Mog Locker for storage which holds 30 items and may be expanded later to hold 50 items. The Mog Locker requires a recurring fee - nonpayment results in blocked access to your goodies. 

   NCS received the USA versions of the game on Tuesday of this week but to keep all players on an even keel in the new land of Aht Urghan, Square Enix will not allow access to the new features until today (April 20, 2006).