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Where do old
games go to die? Well, lets just say they rest in storage, sometimes for years, as we
whittle down the quantities bit by bit. One of the earliest games that we still have in
stock is Clockwork Knight. This is the original Japanese version that shipped at the same
time the Saturn began shipping in '94. On the Playstation, the earliest game that we still
stock is probably Mobile Suit Gundam (SLPS-00035). When Gundam first shipped, we ordered
hundreds on the promise of the Gundam name. That, and the fact that legions of fans love
the big galoot. Little did we know that the gameplay would be sub-standard. It had a nice
intro though. Those two pioneering games and thousands of others are stocked in
the NCS storage shelves. Playstation titles are boxed and shelved (usually in their
original shipping containers) on the right and Saturn titles are on the left, all captured
by the eye of a wide angle lens. Accessories, dolls, trading cards and other miscellany
are in another room. |
| The
popularity of the Eve (Eve Burst Error, Eve the Lost One) video games have prompted Imadio
to start another series of trading cards. Their first series was released last year and
was limited to the first Eve game. The second series is due in late May and will span 87
cards. Each 12 card pack will retail at Y381. More details when the cards arrive. |
| NCS will begin to
bring in Sakura Taisen jigsaw puzzles, post cards and sticker sheets in the next week or
two. We don't suppose that they'll be major selling items but we're just looking to expand
the products that our company supplies into the USA market. Official Sakura pillows, cups
and even sleeping bags have been considered but these items are more difficult to bring in
logistically since cups are so fragile and pillows are hefty in volume and will take huge
cartons to ship. We're also not sure if we want to start supplying sleeping accessories
alongside copies of Tekken III. Imagine a company that sells housewares, lawn furniture and
video games, sort of loses focus doesn't it? |
| Guilty Gear, a promising
fighting title, has been delayed until May 13. NCS was expecting a shipment overnight for
GG that didn't happen. All pre-orders an hand will thus shift over until the game arrives.
If you have a pre-order for Guilty Gear and the other new Playstation games that arrived
this morning, please note we will only ship what we received today. Everything will go out
this afternoon. |
| SATURN Shining
Force III Scenario II (US$45) and SONYPS Kattobi Tune (US$58)
were shipped overnight for delivery on Monday. Kattobi Tune is a slick racing game from
Genki. Shining Force III Scenrio II continues the epic that started in Scenario I with
more missions, more intrigue and more orchestral music. NCS bids our readers a good
weekend, we'll meet again on Monday. |
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Over the years, NCS has accumulated what we consider
to be too much inventory. Blame it on poor buying decisions and overzealous enthusiasm for
a game title. Notorious was the summer of 1995 when we brought over 400 units of SONYPS
Boxer's Road into the country. The day that we first checked out the game was memorable
because we fired up a copy in anticipation and with the highest of hopes, only to wade
through screens and screens of menu to find fighting action that was sluggish and
incredibly, well, dull. In the first business week, we managed to sell ~160 pieces. Some
enjoyed the strategic aspect of the game but others that were looking forward to a fast
paced boxing game were sorely disappointed. 240 units of BR languished for months but we
did sell everything off eventually after discounting the price to our resellers. Looking
back in the past couple of months, NCS has continued with our track record of buying too
much. We have hundreds of Bushido Blade 2 in stock; the game sold well but we really went
overboard with our primary order. Another game that takes a lot of shelf space is Front
Mission Alternative. Again, a game that has sold very well but our overall expectations
were loftier than the market reality. Rockman Dash took up a lot of space in the past
couple of months but it has started selling again, mostly to wholesale distribution at
discounted prices. Thankfully, there are games that completely sell out time and time
again. X-Men vs Street Fighter on the Saturn has consistently sold out every time we
restock. A couple of weeks ago, when we restocked a couple of hundred and began to fret
that the game would slow down, resellers and customers cleared the inventory in roughly a
week and a half. We expect the same selling strength for Vampire Saviour and have a stream
of restock throughout the next quarter. Of course, we have tempered our
"enthusiasm" for any one game over the years. One thing that we have learned is
that it is much better to be short by say, 20 to 30 copies than overstocked by a couple of
hundred. It seems that many of the stores that we supply have the same sentiment; even our
largest buyers have purchased carefully in the past couple of months, assured that restock
is readily available within days.
Next week: Why no one stocks anything anymore |
| NCS
explains the stock situation in Asia and Japan and why some titles are so incredibly
difficult to bring back in. |
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