Monday, November 27, 2006

Koyori 1/4 Scale Complete Figure

Voluptuous to a fault and yet athletic and taut, Koyori races around the battlefields of Sengoku Ace with guns blazing. Metonymic pun intended. When not conquering legions of Sengoku-era soldiers with blistering streams of ofuda, the affable Miko lounges at home with her instruments of destruction peppered strategically over parts of her body. Koyori's other weapon of choice, the haraegushi, is held above her head with both hands.

Koyori wears aviator goggles atop her head while perfectly arranged strands of blue tresses stray downwards. The interpretation of Koyori's face in this particular sculpt is robust with our favorite Sengoku-era maiden looking slightly chubbier and perhaps healthier than her Sengoku Cannon turn. Her familiar teardrop-shaped necklace finds a comfortable resting place as it dangles below her chin. Koyori's clothing consists of a pair of tabi socks and a kimono which appears ready to be shucked entirely. Her red hakama is gone with the wind for this particular sculpture. Measurements of the figure are 210mm × 230 × 250mm or 8.25 x 9.05 x 9.84" LWH.

KOS-MOS 1/8 Scale Completed Figure

When KOS-MOS isn't destroying Gnosis or protecting Shion Uzuki from danger, she poses like a covergirl for toy sculptors. First, there was the Mon-sieur Bome variation and now Alter's version as sculpted by Takahashi Tsuyoshi reaches market. After inspecting this new variant carefully, we can safely declare that Namco should have hired Alter to produce the KOS-MOS figure that was bundled inside the limited edition of Xenosaga Ep. II. If they had made that decision, the aftermarket price for the limited edition of the game would be outrageously higher than where it is now.

Succinctly then, Alter's rendition of KOS-MOS is exquisite. Measuring 21cm or 8.26" tall, the translucent blue-haired android features soft lines, the right curves, and a risqué pose that allows for viewing parts of KOS-MOS' front and back at the same time. The paint is applied cleanly and free of chips or cracks. We also observed KOS-MOS' garter to make sure it was free of imperfections as well as her fingers... which are individually sculpted and discernible from each other. As an added bonus, KOS-MOS' neatly painted fingernails are colored the same hue as her flailing hair.

Wii Japanese Console Update

With the Wii launching in Japan this coming Saturday, NCS queried a number of our distributors this past weekend for updates. Although there doesn't appear to be any shortage of the Japanese Wii based on the numbers of units we're being offered (about 350 consoles will be available to NCS as of this coming Friday), prices are nevertheless going up.

Wii Price $395
NCS originally started preorders for the Wii at US$295 but that won't cover the current price of the unit that is being offered. Then there's the overnight shipping costs from Japan which is roughly $50 each. Based on these two variables, NCS is adjusting pricing for the Japanese Wii to US$395. We'll contact customers on our preorder list today to reconfirm.

NCS Calls for Restraint
We consider the price too high and NCS encourages our customers to wait about 2 weeks for the prices to drop to "normal" levels. There isn't any shortage of Wii stock in the Japanese distribution channel and the higher pricing is the usual launch hysteria and histrionics that has become part and parcel of the business we're in.

Wii Reiterations
There is no shortage of Wii consoles in Japan. The current offer price of US$395 is a temporary gouge from suppliers. NCS advises customers to wait it out for ~2 weeks upon which time prices should drop lower.

Bomberman Bakudan Strap

Bomberman has long toiled under Hudson's yoke, appearing in numerous maze-bombing games and other video gaming adjuncts of the original franchise. It all started in 1985 when Hudson introduced gamers to a bomb laying warrior who planted explosives to derail maze-roaming creatures in hot pursuit. From those humble beginnings, Hudson built an enduring franchise which has since branched off into Bomberman racing, mini-game collections, tactical strategy, and adventuring.

When April 2007 rolls around, the exploitation of Bomberman is complete with the Bomberman Bakudan straps. Four varieties are on offer:

Red Bomber | Blue Bomber | Black Bomber | White Bomber

Each Bomber is trailed by a quartet of bombs with lit fuses. The tops of the bombers' heads are also linked to a cellphone strap. Pricing is set at US$4.25 each and preorders are scheduled to ship in mid-late April 2007.

Import Release Outlook

PS2 Tales of Destiny leads preorders for the week followed by PS2 Summon Night 4 and PSP Makai Senki Disgaea Portable. X360 Super Robot Wars XO isn't doing as well as we originally expected.
GBA Final Fantasy VI Advance Square
NDS Futari wa Pretty Cure Splash Star Bandai
Kokoro ni Shimiru Ertain
Tank Beat Milestone
Yu-Gi-Oh GX Spirit Summoner Konami
Zoids Battle Colosseum Tomy
PS2 Digimon Savers: Another Mission Namco
Homura BEST Taito
Kamen Rider Kabuto Namco
Summon Night 4 Banpresto
Tales of Destiny Namco
PSP Bleach Heat the Soul 2 BEST SCE
Makai Senki Disgaea Portable Nippon Ichi
Makai Senki Disgaea Portable Limited Edition Nippon Ichi
Power Stone Portable Capcom
X360 Super Robot Wars XO Banpresto

Domestic Release Outlook

When publishers try to appeal to a preteen demographic, it's important that a word be pluralized with a "z" instead of an "s" to be cool. With that in mind, "Catz," "Hamsterz," and "Horsez" ship to market this week.
GBA Rayman Raving Rabbids Ubisoft
NDS Catz Ubisoft
Hamsterz Life Ubisoft
Xiaolin Showdown Konami
PS2 Brave: Search for Spirit Dancer Southpeak
Horsez Ubisoft
Mercury Meltdown Remix Ignition
PSP Metal Slug Anthology SNK
Online Chess Kingdoms Konami
Sims 2 Pets EA
Wii Metal Slug Anthology SNK
Open Season Ubisoft
Rapala Tournament Fishing Activision
Splinter Cell Double Agent Ubisoft