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Born as the entrepreneurial venture of Jusaburo Shimizu in 1947, Kotobukiya’s began as a single toy store for dolls. Now, Kotobukiya has developed itself to be one of the heavy-hitters when it comes to popular anime/video game/movie figures, busts, statues and model kits that include some big name licenses (Star Wars, Halo, Final Fantasy, Hulk, Dead or Alive and Indiana Jones to name just the tip of the iceberg). Always thriving for quality without exception, Kotobukiya is sharing the love with its English-speaking market by creating a website interface that is easier to navigate and feels very similar to…

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EA and Hasbro have just created an agreement which will allow EA to make video games based on various Hasbro properties. Some of the first toys and games which will be getting the video game treatment are Littlest Pet Shop, NERF, Monopoly, Scrabble and Yahtzee. The games will be prepared for console, mobile and web releases. Many of the titles, such as Littlest Pet Shop, NERF N-Strike, Scrabble, Monopoly Here and Now and Yahtzee Adventures will be shown at the New York Toy Fair running February 17-19, 2008.

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Even though the first series of the Final Fantasy Miniature Trading Figures has only just been released, a second series has just been unveiled. Square Enix will be releasing Final Fantasy Miniature Trading Figures Vol. 2 in Japan in April, 2008. Play-Asia is taking preorders for the $4.90 figurines.

Like the first series, the second series will again feature five characters from the Final Fantasy series. The figures also will be randomly boxed again, so you won’t know which character is inside until it is opened. The five characters appearing in the second series are Tifa (FFVII), Squall (FFVIII), Auron (FFX), Ashe (FFXII) and Basch (FFXII).

I wonder where the love is for the earlier Final Fantasy characters. So far the two series have only covered FFVII onward. It’d like to see a Terra, Edgar or Setzer figurine. The first series characters were adorable (I ended up being lucky enough to score a Cloud), so the second series will definitely be worth a look.

Read [Geekery!] Site [Play-Asia]

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Welcome to the first installment of Important Importables, a new column that will appear exclusively on Gamertell. Each weekend, Jenni Lada will point and stare like a giddy tourist at some the best, weirdest or simply her favorite videogame goodies not sold in the US. So get your PayPal password ready and clean out your mailbox, it’s time for some Important Importables.

If you own a PSP or a Nintendo DS, you probably know the great little secret behind each system. No, not that one, perverts. All PSP and DS games are region-free meaning that someone can buy a game from a different country and run it on their own machine. It also means that someone could purchase a handheld system from another country to use.  It’s complete and utter freedom.

The bad news is that there are a lot of incredible video games out there that never make it to North America for one reason or another. Not to mention the delayed and limited releases European and Austrailian gamers can get.

Console importing has also become quite popular. The Japanese PSPs and DSes are available in different colors and styles than North American ones, like the popular and recently released Crisis Core: Final Fantasy PSP in Japan. Plus, if someone wants to play a Japanese PS2, PS3, Wii or Xbox 360 game, they first have to buy a console from that region. (Of course they could mod the system they already own, but that can be tricky and voids the warranty.) The trick to importing is finding a safe, reliable, and well stocked online store that carries the games and systems you want.

Japanese Imports

I’ll begin with my favorite online store , Play-Asia. This site is the best for import gamers for a number of reasons. First, the service is incredible. If you have a problem or issue, you’ll likely get an email response that same day, even though the company is located in Hong Kong. Second, the shipping is dirt cheap. I always choose the cheapest option (at times it ends up being under $3.00), and yet it will always arrive at my home in a week. Next is the selection. They have games, domestic and import, for every system, including the classics. If there’s a game you want that is old and out of stock, they’ll even find it for you. Plus they also sell toys, music, movies, and magazines. I saved the best for last though: the Bargain Section. Many a day have I come home, popped on just to browse, and ended up with a steal. This week’s reckless splurge: the limited edition version of Audition Portable for the PSP. Normally its $99.99, now its $49.99.

Next up is NCSX, also known as the National Console Support, Inc. This company is located in the US, so your game will arrive a little faster and you won’t have to worry about your items making the overseas trips. Despite my rabbid fangirlism up there for Play-Asia, NCSX was the first place I imported from. Ever. That’s a special, sacred bond. NCSX doesn’t have as wide a selection as Play-Asia, and the shipping is a bit more, but occasionally they will have a game that Play-Asia doesn’t carry any more. They also have other video game related imported paraphernalia, like toys, books, music. NCSX really focuses on games though. Once again they have great customer service.

European Imports

The next site I have mixed feelings about. I’m including it because eStarland is really the only trustworthy site I have found for getting European imported games. (Occasionally Europe will get games North America should have gotten, but didn’t including Freshly Picked: Tingle’s Rosy Rupee-Land for the DS or Tales of Eternia for the PSP.) Like NCSX, eStarland is another online video game retailer based in the US. Their primary focus isn’t on imports, but they carry most of the really popular ones at reasonable prices. The bad part is their policy on constantly confirming the information you’ve supplied. It can be horribly annoying and can keep your purchase from being shipped for three to four days. The good part is that they carry European imports and also stock used copies of all imported games when they can. Since import games for the DS and PSP can run between $39-49, a preowned copy for $29-39 starts looking pretty good.

From time to time you might also be able to find European versions of games on the NCSX site. The thing is, when they are on the site they won’t be marked as European under region, so you need to be aware of what titles are European exclusives. It isn’t too bad when they are PSP or DS games, since those are region free, but European games won’t run on the North American console systems. Also you will usually have to search for the exact title, because the game might not show up in the normal game list. A good example is the Tingle game for the DS mentioned earlier. If you look through the general DS game listings, it won’t show up, but if you check for it with the site’s search engine, you’ll find it. Another thing worth noting is that a European game at NCSX will cost more than the identical game at eStarland, provided eStarland has it.

Other Sites to Consider

These are just my favorite sites and they aren’t the only shops online out there. YesAsia is also a great, reliable site for importing video games, music, books, toys, and other items from overseas. The only reason YesAsia doesn’t have a paragraph up there with the other Japanese import sites is because they tend to focus focus on other imports.

If you’re an eBay fan, a lot of import games and systems can be found there as well. You have to be cautious when dealing with vendors there though - you never know what condition the game is or if it is a legitimate copy and not a knock-off. Sure it looks like a good deal initially, but it won’t be once you get it home and discover it is a knock-off. At times it is worth the risk though, because eBay sellers will have the lowest prices.

JBox/JList is also a great retailer who I have personally purchased items from, but like YesAsia they specialize in items, accessories, computer games, toys and magazines. So at JBox/JList you will find many licensed Nintendo items, video game related novelties and Japanese iTunes card, but you won’t find any actual games (except dating sim PC games) or systems. In fact, J-List/J-Box is the only site I have come across so far that carries the Japanese iTunes cards, which, when purchased, allow you to download music from the Japanese iTunes store.

Coming Next Week

Next week we’ll start talking about some import DS and PSP games which are worth your money. First up, the best import game available for the best handheld console on the market, the Nintendo DS. The great thing about this game is if you look carefully online, you may just find it on sale.

Site [Play-Asia] Site [NCSX] Site [eStarland] Site [RenChi] Site [YesAsia] Site [JBox/JList]

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I called it.

Weta will, indeed be making high-end Halo 3 collectibles. The announcement that Weta Limited acquired the Halo 3 license was was made at this year’s Comic Con.

As of yet, specifics have not yet been announced though, if the short film is an indication, you can expect to see life-size helmets, weapons and similar scaled-down replicas, er, collectibles. The only information was the announcement and the image to the right ...

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This is not as much a figure of a character as a glorious, physical recreation of a videogame attack. As weird as it sounds, many of the uber powerful Final Fantasy attacks summon creatures from other realms, resulting in glorious, colorful and often weird visuals.

Part of the Master Creatures 2 collection by Kotobukiya, the Knights of the Round figure is the big daddy attack in Final Fantasy VII (released in 1997 for the PlayStation). From the site:

“Knights of the Round is the “ultimate summon” in Final Fantasy VIII, whereby you get to do some excessive damage with the help of 13 Knights who trounce your opponent with a cuisinart of weapon attacks while you munch on some popcorn. This Knights of the Round figure ... captures that glorious moment of summoning when said Knights have just arrived to do the deed. Youch! Be careful not to ‘zoom in’ too closely with this one as it’s got lots of pointy bits. A wonderfully detailed and fantastic clump of knights swirling out from the ethereal cloak, measuring 7.5 inches wide and 4.5 inches tall.“

Similar to most of the figures in this series, there are only a couple available and they cost $38 each.

Although they keep calling these “figures,“ I really consider them statues since they are more to be displayed than played. Can you imagine one of these fighting a Luke Skywalker action figure?

Product Page [Knights of The Round Figure] Site [Kotobukiya]

EDITOR’S NOTE: J-List feature items not suitable for gamers under the age of 18. As such, we provide links to J-Box, which is suitable for gamers of all ages.

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Our favorite Japanese import site, J-List (J-Box), has a set of teardrop shaped keychains (or phone bangles if you dig that sorta thing) for sale. The set contains eight tiny sound devices, each packaged in a tiny gumball machine shaped plastic ball (aka capsule or gashapon shell) with a small paper sheet, pictured below.

Each device features its own color, sound and graphic borrowed from the classic Super Mario Bros. game. You play it by pressing the big button on the flatter side of the keychain. A truly cool item to have in your pocket.

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McFarlane toys has posted early version images of prototype sculptures of two its upcoming Halo 3 action figures and one vehicle including:

• Brute Chieftan - in-progress sculpture
• Jackal Sniper - in-progress sculpture
• Warthog - in-progress sculpture

As the site says, “Keep in mind, these photos are of works in progress. Finished figures are subject to change.“

Click through to see the other two prototypes…

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From our favorite Japanese import site, J-List/J-Box, comes a figure based on the Fantasy VIII PVC Playstation game. It’s part of the Masters Creatures 2 collection featuring 6 in. tall sculptures which will also include Odin, and Mateus the Corrupt. These aren’t scheduled to be available in the US until September 2007, so you’ll get a jump on all your figure collecting buddies. There are only two in stock, available for $35 each.

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From our favorite Japanese import site, J-List/J-Box, comes a PVC figure based on the Shining Tears PS2 bishojo RPG. This 1/8 scale figure (as if she was a real person) of sex kitten and ass-kickin’ ninja, Mao (meow!) “Beast Quarter,“ is 8.5 in. tall and priced at $65.

The Mao figure is produced by Eye Scream, which specializes in high-quality collectible figures, usually of anime ladies who tend to wear outfits that show more panty than a Victoria’s Secret catalog.

For those who have not tried a bishojo (aka bishoujo) game…

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