The Pre-order updates thread! (Region free crap welcome too)

[Phellan Wolf]

We don't know anything yet.

Despite this, Play-Asia is taking orders, but they seem to have pulled a price out of their ass.

They have also gone nuts with Ketsui and DS 2 smiles LE, being DS 2 the expensier.

[Zweihander]

...I can't be the only one here who hasn't received their copy yet...

[Elixir]

...I can't be the only one here who hasn't received their copy yet...

Wrong thread, you've already been told where to go. Keep it on-topic, please.

[Zweihander]

...I can't be the only one here who hasn't received their copy yet...

YOU DON'T HAVE YOUR COPY YET? WELL TOO BAD, GO CRY ABOUT IT IN YOUR DESIGNATED PURGATORIAL THREAD. ONLY THE MASTER RACE WHO POSSESS THE GAME MAY BASK IN THE GLORY OF THIS THREAD! AWAY WITH THEE, PEASANT

Already did that, no responses. It must not be a thread that attracts the attention correlating to a recently-released game such as this one. Also, has anyone ever told you that you're an elitist cunt?

[Zweihander]

So I'm guessing EVERYONE in this thread has their copy already? And I'm not British enough to elicit a civilized answer? Is it because I'm a Yank? It's because I'm a Yank, isn't it. I'm concerned that my copy hasn't arrived, since Play-Asia stuff usually reaches me within a week, and it's been two. I'm wondering if anyone else in this thread shares this problem. I'm wondering if it's a universal issue. Fuck's sake, this is a question pertaining to ESPGaluda II, and I'm asking it in the ESPGaluda II thread. Alas, I'm sure this post will be moved to the pre-order thread, where valid questions go to die. But for the record, alienating people and migrating their posts to a less-viewed thread is not the way to get questions answered, and it was my understanding that one of the original purposes of online forums was to help people find the answers to their questions pertaining to a topic. I guess I was wrong.

[njiska]

So I'm guessing EVERYONE in this thread has their copy already? And I'm not British enough to elicit a civilized answer? Is it because I'm a Yank? It's because I'm a Yank, isn't it. I'm concerned that my copy hasn't arrived, since Play-Asia stuff usually reaches me within a week, and it's been two. I'm wondering if anyone else in this thread shares this problem. I'm wondering if it's a universal issue. Fuck's sake, this is a question pertaining to ESPGaluda II, and I'm asking it in the ESPGaluda II thread. Alas, I'm sure this post will be moved to the pre-order thread, where valid questions go to die. But for the record, alienating people and migrating their posts to a less-viewed thread is not the way to get questions answered, and it was my understanding that one of the original purposes of online forums was to help people find the answers to their questions pertaining to a topic. I guess I was wrong.

Calm down boy. Can't say i know any here that hasn't got theirs yet, but i've had a friend in Minessota experience similar problems with another recent play-asia order. Did you order with standard air mail economy shipping?

[msm]

my standard edition from play-asia with cheap shipping still hasn't arrived, futari took ages too so i'm not worried yet.

[Elixir]

I've had my copy for about a week (thanks, EMS) but I'm not feeling it as much as I would have liked.

Zwei, I'll sell it to you for $40, but I only ship by Surface.

[Zweihander]

my standard edition from play-asia with cheap shipping still hasn't arrived, futari took ages too so i'm not worried yet.

Futari took about a week for me, same with Cat-Suey Demo Label and Bangai-O Spirits when I imported them through P-A, so I don't have a damn clue why this is taking so long. Ah well, I feel you, man. Shitty situations are always better when you know you're not the only one.

Calm down boy. Can't say i know any here that hasn't got theirs yet, but i've had a friend in Minessota experience similar problems with another recent play-asia order. Did you order with standard air mail economy shipping?

Yep, same thing I did when I ordered the aforementioned games. I'm starting to hate P-A, and am kind of relieved that CAVE said ESPGaluda II would be the last region-free title in the foreseeable future; it prevents me from having any reason to use Play-Asia again.

[StarCreator]

It was mentioned in this thread before, but I wanted to make sure: has Play-Asia actually shipped you your order? Once they do, the time it takes to make it from Hong Kong to your doorstep is completely out of their hands, and it's quite irrational to put the blame on them if you choose the el cheapo shipping option and don't expect to wait a month to get it.

Yes, a month. I've mentioned this before too that the cheap shipping option can and will take that long. You get what you pay for.

If Play-Asia hasn't shipped your order yet, I suggest cancelling and ordering from NCS, because for those of us stateside and -not- in NY, it's generally cheaper and MUCH faster simply because NCS's stock has already crossed the ocean.

[8 1/2]

Has anyone emailed NCSX to ask about when Deathsmiles II pre-orders will open up? I don't want to spam them as I assume many others have already hit them up with the same question.

[dan76]

videogameimports.com has the Death Smiles 2 Limited Edition + Telephone Card up for pre-order.
Standard and regular limited editions to follow once they get confirmation of stock.

[AcidBath86]

Has anyone emailed NCSX to ask about when Deathsmiles II pre-orders will open up? I don't want to spam them as I assume many others have already hit them up with the same question.

I actually emailed them last week and got a response:

Although Cave made an announcement for Death Smiles II, they haven't started their preorder campaign in Japan yet. We do
expect preorders to start soon and we'll be glad to notify you once they are open.

Regards,
NCS, Inc

[Zweihander]

It was mentioned in this thread before, but I wanted to make sure: has Play-Asia actually shipped you your order? Once they do, the time it takes to make it from Hong Kong to your doorstep is completely out of their hands, and it's quite irrational to put the blame on them if you choose the el cheapo shipping option and don't expect to wait a month to get it.

Yes, a month. I've mentioned this before too that the cheap shipping option can and will take that long. You get what you pay for.

If Play-Asia hasn't shipped your order yet, I suggest cancelling and ordering from NCS, because for those of us stateside and -not- in NY, it's generally cheaper and MUCH faster simply because NCS's stock has already crossed the ocean.

They shipped it on February 25th, according to the confirmation email I received at 3AM on the 25th. I pre-ordered it. I've chosen the el-cheapo route with EVERY game I've ever bought off Play-Asia, and it's always, ALWAYS reached me within 7-10 days. Don't know where you live, but I've never had to wait a month. Therefore, it's not irrational to expect the same with ESPGaluda II. I'm starting to wonder if my game is still in motherfucking Hong Kong.

[Kyle]

My copy of Espgaluda II came in yesterday from Play-Asia. Here's my dumbass question. The corners of the manual were creased when I opened the case. I've obviously never touched the thing. The game was shrinkwrapped and had the Xbox seal as well. Has anyone encountered anything like that? I don't have any intentions of selling the thing. It just made me a little sad. The packaging was not to blame. I got it in an Air Economy box that was well packaged. It's like someone bent the thing on the production line inserting it into the case.

[Zweihander]

My copy of Espgaluda II came in yesterday from Play-Asia. Here's my dumbass question. The corners of the manual were creased when I opened the case. I've obviously never touched the thing. The game was shrinkwrapped and had the Xbox seal as well. Has anyone encountered anything like that? I don't have any intentions of selling the thing. It just made me a little sad. The packaging was not to blame. I got it in an Air Economy box that was well packaged. It's like someone bent the thing on the production line inserting it into the case.

Dunno about your manual plight, but did you order it regularly? i.e. el cheapo shipping speed? Just curious. Sort of looking for a ray of hope here.

Honestly, I'm going to see some out-of-state friends this weekend who are starting to get into shmups. They have a 360 so I was going to bring Futari, and, if it arrives before them, Galuda 2. That's why I'm a bit on edge from it not arriving as quickly as usual.

[EOJ]

With economy airmail shipping from Play-asia, I've had things arrive in 5-7 days (pretty rare), 2 weeks (very common), 3 weeks (more common than you'd think), or never at all (happened twice). I would never, ever preorder a game from PA that I really wanted to play on release and select airmail shipping. I always spend the extra $12 for EMS shipping so I won't have to wait 2-3 weeks to play it.

From what I've heard, PA's "shipping confirmation" just means they dumped it off in their shipping warehouse. It can sit there for days, a week, or even weeks before it actually goes through the post office on its way to you. That's why it often takes 2-3 weeks to get something whereas other airmail packages from Asia usually arrive in a week or less.

[Schrodinger's cat]

They shipped it on February 25th, according to the confirmation email I received at 3AM on the 25th. I pre-ordered it. I've chosen the el-cheapo route with EVERY game I've ever bought off Play-Asia, and it's always, ALWAYS reached me within 7-10 days. Don't know where you live, but I've never had to wait a month. Therefore, it's not irrational to expect the same with ESPGaluda II. I'm starting to wonder if my game is still in motherfucking Hong Kong.

This is pretty much exactly what I went through with Futari. I can definitely feel your pain. It took around 2 weeks for that to get to me and was it was pretty much my last straw with using PA. Since you're in the US, you might as well go with NCSX and USPS shipping (UPS sucks!) next time. There's pretty much no benefit with choosing PA over NCSX if you're stateside. If their site design wasn't so terrible, I might have done so sooner.

[Ganelon]

My copy of Espgaluda II came in yesterday from Play-Asia. Here's my dumbass question. The corners of the manual were creased when I opened the case. I've obviously never touched the thing. The game was shrinkwrapped and had the Xbox seal as well. Has anyone encountered anything like that? I don't have any intentions of selling the thing. It just made me a little sad. The packaging was not to blame. I got it in an Air Economy box that was well packaged. It's like someone bent the thing on the production line inserting it into the case.

This is very normal and is caused by the plastic. Other grooves in the plastic (not as obvious in Espgaluda II's case since all these early copies have the extra DVD holder) commonly cause nibbles at the top and/or bottom of the manual and esp. on the right hand side. The vast, vast majority of folks are clueless and close Amaray (and other DVD) cases with the front cover on top. When that happens, the manual's right-hand side droops down right into the DVD molding on the right-hand side and causes creases.

It's tough to handle when that happens but on the other hand, you should be thankful that the DVD didn't come loose, that the packaging wasn't so bad that the clips holding the manuals snapped off or that something left an imprint of the case into the slipcover, or that the slipcover was slid in correctly, and other annoying situations that will leave a deep memory once you experience them.

[dmauro]

I went with one of the expensive shipping options with Play-Asia and it got here very quickly and I actually saved $5 over NCSX between using a coupon and what I would have paid in NY sales tax. It's too bad they seemed to have increased the cost of their games by about $5 though (for them) because now I'll probably just end up going with NCSX if it's going to be the same price.

[Elixir]

For the past 3+ years I've received stuff via Play-Asia by the cheapest shipping available and it's taken 5 days. Only last October did I start having issues, with Monster Hunter Freedom Unite (never arrived, they sent a replacement though) and Bayonetta (took 20 days). Note: NCSX kept the Bayonetta preorder bonus, Play-Asia gave it to me. Apart from that, things were good.

But I'm too impatient, so I just use Amiami now. It's the next best thing to Amazon.jp (sometimes cheaper even) and well, I don't like troubling people too much for stuff off there unless I 1) have the money ready or 2) absolutely cannot find it anywhere else. There's also the benefit of Amiami being in Japan, and Play-Asia.. well, isn't.

[Exarion]

Not really a preorder issue, but more an issue with a normal order, but it seems to be taking a long time for NCSX to get their restock shipment for Futari. It looks like they've been out of stock for 2 weeks now, but still have it as "restock in 4 to 7 days". I hope they get it back by the end of march.

[xris]

Remember when we were kids, and the standard time for mail order was 4-6 weeks? Might as well been 6 months to a 12 year old.

[apple arcade]

still waiting on espgaluda ii

wish it would get here

[Kiken]

Has anyone emailed NCSX to ask about when Deathsmiles II pre-orders will open up? I don't want to spam them as I assume many others have already hit them up with the same question.

I actually emailed them last week and got a response:

Although Cave made an announcement for Death Smiles II, they haven't started their preorder campaign in Japan yet. We do
expect preorders to start soon and we'll be glad to notify you once they are open.

Regards,
NCS, Inc

Just posted today:

X360 Death Smiles IIX - Update
A few Japanese distributors started preorders for the regular and limited editions of Death Smiles IIX last night. Similar to the release of Espgaluda II, the availability of the limited edition appears to be tied to how many copies of the regular edition are ordered. We'll post a formal preorder offer tomorrow since all of the other distributors should start their reservation campaigns tonight and we'll finalize our order quantity and pricing.

And it would seem that they're getting in some DC copies of Ikaruga:

DC Ikaruga
Every year around this time is when we receive more than the usual amount of sales and clearances from vendors and small shops in Japan. We think of it as a pre-emptive Spring cleaning. The offers have been coming in every other night and one common theme we've noticed is that old shooters from the Super Famicom, Mega-Drive, Sega Saturn, and Dreamcast command a hefty price premium. While other game genres such as mahjong, sports, and platform are discounted to the teens, shooters are priced roughly 30% above actual retail price. The standout selection over the past week was roughly 30 copies of the DC version of Ikaruga; the offer price was JPY10,000; that's $110.30 based on this morning's dollar conversion ratio. Note that this price is what's being offered on a wholesale trade basis. The pricing phenomenon indicates that there's probably a good reason for traders to hold onto popular shooters because they're in demand by a captive audience.

[PsikyoPshumpPshooterP]

where the fuck is my espgaluda 2..shipped out ont he 1st = (

[NR777]

With economy airmail shipping from Play-asia, I've had things arrive in 5-7 days (pretty rare), 2 weeks (very common), 3 weeks (more common than you'd think), or never at all (happened twice). I would never, ever preorder a game from PA that I really wanted to play on release and select airmail shipping. I always spend the extra $12 for EMS shipping so I won't have to wait 2-3 weeks to play it.

From what I've heard, PA's "shipping confirmation" just means they dumped it off in their shipping warehouse. It can sit there for days, a week, or even weeks before it actually goes through the post office on its way to you. That's why it often takes 2-3 weeks to get something whereas other airmail packages from Asia usually arrive in a week or less.

I only had a problem with Futari from P-A. Galuda II got here in five days...and I still used cheap shipping.

[Zweihander]

where the fuck is my espgaluda 2..shipped out ont he 1st = (

...And mine shipped on the 25th... Still no sign of it...

From what I've heard, PA's "shipping confirmation" just means they dumped it off in their shipping warehouse. It can sit there for days, a week, or even weeks before it actually goes through the post office on its way to you. That's why it often takes 2-3 weeks to get something whereas other airmail packages from Asia usually arrive in a week or less.

What...? Fuck it, never ordering from PA again. Ever. Also, what's their policy on refunding a game that never arrived? How long to I have to wait? A couple months, perhaps?

[EOJ]

Also, what's their policy on refunding a game that never arrived? How long to I have to wait? A couple months, perhaps?

You have to wait at least 30 days. Maybe as much as 45 days. Just send them an email and tell them it hasn't arrived yet. They'll give you the timeline. IIRC they don't give refunds if a package doesn't arrive. They just give you store credit, so you can order another game and wait another 2-3 weeks for it to arrive.

Keep in mind, however, you've only waited 2 weeks thus far, which is normal (from PA). It will most likely arrive within 1 week from now.

[Zweihander]

You have to wait at least 30 days. Maybe as much as 45 days. Just send them an email and tell them it hasn't arrived yet. They'll give you the timeline. IIRC they don't give refunds if a package doesn't arrive. They just give you store credit, so you can order another game and wait another 2-3 weeks for it to arrive.

My face.

(Ninja mod edit: Image was a tad big, so it was changed it to a link instead)