This following Japanese release updates come courtesy of Videogames.Com:

Japanese Titles

The Bikkuriman image is pretty high K, so it might take a while to fully download.

Quick Notes
Your friendly neighborhood substance J here! Time is of the essence, as I'm in a hurry to get to a gallery opening where my art is on display (*end of shameless self promotion*). So...I have some quick notes before the full update is made later tonight. Here are some recent magazine happenings I came across this afternoon, which may or may not be of interest...

Weekly Famitsu 3/24 Bikkuriman 2000 and Gekka no Kenshi (The Last Blade) are both reviewed, earning scores of 21/40 (6, 5, 5, 5) and 25/40 (6, 7, 6, 6), respectively. NGPC coverage is otherwise rather light, with only a Metal Slug: 2nd Mission feature and 2 pages of ads to speak of. Plenty of Frogs drinking Sake, though.

Neo Geo Freak 4/1 More NGPC coverage than usual, this issue features Gekka no Kenshi, Bikkuriman 2000, and Metal Slug: 2nd Mission strategy, an Ogre Battle preview, small articles on Cool Boaders Pocket, Evolution, Cotton, PochiSlot Aruze Kingdom AZTECA, and others. There is also a some cool Match of the Millennium production art. This issue is made even sweeter by a special section cataloging the entire lineup of NGP software released since launch, along with a nice K' poster. Yum.

EGM 4/2000 Electronic Gaming Monthly seems to have risen from the ashes of its own stupidity, especially in the eyes of NGPC owners, I'd imagine. The latest issue to find its way to my mailbox contains yet more NGPC coverage, most notably two very good reviews - Faselei! and Metal Slug: 2nd Mission. Faselei! scored 7.5, 8.5, 8.0, and 7.5 to earn an EGM Silver award. Metal Slug also did (expectedly) well, receiving scores of 7.0, 8.0, 7.5, and 8.0. Also included are previews of Last Blade, Cotton, Cool Boarders Pocket, and Dynamite Slugger. EGM is obviously quite fond of the NGPC...amazing. Almost scary.

More will be added tonight, so check back later for new scans from Famitsu and Neo Geo Freak, new gifs, and other bits.

3.27.00
Updates n' Stuff
Yawn. There hasn't been much NGPC news lately...good thing TGS is just around the corner. Right now it seems as if most NGPC owners are just waiting for the US release of Metal Slug 2nd Mission. The rest of them are flaming about X-Box and music in the forum. Hoorah! Today's update is contained within the Gifs section, as 4 new animations have been added. We still haven't gotten our hands on Gals Fighters, so perhaps it's time for us to review some older titles instead...

3.23.00
TGS Lineup
Today, Videogames.com posted an article reporting SNK's lineup (full lineup?) for TGS Spring 2000:

At last, we should be able to see some pictures of the Megaman title...sadly though, it does not sound very promising to us, as bad memories of the obscure Megaman arcade fighting games still linger from years ago. For the original story @ Videogames.com, click Here.

"One copy of Metal Slug, and a Virgin Cola, please"
The Omake/Scans area has been updated with a Virgin Megastores promotional ad, scanned in and sent to us by Haribo.

Famitsu Has Spoken...
Today substance J browsed the 3/17 issue of Weekly Famitsu, and came across only one NGPC-related item worth mentioning here (though the cover was rather kawaii), the Metal Slug: 2nd Mission review. It scored 7, 6, 6, 6 (666? Hmmm...) for a total of 25/40.

3.20.00
Gif Maintenance
The Gifs area of the Omake section has been updated with the missing Athena and BB Hood Gifs.

Links
2 new sites (Pocket Pocket and Pocketgamer.net) have been added to the Links section.

3.19.00
New Scan
Thanks to the CVG scanning efforts of Dockaych, a new UK advert ("Get some colour in your life") has been posted in the Omake scan subsection.

One Year of COLOR
Today (late yesterday, if you want to get all technical with time zones) marks the one-year anniversary of the Neo Geo Pocket Color's Japanese launch. It debuted at ¥8500, with full-color 5 titles available...a library that has now grown to well over 60. March 19 also happens to commemorate the day Sector: NGP went online. It's been a great year of gaming and reporting, and we look forward to what is set to be another fantastic year for the NGPC. We'd like to thank SNK for their support of this great system, and everyone who has contributed to the NGPC community and this site. For a retrospective, check out our special feature, NGP: Year One, which was written to commemorate the launch of the original Neo Geo Pocket.

3.17.00
Software Outlook
SNK of Japan has updated their release list with dates for upcoming software releases such as Ogre Battle, Cool Cool Jam (likable to the DC game, Cool Cool Toon), Oekaki Puzzle, Memories Off Pure (Kid's latest Interaction game. Yum!), and others. We've translated the bulk of the list and updated our Coming Soon section accordingly. On the US front, assuming all goes well, Gals Fighters should be shipping to retailers today. We should be getting our hands on a copy shortly, and will post impressions and a review soon after. The Software Info page has been updated to reflect the recent releases.

Omake!
New items have been added to Omake section today, and the design has been changed a bit. 6 new scans (SNKUSA's official retailer "Datasheets") from Bryan Walko have been added, along with a scan of a Japanese Card Fighter's Clash file folder, sent to us by Rukes (aka Drew Ressler to Gaming Age readers). Also, Akaimizu's MP3 mixes have been added to the new Audio category.

3.13.00
Future Releases
The Coming Soon section has been updated a bit, most notably retail dates for Puzzle Link 2, Dive Alert: Becky, and Dive Alert: Matt, sent to us by Bryan Walko.

More Retail News
The list of stores supporting NGPC continues to grow. Richard Mitchell reports that Northeastern US department store chain, Ames, has begun carrying Neo Geo Pocket Color games and systems.

3.11.00
New Review
substance J's review of Yumekobo's Pocket Tennis Color has been added to the Games section. What, were you expecting something exciting?!

Metal Slug: 2nd Mission
The US version of Metal Slug: 2nd Mission has recently been confirmed for an April 1st release date by a number of retail sources. SNK USA is reportedly "busting their asses" to meet late March ship date, so set aside some cash and get ready for some serious action. The Coming Soon and Soft Info sections have been updated to reflect the current status of the game in the US and Japan. Speaking of Japan, SNK has set up a new section on their website dedicated to Metal Slug, called the Metal Slug Project

New Gifs
The Gifs section has been updated with new MotM rips.

Retail Support
Best Buy locations are now selling Neo Geo Pocket Color games and accessories, nationwide. Yay!

Links
The Links section has been updated with a link to "NeogeoPC"

3.6.00
Argh!
*sigh* Server problems once again hampered regular updates over the weekend. Perhaps a move is in order. Anyway, here's some of the stuff that was effected...other than substance J's Pocket Tennis Color review, which was of course put on hold due to the premier of GUNDAM WING on Cartoon Network this evening. Mmmmm.

1st Mission Resources
A Metal Slug: 1st Mission FAQ by Sashimi-X has been added to the Games section, along with a translated version of Neo Geo Freak's level path chart, made by nnooiissee.

Prepare the Heavy Machineguns!
National Console Support has announced that tomorrow they will be stocking the hardshell Asian version of Metal Slug: 2nd Mission for $40.

Retail Support
US Target stores have begun selling Neo Geo Pocket Color games and accessories, apparently at select test locations. In San Jose, CA, Sonic Pocket Adventure, Match of the Millennium, and Metal Slug: 1st Mission were spotted, along with regular and Sonic-packed hardware units.

OVERVIEW:
In an age of chaos, heroes are created and tested to their limits. Only those with enough skill and courage are capable of restoring peace. Here, a new adventure begins as The Last Blade strikes the NeoGeo Pocket Color.

Since ancient times, the portal between good and evil has been sealed by four deities. Now, the seal is about to be broken. Choose your hero and fight to stop this impending doom.

FEATURES:

Mag Watch
substance J made today a Kinokuniya Day, and checked out a few Japanese publications. Recent issues of Weekly Famitsu yielded little NGPC coverage, though Bikkuriman 2000 ads were numerous. Neo Geo Freak featured some Gals Fighters strategy, Metal Slug 2 pics, and other tidbits (such as more Bikkuriman 2000 ads), but again, nothing to write home about. An uneventful browsing experience...though the package of Bikkuriman 2000 wafer cookies from Mitsuwa Marketplace was a tasty treat (no kidding).

Bikkuriman 2000 Info
The venerable Magic Box has posted a brief description of Sega Toys' Bikkuriman 2000 for Neo Geo Pocket Color. Apparently, mini games are the order of the day in your quest to earn 80 different seals. Bikkuriman 2000 supports the Dreamcast link (of course), and the standard NGP link cable for 2 player action. This could be a title to keep an eye on...it's been getting a large push in Japanese gaming magazines (as you could probably tell by now), and it looks pretty cool as well. Coming March 16th!

Links
Links to "NGPC Zone" and "The Definitive Neo Geo Worm Light Guide" have been added to the Links Section.

3.1.00
Metal Slug 2nd Mission news
Just the name - Metal Slug 2nd Mission. Is your mouth watering yet? Check out the latest Fact Sheet from SNK below:

But the diabolical rebels have some help of their own, as they’ve formed an evil alien alliance to help them conquer the world.

FEATURES:
-Battle in the Metal Slug tank, take to the air in the Slug Flyer, or travel underwater in the Slug Sub to free 100 of your captured comrades from the clutches of Commander Makuba
- Fight through 38 levels of combat action
- Play in Normal mode and fight through the game, or use Time Attack mode to revisit completed missions
- Digital speech throughout the game, announcing weapons as they are acquired
- Two selectable characters available from the beginning
- All new escape scenarios whenever players are shot out of the Metal Slug, Slug Flyer or Slug Sub
- Scroll through the Rescue List to learn hints from freed hostages

AVAILABILITY: April 2000
PRICE: $39.95

Future Releases
Looking for a voice of reason in the confused world of NGPC release dates? Well, you're out of luck! But here are the latest timeframes SNKUSA is shooting for...

Other Notes
The Coming Soon section has been cleaned up a bit, with clarified Domestic and Import release dates. We'll have to do a little translating session soon, to make sure our Japanese dates are in line with those on SNK's release list. For those of you who care to read back through February and its 29 days of freakyness, check out the News Archives below, where it has been added. Check back tomorrow for some hot new animated Gifs, and more news as well.