japanese-software-sales
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Mass Effect premieres at No. 3 spot in Japan
Looking over Media Create's weekly Japanese software sales chart for May 24 reveals something distinctly non-Japanese is mucking up the list. BioWare's space opera Mass Effect for Xbox 360 premiered in the number three spot, having sold 18,000 copies. Sure, that's less than half of Pro Yakyuu Team o Tsukurou 2, but good on the western RPG for even charting.Mass Effect released in the Very-Near West in 2007 and -- believe it or not -- actually has a sequel in the works. Oh, and in case you're wondering, Sloan to Michael: Nazo No Monogatari was in the number one spot with 44,000 units.
Warriors Orochi Z tops Japanese software sales, 360 RE5 slips to #12
Gamasutra reports that this week's Japanese software sales are dominated by Sony consoles. Six of the top 10 titles are for Sony platforms -- three for PS3, three for PSP -- with Muso Orochi Z (known as Warriors Orochi Z in these parts) for PS3 at the tippy-top. That's right, a PS3 compilation of two PS2 games is the number one seller with 112,000 units shoved out the door. Last week's winner, the PS3 version of Resident Evil 5, has slipped to number two with 61,000 copies sold. Meanwhile, the Xbox 360 version of Resident Evil 5, which occupied the third slot last week, has slipped all the way to number 12. In its place is Rittai Picross for Nintendo DS.Also notable: Resistance Retribution debuted at number 10, while the New Play Control release of Pikmin 2 for Wii hit at number six. But what about Sonic and the Black Knight, you ask? You can stop holding your breath; it came in 30th.
Namco Bandai drums up Japanese sales for 12/8 - 12/14
Japanese gamers evidently don't want to work; they just want to bang on the virtual drum all day. Or, more specifically, the Wii release of Namco's Taiko no Tatsujin, which barely eked out a first-place spot over Animal Crossing: City Folk in Media Create's Japanese software sales charts for December 8 through 14. In all, four Wii titles and six DS games comprised the top 10. Taiko no Tatsujin (Wii): 106K Animal Crossing: City Folk (Wii): 98K Hoshi no Kirby: Ultra Super Deluxe (DS): 95K Wagamama Fashion Girls Mode (DS): 63K Penguin no Mondai: Saikyou Penguin Densetsu! (DS): 59K Professor Layton and the Final Time Journey (DS): 58K Pokémon Platinum (DS): 58K Rhythm Tengoku Gold (DS): 45K Wii Fit (Wii): 43K Mario Kart Wii (Wii): 34K
Layton leads Japanese software charts
No. 042 20 Picarats Coins: 10 "Luke, why don't you solve this one? Correctly order the following games in terms of their sales in Japan this week.""Okay professor. I think I've got it!" Professor Layton and The Final Time Journey (DS): 347K World Soccer Winning Eleven 2009 (PS3): 168K Machi e Ikouyo: Doubutsu no Mori (Wii): 109K Chrono Trigger (DS): 80K Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters GX (PSP): 64K Kideo Senshi Gundam: Gundam vs. Gundam (PSP): 57K Hoshi no Kirby: Ultra Super Deluxe (DS): 56K Kenka Banchou 3: Zenkoku Seiha (PSP): 54K Musou Orochi: Maou Sairin (PSP): 46K Higurashi Daybreak Portable (PSP): 33K "Good job, Luke! My, that's a lot of PSP. However did you figure it out so quickly?""I used two hints: M-Create and Gamasutra.""My boy, I'm so disappointed with you. To the corner with you!""Aww, Professor! For how long do I stay there?""Well, I've got three riddles for you ..."
GTA IV hijacks top spot in Japan sales chart
From Capcom designer Yokshiki Okamoto: "Rockstar is not unsuccessful in Japan, but their success here is on a much smaller scale than elsewhere in the world market. The low Japanese sales of the sandbox-style GTA series simply do not make any sense to me."Well, it looks like that trend has stumbled into a dark alley and been bludgeoned to death. According to Famitsu's weekly charts, Grand Theft Auto IV for PlayStation 3 has claimed the top spot in software sales in its debut week. The Xbox 360 version took the 4th spot. Valkyrie Profile: The Accused One and LittleBigPlanet (PS3) took 2nd and third place, respectively. Exact numbers haven't been released yet. Full top ten list after the break.[Via PS3 Fanboy]
MGS4 runs 12 circles around closest competitor first week in Japan
We already knew sales of Metal Gear Solid 4 were good for Japan, with Famitsu reporting earlier that 476,000 copies had been sold in the first few days of release. According to Media Create, that figure sneaks in an extra 11,000, as they're only tracking 465,000 in sales for the first week (via Gamasutra).Despite the missing units, the launch provides some interesting statistics. MGS4 moved over 12 times as many units as its closest competitor, Mario Kart Wii (38,000), and more than double that of the non-Metal Gear top 10 combined. Sorry, Snake, there's no place to hide in Japan. Snake? Snaaaake? SNAAAAAAKE! Check out our Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots page for all things Metal Gear. While you're at it, enter for your chance to win a copy of MGS4 signed by Hideo Kojima!
GT5 Prologue scores third place in Japanese charts
You know times have changed when the top three spots in Japan's software sales chart are no longer occupied by traditional fare, but rather a miasma of Mario mini-games, a balancercise board and a glorified automotive demo. Gamasutra runs down last week's top ten, highlighting Polyphony Digital's Gran Turismo 5 Prologue which made its debut in third position with approximately 116,000 units sold. Professor Layton bully, Wii Fit, found itself parking off in second position with 124,000 units after having switched places with Mario Party DS and its 180,000 attendees. Nintendo proved the overall wii-ner, with six first-party titles accounted for in the chart -- in fact, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue was the only game not to be found on the Wii or DS. The two systems are expected to enjoy continued good fortune in the hardware sales chart due for release tomorrow.%Gallery-4884%
Japanese software chart, June 19 - June 26: Mario makes like the end-of-level flagpole
Well, it's finally happened. Our favorite shroom-lovin' plumber has been overthrown from his Japanese software sales throne. There's really only one force that can bring him down in the Land of Rising Sun, and indeed, Square Enix managed to take him down a peg with their new Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria, released for the PS2. Five weeks as king ain't too shabby, and of course, the Brain Age series is still running strong. Software - This Week | Total Sales 1.) Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria (PS2, Square Enix) - 281,510 | NEW 2.) NEW Super Mario Bros. (NDS, Nintendo) - 170,168 | 1,848,814 3.) Brain Age 2 (NDS, Nintendo) - 57,752 | 2,594,990 4.) Winning Eleven 10 (PS2, Konami) - 49,926 | 863,457 5.) Brain Age (NDS, Nintendo) - 38,766 | 2,437,374(Further numbers are as of yet unconfirmed; official sales tallies will be released forthcoming.)
