Kotaku
Pokémon fever ripped through Japan last week, pushing an impressive quarter-million copies of Pokémon Ranger: Batonnage in its debut week. It wasn't the only new release to make a splash as the combined efforts of Deca Sports, Armored Core and others pushed previous chart toppers like Wii Fit and Super Smash Bros. Brawl further down the charts. This week, fifteen newcomers crack the top thirty. See if you can catch 'em all in this week's Simple 2000 software chart, featuring sales from March 17 to 23.
See where Yakuza 3 Kenzan! landed this week and where Echochrome for the PSP debuted after the break.
01. Pokémon Ranger: Batonnage (DS) - 242,000 / NEW
02. Deca Sports (Wii) - 65,000 / NEW
03. Armored Core: For Answer (PS3) - 54,000 / NEW
04. SimCity DS 2: Kodaikara Mirai e Tsudzukumachi (DS) - 49,000 / NEW
05. Wii Fit (Wii) - 48,000 / 1,752,000
06. Tales of Rebirth (PSP) - 47,000 / NEW
07. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii) - 41,000 / 1,490,000
08. Crayon Shin-Chan: Arashi o Yobu Cinema Land (DS) - 35,000 / NEW
09. DS Bimoji Training (DS) - 35,000 / 101,000
10. Time Hollow: Uwareta Kako o Motome (DS) - 34,000 / NEW
11. Dramatic Dungeon: Sakura Taisen (DS)
12. Echochrome (Sony)
13. Armored Core: For Answer (Xbox 360)
14. Yakuza 3: Kenzan! (PS3)
15. Wii Sports (Wii)
16. Gundam Musou Special (PS2)
17. Super Dodge Ball (DS)
18. Wii Play (Wii)
19. The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return (Wii)
20. Army of Two (Xbox 360)
21. Mario Kart DS (DS)
22. Army of Two (PS3)
23. Harvest Moon: Shining Sun and Friends (DS)
24. Mario Party DS (DS)
25. Kekkaishi: Koru Nogirou Shuurai (DS)
26. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (DS)
24. Minna no Joushiki Ryoku TV (Wii)
28. Musou Orochi (PSP)
29. Shugo Chara! 3-tsu no Tamagoto Koisuru Joker (DS)
30. Taiko Drum Master DS (DS)
Comments
Hmm, not too bad for Echochrome. Didn't know about a new Armored Core coming out, though.
The only thing I want in the Top 10 is that damn Tales of Rebirth. Come on, Namco...give us more Tales!
I haven't played a pokemon game in like...forever.
anyone wanna take a guess on next week?? Monster Hunter??
I had never heard of Deca Sports. I looked it up and it seems like Wii Sports with different sports.
Pretty plain, eh?
Not so fast.
One of the included sports: Curling.
Awsome.
@Magic Emperor Anima:
I'm waiting for the NA release of For Answer, had no idea the japanese release was this soon. I've yet to buy an AC since Master of Arena.
Been waiting for them to make it a bit more fast-paced - which they did with AC4, but knackered the customization.
For Answer supposedly keeps the pace of AC4 and enhances the customization level back to where it's supposed to be. Fingers crossed.
@Sweet Tooth: I haven't played a pokemon game in like...ever.
@mind in rewind: lol, I played the games (I'm an RPG freak), never watched the cheesy anime series.
@elementary: Thank you. Curling is awesome.
Wow. I assumed Yakuza would do better than that, or at least crack the top ten. But then again, I guess Wii Fit being up there is a lot more justified.
YES! ECHOCHROME! AT LAST!
And Taiko Drum Master DS... huh? That's just Taiko no Tatsujin - that's been out for ages! It is fun though...
I love me some Crayon Shin-Chan.
@bangbangblah: This is Yakuza 3's third week on the charts. It's done well so far.
[kotaku.com]
Um, what?
03. Armored Core: For Answer (PS3) - 54,000 / NEW
I didn't even know this game exists!?
If i pick up a bag of crap, put a pikachu picture on it and sell it, i would make millions in a matter of days.
@Desertwolf: Then Nintendo would sue you.
@Garo: There's some really cool footage of it around. I hope it lands here for the 360.
They eat up new releases.
@JimmyHACK: Monster Hunter will probably be able to take the whole top 10 by itself next week. It'll be nice to have a PSP game that finally justifies the hardware numbers for the PSP itself.
Echochrome did pretty well for its debut. It's a pretty niche title
here's a stupid question. Why is this feature called "Simple 2000"? Is it after the bargain-bin software maker?
WHOA WHOA WHOA
Army of Two for the 360 outsold the PS3 Version?!
Holy crap! AC4 is doing pretty good. At least, #3 can't be too bad.
@LittleBigPlaneteer: The real surprise is that Army of Two has made it into the top 20
hey, i wanna play that (translated) crayon shin-chan game.
Wow, them Japanese really love they Pokemans.
I had no idea the brand was still so popular. It has to be, what, nine, ten years since I've picked up a pokemon game.
Now, I feel old.
Damn.
hmmmm, pokemon. i just don't get it.
never have, never will.
@LittleBigPlaneteer: "Army of Two for the 360 outsold the PS3 Version?!"
Not all that surprising when you consider that shooters are the main reason to get a 360. What surprises me is that the game rates at all in Japan and that there are two 360 games in the top 30.
@Car2oon: I also like to see Crayon Shin-Chan in there. This is just a remake of a gba game so it is surprising to see it all the way up there, but I would like a english version of either this game or the previous one released on the DS. I'm also pleased to see Taiko Drum Master and Super Dodge Ball.
It is also interesting to see so many Mario related games. Even Mario Kart DS keeps showing up in the charts after all this time.
@ultraViolence: You and me both.
o_O
Good job Armored Core.
@Wolfers: Probably because you never played it.
Tales of Rebirth? Is that a new Tales or just another port for the PSP?
Jeez, Nintendo is just killing. Let's see if that holds true after the great black hope, MGS4 & FF 100 er 13, is released.
(black..PS3..get it?)
I'm always amazed to see 360 games in the Japan top 30.
@ultraViolence: prime game for completionists :P
@LittleBigPlaneteer: wow, out already?! I gotta get my hands on it, sadly I don't own a PS3 :( Seems like an such an innovative game and proof positive that graphics don't mean jack.
@elementary:
Now, I'm not the biggest curling fan. But damn, it's cool to watch on TV, dare to say the best TV sport too.
Looking forward to when it gets released in NA come the Summer.
Also, there's a new Super Dodgeball!? YESSS!
@KirbyMorph: Not true! I own Red and played a bit of Ranger. I continue to fail at seeing why it is so popular, and based on the reviews, I'm not alone here. Different strokes for different folks, but I still fail to see why these games absolutely dominate the sales charts in Japan.
@Dukeman330:
The games are made fairly simply and on a low budget, and they sell for 2000 yen. The PSP line is Simple 2500 and sells for 2500 yen.
I wish we had the whole lineup over here... drop $20ish on a game that looks like it could be amusing, play it for a little while until you get bored, and not really worry about being out $60-80!
Some more famous ones here are "The Oneechanbara" series (Bikini girl with cowboy hat (well, one of them has a hat) cuts up zombies with a sword), "Zombies vs Ambulance" and the "Earth Defence Force" series.
oops, I misread your comment. You know what they are already, so the answer is... yes.
@JimmyHACK: 1 or 2 copies... yeh :D
I am going to be in Japan next week :D
@SAKY: Racist!
TAKES IF REBIRTH!!!? please namco please !! :(
It's sad that the really unique original PSP games sell so poorly in Japan. Loco Roco, Patapon, and now Echochrome.... you would think they would accept these original titles better but they seem to just prefer the sequels to established franchises and Gundam.... (course nothing wrong with Gundam)
@Kyle81: If you remove PSP from your post, I think your point remains equally (and depressingly) true.
@LittleBigPlaneteer: don't get too excited. Famitsu's report states that the PS3 version outsold 360. So it's likely that the number are pretty much equal with only 1000 difference.
@Kyle81: True, a bit shit really but at least Echochrome is 12 which is something to be happy about, funny I always expected those types of games to sell well in japan but instead they buy the same crap over and over like us
@excel_excel: The same can be said about the US.
Whats your point?
army of two on 360 outsold the PS3 version. Impressive.
@reptile168: Makes sense, considering all the "foreign" game fans are on the 360 over the PS3.
Mario Kart DS is still selling? That's surprising.