Dragon Quest Remakes Are Big In Japan

You know how this works. Square-Enix takes classic game, remakes it for the Nintendo DS, Japan freaks. The gamers in that nation snapped up well over a half-million copies of the Dragon Quest V do-over last week, according to Media Create. They also grabbed a considerable amount of the latest Gundam thing, further lining the pockets of Namco Bandai bigwigs.

Capcom's Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G returns to the top ten, after a drop in sales. The rest of the best sellers are after the jump.

1. Dragon Quest V: Tenkuu No Hanayome (DS) - 644,000 / NEW
2. Gundam Battle Universe (PSP) - 138,000 / NEW
3. Persona 4 (PS2) - 41,000 / 233,000
4. Tears to Tiara: Kakan no Daichi (PS3) - 34,000 / NEW
5. Wii Fit (Wii) - 27,000 / 2,380,000
6. Mario Kart Wii (Wii) - 24,000 / 1,584,000
7. Daigasso! Band Brothers DX (DS) - 21,000 / 212,000
8. Derby Stallion DS (DS) - 16,000 / 223,000
9. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (PSP) - 16,000 / 2,293,000
10. Densetsu no Stafi: Taiketsu! Dire Kaizokudan (DS) - 16,000 / 44,000

There is no cure for PSP fever in Japan, what with all those massive marquee releases happening overseas. Like... um God of War: Chains of Olympus maybe? Is this just Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G after shocks or are folks just falling in love all over again with the Sony handheld? Regardless of the reason, the PSP comes out on top on this week's Media Create sales chart. Nintendo DS and Wii hold strong, but certainly aren't selling as well as they are in the States.

Even the 360 is holding on to a larger slice of the pie than normal. It's all so confusing!

• PSP - 56,998
• Nintendo DS - 48,540
• Wii - 41,768
• PlayStation 3 - 12,458
• PlayStation 2 - 10,405
• Xbox 360 - 3,807

Persona 4 Takes Japanese Software Competitors To School

Everything old is new again, as PlayStation 2 release Persona 4 rockets to the top of the Japanese sales charts, with the Wii remake of Resident Evil 0 seeing a rather unimpressive, but still top ten debut. Probably a good call on Capcom USA's part not to release the title stateside. RE4 Wii Edition this is not.

A handful of new, notable releases chart, including a new Stafi DS adventure, as well as two Western born releases, God of War: Chains of Olympus and Kane & Lynch: Dead Men. Those two appear after the jump.

01. Persona 4 (PS2) - 193,000 / NEW
02. Wii Fit (Wii) - 30,000 / 2,353,000
03. Densetsu no Stafi: Taiketsu! Dire Kaizokudan (DS) - 29,000 / NEW
04. Mario Kart Wii (Wii) - 25,000 / 1,560,000
05. Daigasso Band Brothers DX (DS) - 23,000 / 190,000
06. Resident Evil 0 (Wii) - 21,000 / NEW
07. Derby Stallion DS (DS) - 20,000 / 206,000
08. Hanayori Dango: Koi Seyo Onago (DS) - 20,000 / NEW
09. Gegege no Kitarou: Youkai Daigekisen (DS) - 16,000 / NEW
10. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (PSP) - 16,000 / 2,277,000

Will nothing end the tedium of the PSP dominating Media Create hardware charts? We can't even take satisfaction in the continuing dismal fortunes of Microsoft overseas. Truth be told, the 360 has another relatively good week, as sales in the 1,000 to 2,000 range are more common. PlayStation 3 sales return to normal, as the Metal Gear Solid 4 bump continues to wane. Here are the results of the Japanese console war from June 30 to July 6.

PSP - 56,439
DS Lite - 47,455
Wii - 44,525
PlayStation 3 - 14,359
PlayStation 2 - 11,768
Xbox 360 - 4,776

Media Create Weekly Sales

Band Bros. Replaces Derby Training As Current Japanese Obsession

It may have settled for a third place showing last week, but with less fierce competition the week after Daigasso! Band Bros. DX gets a chance to shine in the top spot. Media Create's Japanese software ranking shows drifting drama Initial D Extream Stage relegated to second. Not bad for a PS3 game (still), but a low key week across the board.

Little in the way of new debuts makes for a rather dry chart. Still, if you want to see how the PS2 port of Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters fared, it's after the jump.

01. Daigasso! Band Bros. DX (DS) - 47,000 / 167,000
02. Initial D Extream Stage (PS3) - 43,000 / NEW
03. Derby Stallion DS (DS) - 38,000 / 186,000
04. Wii Fit (Wii) - 31,000 / 2,323,000
05. Nanashi no Game (DS) - 30,000 / NEW
06. Mario Kart Wii (Wii) - 28,000 / 1,535,000
07. Tales of Symphonia: Knight of Ratatosk (Wii) - 27,000 / 164,000
08. Mario Super Sluggers (Wii) - 20,000 / 108,000
09. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3) - 18,000 / 585,000
10. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (PSP) - 18,000 / 2,261,000

What Are The Top Selling Games Of 2008 So Far?

We're slightly at the half-way point, so it's a good opportunity to look back. What games have been selling in Japan? And how many copies? The latest issue of Famitsu has crunched the numbers and drawn up a list of the biggest selling games of 2008. Let's take a look at the top ten:

10. Wii Play (Wii) 411,416 copies
9. Mario Kart DS (DS) 416,935 copies
8. Mario Party DS (DS) 497,547 copies
7. Wii Sports (Wii) 544,958 copies
6. Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3) 576,437 copies

Not sure which is more impressive: A month old game like MGS4 making it into the top ten or a two and a half year old game like Mario Kart DS doing it. YOU DECIDE! Hit the jump for the top five.

ESRB Rates My Japanese Coach, Ratchet & Clank Future Follow Up

Hey, geeks and otakus, there's good news on the edutainment front, as the Entertainment Software Ratings Board has given ratings to a slew of new games, including Ubisoft's My Japanese Coach. Yes, now that you've mastered the Spanish and French languages via your Nintendo DS, your next challenge is the tongue of the Japanese people. Finally, the mysteries of Rhythm Tengoku's menu screen will be unlocked to me! It's a perfect compliment to your fansubbed anime of choice.

Also making a rated appearance at ESRB.org is Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty, the PlayStation 3 game that can't seem to keep its existence a secret. Surely, the title must be announced at E3 next week.

Finally, in other exciting news, Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium has been rated for a Wii release, meaning its Virtual Console appearance could be just months to a year away.

Just because Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G sales are waning (finally) doesn't mean that the urge to buy PSP hardware is becoming any less intense. And even though the PSP doesn't have any software showing in the top ten for the week doesn't mean that it can't continue to rule the roost on the Media Create weekly sales charts. Nintendo hardware continues to nip at its lead and we imagine fortunes will change soon.

Somewhat more surprising is the big boost that the Xbox 360 got during the week of June 23 to 29. The release of Mobile Suit Gundam: Operation: Troy certainly seems to have helped Microsoft move some hardware. They really should just rebrand the thing the Xbox RX-78-2 locally. Can't hurt.

• PSP - 58,861
• Nintendo DS - 48,884
• Wii - 48,480
• PlayStation 3 - 17,973
• PlayStation 2 - 7,673

Media Create Weekly Sales

Portable Horse Training Fever Sweeps Japan

Out with the old, in with the NEW. The weekly Media Create sales chart is packed with new Japanese releases, with Derby Stallion DS snatching first place from Tales of Symphonia. It's a big week for the Wii and Nintendo DS overseas, as a ton of new titles for Nintendo's hardware platforms sell and sell big.

This week's chart is potentially less good news for the PSP, as two of its big sellers — Super Robot Taisen A Portable and Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G — fall out of the top ten. Will this spell the end to PSP hardware dominance in Japan?

01. Derby Stallion DS (DS) - 148,000 / NEW
02. Tales of Symphonia: Knight of Ratatosk (Wii) - 137,000 / NEW
03. Daigasso! Band Brothers DX (DS) - 120,000 / NEW
04. Hisshou Pachinko * Pachi-Slot Kouryaku Series DS Vol. 12: CR Neon Genesis Evangelion - Shito, Futatabi (PS2) - 55,000 / NEW
05. Higurashi no Nakukoru ni Kizuna: Dai-Ichi-Kan - Tatari (DS) - 42,000 / NEW
06. Wii Fit (Wii) - 34,000 / 2,292,000
07. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3) - 34,000 / 566,000
08. Mario Kart Wii (Wii) - 31,000 / 1,508,000
09. Mario Super Sluggers (Wii) - 31,000 / 89,000
10. Mobile Suit Gundam: Operation: Troy (Xbox 360) - 28,000 / NEW

Well, the PlayStation 3 had a good run. Err... week. After a big boost from fourth to first on the wings of Metal Gear Solid 4's release in Japan, things have largely returned to normal. The PS3 resumes its position behind the Nintendo DS this week, selling about double what it had been for a good part of the year, but not enough to get out of the chart's bottom half. The PSP returns to the number one spot, probably helped by the release of Super Robot Taisen A Portable. You have to take the good with the bad, Sony. Then you get the facts of life.

• PSP - 59,351
• Wii - 41,037
• Nintendo DS - 36,599
• PlayStation 3 - 20,336
• PlayStation 2 - 6,346
• Xbox 360 - 2,555

Japanese Gamers Drop Old Snake For Robot Wars

You might've heard that Old Snake is no longer the king of the mountain in Japan. He's been toppled by a buncha robot scum, as Super Robot Taisen A Portable snatches the number one spot from Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots on this week's Media Create software charts. Old Snake did, however, manage to keep his footing under pressure from Mario and his team of baseballers as Mario Super Sluggers debuts in the number three spot.

The top ten for the week of June 16 to 22 is before the jump, the rest of the top thirty after.

01. Super Robot Taisen A Portable (PSP) - 102,000 / NEW
02. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3) - 68,000 / 533,000
03. Mario Super Sluggers (Wii) - 58,000 / NEW
04. Harukanaru Jikuu no Kade 4 (PS2) - 55,000 / NEW
05. Mario Kart Wii (Wii) - 33,000 / 1,477,000
06. Wii Fit (Wii) - 32,000 / 2,258,000
07. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (PSP) - 21,000 / 2,224,000
08. Jikkyou Powerful Pro Baseball 3 (PSP) - 19,000 / 206,000
09. DS Bimoji Training (DS) - 18,000 / 302,000
10. Pro Yakyuu Team o Tsukurou! (DS) - 11,000 / 96,000

Well, here's something you don't see every Thursday. That giant red slice of the Japanese hardware pie is the Metal Gear Solid 4-inspired spike of PlayStation 3 sales, with some 75,000 consoles sold over the past week—that's including the MGS4 bundle—according to Media Create. With the PSP continuing to sell well, thanks to Monster Hunter, Sony is enjoying rare sales chart dominance in the nation.

We don't expect to see the PS3 kicking this much tail next week, but with a handful of appealing releases—Initial D Extreme, Soul Calibur IV, Siren— and this shot in the arm for sales of Sony's big box, it should at least help keep the console out of the ghetto for the Summer.

PlayStation 3 - 75,311
PSP - 64,675
Wii - 45,564
Nintendo DS - 39,201
PlayStation 2 - 7,297
Xbox 360 - 2,163

MGS 4: The Big Boss Of Japanese Sales

It should come as no surprise that Metal Gear Solid 4 was Japan's best-selling game last week, as publisher Enterbrain already chimed in with the PlayStation 3 game's first four-day sales. Media Create's figures are slighter lower—lower by about 11,000—but that doesn't take anything of substance away from MGS4's solid debut. Fortunately for Konami and Kojima Productions, Old Snake didn't have much competition, as the only new title to crack the top ten was an Evangelion pachinko game for the Nintendo DS.

Tecmo will be less happy to see that Ninja Gaiden II has already dropped off the charts after an unimpressive showing last week.

01. Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3) - 465,000 / NEW
02. Mario Kart Wii (Wii) - 38,000 / 1,444,000
03. Wii Fit (Wii) - 37,000 / 2,227,000
04. Jikkyou Powerful Pro Baseball Portable 3 (PSP) - 27,000 / 187,000
05. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (PSP) - 26,000 / 2,203,000
06. Hisshou Pachinko*Pachi-Slot Kouryaku Series DS Vol. 2: CR Neon Genesis Evangelion - Shito, Futatabi (DS) - 22,000 / NEW
07. Dragon Ball Z Burst Limit (PS3) - 18,000 / 111,000
08. DS Bimoji Training (DS) - 17,000 / 285,000
09. DS Yamamura Misa Suspense: Maiko Kogiku - Kisha Katherine - Sougiya Isa Akashi - Koto ni Maru Hana Sanrin: Kyoto Satujin Jinken File (DS) - 17,000 / 56,000
10. Fushigi no Dungeon - Furai no Shiren 3: Karakuri Yashiki no Nemuri Hime (Wii) - 14,000 / 73,000

"DS Hardware Demand Has Now Peaked Globally, Software Downturn To Follow"

The Nintendo DS truly opened up the gaming to a larger audience. Same for the Nintendo Wii. But are these new gamers actually gamers or are they simply passing through? In short: Is casual gaming a fad time bomb waiting to implode? Analyst Hiroshi Kamide from KBC Securities Japan states:

Casual gaming growth has been the primary driver for the industry over the last three years, the key player being the Nintendo DS. We believe DS hardware demand has now peaked globally. A downturn in software demand is likely to follow, as casual gamers are ‘happy with their lot’ and do not need to consume more. We feel that the same predicament awaits the Wii console with its similar market expansion angle. Titles such as ‘Brain Training’ and ‘Wii Fit’ do not act as ‘gateway drugs’ to turn non-traditional gamers to core repeat users. We feel this is a structural industry issue that cannot be easily changed.

Continuing, Kamide adds that he believes the industry is in for a slowdown after three years of strong growth. Yet, Kamide adds, "Despite low consumer confidence, we feel core gamers will remain relatively resilient in terms of demand for marquee titles." Meaning? In Japan, big games like Resident Evil 5, Street Fighter IV and Final Fantasy XIII should do well when released. Casual games? Well...

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Hardware sales in Japan were down a bit for every console that didn't get its own version of Namco Bandai's Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit. PSP sales continue to cool as Monster Hunter drops further down the software charts. We'll know next week how much of a helping hand Metal Gear Solid 4 gives the PlayStation 3. For now, Media Create sales charts for the week of June 2 to June 8.

• PSP - 62,016
• Wii - 44,639
• Nintendo DS - 35,020
• PlayStation 3 - 10,856
• PlayStation 2 - 6,279
• Xbox 360 - 2,280

Dragon Ball Z Japanese Sales Are Over 90,000!!

It's been almost three months, but a PlayStation 3 game shoots to the top of the weekly Japanese sales charts with Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit which debuted overseas on June 5. It joins Sega's Yakuza 3 KENZAN! as one of the rare PS3 best selling debuts, handily defeating Sega's other new title, Shiren 3 for the Wii.

Unfortunately for Tecmo, it didn't have a strong showing with the Japanese launch of Ninja Gaiden II, which moved only 25,000 copies in the region last week. Itagaki can't be pleased, as the PS3 remake Ninja Gaiden Sigma moved close to twice that in its debut week in Japan.

01. Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit (PS3) - 92,000 / NEW
02. Fushigi no Dungeon - Furai no Shiren 3: Karakuri Yashiki no Nemuri Hime (Wii) - 59,000 / NEW
03. Jikkyou Powerful Pro Baseball Portable 3 (PSP) - 43,000 / 159,000
04. Mario Kart Wii (Wii) - 39,000 / 1,406,000
05. DS Yamamura Misa Suspense: Maiko Kogiku - Kisha Katherine - Sougiya Isa Akashi - Koto ni Maru Hana Sanrin: Kyoto Satujin Jinken File (DS) - 38,000 / NEW
06. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (PSP) - 35,000 / 2,177,000
07. Wii Fit (Wii) - 34,000 / 2,190,000
08. Ninja Gaiden II (Xbox 360) - 25,000 / NEW
09. Family Trainer: Athletic World (Wii) - 15,000 / 59,000
10. DS Bimoji Training (DS) - 15,000 / 267,000

What? We like to be alliterative now and then and the release of Jikkyou Powerful Pro Baseball Portable 3felt like it was an opportunity to do so, especially since it appears to have given the PSP a little kick in the pants sales-wise. It's hardware competition and brethren didn't move much in either direction, with numbers pretty static week-to-week. While there were plenty of new software releases, there was little in the way of big names. Perhaps the release of Ninja Gaiden II in Japan next week will get the Xbox 360 out of the sales ghetto for a spell.

PSP - 71,986
Wii - 50,851
Nintendo DS - 38,355
PlayStation 3 - 9,169
PlayStation 2 - 7,203
Xbox 360 - 1,959

Japanese Gamers Still Love Baseball

This week, it's all about bobble-headed baseball, as Konami's Jikkyou Powerful Pro Baseball Portable 3 replaces Sega's Pro Yakyuu Team o Tsukurou! as the best selling game in Japan. Sega's management sim take on the sport drops considerably, landing at #20 after just one week. Plenty of new titles round out the top thirty, including some new giant robot action from the Front Mission and Super Robot Wars series.

Unfortunately missing from the list is Sega's English of the Dead which should have shipped on the 27th. What the hell, Japan? What. The. Hell?

01. Jikkyou Powerful Pro Baseball Portable 3 (PSP) - 117,000 / NEW
02. Mugen no Frontier: Super Robot Taisen OG Saga (DS) - 98,000 / NEW
03. Mario Kart Wii (Wii) - 50,000 / 1,367,000
04. Wii Fit (Wii) - 46,000 / 2,156,000
05. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (PSP) - 45,000 / 2,142,000
06. Family Trainer: Athletic World (Wii) - 44,000 / NEW
07. D.C. II P.S.: Da Capo II Plus Situation (PS2) - 40,000 / NEW
08. Valhalla Knights 2 (PSP) - 32,000 / NEW
09. Mana Khemia 2: Ochita Gakuen to Renkinjutsushi Tachi (PS2) - 26,000 / NEW
10. Kuukan * Zukei: Hirameki Training - KuuTore (DS) - 25,000 / NEW