Or, perhaps, truly depressing. It might depend on which console you own in Japan. That, or even if you own a home console. Full stop.
Earlier today, Dengeki Online published the Japanese software sales chart for the week of November 3 to November 9. Keep in mind that the chart covers both home and portable consoles.
Let's start with the good news! Everyone likes good news—namely, the three biggest selling 3DS games during that week:
1. Monster Hunter 4G: 54,089 copies
2. New Super Smash Bros. for 3DS: 23,439
3. Yokai Watch 2 Honke: 13,967
So, if you own a 3DS, make games for the 3DS, or are Nintendo, you'd probably be happy to know that the portable seems healthy.
Next up, the PS3's top three sellers for the same period:
1. Power Pro Baseball 2014: 13,658 copies
2. The Evil Within: 8,100
3. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel!: 2,706
And here's the PS Vita:
1. Power Pro Baseball 2014: 8,147 copies
2. Chaos Rings III: 2,539
3. Super Hero Generation: 1,561
Okay, now onto the PS4:
1. The Evil Within: 3,482 copies
2. Metro Redux: 2,983
3. OneChanbara Z2: 1,928
These numbers aren't exactly mindblowing. They're not even great. Or very good. But, let's go onto the Wii U during the same period:
1. The Lego Movie Videogame: 3,135 copies
2. Mario Kart 8: 2,939
3. Fatal Frame V: 894
Okay, there's a wee bit to unpack. Mario Kart 8 is a smash hit. It's sold over 700,000 copies in Japan. The sales numbers aren't higher because everyone already owns a copy! Then again, this game was released in May. It's number two because the Wii U doesn't have other strong-selling newer titles at the moment. Fatal Frame V has sold 35,000 copies, and it was released in late September. It's not exactly brand new, either...
This isn't a judgment on Mario Kart 8's and Fatal Frame V's quality, but them being number two and three on a November sales chart should be worrying for Wii U owners. That December 6 Super Smash Bros. for Wii U release cannot come soon enough! But the Wii U needs more than that, and while there are terrific titles in the pipeline, the console needs a steady flow from Nintendo and non-Nintendo studios to keep the sales numbers healthy.
And finally, the Xbox One, which is struggling in Japan. It's kind of depressing, though, to see how much the machine is struggling. In any region, I really do believe that ultimately players win if there are multiple strong consoles. So, just like I want the PS4 and the Wii U to be healthy, I wish the same for the Xbox One. But... here are the console's three biggest selling games during this same week:
1. Titanfall: 377 copies
2. Metro Redux: 192
3. Kinect Sports Rivals: 192
Hopefully, next week is better for all platforms! And as the 3DS has shown, if platforms have the games Japanese folks want to play, they'll come around.
『MH4G』が推定5.4万本を販売し5週連続1位に（11月3～9日）[Dengeki Online]
Top Photo: Tooykrub / Shutterstock.com
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