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Japan’s game sales 3/22-3/28, analysis (Famitsu)

By Heath | March 31, 2010 at 8:23 am

Fist of the North Star for PS3 has outsold its 360 counterpart…pretty handily. God of War III makes its debut, and Wii Fit is still hanging around.
1. Fist of the North Star (PS3), with almost 400,000 units sold.
2. Yakuza 4 (PS3)
3. New Super Mario Brothers (Wii)
4. Pokemon Ranger: Path of Light (DS)
5. God of War III (PS3)
6. Tomodachi Collection (DS)
7. Fist of the North Star (360 version), reportedly selling 31,000 copies.
8. Gundam Assault Survive (PSP)
9. Wii Fit Plus (Wii)
10. Chaos Head Love Chu-Chu (360)

The PlayStation 3 continues to be hot like something that’s really hot.  Last week, Yakuza 4 topped the charts, selling more than triple the second place game which was Gundam Assault Survive.  This week, the PS3 is still riding high, with its version of Fist of the North Star as new chart-topper and Yakuza 4 still having a very strong presence.

God of War III is just one of many Western games to enjoy strong releases in Japan, as a number of recent Western titles have cracked the top 10 in recent months as well. The Trilogy pack has sold well by all reports, but it won’t be seen in the top 10. Other “gods” are absent as well, as Namco Bandai’s popular God Eater for PSP has finally dropped off the charts after almost 2 months in the top 10. We’ll likely see it again when it’s released on the budget line.

Last week, I didn’t bold Yakuza 4, but a lot of people playing it and the recently released Yakuza 3 (just released in the US) are saying these games are RPGs. I’m excited to do some first-hand investigation.

The power of Pokemon can’t be denied, as the spinoff Pokemon Ranger: Path of Light is still hanging around in the top five. The power of Pichu, baby.

Yggdra Union (PSP) was re-released on a “Sting: The Best” line, but its sales increase didn’t make much of a dent. Nippon Ichi’s Prinny 2 came out this week as well, but it also fell a bit shy. Silent Hill Shattered Memories didn’t shatter the charts. I thought that joke up myself. I’m the funniest guy at work, I swear.

Till next week!

Topics: Famitsu updates, Industry