Professor Layton, Wii Fit Lead Japanese Software Chart
Professor Layton, Wii Fit Lead Japanese Software Chart

December 6, 2007 - The Japanese software charts have enjoyed a second week of extremely strong sales, with the top four titles again all selling over 100,000 units and a number of prominent new entries. Leading the pack is the second in the self-published Professor Layton trilogy from Level 5.

The Nintendo DS franchise has proven an enormous hit for the Dragon Quest VIII developer, with the new title selling 294,000 units. The first game in the series is due for release in North America in February.

At number two, Wii Fit has already proven a hit, with reports of long queues in Japanese stores, many of which have already sold out of the software and hardware bundle. With 261,000 units sold in its first week, Nintendo will now be looking to see if the game can enjoy the same chart longevity as the best selling Touch! Generations games on the Nintendo DS.

Turn-based strategy game SD Gundam G Generation Spirits has once again proven the enduring popularity of the Gundam franchise in Japan, with Namco Bandai’s latest on the PlayStation 2 selling 252,000 units in its first week. At number four, retro title Dragon Quest IV on the Nintendo DS sold an impressive 135,000 units in its second week.

At number five, Capcom’s Sengoku Basara 2: Heroes sold 95,000 units on PlayStation 2, although the Wii version does not appear in the top thirty. The original game was released in slightly altered form as Devil Kings in the West, although Capcom has never confirmed any of the sequels for release outside Japan.

A surprise entry at number eight, with around 41,000 units sold, is Assassin’s Creed on Xbox 360. Published by Ubisoft itself in Japan, the PlayStation 3 version is not due for release until January. The final new entry of the week is the latest Yu-Gi-Oh! collectable card game on Nintendo DS at number ten, with 35,000 units sold.

Data by Media Create Co., Ltd.

Microsoft has officially announced and released its Xbox 360 Arcade game console system.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007 9:00 AM PDT -- It's been a couple of weeks since some eagle-eyed gamers first began to see them on store shelves, but Microsoft on Tuesday officially announced the Xbox 360 Arcade, a new version of its popular video game console available at a new, lower price point - $279.99.

The Xbox 360 Arcade console combines a High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) connector and 256MB of on-board memory for storing games and entertainment content. It also includes five games previously available only to Xbox 360 users who signed up for Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade online service - Pac-Man Championship Edition, Uno, Luxor 2, Boom Boom Rock and Feeding Frenzy. A wireless controller is also included.

With an HDMI connector, the Xbox 360 Arcade can plug into an HDTV-based home entertainment configuration and display game content at 1080i resolution, although the limited storage capability may send some Xbox 360 Arcade owners scrambling for a hard drive add-on peripheral fairly quickly. The games included with the Xbox 360 Arcade are full versions, not demos.

In related news, Microsoft announced the release of new "family-oriented programming" on the Xbox Live service with more than 100 new episodes of Warner Bros. and Nickelodeon TV shows available for purchase and download for viewing on the Xbox 360. The selections include classic Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck cartoons. New game titles have also been released: SpongeBob SquarePants: Underpants Slam and Shrek-n-Roll, both for Xbox Live Arcade.

The new Xbox 360 configuration may compare favorably to budget-minded families looking for a value this holiday season - Microsoft offers two other configurations of Xbox 360 for $349.99 and $449.99 respectively, both of which offer beefier storage capabilities and limited backward-compatibility with older games for the original Xbox.

It's going to be a battle of prices this holiday season, with competitor Sony recently introducing a lower-priced PlayStation 3 model for $399. Nintendo still rules the roost when it comes to console pricing, however, pricing its Wii system at $249.99, but continued constrained availability almost a year after the system's launch makes the Wii a continued rare commodity, while PS3 and Xbox 360 systems line store shelves.

Microsoft's blockbuster FPS is top but sales aren't spectacular.

According to the latest sales data from Media Create for the week ending September 30, Halo 3 was the top selling video game with 59,000 units sold. The final chapter in the Halo trilogy fought off competition from Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Toki, Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core and Tamagotchi DS.

This will be extra good news to Microsoft considering that not only does Japan rarely give a damn about FPS games, but more significantly, poor sales of the 360 have left it in a distant third.

Fewer than 500,000 Xbox 360 consoles have been sold compared to 3.6 million Wii units and 1.2 million PS3s sold in the region.

Halo 3 was among several games for non-Nintendo platforms selling well, according to chart trackers Media Create, The likes of Bleach, Yu-Gi-Oh and even Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion all are charting well.

Here's the top-ten sales list in Japan for the week ending 30 Sept, 2007 as compiled by Media Create:

1. Halo 3 (Xbox 360) 59,000 copies
2. Pokemon's Mysterious Dungeon: Toki (DS) 55,000
3. Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core (PSP) 54,000
4. Tamagotchi (DS) 54,000 / New
5. Pokemon's Mysterious Dungeon: Yami (DS) 46,000
6. Bleach Blade Battlers 2nd (PS2) 31,000 / New
7. English Test 2 (DS) 28,000 / New
8. Yu-gi-oh Duel Monsters GX (PSP) 28,000 / New
9. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (PS3) 27,000 / New
10. Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops + (PSP) 25,000

Thanks to CVG for the stats.

Whilst everyone is going nuts over today’s release of Halo 3, how about we reign in the “most successful video game ever” hyperbole and take a walk down sales-figure lane to recall the 25 best-selling video games of all time. And before you predict H:3’s eventual place on a revised version of this list, take note of where Halo 2 already falls in sales history.

Video Gaming is a multi-billion dollar industry where over two (2) billion video game titles have been sold. Below, we examine the top twenty five best selling video games of all time including a title that sold over 20 million copies. Some of these games will surprise you. (The sales of games listed below represent independent sales of packaged games, for example packaged with Nintendo Super Mario Bros. sold 40 million copies. This list includes international sales.)

1. Pokémon Red, Blue and Green (Gameboy) - 20.08 Million Copies Sold
2. Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES) - 18 Million Copies Sold
3. The Sims (PC) - 16 Million Copies Sold
4. Nintendogs (Nintendo DS) - 14.75 Million Copies Sold
5. Pokémon Gold and Silver (Gameboy) - 14.1 Million Copies Sold
6. Super Mario Land (Gameboy) - 14 Million Copies Sold
7-tie. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (Playstation 2) - 13 Million Copies Sold
7-tie. Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire (Game Boy Advance) - 13 Million Copies Sold
7-tie. The Sims2 (PC) - 13 Million Copies Sold
10. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Playstation 2) - 12 Million Copies Sold
11-tie. Super Mario 64 (Nintendo 64) - 11 Million Copies Sold
11-tie. Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec (Playstation 2) - 11 Million Copies Sold
11-tie. Grand Theft Auto III (Playstation 2) - 11 Million Copies Sold
14. Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen (Game Boy Advance) - 10.66 Million Copies Sold
15. New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo DS) - 10.52 Million Copies Sold
16. Gran Turismo (Playstation 1) - 10.5 Million Copies Sold
17. Pokémon Diamond and Pearl (Nintendo DS) - 10 Million Copies Sold
18. Super Mario Bros. 2 (Nintendo) - 10 Million Copies Sold
19. Final Fantasy VII (Playstation 1) - 9.8 Million Copies Sold
20. StarCraft (PC) - 9.5 Million Copies Sold
21. World of Warcraft (PC) - 9 Million Copies Sold
22. Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day! (Nintendo DS) - 8.61 Million Copies Sold
23. Gran Turismo 2 (Playstation 1) - 8.5 Million Copies Sold
24. Mario Kart 64 (Nintendo 64) - 8.47 Million Copies Sold
25-tie. Halo 2 (XBox) - 8 Million Copies Sold
25-tie. Donkey Kong Country (Super Nintendo) - 8 Million Copies Sold
25-tie. Super Mario Kart (Super Nintendo) - 8 Million Copies Sold
25-tie. GoldenEye 007 (Nintendo 64) - 8 Million Copies Sold
25-tie. Pokémon Yellow (Game Boy) - 8 Million Copies Sold

Just like PG-13 movies inherently make more money than R-rated movies–because they are accessible to a much wider audience–games that appeal to a wide age range always outsell even the most successful mature titles. Thus, until Master Chief starts tangling with Pikachu, Halo 3 will carry much more marketing heft than it does sales clout.

List via Forever Geek.

GameFly Requests Again Topped By BioShock , 360

This week's top rental charts from U.S. game rental company GameFly, representing the most requested games for the week ending August 13, highlight both to-be-released and already released games in a unique demand-specific chart.

The three most requested titles this week mirrored last week's top games, with 2K Games' upcoming underwater action shooter BioShock again leading the pack, followed by SouthPeak's Xbox 360 RPG Two Worlds and EA's seminal professional football title Madden NFL 08. While each of these titles will be released this month for the Xbox 360, the week's fourth most requested title is the upcoming Wii exclusive Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.

What follows is a break down of the top titles requested by GameFly subscribers across each of the major platforms:

Xbox 360

1. BioShock (Take Two)
2. Two Worlds (South Peak)
3. Madden NFL 08 (EA)
4. Stranglehold (Midway)
5. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 (EA).

Take Two's BioShock again ranked as the top requested Xbox 360 title this week, building on the game's much anticipated August 21 release. Other notable entires this week are Midway's Stranglehold, which ranked as the fourth most requested Xbox 360 title this week, just ahead of EA's Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08.

Nintendo Wii

1. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Nintendo)
2. Mario Strikers Charged (Nintendo)
3. Brunswick Pro Bowling (Crave)
4. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Nintendo)
5. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 (EA).

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, shipping later this month, ranked as the top requested Wii title this week, followed by the recently released Mario Strikers Charged. Like with the Xbox 360, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 rounded out the console's top five requests, while interestingly, EA's rhythm action game Boogie, just released last week, was nowhere to be found on the weekly chart.

PlayStation 3

1. Madden NFL 08 (EA)
2. Heavenly Sword (Sony)
3. Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (Ubisoft)
4. Ninja Gaiden Sigma (Tecmo)
5. Lair (Sony).

Sony's Lair, the top requested PS3 title last week, dropped off significantly in subscriber interest this week, landing at fifth. EA's upcoming Madden release replaced the action game in the top spot, followed by Sony's own Heavenly Sword.

PlayStation 2

1. Madden NFL 08 (EA)
2. Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s (Activision)
3. Persona 3 (Atlus)
4. God of War II (Sony)
5. Transformers (Activision).

As with its next-gen cousin, EA's Madden NFL 08 also ranked as the top requested title for the PlayStation 2, followed by Activision's Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s and Atlus' niche RPG Persona 3. One again, Transformers continued to hold out as well, this week ranking as the fifth most requested PS2 title on the chart.

Xbox

1. Madden NFL 08 (EA)
2. Halo 2 (Microsoft)
3. Knights of the Old Republic II (LucasArts)
4. Ninja Gaiden Black (Tecmo)
5. NCAA Football 08 (EA).

Madden's popularity extended to the original Xbox as well, with the latest game in the series taking top honors for the week ahead of longtime favorite Halo 2. LucasArts' Knights of the Old Republic II remained a top pick in third, with EA's NCAA Football 08 falling off slightly from last week into fifth.

GameCube

1. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Nintendo)
2. Super Smash Bros. Melee (Nintendo)
3. Mario Party 7 (Nintendo)
4. Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness (Nintendo)
5. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (Nintendo).

While last week saw a surprising drop in requests for Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, this week saw the game again take up its rightful place on top of the GameCube chart ahead of last week's top request, Super Smash Bros. Melee. Mario Kart: Double Dash also fell off dramatically from last week to ninth among overall GameCube requests, while Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door took up in the chart's fifth position.

Nintendo DS

1. Brain Age 2 (Nintendo)
2. Heroes of Mana (Square Enix)
3. Picross DS (Nintendo)
4. Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon (Natsume)
5. High School Musical: Makin' the Cut (Disney).

Nintendo's forthcoming Brain Age 2 trained its way to the top of the DS chart this week, knocking last week's top title, Square Enix's RTS Heroes of Mana, into second. Interestingly, Disney's High School Musical: Makin' the Cut, absent from last week's chart, managed to sing and dance its way onto the DS chart as the fifth most requested title for the handheld.

Game Boy Advance

1. Pokemon: Emerald (Nintendo)
2. Pokemon:Fire Red (Nintendo)
3. Pokemon: Sapphire (Nintendo)
4. Pokemon: Ruby (Nintendo)
5. Pokemon: Leaf Green (Nintendo).

The Game Boy Advance chart, still dominated by Pokemon titles, remained unchanged from last week, with Pokemon: Emerald still on top as the most requested title for the platform. However Nintendo's Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap, ranking sixth this week on the chart, threatens to break up Pokemon's lock on the chart, possibly echoing building anticipation for The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass for the Nintendo DS.

PlayStation Portable

1. Dungeons & Dragons Tactics (Atari)
2. Jeanne D'Arc (Sony)
3. Brave Story: New Traveler (Xseed)
4. Madden NFL 08 (EA)
5. Dragoneer's Aria (Koei).

Atari's upcoming Dungeons & Dragons Tactics topped all other PSP requests for the portable, followed Sony's vaguely historical Jeanne D'Arc. Last week's top title, Brave Story, dropped off this week, ranking as the third most requested PSP title overall.