Famitsu Japan Game Charts 2008-3-17/ 2008-3-23 and Sales - News

by VGChartz Staff , posted on 26 March 2008 / 1,855 ViewsCharts : http://www.famitsu.com/game/news/1214350_1124.html

1. Pokémon Ranger: Batonnage (DS)

2. Deca Sporta (Wii)

3. Armored Core for Answer (PS3)

4. Sim City DS 2 (DS)

5. Tales of Rebirth (PSP)

6. Wii Fit (Wii)

7. DS Bi-Mozi Training (DS)

8. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii)

9. Sakura Wars (DS)

10. Crayon Shin-chan: Arashi wo Yobu Cinema Land Katinko Gatnko Daisakusen (DS)

Sales Data of Shinobi : almost same as below

Sales Data :

Top10

1. Pokémon Ranger: Batonnage (DS) : about 243k

2. Deca Sporta (Wii) : about 65k

3. Armored Core for Answer (PS3) : about 50k

4. Sim City DS 2 (DS) : about 46k

5. Tales of Rebirth (PSP) : about 45k

6. Wii Fit (Wii) : about 42k (total about 1.72m)

7. DS Bi-Mozi Training (DS) : about 38k (total about 109k)

8. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii) : about 37k (total about 1.52m)

9. Sakura Wars (DS) : about 36k

10. Crayon Shin-chan: Arashi wo Yobu Cinema Land Katinko Gatnko Daisakusen (DS) : about 29k

New Rleases (11~30th) :

11. Time Hollow (DS) : about 26k

12. Mugen Kairou (PSP) : about 25k

13. Armored Core for Answer (360) : about 25k

16. The House of The Dead 2,3 (Wii) : about 14k

18. Chō Nekketsu Kōkō Kunio-kun Dodgeball Bu (DS) : about 14k

20. Army of Two (PS3) : about 11k

22. Kekkai Shi: Kokubourou Syuurai (DS) : about 9.9k

23. Army of Two (360) : about 8.9k

30. Rosario + Vampire : about 7.9k

Other softs (in the Top 30) :

14. Yakuza 3 (PS3) : about 19k (total about 239k)

15. Gundam Musou Special (PS2) : about 16k (total about 248k)

17. Wii Sports (Wii) : about 14k (total about 2.83m)

19. Mario Kart DS (DS) : about 14k (total about 2.90m)

25. Mario & Sonic at Beijing Olympics (DS) : about 8.4k (total about 272k)

28. Monster Hunter Portable 2 (PSP) : about 8k (total about 1.68m)

29. Mario Party DS (DS) : about 7.9k (total about 1.65m)

New releases out of Charts(Top 30) :

* NINJA GAIDEN:Dragon Sword (DS) : about 6.1k

* Need for Speed Pro Street (PSP) : about 4.8k

* Puchi Evangelion (DS) : about 4.3k

* Bangai-O Spirits (DS) : about 3.2k

* Need for Speed Pro Street (360) : about 2.2k

* Y's I (DS) : about 2k

* Y's II (DS) : about 2k

* Blazing Angels 2 (PS3) : about 1.3k

* Bakusou Deko-Tora Densetsu Black (DS) : about 1.2k

* Blazing Angels 2 (360) : about 1.1k

* Shima Kousaku (DS) : about 1k

* Zoo Tycoon 2 (DS) : about 540

* Spider Man 3 (DS) : about 520

Console :

Wii : about 50k

DSL : about 56k

PS3 : about 16k

PS2 : about 9.0k

PSP : about 66k

360 : about 2.6k

54 Comments

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hanafuda (on 28 March 2008)

Did it definitely cost A WHOLE LOT MORE?

If it definitely did, then maybe Capcom should have spent less cash on those rather average cut scenes, and given gamers a fully fleshed out product, instead of just forcing players to trawl through half a game twice over.

DeguelloNWR (on 27 March 2008)

DMC4 and DMC3 are about equal, hanafuda. Which SOUNDS good until you factor in that DMC4 definitely cost A WHOLE LOT MORE than DMC3.

I'm not sure Capcom's too terribly pleased with this stagnation that can assuredly be placed at the feet of Sony's sluggish console.

rukusa (on 27 March 2008)

@Vanadium2k8

oh dear lord I hope thats sarcasm lol.

hanafuda (on 27 March 2008)

shams

Gotta give you credit where it is due. 10/10 for spin.

However, you yourself state that, 'I'd argue that the entire POINT of releasing new "generation" of hardware is to reinvigorate old franchises - and sales.'.

As has already been proven, in Japan, DMC4 for PS3 has out performed DMC3 for PS2. A reinvigorated franchise, and sales.

Also, your comment that the install base argument is 'irrelevant', is priceless.

By the way, how are them legs on Metroid Prime 3, Family Jockey, and Minna no Joushiki Ryoku TV?

Vanadium2k8 (on 27 March 2008)

Ryu Ga Gotoku Kenzan bombed HARD. Army of 2 is sadly, doing well though.

rukusa (on 27 March 2008)

What about DMC? Im looking at this comparison actually:

http://vgchartz.com/swlaunch.php?reg1=Japan&game1=Devil+May+Cry+4+-+PS3&reg2=Japan&game2=Devil+May+Cry+3+-+PS2&reg3=Japan&game3=&weeks=100

shams (on 27 March 2008)

@hanafuda:

Devil May Cry? You HAVE looked at the charts, right?
http://vgchartz.com/swlaunch.php?reg1=Japan&game1=Devil+May+Cry+4+-+PS3&reg2=Japan&game2=Devil+May+Cry+2+-+PS2&reg3=Japan&game3=Devil+May+Cry+-+PS2&weeks=100

Sales-wise, comparing sales of the first PS3 version to the first PS2 version... there is no comparison. Sure when combining 360 sales AND comparing to the last PS2 version - its about on par.

And I don't know HOW you can bring Yakuza up - its the perfect counter-example to what you are arguing - and will heavily undersell on the PS3:
http://vgchartz.com/swlaunch.php?reg1=Japan&game1=Yakuza+-+PS2&reg2=Japan&game2=Yakuza+2+-+PS2&reg3=Japan&game3=Yakuza+3%3A+Kenzan%21+-+PS3&weeks=100

The first two sold around 700k-800k on the PS2. The PS3 one will struggle to do 300k-400k. Check your stats (the "install base" argument is irrelevant).

I'm not saying its a bad game - far from it. I'm saying that releasing PS2 sequels on the PS3 results in losing sales - and a lot of them.

Xponent (on 26 March 2008)

A good result for Deca Sports, this title should do well worldwide - eventually becoming a million seller. A new Pokemon game tops the charts but barely registers on the hardware front. Good result for the PSP I guess. Wii Fit and SSBB showing steady legs as per usual.

Sullla (on 26 March 2008)

I really don't want to get involved in the back-and-forth pithy arguments of the console wars, so I'll just leave two comments:

Prelim data still seems to be missing badly on Wii software. There were only two Wii titles listed in the top 20, then Famitsu shows up with the usual five. Is there anything VGChartz can do to improve this (?)
Yakuza clearly has stuck with the extremely front-loaded trend for PS3 software. I predicted it would do: Opening Week, 40k, 15k, out of the top 20. So far, the actual numbers have been: Opening Week, 40k, 20k. We'll see if it holds true to the last part next week...

hanafuda (on 26 March 2008)

@ shams

So how do you explain Devil May Cry 4 then?

Also, you state, 'Face it - PS3 titles are top heavy, whereas Wii titles have the opposite effect (legs)'.

How are them legs on Metroid Prime 3, Family Jockey, and Minna no Joushiki Ryoku TV, all released on the same day as Yakuza 3?

The interesting thing about Yakuza 3 is that it is fully aimed at a mature audience, and even the rating is a 17+ in Japan. Regardless, it is doing very well and has hit home with the target audience. Concrete proof that not everyone is content with playing shovelware.

According to this site, current sales curve for Yakuza 3 is better than for the first game, and on a system with a much smaller userbase.

Oh, and it is also an excellent game, which helps.

@ rukusa - you get your copy yet?

shams (on 26 March 2008)

@rukusa:

I'd argue that the entire POINT of releasing new "generation" of hardware is to reinvigorate old franchises - and sales. There is no better example, that Mario Party on the Wii (versus sales of all iterations on the N64/GC).

There hasn't been a single PS3 software title that has outsold its PS2 predecessor(s) - and for most titles, sales have been significantly below targets (talking Japan anyway here).

The titles that are doing well seem to be international, dual-format (PS3/360) titles - such as Call of Duty, Assassins Creed, etc. But this won't make any Japanese studios that rely on "sequel" sales happy.

Whether people like the facts or not - past sales have always shown that the first release of any brand on any particular console - almost always has the highest sales for that generation. So anyone saying "wait till the PS3 install base is doubled, the next version will sell double" - is actually dead wrong. Its never happened in the past, and it won't happen now - unless there is a real "revolution" within the software titles themselves.

Konami has said they want to see MGS4 sales in Japan hit 1m. This will be the REAL test, given that no MGS title has ever sold 1m in Japan.

zztopp (on 26 March 2008)

Wow @ Deca sports better than expected debut.

Yikes @ Ps3's low hardware sales.

rukusa (on 26 March 2008)

I see people purposely labelling most of the released PS3 games to be huge gauranteed million-seller franchises that were expected to sell millions upon millions but ultimately failed.

wake up.

Most of these comments are made by hardcore Wii supporters who look upon the PS brand as Miyamoto's rejected son. Plus it seems the same hardcore supporters comment as such are trying to motivate third party to drop support for the HD console, when their own Wii third party games doesn't exactly flourish either. Its like they're shooting themselves in the foot (in b4 some one uses this against me, I see it coming already).

Hot Shots Golf 5 is the only culprit I see that failed, but may so save face eventually. The hots series have sold at least a few weeks after release, so this is undeniable.

Winning Eleven... I dont know what to say about this one. Havent done research on the series sales progression in Japan.

Dynasty Warriors series have been on decline for a while now. But however still have steady sales.

Devil May Cry has not been a japanese million-seller and obviously won't be so. But despite that, DMC4 PS3 is looking to outperform its past installment DMC3.

Yakuza 3, is a decently popular franchise however its not even close the popularity to be marked a million-seller.

Looks like some people are delibrately looking for excuses to label the atempts on the system as failures. Especially since they are well aware of how these franchises are percieved in Japan.

Also, people seem to forget that this is HD gaming, and HD is still make its way through the market,

Besides I dont get why both consoles cant co-exist. They both deliver to their own audience which is a great thing. Some people do enjoy HD gaming while others will enjoy the open possibilities with the wii-mote control scheme.

I looks to me like both parts (or at least one) is completely closing up on that ... apparently... "impossibility".

Lol at those who say " >:( face it! PS3's software sales stink! ".

Esmoreit (on 26 March 2008)

I consider 16K for Army of two in Japan pretty good though. I didn't expect to even hit above 10K.

As for the rest... well, Rangers will undoubtedly be a million seller as expected, great legs on Brawl and fit, great sales for Deca... even considering the fact that the Japanese had to buy the original Wii Sports.

trestres (on 26 March 2008)

Diomedes listed all the saviors PS3 will have until MGS4 arrives, lets see how well those fare, I might even include MGS4 in the "not savior" list.

Then we gotta wait till FFXIII right?

Aj_habfan (on 26 March 2008)

Lol, I knew PS3 titles were front loaded in the first week, but I didn't know it had advanced to front loaded first day then falling off hardly.

shams (on 26 March 2008)

Solid numbers - I have to ROFL at all the PS3 "this can't have sold this much!" posters :)

Face it - PS3 titles are top heavy, whereas Wii titles have the opposite effect (legs).

In the end, a 50k debut for AC is "decent" - but not great. The 360 has done a great job of stealing software sales from the PS3, if not hardware. MS's objective seems to be successful.

And someone try to explain WHY PS3 hardware sales should have risen? Same games, for the same demographic. You'll have to wait for much bigger titles before getting a significant hardware boost sorry :P

Nice to see Advance Wars (Sakura Wars) in there!

OT7 (on 26 March 2008)

Well Neos&Carlos710,you're two of the same kind...or I shall say the same class?LOL at you funny hate-Sony boys :P

I almost sure that bith,Ninja gaiden for DS and Yakuza 3 would have a better reception and sales in Europe and UA.

Sega needs to hurry in the release of Yakuza 3 worldwide.

MANUELF (on 26 March 2008)

Nice numbers for Pokemon Ranger, definitely a million seller with NA and Others, maybe two million sellers, Wii Fit and Brawl have good legs, Yakuza 3 not.Where are Wii Play?

ZaP~ (on 26 March 2008)

Nice week for Wii/DS
Wii Fit and Brawl continue to look steady in the top 10

ClaudeLv250 (on 26 March 2008)

I thought it was pretty well accepted that Yakuza 3 bombed. With a much higher budget and a third of the sales I'm not sure what else you can try to call it. It hit the same wall that every other "big" PS3 game has to date.

Kasz216 (on 26 March 2008)

What surveys reasonable?

trestres (on 26 March 2008)

Yea I know, I was directing my post towards Diomedes, who always seems to find something negative about the Wii.
Now that he sees armored core didnt do as well as preview showed, and that Deca sports sold quite a bit more, he needs to show weak performances of the Wii and DS to feel happy.

ZenfoldorVGI (on 26 March 2008)

House of the Dead didn't bomb.

trestres (on 26 March 2008)

If house of the dead bombed, which is a port of an old arcade, then army of two nuked.

BluJay (on 26 March 2008)

Tales of Rebirth deserves much more than that.

bluesinG (on 26 March 2008)

Launch weeks in Japan:

Mario & Sonic: 67k
Deca Sports: 65k

DeguelloNWR (on 26 March 2008)

Actually, Yakuza 3 did bomb if it can't get higher numbers than the previous installments. I know some of you are gonna bust out the "budget price" chestnut, but please remember that Yakuza's 1 and 2 did such on the PS2. And as we can all quite clearly see, The PS3 is not the PS2. Some PS2 games could get legs like that. NO PS3 games have. All I see is a downward trend keeping in line with the usual mediocre-at-best, flop-at-worst performance of Sony's newer platforms' software for the last 3 years.

DeguelloNWR (on 26 March 2008)

The DS never got a pricedrop in Japan, bigjon?

bigjon (on 26 March 2008)

ok... Yakuza wasen't the PS3's savior.... Sony fanboys what is you next savior to be?

DS does not need a new model. The only reason PSP is selling more than DS is because the DS has already sold to 20% of the population of Japan... A price drop for DS could do wonders, a $99 pricepoint sounds about right. Remember the DS has NEVER had a single price drop in over 3 years on the market, we have no idea what effect it could have. But getting under 100 dollars is huge.

masschamber (on 26 March 2008)

14k is good for House of the dead, remember ghost squad only opened with 18k and reached over 70k sold, considering both games were probably "free" ports I'm sure sega is quite happy with the performance

Neos (on 26 March 2008)

hahaha carlos that was gold

rukusa (on 26 March 2008)

@Wenlan

Seriously....

Carlos has some pretty retarded responses some times generally on Sony-related issues. He's working hard to come up with some strange insults on the Sony side.

wenlan (on 26 March 2008)

carlos710

Because Yakuza 3 didn't bomb.

Army of two bombs in Japan? It's a western game, what do you expect? It's like saying Metroid Prime 3 bombed in Japan. What's the point?

DeguelloNWR (on 26 March 2008)

"PSP is the best sold console for the year ."

According to this very site, you are wrong, Diomedes.

DeguelloNWR (on 26 March 2008)

Once again PSP software is the pits. Its best-selling title is a crusty old PS2 port.

"No chance of DS reclaiming the throne then unless they release a new model."

Which throne would that be? Nintendo's throne is "Best Selling Japanese console of all time." Who cares if PSP sells more than it for a few weeks, ESPECIALLY with those software sales. It's seriously the most damaging console in the history of videogames, where the userbase just seems uninterested in games. Think of all that effort poured into an original game only to see the entire userbase just pass on it. If anybody thinks any third party is paying attention to these weekly sales and thinking the PSP is in for a "comeback" is in for a rude awakening.

carlos710 (on 26 March 2008)

Diomedes1976:

Why you never said anything about Yakuza bombing, or how about Army of Two this week =)) ?

Seems like there are not enough yakuza boys in japan =)))

luigirapture (on 26 March 2008)

Litle sales for Ninja Gaiden!!!!!

BKK2 (on 26 March 2008)

Most games were released a day earlier than usual last week, so first day sales were probably first two days sales.

Diomedes1976 (on 26 March 2008)

I feel doubtful Armored Core has only sold 50K on the PS3 .THe ratio with the 360 dont seem right and if the first day sales were about 44K its hard to believe .

PSP still rules even DS having a Pokemon released .PSP is the best sold console for the year .

Serious bombing for games as Ninja Gaiden on the DS and House of the Dead compilation on the Wii .

As for the PS3 its strange and sad that it has fallen so much when it was all november ,december and january always around 35K units .

But it has more games until MGSIV .Games as Valkyrie of the Battlefield ,Eternal Sonata ,Pro Baseball Spirits 5 ,Viking Battle for Asgard ,Condemned 2 ,Dark Sector and GTAIV should provide some software until MGS4.I have doubts what the Sega games can do ,they are published by a japanese company but are occident-developed software .And Soul Calibur IV ,wich is slated for july in Europe and US and may get an earlier release in Japan .

greeg (on 26 March 2008)

psp still on top ......DS has reach the 20million mark ..sales is only go down after 20 mil

Gamerace (on 26 March 2008)

Wii, Wii Fit and SSBB all holding steady very nicely.

PSP still ahead of DS even with huge opening for Pokemon. No chance of DS reclaiming the throne then unless they release a new model. Very dissappointing opening for Ninja Gaiden DS - bet they wished they'd put it on PSP now.

PS3 at a lowly 16k. Sad. But once the price drops to $200 and big Japan centric games come out I think it'll see huge increase in sales. Late bloomer.

360? Huh? Wha? Is that even sold in Japan? oh yeah... barely...

kamil (on 26 March 2008)

I'm surprised AC for Answers sold only 50k when it had 44k after first day.

Chrizum (on 26 March 2008)

Why did Ninja Gaiden sell so bad in Japan? It's a typically Japanese franchise in my opinion, and the DS has a huge installed base there...

BengaBenga (on 26 March 2008)

Wow, Deca Sporta beats Armored Core.

WiiFit and Brawl remain steady!
Decent opening for House of the Dead (14k)

PS3 at 16k is sad. With no releases until MGS4 (maybe Eternal Sonata) Sony must try to prevent ending under 10k. Yakuza dropped pretty hard.

Wii has found its base level at 50.000. Very nice.

rukusa (on 26 March 2008)

Im still glad that Yakuza Kenzan sold at least another 19.000 copies :=).

mesoteto (on 26 March 2008)

seems the Wii is holding steady at around 50k

also crazy numbers for Pokemon--guess its still big over there

rukusa (on 26 March 2008)

HD entertainment is going through a rainy day.

When will the sales data from Shinobi be available? The Armoured Core 4 answer PS3 sales dont seem right. I want to compare it to Shinobi's figures.

pobladofx (on 26 March 2008)

Wii will have in around 10 weeks 4 "Two-million sellers"

Wii Sports
Wii Play
Wii Fit
SSBB

Reasonable (on 26 March 2008)

Why would it? I think PS3 is going to have to wait for big games and/or some attention to shift to the platform in the same way PSP saw attention shift to it after a few years in the market.

Survey's seem to show many Japanese definately plan to buy a PS3 - but that implies the demand is not now but future orientated, something the sales seem to confirm.

DMeisterJ (on 26 March 2008)

Sjeez

PS3 didn't rise from last week?

:-(

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