Japanese charts: PS3 games on the up

By Robert Purchese Published 21 November, 2008

As popular as Wii software this week.

PlayStation 3 games are beginning to penetrate the Japanese software charts, and finally nudge the ageing PS2 out of the equation.

Six titles for the flagship Sony console (as many as for the Wii) littered the list, according to Media Create and Enterbrain figures on NeoGAF. These included new entries Way of the Samurai 3 (2) and Resistance 2 (5), plus old-hands GTA IV (11), Gran Turismo 5 Prologue Spec III (14), FIFA 09 (18) and LittleBigPlanet (22).

Way of the Samurai 3 (Samuraidou 3) is the first series instalment to appear on PS3. The action game follows a stray warrior who must join either the peasants or old noble houses of Feudal Japan and lead them to victory. No word on a western release.

However, the PlayStation 3 still finished a distant fourth in the hardware stakes behind regional champions DSi, PSP and Wii, respectively.

The Xbox 360, unfortunately, counted no software in the top 30. Hardware sales dropped by around 4000 from last week.

Kirby DS remained top of the software pops, with new entries on the platform from Little Magician's Magic Adventure at three, a Mystery Dungeon game at four, a DS game we can't find a translation for at five, and Rockman 3 at six.

Half of the entire top 30 was occupied by games for the DS.

  1. Hoshi no Kirby: Ultra Super Deluxe (DS) - 97,000 (lifetime: 363,000)
  2. Samuraidou 3 (PS3) - 81,000
  3. Tongari Boushi to Mahou no 365 Nichi (DS) - 72,000
  4. Fushigi no Dungeon Fuurai no Shiren DS 2: Sabaku no Majou (DS) - 45,000 Resistance 2 (PS3) - 33,000
  5. DS Nishimura Kyoutarou Suspense 2 Shintantei Series (DS) - 33,000
  6. Ryuusei no Rockman 3: Black Ace (DS) - 33,000
  7. Rhythm Tengoku Gold (DS) - 30,000 (lifetime: 1,159,000)
  8. Wagamama Fashion Girls Mode (DS) - 30,000 (lifetime: 183,000)
  9. Pokémon Platinum (DS) - 27,000 (lifetime: 1,917,000)
  1. DSi - 85,327
  2. PSP - 38,153
  3. Wii - 26,787
  4. PS3 - 17,448
  5. 360 - 7,983
  6. PS2 - 5,421
  7. DS Lite - 3,559
Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (35) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Ryze #1 3 years ago

    It's all about the games now...

  • Doctor_What #2 3 years ago

    Blimey. That's one hell of a turnback for the 360. I was expecting a far slower tail off. It's nice to see the PS3 finally beginning to pick up over there.

  • El-Dev #3 3 years ago

    Japanese people appear to like Japanese games...shocking stuff that.
    What about european gamers? What are they buying? Or do I need to go to japgamer.net to find out such trivial information?

  • chris_ace #4 3 years ago

    Post deleted at 11:55:13 13-12-2011

  • Vanmunt #5 3 years ago

    Well if the quality of games aimed at the Japanese market is of the sub standard durge that is The Last Remnant then I fear for MS... it is obvious they have been stiched up by Square, as MS have funded these very poor by square standards, Infinate (which was playable bad, but not square quality) and the unfinished, bug ridden load fest of complete shitness Last Renmant (or as my mate said 'The Load Remnant' thanks Lizer!).. which is easily the worse game I have played on a next gen console.. and to think I had to take out GOW2 to play it... oh the irony!

    It looks as though MS paid big for FF13... I hope its worth it, which I doubt with this last piss poor effort

  • Moonprince #6 3 years ago

    "Japanese people appear to like Japanese games...shocking stuff that. "

    Because R2 is a traditional Japanese game isn't it?..

  • Les #7 3 years ago

    Liked Way of the Samurai on PS2. Inventive and original. Never played part 2, wondering if they've managed to keep the sequels fresh.

  • pommak #8 3 years ago

    "The Xbox 360, unfortunately, counted no software in the top 30."

    What's so unfortunate in that?

  • Steroyd #9 3 years ago

    Japanese people appear to like Japanese games...shocking stuff that.

    Except out of the 6 in the list that is in the top 40 only one is of Japaneese origin.

  • drumbaby #10 3 years ago

    It's unfortunate for Msoft?

  • Widge #11 3 years ago

    It means you can use it as a weapon in the FANBOY WAR

    FUCK YEAH

  • Collymilad #12 3 years ago

    I didnt realise there were still people of the opinion that the 360 "needs" Japan.

    It really doesn't.

  • Steroyd #13 3 years ago

    They don't "need" japan they "want" it.

  • chris_ace #14 3 years ago

    Post deleted at 11:55:13 13-12-2011

  • Ren_senshi #15 3 years ago

    Samurai Dou 3 is The Way of the Samuray 3 .... right? Does this mean the game actually turned out good ?

  • FogHeart #16 3 years ago

    Why aren't more games given the suffix 'Ultra Super Deluxe'? I have no idea what this game is but I must have it. They sway with me with their hyperbole, damn them! I don't even have a DS!

  • Sid-Nice #17 3 years ago

    This is great news for Sony with Little Big Planet outselling Wii Sports and almost selling as many copies as Mario Kart (Wii) and the East has defiantly accepted the West with GTA IV keeping Wii Fit out of the top 10.

  • Rush2112 #18 3 years ago

    "a Mystery Dungeon game at four"

    Tut, tut. No respect. That is none other than the new Shiren the Wanderer game on DS. I've been playing it all week and it's excellent. Come on Sega, get it translated.

  • quexex #19 3 years ago

    Hey EG fix the formatting in that list - or is it only broken for me - R2 no at number 5 but sharing 4 with a DS game?

  • Triggerhappytel #20 3 years ago

    It's surprising and a little saddening that out of the four PS3 games, LBP is languishing at the bottom. It really is the best exclusive on the console, and I would have expected it to be the sort of game the Japanese would love.

  • Arwin #21 3 years ago

    This should give a hint that the polling doesn't really reflect the average Japanese consumer ...

    ** Which systems do you current own? **

    Nintendo DS - 779
    PlayStation 2 - 765
    PSP - 685
    Wii - 427
    PlayStation 3 - 318
    Xbox 360 - 244
    Others - 99
    Everything - 15

  • miiiguel #22 3 years ago

    "PS3 games on the up"

    OMG! EG with its bias, again. I'm outta here, this sux, the world sux...
    FPS brainless bots (oooops, that's not the right one...)...

  • Doctor_What #23 3 years ago

    @ TriggerHappyTel: The Japanese love cute, but only when things are cute in the Japanese style (which tends to be very clean and tidy). Sackboy, as the name suggests, is messy. I'd bet that, if LBP was reskinned to be cell shaded and smooth looking, you'd not be able to keep it on the shelves in Japan. It's partly the same reason that the 360 struggles: the games are stylish (which we associate with Japanese tastes) but they're no stylish in the Japanese way. It's a fairly subtle difference, and there are of course other cultural differences that come into play, but I really think that the aesthetics of a game are very influential over there.

  • Ren_senshi #24 3 years ago

    White knight Chronicles seems like it will boost both Ps3 Hardware and Software sales :D.

  • gimo80 #25 3 years ago

    This is such an exciting battle!! GO SONY!!!

    *ahem*

  • ronuds #26 3 years ago

    Just a month or two ago the 360 was selling around 3,000 units a week. Did we really expect it to stay at or around 15,000 for very long?

    The 360 will never take Japan from either the PS3 or the Wii, but as long as they stay within the same ballpark, should be ok - at least against the PS3. The number with which they're trumping the PS3 in the US is more than enough to make up the difference in Japan and then some.

  • Steroyd #27 3 years ago

    Unfortunately it wont sell, regardless of what software is on the platform due to a combination of intense Japanese patriotism and a lingering hatred for the US.

    BS.

  • canIdoyabombsforya #28 3 years ago

    My first Live experience was playing Ridge Racer 6 with the Japanese on their launch day.

  • NotSoSlim #29 3 years ago

    Good luck MS in next year in Japan your gonna need it...Final Fantasy and Gran Turismo 5 & the magical Yakuza 3

    At least they tried and are not giving up so good luck!!

  • miiiguel #30 3 years ago

    I don't understand this fascination with Japan. UK has more 360's than Japan PS3's.

    Japan is not the Meca of video-games anymore. Get over it.

  • electrolite #31 3 years ago

    "I don't understand this fascination with Japan. UK has more 360's than Japan PS3's.

    Japan is not the Meca of video-games anymore. Get over it. "

    Because it's still a hugely important territory in terms of sales, software developers and the direction that Nintendo and Sony are likely to take.

    Apart from that, it's irrelevant ;-)

  • Gurgeh #32 3 years ago

    "Because it's still a hugely important territory in terms of sales, software developers and the direction that Nintendo and Sony are likely to take. "

    No, it's dropped from being "hugely important" to just "significant" in sales. The Japanese, US and European markets are more balanced than they used to be. You can expect games in future will not be "japanese" or "western" RPGs or FPS anymore, because games cost too much to develop for the sales in one territory to justify.

  • electrolite #33 3 years ago

    @Gurgeh

    I don't want to get bogged down in semantics mate, I was directly replying to someone saying that Japanese sales threads aren't relevant. We get the same thing in US sales threads too, I've no idea why. Sales figures from each territory are hugely important in the grand scheme of things.

  • Steroyd #34 3 years ago

    Just because Japan has a different taste than America and Europe doesn't mean it's because of some patrioism or American hate, some people really need to look at the Japanese software chart and compare it to the European and American charts and see how polar they are.

  • samaran #35 3 years ago

    guys littlebigplanet comes packed with a dual shock here in japan, so it clearly doesn't count.

    or maybe wii play counted after all!