Mario parties in Japan

By Robert Purchese Published 22 November, 2007

Heavenly Sword not invited.

Mario Party DS has danced its way to the top of the Japanese charts by flogging more than 116,000 copies, GamesIndustry.biz reports.

Sales numbers from Media Create pitched its closest competitor as Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, which managed an esteemed 83,000.

Below that was Dynasty Warriors 6 in third, while new entries Pro Baseball Family Stadium DS and Game Center CX: Arino's Challenge for fourth and fifth respectively.

One surprise, however, was that much-hyped first-party romp Heavenly Sword - only released on 15th November - sold just 15,000 copies. This landed it in seventh, a mere two places and 2000 sales ahead of old-timer Wii Sports in ninth.

The top ten for Japan is as follows:

  1. Mario Party DS (DS)
  2. Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles (Wii)
  3. Shin Sangoku Musou 5 (PS3)
  4. Pro Baseball Family Stadium DS (DS)
  5. Game Center CX: Arino's Challenge (DS)
  6. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
  7. Heavenly Sword (PS3)
  8. Final Fantasy Tactics A2 (DS)
  9. Wii Sports (Wii)
  10. Armored Soldiers: Votoms (PS2)

Facts cling like barnacles to GamesIndustry.biz as it sails determinedly through the dangerous waters of fiction.

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 (16) Latest comment 4 years ago

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  • GingerNathan #1 4 years ago

    Here's the list with units sold attached.

    01. Mario Party DS (DS) - 116,000 / 350,000
    02. Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (Wii) - 83,000 / NEW
    03. Shin Sangoku Musou 5 (PS3) - 76,000 / 264,000
    04. Pro Yakyuu Famista DS DS (DS) - 49,000 / NEW
    05. Game Center CX (DS) - 46,000 / NEW
    06. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) - 40,000 / 365,000
    07. Heavenly Sword (PS3) - 15,000 / NEW
    08. Final Fantasy Tactics A2 (DS) - 14,000 / 230,000
    09. Wii Sports (Wii) - 13,000 / 2,211,000
    10. Soukou Kihei Votoms (PS2) - 12,000 /NEW

  • Arwin #2 4 years ago

    Hardware is even more interesting, with the PS3 outselling the Wii for the second week, for some odd reason. :D Japanese really like their Musou apparently ... (Dynasty Warriors)

  • Arwin #3 4 years ago

    Yes, but the Wii has Mario Galaxy out?

  • viper_h #4 4 years ago

    Game Center CX? Is that like Goatse?

  • Erinan #5 4 years ago

    They've sold so many Wiis since its release that it had to diminish eventually. That or the Japanese finally managed to save enough money to afford the PS3 =)

    I heard that Mario Party DS doesn't have any multiplayer mode. Is it true? :/

  • Rev.StuartCampbell #6 4 years ago

    It's odd that Mario Party DS is doing so well, because it's *utter shit*. Even by the standards of previous Mario Parties, that is, never mind judged on its own merits.

  • reality_cheque #7 4 years ago

    Wii Sports? Does it not come with the Wii over there then?

  • GingerNathan #8 4 years ago

    "Wii Sports? Does it not come with the Wii over there then? "

    No, it dosen't.

  • Arwin #9 4 years ago

    Or the PS3, now at something like 299 euro in Japan? got close enough to the Wii, especially with the high uptake of HDtvs over there? But they'll both do well for a while yet, I'll wager

  • kobashi #10 4 years ago

    Wii sales will go high once Wii Fit is released. SMG sales are much lower than expected. Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles done good but like SMG it never really boosted Wii Hardware sales.

  • monkie_king #11 4 years ago

    could say the same about SingStar

  • rhinoxious #12 4 years ago

    Not quite so simple ...

    nintendo will make money on the wii hardware, plus the people who buy wii fit may also buy wiii sports and other mainstream activity games.

    Sony meanwhile will lose money on the sale of the PS3, but may make it back over the long term in song download costs and Blu-ray sales.

  • rhinoxious #13 4 years ago

    2,211,000 copies of wii sports, that's a lot of games of tennis.

  • kobashi #14 4 years ago

    @frod. I making the point bout Wii-Fit as it will show the the way Wii is looked at in Japan. more core games are not selling great or moving Wii Units while games like Wii Sports and Wii-Fit are/will do crazy numbers.

    Mario was once Nintendo's biggest mascot. seems like it isnt on the Wii but NSMB was massive on the DS. I think Ninty are hoping the people who buy Wii-Fit will buy SMG also.

  • pokeken #15 4 years ago

    I think that the low sales of SMG against the continuing sales of Wii sports and potentially masive Wii fit, shows that there are 2 distinct Wii consumers....the traditional hardcore and the new family units. Such x selling is unlikely to help Wii sale numbers.

    I was in yodobashi in aki yesterday and the queues for DQ4 DS was huge..expect that game to hit the top of the charts next time round.

  • chrisjm #16 4 years ago

    user base of DS > Wii.
    % of wii users owning Mario galaxy > % of ds owners owning mario party