Big in Japan Apr. 5-11: New Super Mario Bros. Wii

The first full week of April offered very little for US gamers at retail. As it turns out, the case was similar in Japan, a fact reflected in Media Create's sales chart for the week of April 5-11. With not a single new game cracking the top 10, Nintendo's perennial chart-topper, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, was free to take top billing on the week, selling 37,244 units.

Nipping at the heels of another strong performance by Koei's Fist of the North Star Warriors for the PlayStation 3 (34,262 units), Konami's Pro Baseball Spirits 2010 showed some staying power. The PSP and PS3 editions of the game posted third- and fourth-place performances (31,127 units and 30,624 units, respectively), though the PlayStation 2 edition failed to make a repeat appearance in the top 10. Tomodachi Collection for the DS rounded out the top five, selling 22,563 units on the DS.

The back half of Media Create's weekly chart was populated by a number of usual suspects, including the latest Pokemon Ranger, Wii Fit Plus, and Monster Hunter Freedom Unite. Etrian Odyssey III and Yakuza 4 also maintained positions in the top 10.

Sony led both handheld and console hardware during the week, with the PSP selling 29,766 units and the PS3 shifting 28,973 systems. Of course, it also finished at the bottom of the handheld and console chart, since the PSP Go and PlayStation 2 sold just 1,826 units and 1,425 units, respectively. Nintendo's Wii sold 25,345 units, and the DS trifecta combined for sales of 36,459 units. The Xbox 360 once again languished near the bottom of the chart, selling 3,218 units.

JAPAN GAME SALES WEEK OF APRIL 5-11, 2010
Software:
Rank / Title / Publisher / Platform / Unit sales
1. New Super Mario Bros. Wii / Nintendo / Wii / 37,244
2. Fist of the North Star Warriors / Koei / PS3 / 34,262
3. Pro Baseball Spirits 2010 / Konami / PSP / 31,127
4. Pro Baseball Spirits 2010 / Konami / PS3 / 30,624
5. Tomodachi Collection / Nintendo / DS / 22,563
6. Pokemon Ranger: Hikari no Kiseki / Nintendo / DS / 20,359
7. Etrian Odyssey III: Caller of the Starry Seas / Atlus / DS / 19,257
8. Yakuza 4: Densetsu o Tsugumono / Sega / PS3 / 17,788
9. Wii Fit Plus / Nintendo / Wii / 15,380
10. Monster Hunter Freedom Unite / Capcom / PSP / 11,240

Hardware:
PSP - 29,766
PS3 - 28,973
Wii - 25,345
DSi LL - 19,372
DSi - 13,738
DS Lite - 3,349
Xbox 360 - 3,218
PSP Go - 1,826
PS2 - 1,425