Big in Japan Dec 12-18: FF XIII-2, PS Vita

All eyes were fixed on the PlayStation Vita when it launched in Japan on December 17, so there's no surprise that Sony's new handheld made its presence known in the recent Media Creates sales chart on both the software and hardware sides. Not to be outdone, the release of a major Final Fantasy title in the country proved that role-playing game juggernauts can still sell, even with everybody talking about the availability of a new device.

The PlayStation 3 version of Final Fantasy XIII-2 debuted at first place on the sales chart for the week of December 12 through December 18, with 525,271 units sold. However, the Xbox 360 version was nowhere to be found in the top 20 list. The game takes place after the events of Final Fantasy XIII and stars the returning Serah Farron, as well as new character Noel Kriess. New to the sequel are bigger dungeons, multiple story arcs involving fixing time paradoxes, and new enhancements to the Paradigm Shift battle system.

Monster Hunter 3G was knocked down a peg but maintained a steady sales position; Capcom sold 208,427 units of the 3DS iteration of the action role-playing game. Mario Kart 7 for the 3DS was placed just behind Monster Hunter 3G with 182,418 units sold, while the latest version of the Inazuma Eleven series--Inazuma Eleven Go for the 3DS--was at fourth place with 135,259 units sold.

The top-selling PS Vita title was Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational, followed by Uncharted: Golden Abyss. The former was at seventh place with 61,412 units sold, while the latter was at eighth place after shifting 48,224 copies. Other Vita titles that made it into the top 20 included Dynasty Warriors Next, which was at 18th place with 29,181 units sold, and Lord of Apocalypse, which was at 19th place with 28,742 units sold.

In hardware, the PS Vita showed strong first-week sales but was unable to pass Nintendo's 3DS portable for the number one spot. Sony sold 324,859 units of the PS Vita while Nintendo sold 367,691 units of the 3DS during the same period. Sony also sold 65,119 PS3s and 64,468 PSPs in the same week.

JAPAN GAME SALES WEEK OF DECEMBER 12-18

Software
Rank/Title/Publisher/Platform/Unit sales
1. Final Fantasy XIII-2 / Square Enix / PS3 / 525,271
2. Monster Hunter 3G / Capcom / 3DS / 208,427
3. Mario Kart 7 / Nintendo / 3DS / 182,418
4. Inazuma Eleven Go / Level-5 / 3DS / 135,259
5. Super Mario 3D Land / Nintendo / 3DS / 112,533
6. Kirby's Return to Dreamland / Nintendo / Wii / 71,028
7. Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational / Sony / PS Vita / 61,412
8. Uncharted: Golden Abyss / Sony / PS Vita / 48,224
9. Just Dance Wii / Nintendo / Wii /44,021
10. Poke Park 2 / Nintendo / Wii / 43,829

Hardware
3DS – 367,691
PS Vita – 324,859
PS3 – 65,119
PSP – 64,468
Wii – 60,916
DSi XL – 5,600
Xbox 360 – 3,584
DSi – 3,523
PS2 – 1,400
DS Lite - 32