Japan game charts: August 21-27

Given Japan's current DS craze, it was bound to happen eventually. This week Media Create reports that all 10 of Japan's top-selling games were for the Nintendo DS. Looking at the bigger picture, things are only slightly less unbalanced. DS games occupy 26 of the top 50 spots, while the remaining 24 slots are basically carved up between the PlayStation 2 and PSP. Media Create estimates the DS presently owns a staggering 80 percent share of the Japanese market.

Leading the DS charge was the remake of Final Fantasy III. According to Media Create's figures, the game sold 503,051 copies, including 18,432 that were part of the Crystal Edition DS Lite bundle. This accounts for over 91 percent of the total number of copies currently in existence, and more than a few stores suffered shortages. The latest Harvest Moon game, Rune Factory: Shin Bokujo Monogatari, also did well, selling 42,210 copies since its debut on the 24th.

Although lurking in the shadow of the DS juggernaut, titles for Sony's PSP continue to consistently break into the top 50. Some of this week's new PSP arrivals were Guilty Gear Judgment from Arc System Works at number 20, Koei's horse-racing sim Winning Post 6 2006 at number 36, and Bandai Namco's MotoGP, which debuted in 47th place.