Big in Japan Dec. 28 - Jan. 3: New Super Mario, Zelda DS, FFXIII

Earlier this week, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata told Japanese media that the Wii had recovered from its momentum-sapping malaise, crediting a stronger software lineup for jump-starting the system's sales. The current star of that lineup is unquestionably New Super Mario Bros. Wii, which rang in the New Year atop the Japanese sales charts.

According to Media Create's weekly Japanese sales figures, New Super Mario Bros. Wii sold 268,212 copies from December 28, 2009, through January 3, 2010. The four-player side-scrolling platformer handily beat out Nintendo's resident Tamodachi Collection for the DS, which came in second with 185,502 copies sold. Rounding out the medal podium was another Nintendo effort, as 126,303 gamers were "all aboard" for The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks on the DS.

Games for Nintendo systems dominated the charts for the week, taking eight of the top 10 spots. Only a pair of role-playing games were able to break into the charts, with Final Fantasy XIII for the PlayStation 3 landing in fourth with 111,705 sold, and Sega's Phantasy Star Portable for the PSP slipping into ninth place with 44,344 sold.

Things were a little more competitive on the hardware side. The Wii was the best-selling system of the week, as Nintendo's console added another 163,855 to its installed user base. The PSP and PS3 took second and third on the hardware charts, selling 132,911 and 114,368, respectively. The DS line of systems accounted for the next three spots on the charts, with the DSi notching another 92,461 sales, the DSi XL claiming another 70,643 users, and the legacy DS Lite selling to 17,388 presumably camera-shy gamers. The PSP Go continued to struggle, selling just 3,903 systems for the week.

JAPAN GAME SALES WEEK OF DECEMBER 28, 2009 to JANUARY 3, 2010
Software:
Rank / Title / Publisher / Platform / Unit sales
1) New Super Mario Bros. Wii / Nintendo / Wii / 268,212
2) Tomodachi Collection / Nintendo / DS / 185,502
3) The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks / Nintendo / DS / 126,303
4) Final Fantasy XIII / Square Enix / PS3 / 111,705
5) Wii Fit Plus / Nintendo / Wii / 105,427
6) Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver / Nintendo / DS / 74,658
7) Inazuma Eleven 2: Kyoui no Shinryokusha - Fire and Blizzard / Level 5 / DS / 68,769
8) Wii Sports Resort / Nintendo / Wii / 67,867
9) Phantasy Star Portable 2 / Sega / PSP / 44,334
10) Professor Layton and the Devil Flute / Nintendo / DS / 43,254

Hardware:
Wii - 163,855
PSP - 132,911
PS3 - 114,368
DSi - 92,461
DSi XL - 70,643
DS Lite - 17,388
Xbox 360 - 6,878
PS2 - 4,023
PSP Go - 3,903