Big in Japan Feb. 20-26: Tales of the Heroes, Harvest Moon

With the release of a new Naruto game and another spin-off from the Tales role-playing game series, gamers can expect a revenue hike on Namco Bandai's side. Such is the case with this week's Media Creates sales update for the week of February 20 to February 26.

Tales franchise + Dynasty Warriors gameplay = profit.

Tales of the Heroes Twin Brave took the top spot with 85,309 units sold. The action game spin-off for the PSP features a boatload of characters from different Tales of RPGs; players may be reminded of titles like Sengoku Basara or Dynasty Warriors when playing this title. The latest Harvest Moon title, subtitled The Land of Origin, debuted at second place with 81,131 units sold.

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Storm Generation for the PlayStation 3 was at third place with 65,758 units sold. This fighting game is almost identical to past Ultimate Storm titles, but it introduces a new status meter that limits the amount of techniques required to avoid enemy attacks. The game also introduces awakening modes for certain characters; upon fulfilling certain battlefield conditions, characters can become powered-up bestial versions of themselves. North American version will be out on March 13, while the European version will hit shelves on March 30.

The PS3 version of Asura's Wrath also made its debut in Japan; the game was at fifth place with 30,308 units sold. The action title was praised for its story but was panned for its lackluster combat system. For more information, check out GameSpot's recent review.

Highlights outside the top 10 include the PS3 version of Binary Domain, which was at 11th place with 14,905 units sold; the PS3 version of Gal Gun, which was at 16th place with 9,002 units sold; and former top-spot holder New Love Plus, which was at 17th place with 8,644 units sold. Resident Evil: Revelations was finally bumped out of the top 10 spot; the survival horror title for the 3DS was at 13th place with 12,210 units sold.

Hardware sales took a short dip in sales for the week. Regardless, the 3DS still reigned supreme in sales numbers with 76,322 units sold. Sony sold 27,111 units of the PS3, 15,928 units of the PSP, and 11,186 units of the Vita.

JAPAN GAME SALES WEEK OF FEBRUARY 20-26

Software
Rank/Title/Publisher/Platform/Unit sales
1. Tales of the Heroes: Twin Brave / Namco Bandai / PSP / 85,309
2. Harvest Moon: The Land of Origin / Marvelous AQL / 3DS / 81,131
3. Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generation / Namco Bandai / PS3 / 65,758
4. I Have Few Friends Portable / Namco Bandai / PSP / 56,969
5. Asura's Wrath / Capcom / PS3 / 30,308
6. Nendoroid Generation / Namco Bandai / PSP / 21,991
7. Super Mario 3D Land / Nintendo / 3DS / 21,400
8. Mario Kart 7 / Nintendo / 3DS / 20,744
9. Monster Hunter 3G / Capcom / 3DS / 17,841
10. Idolmaster G4U Pack Vol. 5 / Namco Bandai / PS3 / 17,038

Hardware
3DS – 76,322
PS3 – 27,111
PSP – 15,928
PS Vita – 11,186
Wii – 7,878
Xbox 360 – 1,508
PS2 – 1,269
DSi XL – 977
DSi - 662