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Big in Japan Jan 16-22: Mario Kart 7, Rhythm Thief

  • By Jonathan Leo Toyad, Brendan Sinclair, GameSpot Asia
  • Posted Jan 26, 2012 8:36 am PT

3DS outsells all other platforms combined; Nintendo's handheld accounts for four of top five best-selling games as mascot racer retakes top spot after a week in second.

If January's sales numbers are any indication, the 3DS is in for a banner year in Japan for 2012. The Media Creates sales update for the week of January 16-22 showed Nintendo's handheld outsold all other systems combined. Meanwhile, Mario Kart 7 proved it still had gas in the tank, retaking the top spot on the software charts after being relegated to second place the previous week.

Rhythm Thief can carry a tune and crack a safe at the same time.

Rhythm Thief can carry a tune and crack a safe at the same time.

The top new title for the week was Sega's Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure for the 3DS. The publisher sold 31,598 units of the title on its debut week. The game stars a thief-by-trade 18-year old named Ralph in search of his long-lost father. To assist him on that quest, players will need to guide Ralph to steal rare treasures via rhythm minigames. Rhythm Thief will be out in other countries early this year.

The week also marked the first Xbox 360 game to crack the top 10 during 2012: D3's Onechanbara Z Kagura. The latest sequel to the Onechanbara series was at fifth place with 22,013 units sold. The action title pits players in control of half-vampire sisters Kagura and Saaya who are given the order to kill off previous Onechanbara stars Aya and Saki because they caused a zombie uprising.

New handheld titles include Heroes Phantasia from Namco Bandai and Labyrinth no Kanata (Beyond the Labyrinth) from Konami. The former was at sixth place with 15,163 units sold while the latter was at eight place, with 14,176 units sold.

Heroes Phantasia is a role-playing game for the PSP that features anime crossovers from series such as Read or Die, s-CRY-ed, Slayers Revolution, and Blood+. The game's battle system is similar to the PlayStation classic Valkyrie Profile, where each button is mapped to a different party member and attacks can be chained with timed button presses.

Labyrinth no Kanata is a 3DS RPG where players control a party of four escorting a mysterious female guide through the depths of the underworld. The effectiveness of each party member in combat is determined by how well a player protects the guide.

On the hardware side, the sales for the PS Vita dropped slightly. Sony sold 15,219 units of the device; the PS3 and PSP were at second and third place, respectively. The company sold 21,155 units of the former and 17,181 units of the latter. Meanwhile, the 3DS remained on top with 80,960 units sold, while the Wii was at fifth place with 10,173 units sold.

JAPAN GAME SALES WEEK OF JANUARY 16-22

Software
Rank/Title/Publisher/Platform/Unit sales
1. Mario Kart 7 / Nintendo / 3DS / 35,105
2. Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure / Sega / 3DS / 31,598
3. Monster Hunter 3G / Capcom / 3DS / 31,369
4. Super Mario 3D Land / Nintendo / 26,051
5. Onechanbara Z Kagura / D3 / Xbox 360 / 22,013
6. Heroes Phantasia / Namco Bandai / PSP / 15,163
7. Inazuma Eleven Go / Level-5 / 3DS / 14,190
8. Labyrinth no Kanata / Konami / 3DS / 14,176
9. Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Masou Kishin I & II / Namco Bandai / PSP / 11,598
10. Musou Orochi 2 / Tecmo Koei / PS3 / 10,690

Hardware
3DS – 80,960
PS3 – 21,155
PSP – 17,181
PS Vita – 15,219
Wii – 10,173
Xbox 360 – 1,588
DSi XL – 1,200
PS2 – 903
DSi - 822

36 Comments

  • moving_buddy

    Posted Feb 2, 2012 9:12 am GMT

    might have to check out rythm thief, nice to see a game that isnt a sequel selling that well.

  • chazy035

    Posted Feb 1, 2012 7:49 pm GMT

    We all know that if Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure is selling well in Japan, it means it's also going to sell very well in NA. OBVIOUSLY.

    That also same goes for the Vita!!!

    VITA IS DOOOOOOOOMED!!!

  • brosim1104

    Posted Jan 28, 2012 7:18 pm GMT

    Vita is really state of the art at handheld, and that is why i'm afraid it won't have a price cut any time soon, like 3DS had. It's a shame though. I really want it.

  • pikadeth

    Posted Jan 28, 2012 4:54 pm GMT

    astro_viper, you are correct. These site usually don't know what they're talking about and shouldn't be quoted. I'm still not buying one until the price drops though. I had a large PSP game collection before buying the system as well. It'll give Sony some time to get the bugs out.

  • renji4eva

    Posted Jan 28, 2012 1:08 pm GMT

    I think it's pretty funny that the PSP is selling more than the PS Vita.

  • TechnoDrago

    Posted Jan 27, 2012 8:18 pm GMT

    You know, I can't blame people for still buying PSP. I mean you got Monster Hunter, anime games (Naruto, Bleach, Persona, etc), not to mention those new games are coming out on it (FF Type-0, etc) and plenty more. Vita just starting but not many good games for that high price... UMD still in the air too.

  • HyabusaRyu

    Posted Jan 27, 2012 1:38 pm GMT

    "3DS outsells all other platforms combined" what a way to start off an article =D

  • sacatash

    Posted Jan 27, 2012 10:15 am GMT

    The PSP Vita's underwhelming sales and price is really making me consider to wait instead of getting it this year.

  • ProMethUse

    Posted Jan 27, 2012 8:01 am GMT

    still, the best Mario Kart for me was "Double Dash", although the others are still good in comparison

  • Amin_and_Azizah

    Posted Jan 27, 2012 7:49 am GMT

    Playing games in 3D is the most beautiful thing in the world of video games right now

  • warhawk-geeby

    Posted Jan 27, 2012 5:35 am GMT

    Gotta love the names of the games in Japan

  • Halloll

    Posted Jan 26, 2012 11:37 pm GMT

    ps2 is still kicking

  • ar6ra6sh9

    Posted Jan 26, 2012 11:21 pm GMT

    i really cant understand why more psp when we have ps vita??? if its about games japanes must be sure that sony will release more games for japanes tasts ... so ... why??? :\

  • ar6ra6sh9

    Posted Jan 26, 2012 11:19 pm GMT

    gggeehhhh :\ still wants to buy a handheld console but i dunno ... 3ds or vita??? GGGRRRR someone help meeeeeeeeeeeeee

  • megakick

    Posted Jan 26, 2012 10:17 pm GMT

    PSPvita 15,219
    PSP 17,181
    3DS 80,960
    PSPVita is gettin PWND!
    Something is seriously wrong if the PSP is still outselling the PSPVita.

  • dxdevilex0

    Posted Jan 26, 2012 9:56 pm GMT

    @Oldboy08
    I realised it too,and the words are always in bold.

    @motang
    I think the DS family's worldwide sales is going to surpass PS2's,because the DSes(excluding 3DS of course) has already sold 150 mil+ and still going strong while PS2 sales are dying already.

    Good to know that the 3DS is still going strong too,and 3DS sales will skyrocket even more with Feb and March being packed with tons of awesome 3DS games.
    MKWii sales is still in top 20 if you guys didn't know.

  • metalkitten

    Posted Jan 26, 2012 8:39 pm GMT

    already preordered rhythm thief - cant wait!

    not really much to say about the hardware sales - it keeps going like it has the last weeks - im not surprised

  • Oldboy08

    Posted Jan 26, 2012 7:38 pm GMT

    @solidty
    Why do you have to give a summary of a summary every week in the Big in Japan? I am pretty sure people JUST saw what you posted in the article...

  • Gelugon_baat

    Posted Jan 26, 2012 7:37 pm GMT

    @astro_viper
    Thanks for the info, I suppose?

    Personally, I wouldn't trust any third-party assessment of product costs. As independent as they are, they cannot overcome one major, ingrained flaw that all of their studies have: they don't have the full picture.

    Only those with full access to the schematic designs, manufacturing plans, distribution methods and vendor and licensee contracts will know of the breakdown of the costs that go into an industrial product - and these are no one other than the Marketing & Sales and Finance divisions of the product-makers.

    @pikadeth , I would suggest that you keep what I had highlighted above in mind before you mention anything that you had read on the Internet next time.

  • astro_viper

    Posted Jan 26, 2012 7:19 pm GMT

    @pikadeth
    @Gelugon_baat

    I think this is what Pikadeth is referring to, but the analysis is questionable and full of holes. http://www.lazygamer.net/general-news/how-much-does-the-playstation-vita-cost-to-make/

    If you read some of the comments after the article, you will discover that the team who estimated the cost left out several key components. R&D and production costs are also not given any weight, but I suppose that would be a very difficult number to gage. That being said, all the numbers are based on estimates as no one really knows how much Sony pays for each component (bulk discounts) . Not sure I fully buy the $160 figure. Likely closer to $200, but definitely less than the current sales figure (especially here in Japan, where the US conversion puts the price around $320US).

  • Gelugon_baat

    Posted Jan 26, 2012 5:48 pm GMT

    @pikadeth
    Do give a verifiable source, please.

    Sure is easy to say something "has been reported" on the Internet, isn't it?

  • astro_viper

    Posted Jan 26, 2012 5:42 pm GMT

    @ pikadeth

    Can you (or anyone else) provide a link to verify said claim?

  • pikadeth

    Posted Jan 26, 2012 5:28 pm GMT

    It has been reported that the Vita costs Sony $160 to make. They are not losing money on it and REALLY need to lower the price as a result.

  • monson21502

    Posted Jan 26, 2012 5:21 pm GMT

    ps vita has no chance against 3ds..... looks like sony will always get sloppy seconds in the handheld market because even after releasing a system after nintendo they are to greedy at least stay close to its price.

  • BillyColeman

    Posted Jan 26, 2012 2:59 pm GMT

    fatee japanese games have been some of the best made dont give ass Effect so much props some of us dont care for it

  • SolidTy

    Posted Jan 26, 2012 12:29 pm GMT


    I really want to check out Rhythm Thief from SEGA!

    Mario Kart 7, Super Mario Land 3D, and Monster Hunter 3DS still at the top from week to week (last weeks numbers not here), but newcomer Rhythm Thief from SEGA is making some moves for the first time in Japan! Look at the hardware moving after one week in Japan! 3DS, PS3, PSP, Vita, and Wii doing some big numbers. Especially 3DS yet again. It's not mentioned, but these are the same big hitters from last week. After the Wii though, big huge drop off for the 360, DSi XL, PS2, and DSi yet again this week.

    I post this with a reason in mind. The question is, since this has been the same sales trend for a while now, what element will shake things up?

  • JaxxRaxor

    Posted Jan 26, 2012 12:22 pm GMT

    @tarv4973 The good thing for Nintendo is they have massive profits stored up from the success of the Wii and DS line, so losing money on the 3DS won't hurt them too much if they are selling alot of 3DS and especially a lot of software. (Mario Kart 7 in particular is looking like a long runner in terms of good sales over the entire life cycle of the 3DS).

    Also I wouldn't call the Vita a flop yet based on it's performance in Japan. What Sony needs is a game that will appeal strongly to the Japanese market, and then the Vita will start to pick up. Sony is already losing money on the Vita so I don't anticipate a price cut. Also Sony's launch line up in the West is much stronger than the 3DS, so there is hope for them yet to make up for the lackluster sales in Japan.

  • Flint247

    Posted Jan 26, 2012 11:08 am GMT

    3DS is here to stay.

  • Micropixel

    Posted Jan 26, 2012 10:57 am GMT

    Wow! I did a little math just now and realized that the 3DS outselling all the other platforms combined!

    3DS: 80,960

    Everyone else: 68,241

    That is effing impressive!

    I don't care what anyone else says, Nintendo is CLEARLY still in the driver seat in the handheld department.

  • tarv4973

    Posted Jan 26, 2012 10:45 am GMT

    Vita is going to be a monumental flop if they don't cut the price soon. The price cut is clearly hurting Nintendo from their last earnings report. At least they were smart enough to realize you can't move alot of units without it being priced in the DS range.

  • fatee posted Jan 26, 2012 10:39 am GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    fatee

    Posted Jan 26, 2012 10:39 am GMT (hide)

    I remember playing final fantasy 7 thinking japanese RPGs were the best thing in the world, while ff7 is still a great game - I couldn't even imagine playing any of the newer Final fantasies over say, Mass Effect.
    In short, Japanese games need to evolve. they are stuck in the 90's only a very few have broke the mold such as hideo kajima (metal gear).

  • Denshuu

    Posted Jan 26, 2012 10:34 am GMT

    Cronos are really big PS2 fans, apparently.

  • BillyColeman

    Posted Jan 26, 2012 10:32 am GMT

    Onechanbara Z Kagura ftw lol shows you if the 360 makes monster hunter games and sexy games that thay can make the list in japan lolll

  • Mc_Trickz

    Posted Jan 26, 2012 10:21 am GMT

    Ps2 is by far the best console made in history...

  • Oldboy08

    Posted Jan 26, 2012 9:49 am GMT

    3DS is awesome, I am seeing more and more on the trains every week. Mario saikou dayo~~

  • motang

    Posted Jan 26, 2012 9:45 am GMT

    Amazing the PS2 is still selling!

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