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Big in Japan July 18-24: Rhythm Heaven

Brendan Sinclair
By Brendan Sinclair, Senior Editor

Nintendo's demanding rhythm game tops the Media Create sales charts, followed by newest entries in the Sengoku Basara and No More Heroes series.

Nintendo's Rhythm Heaven series can still keep a beat, as evidenced by the franchise's first installment on the Wii topping the Media Create Japanese sales charts in its first week of release. The Wii version of the game sold 118,173 copies for July 18-24, easily making it the week's best-selling title.

The hellishly demanding Rhythm Heaven.

The hellishly demanding Rhythm Heaven.

Rhythm Heaven wasn't the only new release to make its mark on the charts. The latest PSP game in Capcom's historical action series, Sengoku Basara: Chronicle Heroes, came in second with 82,798 copies sold, while Grasshopper Manufacture's Move-compatible PlayStation 3 port of No More Heroes took home the bronze with 40,313 units sold. One more new release familiar to Western gamers cracked the top 10, with Spicy Horse's Alice: Madness Returns selling 19,994 copies in its debut.

While Nintendo may be unsatisfied with sales of its 3DS system, the glasses-free 3D handheld topped the Japanese sales charts for the second week in a row. The 31,826 3DS systems sold for the week was well ahead of the PSP's 26,854 units sold. As for consoles, Sony came in first with 23,343 PS3s sold, followed by the Wii at 17,114 systems sold, and the Xbox 360 bringing up the rear among current-generation systems with 1,546 new owners for the week.

JAPAN GAME SALES WEEK OF JULY 18-24, 2011
Software:
Rank / Title / Publisher / Platform / Unit sales
1. Rhythm Heaven / Nintendo / Wii / 118,173
2. Sengoku Basara: Chronicle Heroes / Capcom / PSP / 82,798
3. No More Heroes: Heroes Paradise / Marvelous / PS3 / 40,313
4. Inazuma Eleven Strikers / Level Five / Wii / 36,555
5. Jikkyou Powerful Pro Baseball 2011 / Konami / PS3 / 35,739
6. Taiko no Tatsujin Portable DX / Namco Bandai / PSP / 35,694
7. Jikkyou Powerful Pro Baseball 2011 / Konami / PSP / 27,158
8. Nora to Toki no Koubou: Kiri no Mori no Majo/ Atlus / DS / 24,481
9. Alice: Madness Returns / Electronic Arts / PS3 / 19,994
10. Wii Sports Resort / Nintendo / Wii / 18,666

Hardware:
3DS - 31,826
PSP - 26,854
PS3 - 23,343
Wii - 17,114
DSi LL - 5,258
DSi - 4,921
Xbox 360 - 1,546
PS2 - 1,475
DS Lite - 155
PSP Go - 14

Brendan Sinclair
By Brendan Sinclair, Senior Editor

Brendan Sinclair has been a games journalist since 1999. His tastes are eclectic, though he has a definite affinity for games with arcade roots. He's Canadian, but has also been at home in Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, and San Francisco.

22 comments
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Preijnst
Preijnst

Eh, are those PSP sales refering to the PS Vita?

JollyGreenOne
JollyGreenOne ranger

I loved Rhythm Heaven on DS and I can't wait to get this one. I like it because it's not clone #1,000 ___Band or ___Hero, it does it's own quirky little thing that I just can't get enough of. I'm ready for more Rhythm Heaven!

firedragons5253
firedragons5253

@pszone Do you mean they need to pull that 'we need to bring the same game back' crap they have been doing for over 15 years? '

lithus
lithus

If its "Big in Japan"...than it's ONLY big in Japan. Some of these games amaze me...but not like fireworks amazing...more like the "I can't believe that no talent butt clown Snookie got a book deal?!" kind of amazing...

steelmouth
steelmouth

360 still not doing too gud i see,hang in ther 360 hang in ther

LJELLZ
LJELLZ

hopefully the 3ds can stay on top..

pszone
pszone

Well Will Doing gd with this game. Psp Go not shiping like Monopoman said that a agree that person 100% . Could Means that stream doent work out at all with portable and consles. 3DS Still on top and yes they lost 3bn losses with that portable that its games and i could do lot better. Like bringing mario Sunshine to 3ds, zela from gamecube to 3ds, Pikim 3ds, starfox gamecube game 3ds, and yes new ideas from nindendo company. Yes and could bring mario sunshine on launch date for 3ds if i work for them. so Nindendo if you want a gd idea person hire me.

Monopoman
Monopoman

The PSP Go is no longer shipping out new consoles of it so supplies are dwindling.

DrKill09
DrKill09

Easily amused much? :roll:

Super-Poke-Bros
Super-Poke-Bros

It's more or less the same for the past few weeks isn't it? Nintendo and Sony competing for the top, Xbox always way behind, and then there's the PSP Go...

banana23man
banana23man

is it just me or does "big in japan" reminds you of Alphaville? =P

soulless4now
soulless4now

I thought PSP Go got discontinued by now...

Megavideogamer
Megavideogamer

14 PSP go's Sony's experiment did fail. I glad Sony has learned Download only is not favorable.

servb0ts
servb0ts

Ma-Ma-Mi-Ya reminds me or Wario game weirdness

SDBusDriver1979
SDBusDriver1979

It was nice playing Rhythm Heaven on the DS because nobody has to know that I have no rhythm but I like to think I do, but on a tv a bit harder to hide that.

Pepsi_Biofusion
Pepsi_Biofusion

@mariokart64fan - No dissrespect intended but, the PSP is like 6-7 years old in Japan, and the PS3 is (admitably just) the top selling console currently, but you're right in the sense Sony has struggled but good to see some love for them in Japan. I gotta admit 20 free games or a price cut is tempting, but I'll hold out for Vitas software lineup to compare.

mariokart64fan
mariokart64fan

and wii creeping up on ps3 lol wow , sony really has had a hard time this gen ,

mariokart64fan
mariokart64fan

and i thought the 3ds was doing poorly maybe , just maybe , nintendo just wants to feed you guys haha cause this proves its doing good , and now itll do even better vita what 20 free games 3ds only, ya for us early adapters we gotta be lucky ,

CorruptGamerGX
CorruptGamerGX

No More Heroes: Heroes Paradise? It's Red Zone Edition. Heroes Paradise came out last year for PS3 and 360 in Japan. Still no mention of the Red Flare 3DS. GameSopt I'm disappoint.

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