Big in Japan June 25-July 1: Pokemon, Fatal Frame II Wii

It's hard to keep a monster simulator down, and the most recent sales update from Media Create proved just that. Pokemon Black 2 and Pokemon White 2 was once again the best-selling title for the week of June 25 and July 1, following its debut the week of June 18. Both versions of the DS game sold 416,850 units, bringing its total sales unit to 2,035,471.

Newcomer Atelier Ayesha also made a strong debut at second place with 60,548 units sold. The role-playing game is the next iteration of the Atelier series following the previous trilogy consisting of Atelier Rorona, Atelier Totori, and Atelier Meruru. The game's combat system enables players to move party members around and lets them perform team attacks depending on their positioning. Atelier Ayesha also has multiple endings and a new item synthesis mechanic like previous Atelier titles.

Other newcomers include strategy game Culdcept and visual novel adventure title Robotics; Notes for the 3DS and PlayStation 3, respectively. The former sold 55,469 units, while the latter sold 54,753. The PS3 version of Resident Evil: Chronicles HD Collection debuted at sixth place with 33,393 units sold. Apart from HD visuals, the collection features unlockable trophy achievements and PlayStation Move support.

The Wii version of Fatal Frame II made an appearance in the top 10. The adventure game was at seventh place with 25,280 units sold. The remake still retains elements of Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly for the PS2 and Xbox, but adds in a third-person camera angle and new viewfinder options and controls for the camera obscura.

Former top 10 spot holder Persona 4 The Golden was bumped down to 11th place with 15,497 units sold. Mario Party 9, too, went down a few notches to 13th place with 14,049 units sold.

Due to the release of the crystal white version of the PlayStation Vita, sales for the system went up to 22,638 units. Otherwise, each system stayed in the same spot as the previous week on the hardware charts. The 3DS was still on top with 65,267 units, while the PS3 was at third place with 16,399 units.

Top Japan Game Sales for June 25 - July 1

Software
Rank / Title / Publisher / System / Units
1. Pokemon Black 2, Pokemon White 2 / Nintendo, Pokemon Company / DS / 420,780
2. Atelier Ayesha / Gust / PS3 / 60,548
3. Culdcept / Nintendo / 3DS / 55,469
4. Robotics; Notes / 5pb / PS3 / 54,753
5. Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry's Wonderland 3D / Square Enix / 3DS / 45,207
6. Resident Evil: Chronicles HD Collection / Capcom / PS3 / 33,393
7. Fatal Frame II: Wii Edition / Nintendo / Wii / 25,280
8. Metal Gear Solid HD Collection / Konami / PS Vita / 20,139
9. .hack Hybrid Pack / Namco Bandai / PS3 / 17,446
10. The IdolMaster: Anime & G4U! Vol. 9 / Namco Bandai / PS3 / 16,139

Hardware
3DS - 65,267
PS Vita - 22,638
PS3 - 16,399
PSP - 11,461
Wii - 6,880
Xbox 360 - 861
DSi - 657
PS2 - 490

[CORRECTION]: This story originally misreported the sales figures for Persona 4: The Golden and Atelier Ayesha. Adjustments to the story have since been made to reflect the changes. GameSpot regrets the error.