Big in Japan October 3-9: Pro Evolution Soccer 2012

Soccer has taken center stage in the latest Japanese Media Creates sales chart for the week of October 3 to October 9.

Soccer and idols rule the charts for the week of October 3.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 (or Winning Eleven 2012) took the top spot on the charts; the game sold 272,036 units on its debut week. The recent football title features faster game play, numerous AI improvements, and off-the-ball controls. For more information, check out GameSpot's review.

Dating simulator AKB1/48: Idol to Guam de Koishitara (translated to " I Fell in Love With an Idol in Guam") took second place with 236,587 units sold. The game's objective is to get players to convince one of the AKB48 pop group idols to confess its love to them in Guam. The limited edition of the game contains a UMD video with 120 minutes of unused footage in addition to three bromides of random members of AKB48. The premium box set contains 10 bromides, a Team 4 special DVD, 48 vertical posters, codes for AKB48 PSP themes, and a Blu-ray Disc containing 70 minutes of love confessions in addition to the aforementioned UMD.

Racing game F1 2011 also made its debut; the PlayStation 3 version placed third with 26,574 units. The PS3 version of the recently reviewed shooter Rage placed eighth on its debut week with 11,320 units sold. The Xbox 360 version of id Software's latest game placed 14th on the charts with 7,853 units sold. Other notable new entries include Makai Kingdom Portable for the PSP; this reworked port of the PlayStation 2 strategy role-playing game sold 7,350 units. God of War Origins Collection also made its debut, landing in 20th place with 5,727 units sold.

Former top spot occupant Eiyuu Densetsu: Ao no Kiseki (or The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Blue) for the PSP dropped to fifth place with 16,423 units sold. Previously, the RPG was first on the week of September 26 to October 2, with 127,938 units sold. The game is the latest entry in the long-running Falcom RPG series in Japan and is the direct sequel to Eiyuu Densetsu: Zero no Kiseki. In terms of an English release, Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky is the only one out this year.

On the hardware side of things, the 3DS still reigned supreme despite the lack of 3DS titles on the charts. The system was in first place with 53,540 units sold. The PS3 sold 29,435 units, while the PSP sold 26,780 units.

JAPAN GAME SALES WEEK OF OCTOBER 3-9

Software:
Rank/Title/Publisher/Platform/Unit sales
1. Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 / Konami / PS3 / 272,036
2. AKB1/48: Idol to Guam de Koishitara / Namco Bandai / PSP / 236,587
3. F1 2011 / Codemasters / PS3 / 26,574
4. Dynasty Warriors 7: Xtreme Legends / Tecmo Koei / PS3 / 18,305
5. Eiyuu Densetu: Ao no Kiseki / Falcom / PSP / 16,423
6. Dark Souls / Namco Bandai / PS3 / 15,853
7. Dragon Quest Anniversary Collection / Square Enix / Wii / 15,338
8. Rage / Bethesda Softworks / PS3 / 11,320
9. Rhythm Heaven / Nintendo / Wii / 10,731
10. Wii Sports Resort (Wiimote Plus Pack) / Nintendo / Wii / 10,295

Hardware
3DS – 53,540
PS3 – 29,435
PSP – 26,780
Wii – 10,080
DSi XL – 2,175
DSi – 1,718
Xbox 360 – 1,346
PS2 – 1,326
DS Lite - 51