Japan game charts: June 26-July 2

Despite its title, New Super Mario Bros. was a return to Nintendo's roots, a throwback to the 2D side-scrolling fare of the classic Mario titles. New Super Mario Bros. also proved a return to popular form this week in Japan, where it reclaimed the No. 1 spot atop the country's top-selling games for the week of June 26 to July 2, according to data from Media Create.

The charts, which spell out the best-selling games of the week, reflected Japanese gamers' strong affection for the Nintendo DS and Sony PlayStation 2. Newcomer Boku no Natsuyasumi Portable for the PSP was the lone anomaly in the top 10, at No. 8.

Meanwhile, Square-Enix's role-player Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria, which held the top spot in last week's charts, fell three spots to fourth. A new entry on the PlayStation 2, Super Dragon Ball Z, took second.

Three training games on the Nintendo DS made their presence felt. Kahashima Ryuuta Kyouju Kanshuu: Motto Nou o Kitaeru Otona DS Training appeared at No. 3, Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day at No. 4, and Eigo ga Nigate na Otona no DS Training: Eigo Duke at No. 9.

Elsewhere, last week's sixth-best seller--The King of Fighters XI by SNK Playmore--dropped off this week's charts. Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 also made a slight dip, dropping one spot to No. 5, as the real-life World Cup winds down in Germany.

Although they didn't make the top 10, a couple of games for the Xbox 360--which faces an uphill battle to claim a foothold in the Japanese gaming market--did appear on the charts. Sega's Chromehounds, a mech action game not yet released in the United States, appeared at No. 16. Ubisoft's Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter, which earned glowing reviews when it was released two months ago in the US, was the 24th best-selling title.