Pikmin 3 tops Japanese sales charts

Nintendo's latest sequel to the real-time strategy Pikmin series was well-received in its native country of Japan.

The latest Media Creates sales data for the week of July 8 (via Neogaf and Famitsu) has revealed that Pikmin 3 was at the top of the software sales chart, with 92,720 units sold. This was followed by Level 5's latest 3DS RPG Youkai Watch which sold 53,654 units. Nintendo's pseudo-sequel to New Super Mario Bros. U, New Super Luigi U, was at fifth place with 24,881 units sold.

The Wii U also experienced a big rise in sales, though it did not overtake the top spot on the hardware sales that was held by the 3DS. The Wii U was at 22,199 units while the 3DS was at 43,435 units.

Pikmin 3 puts players in the shoes of three space explorers who have to lead an army of plant-like creatures called Pikmin to help collect fruits and harvest seeds for their dying homeworld. New features include Wii U gamepad and touchscreen controls, and new Pikmin like the Rock Pikmin and Winged Pikmin. The game is slated for release in North America on August 4; Europe and Australia will get the game early on July 26 and July 27, respectively.