Saling The World: Eye of the Hurricane

Gamasutra's weekly column, "Saling The World", covers the top five sellers for every available platform in the United States, Japan, and Europe, providing an important update of sales patterns worldwide. This week's charts, with data taken from December 28th, 2006, include big sales for a restocked Twilight Princess and a number of surprise hits for Japan. Data for "Saling The World" comes courtesy of the public sales information on Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, and Amazon.co.jp, with sales split out for each platform and territory, and pre-orders disregarded. This results in a true sense of what games are selling worldwide on the real-time updated service, as follows: Nintendo Wii North America: 1. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Nintendo), 2. Rayman Raving Rabbids (Ubisoft), 3. Red Steel (Ubisoft), 4. Madden NFL 07 (EA Sports), 5. Trauma Center: Second Opinion (Atlus). Japan: 1. Wii Sports (Nintendo), 2. Hajimete no Wii (Nintendo), 3. Zelda no Densetsu: Tasogare no Himegimi (Nintendo), 4. Odoru Made in Wario (Nintendo), 5. Pokémon Battle Revolution (Nintendo). UK: 1. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Nintendo), 2. Red Steel (Ubisoft), 3. Rayman Raving Rabbids (Ubisoft), 4. Call of Duty 3 (Activision), 5. Need for Speed Carbon (EA Games). After facing a number of shortages since the Wii's launch, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess seems to be available in greater supply in all regions this week. Amazon's U.S. site was offering the once hard-to-find title at a discounted price of $39.99 earlier in the week, and secondary market prices in Europe and Japan have dropped below MSRP. First-party Wii accessories remain in scarce supply in all regions, however. Xbox 360 North America: 1. Gears of War (Microsoft), 2. Call of Duty 3 (Activision), 3. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas (Ubisoft), 4. Madden NFL 07 (EA Sports), 5. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2K Games). Japan: 1. Lost Planet: Extreme Condition (Capcom), 2. Blue Dragon (Microsoft), 3. Oneechanbara vorteX (D3 Publisher), 4. Chikyuu Boueigun 3 (D3 Publisher), 5. Bullet Witch (AQ Interactive). UK: 1. Gears of War (Microsoft), 2. Table Tennis (Rockstar), 3. Call of Duty 3 (Activision), 4. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 (EA Sports), 5. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2K Games). The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion returns to the charts in the United States and Europe this week after an absence of several months. This can likely be attributed to the holiday season's resulting influx of new Xbox 360 owners in both regions, many of whom are currently in search of acclaimed titles released in the past year. A recent discount in price in the UK doesn't hurt, either. PlayStation 3 North America: 1. Resistance: Fall of Man (SCEA), 2. Need for Speed Carbon (EA Games), 3. Call of Duty 3 (Activision), 4. Madden NFL 07 (EA Sports), 5. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (Activision). Japan: 1. Ridge Racer 7 (Namco), 2. Formula One Championship Edition (SCEI), 3. Resistance: Jinrui Botsuraku no Hi (SCEI), 4. MotorStorm (SCEI), 5. Armored Core 4 (From Software). Armored Core 4 sees a steep drop in sales after a strong debut last week, possibly thanks to a recent announcement of an enhanced Xbox 360 port to be released in March. PlayStation 3 consoles remain a difficult find in Japan, and given the Xbox 360's recent rise in popularity and strong software lineup, Japanese gamers could see the upcoming port as a more worthwhile purchase. PlayStation 2 North America: 1. Guitar Hero II (RedOctane), 2. Madden NFL 07 (EA Sports), 3. Final Fantasy XII (Square Enix), 4. Guitar Hero (RedOctane), 5. Karaoke Revolution Party (Konami). Japan: 1. Yoake Yori Ruriiro na: Brighter than Dawning Blue (ARIA), 2. Utawarerumono (Aqua Plus), 3. Seiken Densetsu 4 (Square Enix), 4. Ryu ga Gotoku 2 (Sega), 5. Okami (Capcom). UK: 1. Canis Canem Edit (Rockstar), 2. SingStar Popworld (SCEE), 3. FIFA 07 (EA Sports), 4. SingStar Legends (SCEE), 5. Cricket 07 (EA Sports). Karaoke experiences a surge in popularity this week, with the year-old Karaoke Revolution Party taking fifth place in PS2 software sales in the United States, while two entries in Sony's SingStar series make an appearance on the UK's chart. Guitar Hero and Guitar Hero II also remain a popular choice in the United States, with demand still exceeding supply for both titles in the days after Christmas. PC North America: 1. The Sims 2: Pets (EA Games), 2. The Sims 2 (EA Games), 3. The Sims 2 Holiday Edition (EA Games), 4. Age of Empires III (Microsoft), 5. World of Warcraft (Blizzard). Japan: 1. Football Manager 2007 (Sega), 2. Heart no Kuni no Alice ~Wonderful Wonder World~ (QuinRose), 3. Battlefield 2142 (EA Games), 4. Sim City 4 Deluxe (EA Games), 5. Sukatto Golf Pangya (Frontier Groove). UK: 1. Battlefield 2142 (EA Games), 2. Medieval II: Total War (Sega), 3. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2K Games), 4. The Sims 2: Pets (EA Games), 5. Microsoft Flight Simulator X (Microsoft). New releases Football Manager 2007 and Heart no Kuni no Alice ~Wonderful Wonder World~ continue to climb Japan's bestseller chart, eclipsing the sales of previous leaders such as Ys Origin and Civilization IV: Warlords. Elsewhere, The Sims 2 and its expansions sell well in the week after Christmas, and should continue to do so into 2007. Nintendo DS North America: 1. Brain Age (Nintendo), 2. Kirby Squeak Squad (Nintendo), 3. Big Brain Academy (Nintendo), 4. New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo), 5. Final Fantasy III (Square Enix). Japan: 1. Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker (Square Enix), 2. Hiite Utaeru DS Guitar M-06 (Plato), 3. Nippon Joushikiryoku Kenteikau Kanshuu: Imasara Jin ni wa Kikienai - Otona no Joushikiryoku Training DS (Nintendo), 4. Zaidan Houjin Nippon Kanji Nouryoku Kentei Kyoukai Koushiki Soft: 200 Mannin no KanKen: Tokoton Kanji Nou (IE Institute), 5. Heisei Kyouiku Iinkai DS (Namco). UK: 1. Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training (Nintendo), 2. 42 All-Time Classics (Nintendo), 3. New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo), 4. Nintendogs: Chihuahua & Friends (Nintendo), 5. Big Brain Academy (Nintendo). While Japanese gamers are still reeling over the recent announcement that the upcoming Dragon Quest IX will appear on the Nintendo DS as an action-RPG, Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker debuted as the single biggest-selling title among all software currently available in Japan. Also making a return to the Japanese DS chart after a brief absence are the popular brain training titles Nippon Joushikiryoku Kenteikau Kanshuu: Imasara Jin ni wa Kikienai - Otona no Joushikiryoku Training DS and Zaidan Houjin Nippon Kanji Nouryoku Kentei Kyoukai Koushiki Soft: 200 Mannin no KanKen: Tokoton Kanji Nou. PlayStation Portable North America: 1. Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops (Konami), 2. Namco Museum Battle Collection (Namco), 3. Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (Rockstar), 4. Madden NFL 07 (EA Sports), 5. Star Wars Battlefront II (LucasArts). Japan: 1. Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops (Konami), 2. Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology (Namco), 3. Maplus: Portable Navi (Edia), 4. Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception (Namco), 5. World Soccer Winning Eleven 10: Ubiquitous Evolution (Konami). UK: 1. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (Rockstar), 2. FIFA 07 (EA Sports), 3. Medal of Honor: Heroes (EA Games), 4. LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (LucasArts), 5. Pro Evolution Soccer 6 (Konami). Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops dominates PSP software sales in the U.S. and Japan by a wide margin this week. Sales for Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, meanwhile, continue to slip in the United States, though the title remains at the top spot in Europe. Game Boy Advance North America: 1. Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 (Nintendo), 2. Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team (Nintendo), 3. Super Mario Advance (Nintendo), 4. Pokémon FireRed Version (Nintendo), 5. Cars (THQ). Japan: 1. Final Fantasy VI Advance (Square Enix), 2. Pocket Monsters Emerald (Nintendo), 3. Rhythm Tengoku (Nintendo), 4. Pocket Monsters FireRed (Nintendo), 5. Final Fantasy V Advance (Square Enix). UK: 1. LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (LucasArts), 2. Donkey Kong Country 3 (Nintendo), 3. The Sims 2: Pets (EA Games), 4. Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team (Nintendo), 5. Pokémon Emerald (Nintendo). Pokémon, Mario, and Final Fantasy are the big names that continue to drive GBA sales, though with few upcoming titles on the horizon for any region, many developers have already shifted their efforts toward the Nintendo DS. More games could be announced in the coming months, though aside from an English version of Final Fantasy VI Advance and several upcoming licensed titles in Europe, little life remains for the Game Boy Advance. Xbox North America: 1. Halo 2 (Microsoft), 2. Madden NFL 07 (EA Sports), 3. LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (LucasArts), 4. Halo (Microsoft), 5. Thrillville (LucasArts). Japan: 1. Halo 2 (Microsoft), 2. Halo (Microsoft), 3. Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball (Tecmo), 4. Dead or Alive Ultimate (Tecmo), 5. Sonic Riders (Sega). UK: 1. Halo 2 (Microsoft), 2. Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy (Rockstar), 3. FIFA 07 (EA Sports), 4. Fable: The Lost Chapters (Microsoft), 5. LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (LucasArts). Like the Game Boy Advance and the GameCube before it, gamers are turning their attention toward older Xbox software in the console's twilight days. Halo 2 reigns at the top of the charts in all three regions this week, with Madden NFL 07 trailing close behind in the United States and a recently discounted Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy seeing increased sales in Europe.