Saling The World: Ratchet & Clank Future Rockets to Top of U.S. PS3 Chart in Debut Week

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 October 25th, 2007, show Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction leading in PS3 software popularity in North America, while Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 dominates multiple platforms in the UK. 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. Wii Play (Nintendo), 2. Carnival Games (Global Star), 3. Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party (Konami), 4. Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure (Capcom), 5. Mario Party 8 (Nintendo). Japan: 1. Ghost Squad (Sega), 2. Gintama: Banji Oku Chuubu (Bandai), 3. Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party (Konami), 4. Takarajima Z: Barbaros no Hihou (Capcom), 5. Dragon Quest Swords: Kamen no Joou to Kagami no Tou (Square Enix). UK: 1. Carnival Funfair Games (2K Games), 2. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Nintendo), 3. Big Brain Academy for Wii (Nintendo), 4. Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis (Rockstar), 5. MySims (EA Games). Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure makes a strong showing in its first few days on store shelves, with Amazon reporting a fourth-place sales finish among competing Wii software in both the United States and in Japan. The title had previously been generating positive buzz among critics prior to its release, and many feared that it would be overlooked by consumers in favor of bigger names. Whether this debut popularity will continue on into future weeks is unknown, however. In Japan, Sega's Ghost Squad debuts to top weekly sales, with Gintama: Banji Oku Chuubu and Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party following close behind. Xbox 360 North America: 1. Halo 3 (Microsoft), 2. The Orange Box (EA Games), 3. Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation (Namco Bandai), 4. BioShock (2K Games), 5. Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation -- Flightstick Bundle (Namco Bandai). Japan: 1. Beautiful Katamari Damacy (Namco), 2. Blade Storm: Hyakunen Sensou (Koei), 3. Halo 3: Limited Edition (Microsoft), 4. Halo 3 (Microsoft), 5. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Spike). UK: 1. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (Konami), 2. Halo 3 (Microsoft), 3. The Orange Box (EA Games), 4. BioShock (2K Games), 5. Project Gotham Racing 4 (Microsoft). After having cross-platform sales headed by the PC version of The Orange Box for the last two weeks, Halo 3 once again emerges as this week's biggest-selling title across all platforms in North America. The soon-to-be-released Call of Duty 4 is currently seeing significant presales at Amazon, though, and future weeks will place multiple first-person shooter titles in close competition on the Xbox 360. Meanwhile, Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 makes an expectedly strong debut in the UK, where it bests Halo 3 as the region's top Xbox 360 title for the week. PlayStation 3 North America: 1. Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (SCEA), 2. The Eye of Judgment -- PlayStation Eye Camera Bundle (SCEA), 3. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Bethesda), 4. Resistance: Fall of Man (SCEA), 5. FIFA Soccer 08 (EA Sports). Japan: 1. Imabikisou (Japan), 2. The Eye of Judgment: Biolith Rebellion (SCEI), 3. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Spike), 4. The Godfather: The Don's Edition (EA Games), 5. Minna no Golf 5 (SCEI). UK: 1. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (Konami), 2. Resistance: Fall of Man (SCEE), 3. FIFA 08 (EA Sports), 4. MotorStorm (SCEE), 5. Formula One Championship Edition (SCEE). Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction takes a decisive sales victory in North America in its debut week. Given its significant sales lead over all PS3 software, accessories, and hardware at Amazon, Tools of Destruction could achieve a first-place finish in future weeks as well. The PlayStation Eye Camera-bundled The Eye of Judgment also debuts as one of the week's biggest PlayStation 3 sellers in the U.S. and Japan, with its popularity leading to supply shortages for its booster packs and theme decks at Amazon. PlayStation 2 North America: 1. Guitar Hero II Bundle (Activision), 2. Madden NFL 08 (EA Sports), 3. MLB Power Pros (2K Games), 4. FIFA Soccer 08 (EA Sports), 5. God of War II (SCEA). Japan: 1. Ar tonelico II: Sekai ni Hibiku Shoujo Tachi no Souzoushi (Banpresto), 2. God of War II (Capcom), 3. Metal Gear 20th Anniversary: Metal Gear Solid Collection (Konami), 4. Kateikyoushi Hitman Reborn!! Let's Ansatsu!? Nerawareta 10 Daime! (Takara Tomy), 5. Sega Ages 2500: Vol. 31 Dennou Senki Virtual On (Sega). UK: 1. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (Konami), 2. Rugby 08 (EA Sports), 3. FIFA 08 (EA Sports), 4. Crash of the Titans (Sierra UK), 5. SingStar Rock Ballads (SCEE). As demand continues to surge for both the standalone and guitar-bundled PlayStation 2 versions of the upcoming Guitar Hero III, Guitar Hero II remains on top in weekly sales. MLB Power Pros also sees a sales boost this week, thanks in large part to an Amazon-sponsored Deal of the Day promotion, which temporarily drops the title's price to $19.99. RPG sequel Ar tonelico II soars to the top of Japan's chart after seeing a successful release earlier this week, meanwhile, and the Japanese version of God of War II makes an excellent showing in its first week as well. PC North America: 1. The Orange Box (EA Games), 2. Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties (Microsoft), 3. Nancy Drew: Legend of Crystal Skull (Her Interactive), 4. The Sims 2: Bon Voyage (EA Games), 5. World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (Blizzard). Japan: 1. Hatsune Miku (Cripton Future Media), 2. Phantasy Star Universe: Illuminus no Yabou (Sega), 3. Lost Online Rebirth -- Isshuunen Kinen Pack (MGame Japan), 4. Clannad (KEY), 5. Little Busters! (KEY). UK: 1. Football Manager 2008 (Sega), 2. The Orange Box (EA Games), 3. The Sims 2 (EA Games), 4. The Witcher (Atari), 5. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (Konami). Though it no longer tops cross-platform sales, The Orange Box still rules Amazon's PC-specific sales chart in North America. The just-released Age of Empires III expansion pack The Asian Dynasties poses a threat to The Orange Box's dominance, though it finishes second in this week's results overall. In the UK, Football Manager 2008 continues to outsell all titles across all platforms, and seems unlikely to be topped by any upcoming release in the near future. Nintendo DS North America: 1. Brain Age 2 (Nintendo), 2. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (Nintendo), 3. Brain Age (Nintendo), 4. New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo), 5. Flash Focus (Nintendo). Japan: 1. Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Fuuketsu no Grimoire (Square Enix), 2. DS Nishimura Kyotaro Suspense Shin Tantei Series: Kyoto Atami Zekkai no Kotou - Satsui no Wana (Tecmo), 3. DS Bungaku Zenshuu (Nintendo), 4. Code Gears: Hangyaku no Lelouch (Bandai), 5. Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann (Konami). UK: 1. Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training (Nintendo), 2. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (Nintendo) 3. More Brain Training from Dr. Kawashima (Nintendo), 4. Cooking Mama (505 Games), 5. 42 All-Time Classics (Nintendo). This week's U.S. Nintendo DS sales results largely mirror last week's, though Flash Focus takes a small tumble to fifth place in its second week of release. Japan, on the other hand, sees a new chart leader in the Final Fantasy Tactics Advance sequel Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Fuuketsu no Grimoire, which appears to be well-received among series fans thus far. PlayStation Portable North America: 1. Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles (Konami), 2. Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions (Square Enix), 3. Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron (LucasArts), 4. Madden NFL 08 (EA Sports), 5. Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (Rockstar). Japan: 1. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (Square Enix), 2. Gundam Battle Chronicle (Bandai), 3. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd (Capcom), 4. Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus (Konami), 5. Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Monsters GX: Tag Force 2 (Konami). UK: 1. FIFA 08 (EA Sports), 2. Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions (Square Enix), 3. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (Rockstar), 4. Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron (LucasArts), 5. Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (Rockstar). Though Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions topped North American PSP sales for two weeks running following its release earlier this month, this week sees a new sales champion in Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles. A compilation of some of the more rarely seen Castlevania titles, Chronicles has remained one of the most highly anticipated PSP releases since it was first announced, and could top the portable's weekly sales chart for some time to come.