Saling The World: Yakuza 3 Heads Japanese Charts

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 February 26th, 2009, find Street Fighter IV and Star Ocean: The Last Hope maintaining strong sales in North America, while Ryu ga Gotoku 3 and Chaos;Head Noah lead the multiplatform charts in Japan. Data for "Saling The World" comes courtesy of the real-time 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 Fit (Nintendo), 2. Wii Play (Nintendo), 3. My Fitness Coach (Ubisoft), 4. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo), 5. Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga (LucasArts). Japan: 1. One Piece Unlimited Cruise: Episode 2 - Mezameru Yuusha (Bandai), 2. Wii Fit (Nintendo), 3. Suzumiya Haruhi no Gekidou -- DX Pack (Kadokawa Shoten), 4. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo), 5. Taiko no Tatsujin Wii (Namco). UK: 1. My Fitness Coach (Ubisoft), 2. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo), 3. Wii Fit (Nintendo), 4. The House of the Dead: Overkill (Sega), 5. Wii Play (Nintendo). Though the Wii console itself remains in steady supply at Amazon, last week's new shipment of Wii Fit stock has since completely sold out. The title remains a top seller in North American regardless of the continuing shortage, as Wii Play and My Fitness Coach follow close behind in weekly sales numbers. Namco Bandai's recently released One Piece Unlimited Cruise: Episode 2 - Mezameru Yuusha tops Wii sales in Japan, while Wii Fit leads over a recently discounted Suzumiya Haruhi no Gekidou. Xbox 360 North America: 1. Star Ocean: The Last Hope (Square Enix), 2. Saints Row 2 Collector's Edition (THQ), 3. Street Fighter IV (Capcom), 4. Call of Duty: World at War (Activision), 5. Halo 3 (Microsoft). Japan: 1. Chaos;Head Noah -- Limited Edition (5pb), 2. Chaos;Head Noah (5pb), 3. Halo Wars (Microsoft), 4. Star Ocean: The Last Hope (Square Enix), 5. Samurai Dou 3 (Spike). UK: 1. Street Fighter IV (Capcom), 2. Halo Wars -- Limited Edition (Microsoft), 3. Halo Wars (Microsoft), 4. Left 4 Dead (EA Games), 5. Halo 3 (Microsoft). As anticipation builds for the upcoming March releases of Halo Wars and Resident Evil 5, Square Enix's RPG sequel Star Ocean: The Last Hope tops Xbox 360 sales in North America. Street Fighter IV remains a strong contender as well, outselling longtime chart favorite Call of Duty: World at War in this week's results. In Japan, 5pb's console port of the PC adventure title Chaos;Head arrives as this week's top seller, outpacing the Japanese edition of Halo Wars, which saw an early overseas release. Halo Wars is also beaten in its premiere week in the UK, where Street Fighter IV stays at the top of the charts for the second week running. PlayStation 3 North America: 1. Street Fighter IV (Capcom), 2. LittleBigPlanet (SCEA), 3. Saints Row 2 Collector's Edition (THQ), 4. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (Konami), 5. Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection (Sega). Japan: 1. Ryu ga Gotoku 3 (Sega), 2. Demon's Souls (SCEI), 3. Street Fighter IV (Capcom), 4. Ryu ga Gotoku Kenzan! -- PlayStation 3 The Best (Sega), 5. Grand Theft Auto IV (Capcom). UK: 1. Killzone 2 (SCEE), 2. LittleBigPlanet (SCEE), 3. Street Fighter IV (Capcom), 4. Grand Theft Auto IV (Rockstar), 5. Resistance 2 (SCEE). Street Fighter IV is North America's top PlayStation 3 software seller for the second week in a row, fending off chart competition from LittleBigPlanet, which recently saw a drop in price at Amazon. Metal Gear Solid 4 jumps up a spot in this week's rankings to take fourth place in regional sales, while Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection returns at fifth. Elsewhere, Ryu ga Gotoku 3, aka Yakuza 3 debuts as this week's top software seller across all platforms in Japan. UK sales are headed by Killzone 2, which isn't scheduled to hit U.S. shores until later this week. PlayStation 2 North America: 1. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 (Atlus), 2. Yakuza 2 (Sega), 3. Lego Batman (Warner Bros.), 4. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (LucasArts), 5. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES (Atlus). Japan: 1. The King of Fighters 2002: Unlimited Match (SNK Playmore), 2. Ryu ga Gotoku 2 -- PlayStation 2 the Best (Sega), 3. World Soccer Winning Eleven 2009 (Konami), 4. Ryu ga Gotoku -- PlayStation 2 the Best (Sega), 5. Persona 4 (Atlus). UK: 1. SingStar: ABBA (SCEE), 2. Ben 10: Alien Force (D3 Publisher), 3. FIFA 09 (EA Sports), 4. SingStar '80s (SCEE), 5. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES (Koei). A recent promotional price drop at Amazon places Yakuza 2 at second place in this week's PlayStation 2 sales ranking in North America, while Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 again tops overall sales. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed returns the charts this week as well, while Persona 3: FES reappears at fifth place. The King of Fighters 2002: Unlimited Match heads Japanese PS2 sales in its first week of release, meanwhile, as Ryu ga Gotoku and its sequel climb back into the regional top five thanks to the popularity of Ryu ga Gotoku 3. PC North America: 1. World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King (Blizzard), 2. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II (THQ), 3. F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin (Warner Bros.), 4. Fallout 3 (Bethesda), 5. World of Warcraft Battle Chest (Blizzard). Japan: 1. Shining Wind Fan Festa (Sega), 2. Ragnarok Online Beginners Package 2009 (E Frontier), 3. Monster Hunter Frontier Online Season 4.0 Premium Package (E Frontier), 4. Winning Post World (Koei), 5. Daikoukaijidai Online (Koei). UK: 1. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II (THQ), 2. Football Manager 2009 (Sega), 3. F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin (Warner Bros.), 4. World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King (Blizzard), 5. Grand Theft Auto IV (Rockstar). Last week's best-selling PC title Galactic Civilizations II: Game of the Year Edition disappears from the U.S. top five this week, replaced by World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II makes an impressive showing in its second week of release, meanwhile, taking second in North American sales and claiming first in the UK. Nintendo DS North America: 1. Mario Kart DS (Nintendo), 2. New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo), 3. Phineas and Ferb DS (Disney), 4. Puzzle Quest: Galactrix (D3 Publisher), 5. Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon (Nintendo). Japan: 1. Mario & Luigi RPG 3 (Nintendo), 2. Game Center CX: Arino no Chousenjou 2 -- Special Edition (Namco Bandai), 3. Gensou Suikoden Tierkreis (Konami), 4. Maji de Manabu: LEC de Ukaru - DS Hishou Boki 3-Kyuu (Square Enix), 5. Game Center CX: Arino no Chousenjou 2 (Namco Bandai). UK: 1. Professor Layton and the Curious Village (Nintendo), 2. 100 Classic Book Collection (Nintendo), 3. Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training (Nintendo), 4. Mario Kart DS (Nintendo), 5. More Brain Training (Nintendo). The upcoming Pokemon Platinum and the Nintendo DSi hardware lead DS-related preorder sales at Amazon this week in North America. Mario Kart DS and New Super Mario Bros. lead among all currently available DS titles, as newcomers Phineas and Ferb DS and Puzzle Quest: Galactrix overtake Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon in weekly sales numbers. Mario & Luigi RPG 3 remains at the top of the charts in Japan, despite mounting pressure from the just-released Retro Game Challenge sequel Game Center CX: Arino no Chousenjou 2. Gensou Suikoden Tierkreis takes third in regional results, as Square Enix's educational title Maji de Manabu: LEC de Ukaru - DS Hishou Boki 3-Kyuu finishes fourth. PlayStation Portable North America: 1. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (Square Enix), 2. God of War: Chains of Olympus (SCEA), 3. Daxter (SCEA), 4. Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow (SCEA), 5. Star Ocean: Second Evolution (Square Enix). Japan: 1. Shin Sangoku Musou: Multi Raid (Koei), 2. Kiniro no Corda 2 f (Koei), 3. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G -- PSP the Best (Capcom), 4. Kiniro no Corda 2 f -- Treasure Box (Koei), 5. The Idolmaster SP: Wandering Star (Namco). UK: 1. Football Manager Handheld 2009 (Sega), 2. FIFA 09 (EA Sports), 3. Call of Duty: Roads to Victory (Activision), 4. God of War: Chains of Olympus (SCEE), 5. Ben 10: Alien Force (D3 Publisher). Last week's North American PSP chart winner Prinny: Can I Really Be The Hero? is nowhere to be found in this week's top five, as Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII and God of War: Chains of Olympus step up to take the top two regional sales slots. LocoRoco 2 also disappears from the charts this week, though Square Enix's Star Ocean: Second Evolution sees increased sales in the wake of the recent Xbox 360 release of Star Ocean: The Last Hope.