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Big in Japan Mar. 29-Apr. 4: Etrian Odyssey III

Atlus' turn-based RPG debuts atop software charts, while Konami scores a triple with Pro Baseball Spirits 2010; PS3 leads hardware.

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Into its second week on Media Create's Japanese sales charts, Koei's Fist of the North Star Warriors logged another strong performance, selling 71,629 units on the PlayStation 3. However, that total wasn't enough to retain top billing during the week of March 29-April 4. That seat went to Atlus' turn-based role-playing game Etrian Odyssey III: Caller of the Starry Seas for the DS, which opened to sales of 87,765 units.

The Etrian Odyssey series isn't for the faint of heart.
The Etrian Odyssey series isn't for the faint of heart.

Triples aren't often come by, but Konami performed just such a feat with Pro Baseball Spirits 2010. The PS3 edition of its professional baseball sim led off with 57,136 units sold, followed by the PSP edition's 50,726 units. The PlayStation 2 version cleaned up in 10th with an additional 21,002 units sold. Tecmo's sexually charged minigame compilation Dead or Alive: Paradise for the PSP represented the only other charting debut, landing in the ninth slot with 32,271 units sold.

The week also saw the return of Nintendo's New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Tomodachi Collection, and Pokemon Ranger: Hikari no Kiseki. The three titles were separated on the chart due to the continued success of Sega's Yakuza 4, which sold 33,936 units to take the seventh position.

Though Etrian Odyssey III topped the software chart, it didn't do much to move DS systems. Instead, Sony's PS3 led hardware sales on the week with 38,877 units, a figure followed closely by the PSP's 37,445 unit sales. The Wii posted sales of 30,938 and was followed by the DSi LL (21,583 units), DSi (15,526 units), and DS Lite (4,110 units). The Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, and PSP Go again occupied the remaining three slots on Media Create's hardware sales chart.

JAPAN GAME SALES WEEK OF MARCH 29-APRIL 4, 2010
Software:
Rank / Title / Publisher / Platform / Unit sales
1) Etrian Odyssey III: Caller of the Starry Seas / Atlus / DS / 87,765
2) Fist of the North Star Warriors / Koei / PS3 / 71,629
3) Pro Baseball Spirits 2010 / Konami / PS3 / 57,136
4) Pro Baseball Spirits 2010 / Konami / PSP / 50,726
5) New Super Mario Bros. Wii / Nintendo / Wii / 42,415
6) Tomodachi Collection / Nintendo / DS / 35,551
7) Yakuza 4: Densetsu o Tsugumono / Sega / PS3 / 33,936
8) Pokemon Ranger: Hikari no Kiseki / Nintendo / DS / 33,510
9) Dead or Alive: Paradise / Tecmo / PSP / 32,271
10) Pro Baseball Spirits 2010 / Konami / PS2 / 21,002

Hardware:
PS3 - 38,877
PSP - 37,445
Wii - 30,938
DSi LL - 21,583
DSi - 15,526
DS Lite - 4,110
Xbox 360 - 2,676
PS2 - 1,815
PSP Go - 1,803

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felipebo

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IDK, EO I & II didn't appeal to me, but maybe I'll try them out.

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taxonomic

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Any chance we'll see Etrian Odyssey 3 in the US? Knowing Atlus, they should have said something by now. Maybe I missed it. Also, about the 360 being "Way down there", it just doesn't have the RPGs. Yet. Maybe it never will. I bought a 360 on launch day, but once I saw Disgaea 3 for the PS3, I bought Sony's machine the next day. I think in the coming years, you're going to see the PS3 surge over here when PS2 Atlus/NIS loving nerds like me who were holding out realize that the 360 just isn't getting enough JRPGs. Trinity Universe, Atelier Rorona and Ar Tonelico 3 are all PS3 only. I can't blame Japan for avoiding the 360, knowing that most of the hardcore, classic JRPGs are PS3 exclusive.

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TheArcade

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The 360 is looking pretty depressing way down there...

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fps_d0minat0r

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theres no reason to own a 360 for japanese gamers. its the equivelant of a console released in the US/EUR which hardly has any good shooters on it......not many people will buy it.

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MSG-Deathscythe

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@the last camba: go to bed little child. these games you don't just shoot da gun. understang? too complicated for you. when you like girls already, you realize there are other genres out there.

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goldeneye343

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actually ds sold more 21 583 15 526 4 110 41,219 vs about 39,,000 somthing so ya um it goes like this ds ps3 psp wii 360 ps2 -if youd combine the ds sales liek they should

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SDBusDriver1979

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FOE FOE

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iiIsSueZ

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@TheLastCamba It's called beef...

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elbert_b_23

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one hell of a epic week in jpn, koei needs to being over fist of the northstar to n/a like they did back in the nes and gb days

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xL-phrutz

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wow that's embarassing. psp go selling less than the ps2...

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leeko_link

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Wow Sony is both leading the pack (with PS3 & PSP) and ending the pack (PS2 & PSP go) in the Japanese hardware market. Nintendo and Microsoft's hardwares are stuck in the middle.

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sacatash

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Gamer beware: the Etrian Odyssey series is one of the most hardcore RPG you will ever play on a portable. I was fortunate enough to snag the last 2 games at my local Ebgames last year. . If you guys want a challenge, this series of games are the one to get....and beware of the legendary F.O.E.

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brendanhunt1

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only 12 units psp go and you match the ps2

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kangaox

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@TheLastCamba proves most Xbox'ers are 12??

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all_fired_out

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yay for EO3

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chappy_man

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poor psp go, and really dead or alive paradise.... really

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mariokart64fan

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wiid the ds combined to sell more then psp , and the wii is only 8 thousand behind , at this rate nintendo will still take the crown for sales , cause of us and everywhere else

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monson21502

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wow those girls on the cover of Etrian Odyssey III look like green day

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monson21502

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poor 360.only if it wasnt so loud and didnt have rrod most of its life. it mighta sold better. but maybe natal and a 360 slim can give it life over there?

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wiidsduelpack

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Wii and DS need more software. Sony domination

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novak_mugatu

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Xbox is so unpopular

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deactivated-6016e81e8e30f

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I can't wait for the localization of Etrian Odyssey III to come stateside. I really wanted to get EOII, but that's a hard game to find, let alone finding one at a decent price. This'll give me a chance to get it at release.

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fend_oblivion

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Nice.

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