Youkai Watch

It's been a tough month in the Japanese charts, with few notable winners setting the tills alight. This week continues that trend, though it brings good news for Level-5 and a return to the top for the 3DS systems.

On the software side of things it was a quiet week, with new entries to the charts failing to shift notable numbers — Ace Attorney 123: Wright Selection on 3DS ended up in fourth place with just 26,925 physical retail sales. Yo-kai Watch, however, continues to show impressive legs alongside its TV show; it's been confirmed that a million copies have been shipped, while the Media Create physical retail number now shows over 750,000 sales. The results are below, with lifetime sales in parenthesis.

1. [3DS] Yokai Watch – 34,690 (754,910)
2. [PS3] 3rd Super Robot Wars Z: Jigoku Hen – 31,724 (174,156)
3. [PS4] Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn – 31,326 (New)
4. [3DS] Ace Attorney 123: Wright Selection – 26,925 (New)
5. [3DS] Mario Party: Island Tour – 18,848 (304,835)
6. [PSV] 3rd Super Robot Wars Z: Jigoku Hen – 17,755 (145,991)
7. [3DS] Wagamama Fashion Girls Mode Yokubari Sengen! Tokimeki Up! – 12,315 (New)
8. [PSP] Juusanshi Engi Engetsu Sangokuden 2 – 8,499 (New)
9. [3DS] Meitantei Conan: Phantom Kyoushikyoku – 8,336 (New)
10. [PS3] Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes – 8,018 (198,054)
11. [PS3] Samurai Warriors 4 – 6,553 (212,619)
12. [3DS] Crayon Shin-chan: Arashi o Yobu Kasukabe Eiga Stars – 6,357 (22,766)
13. [3DS] Kirby: Triple Deluxe – 6,218 (553,578)
14. [3DS] Pokemon X and Y – 5,315 (4,034,629)
15. [PS3] J-Stars Victory VS – 4,691 (169,109)
16, [3DS] Monster Hunter 4 – 4,409 (3,260,421)
17. [Wii U] Just Dance Wii U – 4,367 (29,934)
18. [3DS] Kaseki Horider: Mugen Gear – 4,144 (140,178)
19. [3DS] Puzzle & Dragons Z – 4,115 (1,439,301)
20. [PSV] Hatsune Miku Project Diva F 2nd – 4,102 (125,173)

There are no real winners in the hardware results, with disappointing numbers all around. Sony's PS4 was the only major system (aside from PSP and Xbox 360) to show an increase, probably helped by Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. The 3DS sales did fall for both models, but a sharp drop in Vita numbers does mean that the 3DS LL (XL) and standard 3DS, when combined, reclaim top spot. As for the Wii U it has dropped again, resting a little above 5,000 units; last week's sales are in parenthesis.

PlayStation Vita – 17,905 (24,078)
PlayStation 4 – 14,396 (13,034)
3DS LL – 14,023 (17,291)
PlayStation 3 – 6,468 (7,305)
3DS – 5,920 (6,271)
Wii U – 5,204 (5,512)
PSP – 2,094 (2,027)
PlayStation Vita TV – 1,133 (1,220)
Xbox 360 – 240 (229)

Level-5 has one of the only positives this week, showing that brand success and long-term sales are possible with a new IP. Each positive week in Japan boosts the prospects for localisation, meanwhile, which seems particularly likely with trademark filings also confirmed in North America.

[source gematsu.com]