Monster Hunter 4- Ultimate 2

It seems Capcom's latest entry in the Monster Hunter series has proved its worth even further in Japan by outselling Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS not only this week, but in lifetime physical sales. Smash Bros. has still done well, placing it behind Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate but in front of everything else.

Unfortunately Mario Kart 8 is the only Wii U title in the top 20 this week, and things are beginning to look grim for Nintendo's home console, at least in Japan.

As you can see this has been a very fruitful week for the 3DS, and the New 3DS and New 3DS LL (XL in the West) may have something to do with that.

Check the numbers for yourself below, lifetime sales are in brackets.

1. [3DS] Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate – 327,212 (1,773,501)
2. [3DS] Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS – 53,075 (1,610,904)
3. [3DS] Yokai Watch 2: Ganso / Honke – 42,778 (2,755,687)
4. [PSV] Chaos Rings III: Prequel Trilogy – 12,436 (New)
5. [PS3] Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix – 11,215 (117,309)
6. [PS3] FIFA 15 – 4,462 (20,612)
7. [PSV] Amnesia Later X Crowd V Edition – 3,668 (New)
8. [Wii U] Mario Kart 8 – 3,625 (690,387)
9. [PSV] The Legend of Heroes: Sen no Kiseki II – 3,309 (106,214)
10. [3DS] Dragon Quest X Online – 3,303 (108,599)
11. [PSV] Danganronpa: Another Episode – 3,283 (96,396)
12. [PS4] FIFA 15 – 3,038 (19,757)
13. [3DS] Nazotoki Battle Tore! Densetsu no Makyuu o Fukkatsu Saseyo! – 2,936 (15,782)
14. [3DS] Yokai Watch – 2,934 (1,287,733)
15. [PS3] Destiny – 2,858 (94,324)
16. [3DS] Animal Crossing: New Leaf – 2,666 (3,797,831)
17. [PS3] The Legend of Heroes: Sen no Kiseki II – 2,631 (82,104)
18. [3DS] Yoshi’s New Island – 2,598 (197,108)
19. [PSV] Toukiden Kiwami – 2,158 (143,048)
20. [3DS] Pokemon X / Y – 2,118 (4,153,186)

Hardware sales only bolster Nintendo's dominance , with the New 3DS and New 3DS LL selling nearly 90,000 units between them. The original 3DS LL also managed to sell a good number of units, but clearly the focus this week is on the new consoles.

Unfortunately the same can't be said for the Wii U. This week's sales have fallen even lower and show no signs of picking up. We could say that the New 3DS lines have been taking people's focus away from the Wii U temporarily, but that may be just hiding from the fact that the system is falling behind in sales. Let's hope that Nintendo can pull something out of the bag soon, with Super Smash Bros. for Wii U likely to be vital in the Holiday season.

See the figures below for more detail, last week's sales are in brackets.

1. New 3DS LL – 60,348 (164,756)
2. New 3DS – 29,341 (70,050)
3. 3DS LL – 16,771 (19,727)
4. PlayStation Vita – 8,761 (8,561)
5. PlayStation 4 – 8,046 (11,697)
6. 3DS – 6,778 (7,340)
7. Wii U – 5,293 (6,309)
8. PlayStation 3 – 4,779 (4,954)
9. Xbox One – 728 (809)
10. PlayStation Vita TV – 630 (737)
11. PSP – 100 (67)
12. Xbox 360 – 88 (97)

What do you think Nintendo needs to do to rekindle the interest in the Wii U in its home country? Let your thoughts be known in the comments section below!

[source gematsu.com]