Majora Art

13th February was a big day for Nintendo in Western territories, as it released the New Nintendo 3DS and The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D, with Capcom's Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate also arriving in stores. When we spoke to Nintendo UK's James Honeywell he was optimistic about the potential fortunes of these arrivals in the country, and it appears that view has been justified.

Today's chart results bring plenty of good reading for Nintendo UK and its supporters. For starters, the New Nintendo 3DS - released in six variations, two of which were special editions - contributed to an overall hardware sales increase in the UK of 57%. It's in software, however, where the most eye-catching results are to be found.

Majora's Mask 3D had a terrific week, coming 2nd in the all-format charts and topping the single-format results - that's impressive in a week when the much-hyped Evolve landed on both PS4 and Xbox One. The news for Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate is equally - perhaps more - notable, as it secured 4th place in both the all-format and single format results; its launch sales are 95% higher than the equivalent numbers for Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate.

The only downside for the new arrivals, but not necessarily surprising considering it's a remake and up against more anticipated titles, is that Bandai Namco's Ace Combat Assault Horizon Legacy+ failed to make an appearance in the top 40.

Other titles such as Super Smash Bros. and Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire retain similar positions as in recent weeks (24th and 37th respectively, the latter being Omega Ruby).

Overall that's been an impressive launch for the New 3DS and its major accompanying releases in the UK. We perhaps expected demand to be high for Majora's Mask 3D, but it'll be Capcom that'll take the most heart from the results - perhaps Monster Hunter's growth in the West is finally picking up.

[source chart-track.co.uk]