Big in Japan Jan 30-Feb 5: Resident Evil: Revelations, SoulCalibur V

One could come to a conclusion that a new entry in the SoulCalibur series would garner huge numbers on its debut week in Japan. After all, SoulCalibur IV sold 74,607 copies on the PS3 on its first week in 2008 in the country. However, last week’s numbers on the recent Media Creates sales chart update could be a shock for Namco Bandai and may require the company to reconsider its stance on the franchise.

The soul isn’t burning as brightly as it should be in Japan.

SoulCalibur V for the PS3 debuted at second place with 43,500 units sold, while the Xbox 360 version was at 16th place with 7,679 units sold. Recent reviews praised the 3D fighting game for its visuals and new fighting mechanics, but criticised it for its lack of basic teaching tools and sparse offline modes. For more information on the fifth game, check out GameSpot’s latest coverage.

On the flip side, Namco Bandai’s mecha title, Armored Core V for the PS3, was still hanging within the top five spot. The game sold 30,775 units on its second week. The latest Tales title from the publisher, Tales of Innocence R, dropped from third to 14th place for the week with 8,397 units sold.

Resident Evil: Revelations was the top earner of the week; the survival horror title sold 43,575 units. Other 3DS titles still within the top 10 was Mario Kart 7 at sixth place with 26,791 units sold, Monster Hunter 3G at seventh place with 24,128 units sold, and Super Mario 3D Land at eighth place with 22,817 units sold.

The week of January 30 also saw the debut of a new PS Vita title: the action RPG Ragnarok Odyssey. The game debuted at fourth place with 33,496 units sold. The game is billed as a “hunting action” title in the veins of Capcom’s Monster Hunter, complete with four-player co-op mode via ad hoc. The title is developed by Game Arts, a company renowned for creating the Lunar and Grandia series.

Dating sim PhotoKano by publisher Kadokawa also debuted pretty high on the charts, sitting at third place with 34,095 units sold. The PSP title pits players in a high-school setting as they mingle and romance girls by playing around with the biorhythm-matching game mechanic. Players can take pictures of girls in various poses and backdrops as a reward.

Other surprises included Dragon Age II, the RPG from Bioware that was released last year. The game was distributed by Spike recently and debuted at 10th place in Japan with 19,928 units sold.

The 3DS was still staying strong, with 75,018 units sold possibly due to Capcom’s survival horror title and the system’s main titles still within the top 10 of the charts. The PS3 and PS Vita were just trailing behind, with the former selling 23,293 units and the latter selling 17,141 units for the week.

JAPAN GAME SALES WEEK OF JANUARY 30 – FEBRUARY 5

Software
Rank/Title/Publisher/Platform/Unit sales

1. Resident Evil: Revelations / Capcom / 3DS / 43,575

2. SoulCalibur V / Namco Bandai / PS3 / 34,328

3. PhotoKano / Kadokawa / PSP / 34,095

4. Ragnarok Odyssey / GungHo / PS Vita / 33,496

5. Armored Core V / Namco Bandai / PS3 / 30,775

6. Mario Kart 7 / Nintendo / 3DS / 26,791

7. Monster Hunter 3G / Capcom / 3DS / 24,128

8. Super Mario 3D Land / Nintendo / 3DS / 22,817

9. Gran Turismo 5 XL Edition / Sony / PS3 / 21,416

10. Dragon Age II / Spike / PS3 / 19,928

Hardware

3DS – 75,018

PS3 – 23,293

PS Vita – 17,141

PSP – 15,847

Wii – 8,814

Xbox 360 – 1,382

DSi XL – 1,090

DSi – 669

PS2 – 481