In a sea of Japanese DS games, two PS3 titles still shine
by Alan Tsang 
{ Nov 20th 2008 at 1:00PM }
This week on the Japanese weekly sales charts, two PS3 games make a commendable debut. Yakuza 3 Way of the Samurai 3 (thanks, Fiddlesworth!) was sucked in and spat out by the top dog Kirby Super Star Ultra, but it still managed to land in second place, selling 81,047 copies. And who said Japanese gamers don't enjoy first-person shooters? Resistance 2 makes it into the top 5 by the skin of its teeth, selling 33,584 copies. While Grand Theft Auto IV for the PS3 is still selling relatively strong, taking eleventh place, LittleBigPlanet isn't doing quite as well -- Media Molecule's title in currently in twenty second place.
Check out the full chart, after the jump.
Check out the full chart, after the jump.
Software sales for the week of November 10th - November 16th:
- Kirby Super Star Ultra (DS) -- 97,449
- Way of the Samurai 3 (PS3) -- 81,047
- Tongari Boushi to Mahou no 365 Nichi (DS) -- 71,914
- Fushigi no Dungeon Fuurai no Shiren DS 2: Sabaku no Majou (DS) -- 45,327
- Resistance 2 (PS3) -- 33,584
- DS Nishimura Kyoutarou Suspense 2 Shintantei Series: Kanazawa, Hakodate, Gokkan no Kyoukoku - Fukushuu no Kage (DS) -- 33,079
- Ryuusei no Rockman 3: Black Ace (DS) -- 33,067
- Rhythm Tengoku Gold (DS) -- 30,434
- Wagamama Fashion: Girls Mode (DS) -- 29,870
- Pocket Monsters Platinum (DS) -- 26,767
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jerses @ Nov 20th 2008 1:10PM
Maybe japanese people love resistance because instead of US kicking theyre asses...aliens are kicking US asses. no?
DETH-DEFIANCE @ Nov 20th 2008 3:01PM
Or maybe perhaps it's because they are tired discussing what happen 70-80 years ago and many of them those events didn't happen in their live time. Maybe they've moved on, maybe they're what would have been enermies should also move on, shut up and start playing Resistance 2 and beat those aliens back!
nathan-dts @ Nov 21st 2008 1:46PM
Or maybe it's because all WWII shooters suck (you know that this is true... on the inside)
michael @ Nov 20th 2008 4:35PM
Actually WTangoFoxtrot, Other FPS game in Japan do excellently. Japan played Tom Clancy game like Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six. They love Medal of Honor and Call of Duty also. FPS is exotic to Japan just like how JRPGs is exotic to us.
jarhead906 @ Nov 20th 2008 7:23PM
Japanese box art for Resistance 2 is so hardcore... why can't ours be more like that?
kentuckyfried @ Nov 20th 2008 3:26PM
I was thinking the same thing...their box art is better than the U.S. version.
michael @ Nov 20th 2008 4:38PM
I do agree with you. Some of our Exclusive game for the PS3 have better front cover then we do.
Heavenly Sword in Japan had a better front cover. So did Lair (aka Rise from Lair in Japan), and same thing for Haze. But now Resistance 2 is way badass when I see it.
michael @ Nov 20th 2008 4:41PM
Look at Lair (aka Rise from Lair in Japan), Heavenly Sword, and Haze. they all have better front design then we do. I've heard Lair and Heavenly Sword Japanese dubs. That dub is probably so attractive, I think I would love to buy the japanese version just to hear that voice.
Fiddlesworth @ Nov 20th 2008 1:08PM
Yakuza 3 isn't out til spring 2009 and it will sell a lot better than that. :p You mean Way of the Samurai 3.
k2 @ Nov 22nd 2008 1:11AM
Yakuza 3 FTW!!
Sega please bring it here already!
leatherface @ Nov 20th 2008 1:12PM
hell yeah!! Go Resistance 2!! and that's a badass cover too.
Zombie Huggles @ Nov 20th 2008 1:13PM
Do you think that it's because LBP is a new IP or maybe people feel overwhelmed by hype or are there just so many AAA action titles available, few are giving it a chance?
I just felt given LBP's 95 Metacritic Score topping games like Resistance 2, Gears of War 2, Fable 2, and Fallout 3, people might feel there's something to the hype. Not to mention, unlike previously mentioned games, LBP is very kid-friendly.
Jerses @ Nov 20th 2008 1:30PM
Even if its kid-friendly...parents dont buy a 399 console to theyre kids. They buy the less expensive. Also kids love theyre Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii Lol
Sad , but true.
joejoe @ Nov 20th 2008 1:29PM
Oh man, the Japanese always have the coolest covers, even with American games apparently :/
Gambit07 @ Nov 20th 2008 1:46PM
I'm a: DSaphobic: feeling embarrassed to hold, play, look at a DS.
aliss77777 @ Nov 20th 2008 1:55PM
why lbp, why? you were supposed to be a system seller but instead you're turning into a metaphor for failed potential.
1) the recall. this is a US example but think of how Fable 2 smashed lbp's sales numbers by a huge margin. both games were supposed to drop on oct. 21; instead lbp was ambiguously delayed until november but then put back in the end of october.
2) server problems. think of if you are sitting of the fence about buying this game and you wait and see. and all you hear for the first week is "online is broken." you will go buy another game, it's a simple as that.
3) online moderation. let's say you are still sitting on the fence after the server problems have been fixed, and you are like "maybe i'll go buy this game." then the first thing you hear in LBP: week 2 -- is that user-created levels are being decimated. another reason to buy another game.
i still love LBP but it will become a bullet point as to why ps3 takes 3rd place in the current generation of consoles. a very distand 3rd place.
Rodz @ Nov 20th 2008 2:25PM
Agree. And 3rd place is way better than saying LAST place (which, in fact, it is). It's tough being a PS3 owner these days....
Zombie Huggles @ Nov 20th 2008 2:47PM
But sales aren't everything. The Playstation platform is still very successful. And if you have a PS3, you're enjoying great AAA titles like MGS4, Uncharted, Ratchet, Resistance, and Little Big Planet, and original "experimental" titles like PixelJunk Eden, Everyday Shooter, Flow, and LocoRoco, and you still have games like Flower, Killzone 2, and inFamous to look forward to.
We know why LBP was delayed and sure it was a hassle, but it's nothing like buying a 400 dollar 360 then having it konk-out on you or buying a 250 buck Wii and realizing it's a GameCube with motion controls.
Sure PS3 is "third" but it doesn't mean it's not successful. And it's providing its patrons with quality gaming that pushes the boundaries in interaction, storytelling, graphics, and community.
Sometimes quality doesn't win. Titanic is the highest grossing film of all time, but I bet you won't find it on a film scholar's top-10 list.
koehler83 @ Nov 20th 2008 2:41PM
Look on the bright side; bullet point or no, at least YOU get to enjoy it as a PS3 owner. I sure have.
MakaiOokami @ Dec 3rd 2008 3:01AM
I guess maybe people shouldn't have made fun of that Resistance 2 Rap saying "This is why Japanese don't like FPS."
Their marketing strategy seemed to work... The question is... why isn't LBP doing as well? That confounds me especially since I obsess over Japanese entertainment.
modok @ Nov 20th 2008 2:52PM
yeah, R2 box art is great. and LBP underselling? who saw that coming? i guess customization isn't as important as we all thought.
kentuckyfried @ Nov 20th 2008 3:33PM
At heart, LBP is a platformer, pure and simple.
What differentiates it from the other platformers is the ability to make your own levels. That's all great and all, and it works for the most part, but most kids just want to play the game. And any adults who do want to make something cool, don't necessarily have the time to do so or have other priorities like blowing stuff up in Fallout 3, which tends to be more compelling than platforming will a small woven fellow.
I have the game, but all I've done is open it. Haven't played even a minute yet. -_-
kentuckyfried @ Nov 20th 2008 3:35PM
So I'm not surprised in the least bit that it's underselling. That may change over time though, but not betting on that.
Warner Young @ Nov 20th 2008 3:40PM
LBP needs a demo!
A friend of mine was kind of interested in it, but it wasn't until he had a chance to play it on my system that he was convinced and went to buy it. The trailers don't give enough of the *feel* of the game. Only a demo can do that, I think.
JaseH @ Nov 20th 2008 9:29PM
LPB wouldn't have done so badly if Sony chose not to chuck a hissy fit over a bunch of B.S.
Anyways, Im pretty sure it'll pick over word of mouth. Lots of people I know have mentioned it when someone brings up the PS3.
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JaseH.
Mr. Joe @ Nov 21st 2008 3:37PM
i don't know about you folks here, but lbp is not that intriguing. unless you really want to create a platforming level AND have the patience to learn everything to do so THEN create it, you won't get far with this game. some of the user created levels are fantastic, don't get me wrong. but the majority of levels are absolute crap or copy cat levels. the controls are annoying. when four players finally land in the same level it lags horribly. face it, the ps3 is a hardcore system and this game is not hardcore. this is something you let your kids play when you're done with r2 or f3. i have actually put quite a few hours into lbp, but i've noticed i play the same twenty or so levels over and over again. the search function is awful.