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Saling The World: Blue (Dragon) Christmas
by Danny Cowan
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December 8, 2006
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Gamasutra's weekly column, "Saling The World", covers the top five sellers for every available platform in the United States, Japan, and Europe, providing an important update of sales patterns worldwide.
This week's charts, with data taken from December 7th, 2006, feature a major Xbox 360 release for Japan and a little-known golf series taking multiple platforms by storm. Data for "Saling The World" comes courtesy of the public sales information on Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, and Amazon.co.jp, with sales split out for each platform and territory, and pre-orders disregarded.
This results in a true sense of what games are selling worldwide on the real-time updated service, as follows:
Nintendo Wii
North America: 1. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Nintendo), 2. Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz (Sega), 3. Madden NFL 07 (EA Sports), 4. Red Steel (Ubisoft), 5. Trauma Center: Second Opinion (Atlus).
Japan: 1. Zelda no Densetsu: Tasogare no Himegimi (Nintendo), 2. Odoru Made in Wario (Nintendo), 3. Swing Golf Pangya (Tecmo), 4. SD Gundam: Scad Hammers (Bandai), 5. Caduceus Z: 2-tsu no Chou Shittou (Atlus).
UK: 1. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Nintendo), 2. Red Steel (Ubisoft), 3. Rayman Raving Rabbids (Ubisoft), 4. Need for Speed Carbon (EA Games), 5. Call of Duty 3 (Activision).
To no surprise, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess dominates Wii software sales in all regions, with no other single title yet approaching its overall sales numbers. A number of titles also show strong sales in multiple regions, with Red Steel and Trauma Center: Second Opinion in particular showing up on more than one chart this week.
Xbox 360
North America: 1. Gears of War (Microsoft), 2. Call of Duty 3 (Activision), 3. Madden NFL 07 (EA Sports), 4. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas (Ubisoft), 5. Tony Hawk's Project 8 (Activision).
Japan: 1. Blue Dragon (Microsoft), 2. Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 (Tecmo), 3. Final Fantasy XI All-in-One Pack 2006 (Square Enix), 4. Culdcept Saga (Bandai), 5. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (Ubisoft).
UK: 1. Gears of War (Microsoft), 2. Call of Duty 3 (Activision), 3. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas (Ubisoft), 4. FIFA 07 (EA Sports), 5. Need for Speed Carbon (EA Games).
Blue Dragon proves to be the latest in a series of hits for the Xbox 360 in Japan, outselling all competing titles in its first week of release. Elsewhere, consumers turn to a number of popular franchises for the holiday season, with Gears of War, Call of Duty 3, and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas generating high demand in the United States and Europe.
PlayStation 3
North America: 1. Madden NFL 07 (EA Sports), 2. Resistance: Fall of Man (SCEA), 3. Call of Duty 3 (Activision), 4. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (Activision), 5. Need for Speed Carbon (EA Games).
Japan: 1. Ridge Racer 7 (Namco), 2. Kidou Senshi Gundam: Target in Sight (Bandai), 3. Resistance: Jinrui Botsuraku no Hi (SCEI), 4. Mahjong Fight Club: Zenkoku Taisenban (Konami), 5. Genji: Kamui Souran (SCEI).
This week's PS3 charts greatly resemble last week's for the most part, though it's worth noting that the critically panned Kidou Senshi Gundam: Target in Sight is performing much better in Japan than it is in the United States. Resistance: Fall of Man, on the other hand, appears to be selling well in both regions, and will likely continue to do so throughout December.
PlayStation 2
North America: 1. Madden NFL 07 (EA Sports), 2. Final Fantasy XII (Square Enix), 3. LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (LucasArts), 4. Guitar Hero II (RedOctane), 5. WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2007 (THQ).
Japan: 1. Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny: Rengou vs. Z.A.F.T. II Plus (Bandai), 2. Ryu ga Gotoku 2 (Sega), 3. Ryu ga Gotoku (Sega), 4. Momotaro Densetsu 16 (Hudson), 5. Yoake Yori Ruriiro na: Brighter than Dawning Blue (ARIA).
UK: 1. FIFA 07 (EA Sports), 2. Need for Speed Carbon (EA Games), 3. Pro Evolution Soccer 6 (Konami), 4. Call of Duty 3 (Activision), 5. LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (LucasArts).
While this week's Japanese PS2 sales chart is mostly composed of very recent releases, the lists for the U.S. and the UK provide another look at what some of 2006's most popular holiday gifts will likely be. The continued popularity of Madden and FIFA ensures that both titles will remain top sellers throughout the rest of 2006, and even older releases like LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy experience a boost in sales as parents shop for titles that feature kid-friendly gameplay.
PC
North America: 1. The Sims 2: Pets (EA Games), 2. Microsoft Flight Simulator X (Microsoft), 3. Medieval II: Total War (Sega), 4. The Sims 2 (EA Games), 5. Crazy Machines: The Wacky Contraptions Game (Viva Media).
Japan: 1. Sukatto Golf Pangya (Frontier Groove), 2. Ys Origin (Nihon Falcom), 3. Battlefield 2142 (EA Games), 4. Ragnarok Online Anniversary Package (Gungho Online Entertainment), 5. Microsoft Flight Simulator X (Microsoft).
UK: 1. The Sims 2: Pets (EA Games), 2. Medieval II: Total War (Sega), 3. Battlefield 2142 (EA Games), 4. The Sims 2 (EA Games), 5. Football Manager 2007 (Sega).
The new and somewhat surprising top seller among Japanese PC software this week is Sukatto Golf Pangya, an online multiplayer golf title. Of note is that a retooled version (entitled Swing Golf Pangya) was recently released for the Nintendo Wii in Japan, and currently ranks as one of the top five best selling games among the platform's available launch titles.
Nintendo DS
North America: 1. New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo), 2. Yoshi's Island DS (Nintendo), 3. Nintendogs: Dalmatian & Friends (Nintendo), 4. Big Brain Academy (Nintendo), 5. Pokémon Ranger (Nintendo).
Japan: 1. Pocket Monsters Diamond (Nintendo), 2. Kenkou Ouen Recipe 1000: DS Kondate Zenshuu (Nintendo), 3. Pocket Monsters Pearl (Nintendo), 4. Nippon Joushikiryoku Kenteikau Kanshuu: Imasara Jin ni wa Kikienai - Otona no Joushikiryoku Training DS (Nintendo), 5. New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo).
UK: 1. Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training (Nintendo), 2. Animal Crossing: Wild World (Nintendo), 3. New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo), 4. Big Brain Academy (Nintendo), 5. Bratz: Forever Diamondz (THQ).
Brain Age and Big Brain Academy experience a surge in sales in both the U.S. and the UK this week, thanks largely to both games' broad appeal and status as popular gifts for a number of age groups. Other accessible titles like New Super Mario Bros. and Animal Crossing: Wild World also see increased sales, as does the Nintendogs series.
PlayStation Portable
North America: 1. Madden NFL 07 (EA Sports), 2. Daxter (SCEA), 3. Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops (Konami), 4. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (Rockstar), 5. Medal of Honor: Heroes (EA Games).
Japan: 1. Ridge Racers 2 (Namco), 2. Jeanne D'Arc (SCEI), 3. Planetarium Curator Ohira Takayuki Kanshuu: Home Star Portable (Sega), 4. SD Gundam G Generation Portable (Bandai), 5. La Corda d'Oro (Koei).
UK: 1. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (Rockstar), 2. FIFA 07 (EA Sports), 3. Pro Evolution Soccer 6 (Konami), 4. Need for Speed Carbon: Own the City (EA Games), 5. LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (LucasArts).
Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops enters the U.S. PSP bestseller list at #3 in its first week of release, leaving longtime chart-topper Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories in its wake. The title also ranks high in preorder numbers in Japan, where it's expected to meet similar success following its release there later this month.
Game Boy Advance
North America: 1. Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team (Nintendo), 2. Pokémon Emerald Version (Nintendo), 3. Cars (THQ), 4. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (Buena Vista), 5. Final Fantasy V Advance (Nintendo).
Japan: 1. Final Fantasy VI Advance (Square Enix), 2. Final Fantasy V Advance (Square Enix), 3. Pocket Monsters Emerald (Nintendo), 4. Rhythm Tengoku (Nintendo), 5. Pocket Monsters FireRed (Nintendo).
UK: 1. LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (LucasArts), 2. Happy Feet (Midway), 3. Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team (Nintendo), 4. Pokémon Emerald Version (Nintendo), 5. FIFA 07 (EA Sports).
Though the GBA has nearly exhausted its supply of new releases until the end of the year in all regions, sales for Pokémon and Final Fantasy titles continue to drive sales for the handheld. The GBA's library of popular licensed titles is bound to prove to be an asset throughout the holidays as well.
Xbox
North America: 1. Madden NFL 07 (EA Sports), 2. Halo 2 (Microsoft), 3. LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (LucasArts), 4. Eragon (Vivendi), 5. Thrillville (LucasArts).
Japan: 1. Halo (Microsoft), 2. Halo 2 (Microsoft), 3. Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball (Tecmo), 4. Forza Motorsport (Microsoft), 5. Phantom Dust (Microsoft).
UK: 1. LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (LucasArts), 2. FIFA 07 (EA Sports), 3. Need for Speed Carbon (EA Games), 4. LEGO Star Wars (Eidos), 5. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 (EA Sports).
Recent releases like Eragon and Thrillville are among the best selling Xbox titles in the United States this week, while the UK turns its eye toward games that have sold well throughout 2006. The LEGO Star Wars series remains popular in both regions, however, as does Electronic Arts' sports lineup.
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