Adding credence to the ongoing theory that 3rd party games on Nintendo’s Wii perform poorly in the sales department, units of Grasshopper Manufacture’s No More Heroes port on both the PS3 and Xbox 360 have sold admirably in their first week of release. Breaking into the top 10 chart, it is a tad surprising, however, that the PS3 version only leads its 360 counterpart by a mere 1,000 units.
One hypothesis as to why the 360 version has sold so well in a region with poor Xbox penetration is because the 360 version is rated “CERO Z” in Japan, the country’s most adult rating. Comparatively, the PS3 version is rated “D” and has some of the violence toned down. Regardless, the combined console sales of the HD remakes in one week have almost matched the total Wii sales of the same game released back in 2007*.
The Top 30 (below) is heavily populated by Nintendo’s ubiquitous DS handheld. Other observations include Japan’s fascination with baseball, while Fist of the North Star: Warriors has passed the half a million sales mark, a milestone Yakuza 4 has also achieved.
01. [Wii] New Super Mario Bros. Wii – 32,000 / 3,687,000
02. [DS] Tomodachi Collection – 21,000 / 3,111,000
03. [PSP] Pro Baseball Spirits 2010 – 21,000 / 103,000
04. [PS3] Pro Baseball Spirits 2010 – 19,000 / 107,000
05. [PS3] Fist of the North Star: Warriors – 19,000 / 510,000
06. [DS] Pokemon Ranger: Tracks of Light – 16,000 / 396,000
07. [PS3] No More Heroes – 16,000 / NEW
08. [360] No More Heroes – 15,000 / NEW
09. [Wii] Wii Fit Plus – 15,000 / 1,832,000
10. [PS3] Yakuza 4 – 11,000 / 523,000
11. [PSP] Monster Hunter Freedom Unite (PSP the Best Reprint)
12. [DS] Etrian Odyssey III
13. [Wii] Wii Sports Resort
14. [PS2] Pro Baseball Spirits 2010
15. [Wii] Mario Kart Wii
16. [DS] New Super Mario Bros.
17. [PSP] Sokukoku no Kusabi: Hiiro no Kakera 3 Portable
18. [DS] Dragon Quest IX: Hoshizora no Mamoribito (Ultimate Hits)
19. [PS2] Clover no Kuni no Alice
20. [PS3] God of War III
21. [DS] Nicola Kanshuu: Model * Oshare Audition
22. [PSP] Gundam Assault Survive
23. [PSP] Judie no Atelier: Guramnat no Renkinjutsu – Toraware no Morito
24. [DS] The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
25. [DS] Pro Yakyuu Famista DS 2010
26. [DS] Crayon Shin-Chan: Obaka Daininden – Susume! Kasukabe Ninja Tai!
27. [DS] Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver
28. [PSP] God Eater
29. [DS] Dragon Quest VI
30. [PSP] Dead or Alive Paradise
No surprise to see Mario on the top of the pile. Like all plumbers, the mustachioed Italian has a licence to practically print money.
*Total sales figures of No More Heroes on the Wii in Japan is hard to come by. Rough estimates claim 40,000 copies were shifted by February 2008, three months after its initial release. The game went on to sell 100,000 units in North America.
Source: Nintendo Everything