Gamers all know that Black Ops, Halo: Reach and a whole slew of Wii games were at the top of the best selling games in the United States, but how many gamers know which titles topped the best selling list in Japan? In the nick of time, Game Rant has swooped in to reveal the top 30 best selling games in Japan, complete with some exclusives, some cross platform/cross continent titles and of course, Pokémon.
As the news suggested earlier this year, Pokémon Black and White were the top selling games in Japan in 2010. Breaking a number of records, sometimes by astronomical percentages, Black and White hope to reinvent the formula by introducing completely new Pokémon to the masses.
Some other expected games that broke the top ten include two titles from the Dragon Quest franchise, Final Fantasy XIII, and a handful of Wii exclusives. It’s great to see that, even in Japan, the Wii can be counted on to deliver some top selling games. In similar fashion to the U.S., New Super Mario Bros. was the top selling Wii game followed by the newly introduced Wii Party title.
For a major game release that some considered to be a failure in North America, it’s a little surprising to see Final Fantasy XIII so high on the list. Though there were sure to be a great number of early adopters, especially considering Final Fantasy’s status in Japan, seeing the title at number three proves just how much fans love the series despite this entry's problems.
One interesting item that ended up taking the number 4 spot was Tomodachi Collection; a riff on The Sims game mechanics that uses a player’s Mii instead of a Sim. Tomodachi is a perfect example of the types of games released in Japan that can have mass market appeal and be immensely popular, but if they were to release over here they would most likely flop. It’s the inclusion of games like Tomodachi that show just what makes our two gaming markets so different.
Curious to see what else made the list? Check out 1-30 below:
01. Pokémon Black / White 4,494,106
(4,494,106) DS Nintendo
02. New Super Mario Bros. Wii 4,043,637
(4,043,637) Wii Nintendo
03. Final Fantasy XIII 1,903,186
(1,903,186) PS3 Square Enix
04. Tomodachi Collection 1,708,575
(3,456,091) DS Nintendo
05. Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation 1,339,352
(1,339,352) DS Square Enix
06. Wii Party 1,232,562
(1,232,562) Wii Nintendo
07. Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 1,222,496
(1,222,496) DS Square Enix
08. Wii Fit Plus 1,132,500
(2,125,139) Wii Nintendo
09. Super Mario Galaxy 2 882,880
(882,880) Wii Nintendo
10. Inazuma Eleven 3: Challenge the World! Spark / Bomber 867,600
(867,600) DS Level 5
11. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker 810,089
(810,089) PSP Konami
12. Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep 737,348
(767,348) PSP Square Enix
13. Pokémon HeartGold / SoulSilver 718,148
(3,808,535) DS Nintendo
14. The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks 668,725
(668,725) DS Nintendo
15. God Eater 634,244
(634,244) PSP Namco Bandai
16. Super Mario All-Stars 25th Anniversary Edition 613,415
(613,415) Wii Nintendo
17. Wii Sports Resort 593,212
(1,989,124) Wii Nintendo
18. Phantasy Star Portable 2 589,837
(589,837) PSP Konami
19. Yakuza 4 574,951
(574,951) PS3 Sega
20. Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage 548,032
(548,032) PS3 Tecmo Koei
21. Mario Kart Wii 527,257
(2,987,118) Wii Nintendo
22. Inazuma Eleven 2: The Threat of the Invaders Fire/Blizzard 510,208
(1,173,723) DS Level 5
23. Pokémon Ranger: Guardian of Light 487,619
(487,619) DS Nintendo
24. Monster Hunter Diary 483,736
(483,736) PSP Capcom
25. Monster Hunter Freedom Unite (PSP the Best) 480,319
(480,319) PSP Capcom
26. New Super Mario Bros. 435,424
(6,023,845) DS Nintendo
27. Gran Turismo 5 430,707
(430,707) PS3 Sony
28. Mobile Suit Gundam: Gundam vs. Gundam Next Plus 407,177
(407,177) PSP Namco Bandai
29. God Eater Burst 388,065
(388,065) PSP Namco Bandai
30. Sengoku Basara 3 385,302
(385,302) PS3 Capcom
2010 was a great year for games both in Japan and in the United States. Many sales records were broken and we entered a new age of motion control with Microsoft and Sony entering the arena with the Kinect and Move peripherals, respectively. If anything can be said about 2011, it’s that there are some big shoes to fill.
What do you think of Japan’s top selling games of 2010? Are there any surprises? Any games you would be interested in checking out seeing as how they were so popular in Japan?
Source: Nintendo Everything