Japanese game charts dominated by Nintendo

September 23rd, 2005, 19:38 Posted By: wraggster

While the UK game charts are almost entirely ruled by Electronic Arts, it's a very different story over in Japan.

The top 10 all formats chart consists almost entirely of Nintendo hardware, with only the first and fifth positions taken by Sony's PS2 and PSP respectively. The remainder of the chart is for software sales on Nintendo's DS and GBA handhelds. Microsoft's Xbox system, which has struggled to find a customer base in Japan, doesn't feature at all in this week's top 10.

Of the game releases, five out of ten are Nintendo first party games, giving the manufacturer and publisher an overwhelming grip on the software sales in Japan. Bandai, who recently merged with Namco, holds third position in the charts with its Tamagotchi Connection on DS, while Banpresto is in fifth with GBA title Super Robot Wars 3. Capcom is the only other third party publisher, entering at number six with DS game Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney.

Dynasty Warriors developer Koei holds first place in the charts this week with the fifth iteration of its popular feudal war series on PS2. Soccer fans have placed Konami's World Soccer Winning Eleven 9 in fourth place on PSP, and the remainder is split between Nintendo's own GBA and DS titles: Famicom Mini Super Mario Brothers, Dr. Mario and the Puzzle League, DS Training For Adults: Work Your Brain, Mario Tennis Advance and Gentle Brain Exercises.

Nintendo's popularity has increased dramatically following the recent Tokyo Games Show, where the surprise innovation of the company's new Revolution console controller was revealed. The controller, and Nintendo's attempts to continually re-invent and innovate within the industry has led to widespread praise from industry leaders including Sony and Microsoft.

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