Ladies and gentlemen, you might want to sit down; flagship Xbox 360 RPG Blue Dragon has outsold the recently released Zelda: Twilight Princess - and all other Wii software - in Japan.
The latest Media Create Japanese chart puts the Mistwalker RPG at number four in the top selling titles in Japan for December 4 through 10, which has managed to shift a respectable 80,000 copies in the country giving it the number two all-time 360 sales record behind Dead or Alive 4.
Blue Dragon has received a considerable level of hype in Japan, largely thanks to the fanbase surrounding Dragon Ball Z artist Akira Toriyama who designed the characters in the game, and a special edition Japanese Blue Dragon 360 bundle which some Japanese retailers reported to have sold out of within minutes of opening pre-orders.
Meanwhile Nintendo's latest Zelda has shockingly dwindled all the way to number 17 in Japan, only a week after it was bested by mini-game titles Wii Sports and Wii Play during the Far Eastern console launch. You could speculate that perhaps quantaties of the game - and especially the Wii hardware - have become near-impossible to secure in Japan, but we'll have to wait and see how the numbers perk up in the following weeks.
So could this be a turning point for Microsoft's console in the Far East? We'll let you know how far it is up the top ten next week. Oh, and if you haven't already, make sure you check out our recent review.
Even if it dose slip down the chart next week it’s still a good showing considering the status of the Xbox360 in Japan. I think a big pat on the back for MS here, even if it turns out too be short-lived, it might have a lasting impact.
Those of us who have been gamers since the dawn of Pong, know enough to realise this isn't going to turn the Xbox360 into the best selling console in Japan. It is great news though & definitely a great step in the right direction, the game does look like it deserves the good reviews and sales it is getting & I look forward to the teams future Xbox360 titles.
Zelda sold 140,000 the week before when it launched and since there are only about 300,000 Wii consoles sold so far obviously sales like that won't continue.
So 80,000 for Blue Dragon's first week for a console that's had a year to increase it's install base is bad when you compare it to the Wii which had an install base of ZERO when Zelda launched!
I think the majority that bought the limited edition bundles bought them for the five Blue Dragon figurines and after they've played and finnished the game ,the console will end up in one of the Akihabara stores along side the xbox and shelves of illegal clones .
M$ have stated that they don't need to be a success in the far east to be the no.1 console leader , so get rid of the horse and put everything into growing the markets that do buy the machine.
Zelda sold 140,000 the week before when it launched and since there are only about 300,000 Wii consoles sold so far obviously sales like that won't continue.
So 80,000 for Blue Dragon's first week for a console that's had a year to increase it's install base is bad when you compare it to the Wii which had an install base of ZERO when Zelda launched!
Your clearly missing the point, Blue dragon hasn't been out for a year these figures relate to recent sales since the release of Blue dragon which means consumers are buying the Blue dragon packs which obviously increases the user base OBVIOUSLY duh!
Kudos to the Xbox360 for proving that it can have a hit in Japan even if the console is doing a Gamecube in the Far East.
I remember seeing the UK charts this year, and every time a Gamecube made it into the charts I was cheered up. Seeing an Xbox360 game do the same in Japan brings the same kind of smile to my face.
Zelda sold 140,000 the week before when it launched and since there are only about 300,000 Wii consoles sold so far obviously sales like that won't continue.
So 80,000 for Blue Dragon's first week for a console that's had a year to increase it's install base is bad when you compare it to the Wii which had an install base of ZERO when Zelda launched!
Your clearly missing the point, Blue dragon hasn't been out for a year these figures relate to recent sales since the release of Blue dragon which means consumers are buying the Blue dragon packs which obviously increases the user base OBVIOUSLY duh!
I think he means that the xbox360 had already been on sale for a year so most people who bought Bluedragon already HAD a 360 (yes i know alot have been buying the bundle pack) but compared to the Zelda sales it makes sense as the console and the game were released at the same time. Im sure if the Wii had been out for a few months before zelda came out, alot more copies would have been sold.
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