Japan Charts: Samurai action tops the chart as first major '04 titles arrive

Genki's samurai action title Fuun Shinsengumi has taken the top spot in the Japanese charts in a week which saw the first major new releases of 2004 arriving at last, with five new titles in the top ten alone.

Fuun Shinsengumi, in which the player assumes the role of a member of the legendary Shinsengumi samurai group which protected the old Imperial capital of Kyoto in the late 1800s, sold some 129,000 units in its first weekend on sale.

Three other new titles also shifted around 100,000 units each, with Nippon Ichi Software's latest game, Phantom Brave, in at number two (their critically acclaimed previous title, Disgaea, is still sadly unpublished in Europe despite a US release), while Capcom's GBA title Upset Trial 3 and Square Enix' RPG re-issue, Star Ocean 3 Director's Cut, are at numbers three and four respectively.

The other new title in the chart is Bandai's Stellvia of the Universe at number nine, a PS2 title based on the massively popular animated TV series from last year.

Older titles still faring well include both of Capcom's Mega Man Battle Network 4 Tournament editions, with the Blue Moon version at number five while the Red Sun version is at number six, and Sony's PS2 duo of Gran Turismo 4 Prologue and Hot Shots Golf 4, at seven and eight respectively.

The sole GameCube title in the top ten is Nintendo's own Mario Kart: Double Dash, which is at number ten this week.

In hardware terms, the GBA has recaptured the top spot after a number of weeks of being overshadowed by the PlayStation 2, with Nintendo's pint-sized handheld managing almost 45 per cent market share this week as compared to the PS2's 43 per cent. The Cube meanwhile continues to sell slowly after a good Christmas period, with only 11 per cent of the market this week.

Data courtesy of Media Create Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
The Copying or Reproduction of this Document is Strictly Forbidden.
Visit Media Create for more information.