It seems like Nintendo has finally broken Sony's grip over the Japanese video games hardware market. The latest numbers from Media Create tell of how DS sales have recently outsold the PlayStation Portable by a narrow margin. You can check out the hard stats by clicking on the "Read more" link below.

Last week we saw Nintendo lead the pack for the second week in a row as Mario Kart Wii dominated the software charts in Japan. This week tells a very similar story as the wacky go kart racing title racked in an additional 152,000 copies and took the top spot in the Media Create software chart list once again. Read more about the other games on the list in our full article after the jump.

With the release of Capcom's Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G last week, it's no surprise that it became this week's chart topper on the Media Create Japan software sales list. The highly anticipated Monster Hunter title for the PlayStation Portable bumps off last week's number one title, Pokemon Ranger: Batonnage. You can read all about the other games that made it to this week's list by clicking on the "read more" link below.

What better way to start the week than checking out Famitsu's Weekly Most Wanted list? That's right. Nothing beats the excitement, the tension, the anticipation this top rank chart can offer.

Last week, Eternal Sonata (Trusty Bell in Japan) dropped from the list after its much successful release. On other hand, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass already blasted off the shelves with overwhelming sales, yet still hangs on to the 10th spot (two steps down from last week).

Itagaki Street DS, coming in with Halo 3 last week, is nowhere in site. The FPS giant that carries the Xbox name, however, inches forward to 19th place (from being dead last). New entries this week are Last Remnant at 17 and Final Fantasy IV at 18. Looks like Japanese gamers' hearts are torn apart, leaving this couple from Square Enix dwindling.

There have been a couple of switcheroos this week: Monster Hunter 3 took Metal Gear Solid 4's 4th spot, dropping the latter to 5th. Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors switched with Super Robot Taisen: Original Generations, placing them at 6th and 7th places respectively.

Let's quit the chatter - here's the list. Enjoy!

1. Dragon Quest IX (DS, Square Enix)  
2. Final Fantasy XIII (PS3, Square Enix) 
3. Biohazard 5 (PS3, Capcom) 
4. Monster Hunter 3 (PS3, Capcom)
5. Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3, Konami)
6. Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors (Wii, Square Enix)
7. Super Robot Taisen: Original Generations (PS2, Banpresto)
8. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii, Nintendo)
9. Everybody's Golf 5 (PS3, Sony)
10. Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS, Nintendo)
11. Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII (PSP, Square Enix)
    
12. Lost Odyssey (Xbox 360, Microsoft)
13. Devil May Cry 4 (PS3, Capcom) 
14. Final Fantasy Versus XIII (PS3, Square Enix)
    
15. Animal Crossing (Wii Nintendo) 
16. Harvest Moon: It's a Wonderful World (DS, Square Enix)
17. Last Remnant (Xbox 360, Square Enix)
    
18. Final Fantasy IV (DS, Square Enix)
19. Halo 3 (Xbox 360, Microsoft)
20. Gran Turismo 5 (PS3, Sony)

Our fellow gamers over at the land of the rising sun voiced out once again, as Famitsu's Weekly Most Wanted for May 25-31 is here. Last week, Halo 3 was jousted off its spot by Mana-Khemia: Gakuen no Renkinjutsu Shitachi. This time, the 20th place is still being fought after with newcomer TheLast Remnant entering the fray.

For those who haven't been keeping a tab on this upcoming Square Enix title, The Last Remnant is an entry to both PS3 and Xbox 360 which is supposed to be developed with the highest pinnacle of technology. With a dev team that looks like an all-star cast, it's no surprise that this RPG will keep some eyes peeled.

The top contenders are still gaining most votes. Devil May Cry 4 dropped four places to the 15th spot, while others would either take a single step up or trip down one. Looks like we won't be seeing major changes any time soon - unless of course, these much awaited titles get released.

Without further ado, here's the list:

1. Dragon Quest IX (DS, Square Enix)
2. Final Fantasy XIII (PS3, Square Enix)
3. Biohazard 5 (PS3, Capcom)
4. Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3, Konami)
5. Monster Hunter 3 (PS3, Capcom)
6. Super Robot Taisen: Original Generations (PS2, Banpresto)
7. Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors (Wii, Square Enix)
8. Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS, Nintendo)
9. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (PSP, Square Enix)
10. Everybody's Golf 5 (PS3, Sony)
11. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii, Nintendo)
12. Lost Odyssey (Xbox 360, Microsoft)
13. Final Fantasy Versus XIII (PS3, Square Enix)
14. Harvest Moon: It's a Wonderful World (DS, Square Enix)
15. Devil May Cry 4 (PS3, Capcom)
16. Animal Crossing (Wii, Nintendo)
17. Gran Turismo 5 (PS3, Sony)
18. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii, Nintendo)
19. Trusty Bell: Chopin no Yume (Xbox 360, Bandai Namco)
20. Last Remnant (PS3/Xbox 360, Square Enix)

While the Nintendo Wii console is holding its own in current sales, we can't help but imagine what the future holds for Sony's PlayStation 3, at least according to Weekly Famitsu's "Most Wanted List" from April 27 to May 10.

Their latest survey holds at least four PS3 titles in the top post, which includes must-haves like Final Fantasy XIII, Biohazard 5 (aka Resident Evil), and Metal Gear Solid 4. Wii games in the list include Dragon Quest, Super Smash Brothers Brawl, and Super Mario Galaxy.

The Xbox 360 gets a reprieve this time around in the duet of Lost Odyssey and Trusty Bell: Chopin no Yume (aka Eternal Sonata). The latter title is reportedly carrying several high-profile seiyuus (voice actors/actresses) in its cast, including Aya Hirano (Konata Izumi, "Lucky Star"; Haruhi Suzumiya, "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya") and Mitsuaki Madono (Sorata Arisugawa, "X-TV"; Loki, "Valkyrie Profile").

Click on Full Article for the full list!

 

What people have, and what they want are two very different things. And while Nintendo's been dominating last month's NPD software and hardware sales reports, a weekly Famitsu survey indicates that many in the Land of the Rising Sun are looking forward to the PlayStation 3's upcoming crop of messiahs titles. Here's a summary of the survey's top 20 most wanted console software, for the week ending April 26. 

1. Dragon Quest IX (NDS, Square Enix)
2. Final Fantasy XIII (PS3, Square Enix)
3. Resident Evil 5 (PS3, Capcom)
4. Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3, Konami)
5. Monster Hunter 3 (PS3, Capcom)
6. Odin Sphere (PS2, Atlus)
7. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (NDS, Nintendo)
8. Super Robot Wars: Original Generations (PS2, Banpresto)
9. Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors (Wii, Square Enix)
10. Lost Odyssey (Xbox 360, Microsoft)
11. Shining Wind (PS2, Sega)
12. Everybody's Golf 5 (PS3, Sony)
13. Super Smash Brothers Brawl (Wii, Nintendo)
14. Devil May Cry 4 (PS3, Capcom)
15. Animal Crossing (Wii, Nintendo)
16. Final Fantasy Versus XIII (PS3, Square Enix)
17. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (PSP, Square Enix)
18. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii, Nintendo)
19. Gran Turismo 5 (PS3, Sony)
20. Professor Layton and the Mysterious Village (NDS, Level 5)
    

These sentiments appear to mirror those on our side of the globe as well - MGS4 and FF XIII are certainly on our wish list. Just be sure to take into consideration that this survey was taken one month ago - future results may vary.

Up ahead is last week's game sales charts from Japan, courtesy of the Media Create site (and NeoGAF, who did the translations). Topping out the list is the newly released Naruto Shippūden: Narutimate Accel for the PlayStation 2 (PS2).

Second (and new) on the list is Kidou Senshi Gundam SEED Alliance vs. ZAFT Portable, with Yoshi's Island DS taking third place. Another noted newcomer to this the top 10 is Jikkyou Powerful Pro Baseball Portable 2, which holds at eight. There you have it - ninjas, mecha, cute monsters, and baseball appear to be on the minds of many of Japan's consumers...although we shudder at the thought of combining all these traits into one game. Just keep posted in case new numbers pop up.

*The numbers on the left side indicate sales for the week alone - the larger numbers on the right indicate sales since the game's release.

1. [PS2] Naruto Shippūden: Narutimate Accel (Bandai-Namco) - 75,453 / NEW
2. [PSP] Gundam SEED Alliance vs. ZAFT Portable (Bandai-Namco) - 58,751 / NEW
3. [NDS] Yoshi's Island DS (Nintendo) - 47,566 / 629,459
4. [PS2] Pro Baseball Spirits 4 (Konami) - 40,891 / 82,052
5. [PS2] Musou Orochi (Koei) - 36,168 / 515,803
6. [NDS] More English Training (Nintendo) - 34,933 / 84,645
7. [Wii] Wii Sports (Nintendo) - 30,807 / 1,315,931
8. [PSP] Jikkyou Powerful Pro Baseball Portable 2 (Konami) - 29,944 / NEW
9. [PS2] Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix+ (Square-Enix) - 29,638 / 202,850
10. [NDS] Prof. Layton and the Mysterious Village (Level 5) - 27,833 / 392,135

The full top 50 list is available at the Full Article

It's a weird game based on an equally weird cartoon based on an equally weird manga. But that doesn't mean it's the bad kind of weird. It's the good kind of weird. It's absurdly wacky, it's eccentrically funny, and your mom and dad don't like you watching it on Adult Swim. And just right there, you already have a reason for getting this game when it comes out.

Crayon Shin Chan is developed by Banpresto, and here, we already have a demo of how it's going to be played like. It's going to have a collection of mini-games, all of which will test your skills with the Wiimote. Kind of like a Wii-user's first-flight with training wheels on. See the trailer for yourself. You'll be treated to seeing the Wiimote in action, as it was used in some of the game's mini-games like mini-golf, jump-over-the-tires, and balloon bursting!

So live up the quirkiness of Crayon. You know you want to! The inner child in you is calling out...

Famitsu gives us a list of games that will be released in Japan for the Wii this year, as well as in 2007. Among them is Capcom's Resident Evil (a.ka. Biohazard: Umbrella Chronicles) and a host of  other cool releases that are slated from October to winter of 2006, to 2007.

Wing Iceland (Hudson, flight simulation), Rayman Raving Rabbids (Ubisoft), and Kororimba (Hudson, Action/puzzle) are games that will be released approximately from this October to December 2006. Necro Nesia (Spike, Action/Adventure) will come out in November, while Tsuri Master (Hudson) and Bleach: Shiraha Kirameku Rinbukyoku (Sega) are slated for a December release. Super Monkey ball: Banana Lightning (Sega) will come out in the fall of 2006, while Sengoku Musou Wave (Koei), SD Gundam (Bandai Namco), Tamagotchi (Bandai Namco, Crayon Shin Chan: Saikyou Kazoku Kasukabe King Ui (Banpresto, mini plays), and Mahjong (Koei) are expected to come out anytime this year.

Other titles that we are currently also waiting for include Bomberman country (Hudson/Konami, Action/Adventure), Sonic and the Secret of ring (Sega), The Dog Iceland (Action/Adventure), Iyashi Kei, SAN-X All Star Revolution (MTO), GTA pro, Keiba Action (horse-run), New RPG (Koei), and Midori rear NO Tatsujin.

Whew, that leaves us a lot of promising games to look forward to for the Wii, So just keep checking for more updates here at QJ.