DS | Big in Japan Mar. 1-7: Pokemon Ranger: Hikari no Kiseki

Nintendo's creature-capture RPG tops software charts but fails to lift DS above PSP's hardware-leading weekly performance.

Spike's beat-'em-up Kenka Bancho 4: Ichinen Sensou for the PSP debuted atop Media Create's chart for the last week of February. However, the title's hold on the top slot has proven short lived, as a trio of new entrants, along with perennial chart favorite New Super Mario Bros. Wii, crept past Spike's brawler during the first week of March.

Pokemon Ranger captures the week's top slot.

Leading the way was Nintendo's juggernaut gotta-catch-'em-all franchise, as Pokemon Ranger: Hikari no Kiseki for the DS sold 160,532 units during the March 1-7 reporting period. Also a franchise title, Namco Bandai's .hack//Link for the PSP slotted into second in its first week with 60,487 units sold, while Square Enix's budget-priced rerelease of the best-selling Dragon Quest IX for the DS finished third with 40,797 units sold.

Koei's Nobunaga's Ambition: Tendou for the PlayStation 3 represented the final sales chart debut for the week, securing a seventh place finish with 32,964 units sold. The remainder of the week's top 10 had a familiar ring to it, as Tomodachi Collection, God Eater, Wii Fit Plus, and Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition all continued to turn in solid performances.

Pokemon Ranger's strong software start did little for the DS, as the PSP continued its reign atop the hardware chart. The handheld's 64,808-unit performance outdid the Wii's 33,880-unit weekly tally. The PS3's 28,824 units snuck in above Nintendo's DS trifecta. Meanwhile, the Xbox 360 sold 2,764 units, the PlayStation 2 moved 1,839 units, and the PSP Go brought up the rear with only 1,275 systems sold.

JAPAN GAME SALES WEEK OF MARCH 1-7, 2010
Software:
Rank / Title / Publisher / Platform / Unit sales
1) Pokemon Ranger: Hikari no Kiseki / Nintendo / DS / 160,532
2) .hack//Link / Namco Bandai / PSP / 60,487
3) Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies (Ultimate Hits) / DS / Square Enix / 40,797
4) New Super Mario Bros. Wii / Nintendo / Wii / 40,685
5) Kenka Bancho 4: One Year War / Spike / PSP / 36,515
6) Tomodachi Collection / Nintendo / DS / 35,208
7) Nobunaga's Ambition: Tendou / Koei / PS3 / 32,964
8) God Eater / Namco Bandai / PSP / 28,945
9) Wii Fit Plus / Nintendo / Wii / 25,926
10) Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition / Capcom / PS3 / 23,537

Hardware:
PSP - 64,808
Wii - 33,880
PS3 - 28,824
DSi LL - 23,611
DSi - 15,017
DS Lite - 4,316
Xbox 360 - 2,764
PS2 - 1,839
PSP Go - 1,275

Notorious BIG

Source: http://www.gamespot.com/ds/rpg/pokemonrangerhikarinokiseki/news.html?sid=6253514