The latest Pokémon adventure for the Nintendo DS has topped the Japanese software charts for the week ending the 23rd of March. Pokémon Ranger: Batonnage debuted at number 1 with a whopping 242 000 copies.

This week saw a total of seven new titles debuting in the top ten, ensuring that software sales were boosted from last week’s rather dismal performance. The top ten was mostly dominated by Nintendo with eight of the ten titles being for Nintendo platforms, five for the NDS and three for the Wii. Sony scored the remaining two spots of the top ten with one PS3 title and one PSP title.

The nearest contender to Pokémon was Hudson’s Deca Sporta for the Wii which entered the charts at number 2 with 65 000 copies. From Software’s Armored Core for Answer for the PS3 was also new at number 3 with an impressive 54 000 copies while EA’s SimCity DS 2: From the Past to the Future entered the fray at number 4 with 49 000 copies.

Nintendo’s Wii Fit drops two places to number 5 with 48 000 copies while Super Smash Bros. Brawl tumbles three places to number 7 with 41 000 copies. Namco Bandai’s Tales of Rebirth for the PSP debuts at number 6 with 47 000 copies. Banpresto’s Crayon Shin-chan: Arashi wo Yubo Cinema Land for the Nintendo DS is new at number 8 with 35 000 copies and Nintendo’s DS Beautiful Letter Training plummets from last week’s number 1 to number 9 with 35 000 copies. Konami’s Time Hollow: Seeking the Lost Past for the Nintendo DS is the last new entry in the top ten, selling 34 000 copies to round off the top ten.

New entries and tumbling titles

This week saw eight new entries in the numbers 11 to 30 range. Three Nintendo DS titles debuted, Sega’s Dramatic Dungeon: Sakura Wars at number 11, ArcSystem Works’ Super Dodge Ball at number 17 and Namco Bandai’s Kekkaishi: Kubourou Shuurai at number 25. Sony’s Echochrome for the PSP title scored number 12 and Sega’s The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return for the Wii charted at number 19.

The Xbox 360 version of EA’s Army of Two entered at number 20 while the PS3 version charted at number 22. The Xbox 360 version of From Software’s Armored Core for Answer debuted at number 13 in comparison to the PS3 version which entered at number 3. Treasure’s Bangai-o was a new release for the Nintendo DS that did not make the top thirty, perhaps it will chart in the top fifty.

The seven new entries into the top ten this week mean that several titles tumble out of the top ten. Sega’s Yakuza 3: Kenzan! for the PS3 plummets from last week’s number 2 to number 14 and Nintendo’s Wii Sport’s drops seven places to number 15. Namco Bandai’s Gundam Musou Special falls to number 16 from last week’s number 5 while Nintendo’s Wii Play moves down eight places to number 18.

Harvest Moon: Shining Sun and Friends from Marvelous Entertainment for the NDS drops from last week’s number 9 to number 23 and Konami’s Shugo Chara! Three Eggs and the Joker in Love for the NDS topples twenty-three places to number 29. Last week’s number 7, Paon’s Daito Giken Official Pachislo Simulator for the PS2, drops out of the top thirty altogether.

Hardware predictions

With the number of new releases for the Nintendo DS this week including the new Pokemon title, we can expect the NDS to beat the PSP in terms of hardware sales. However, bear in mind that the NDS already has a huge installed base and that the majority of the software is selling to people who already own the hardware, so the increase in hardware sales could still be minimal.

Looking ahead to this coming week, the new version of Monster Hunter Portable 2 is due to be released on the 27th of March so the race between the two handhelds is far from over. Monster Hunter Portable 2 has sold 1.65 million copies to date since its release last year according to Famitsu.

Check out the hardware chart for the week ending the 16th of March.

Software Chart

Source: Media Create