Gamasutra's weekly column, "Saling The World", covers the top five sellers for every available platform in the United States, Japan, and Europe, providing an important update of sales patterns worldwide.
This week's charts, with data taken from December 11th, 2008, find
Wii Music topping Nintendo Wii sales in North America as
Wii Fit and
Mario Kart Wii experience supply shortages.
Gears of War 2 rises up to take the top Xbox 360 sales spot, while
LittleBigPlanet remains high in demand on the PS3.
Data for "Saling The World" comes courtesy of the public sales information on Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, and Amazon.co.jp, with sales split out for each platform and territory, and pre-orders disregarded. This results in a true sense of what games are selling worldwide on the real-time updated service, as follows:
Nintendo Wii
North America: 1. Wii Music (Nintendo), 2. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo), 3. Wii Fit (Nintendo), 4. We Ski (Namco Bandai), 5. Wii Play (Nintendo).
Japan: 1. Machi e Ikouyo: Doubutsu no Mori (Nintendo), 2. 428: Fuusa Sareta Shibuya de (Sega), 3. Machi e Ikouyo: Doubutsu no Mori WiiSpeak Bundle (Nintendo), 4. Taiko no Tatsujin Wii (Namco), 5. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo).
UK: 1. Wii Fit (Nintendo), 2. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo), 3. Rayman Raving Rabbids: TV Party (Ubisoft), 4. Wii Play (Nintendo), 5. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Sega).
Long-time chart favorites
Wii Fit and
Mario Kart Wii return to the North American top five this week, as demand for both titles increases sharply in the days leading up to Christmas. Amazon's stock for both games has been entirely exhausted in the last week, and aftermarket prices are on the rise as a result. The lowest Amazon Marketplace asking price for
Mario Kart Wii is currently $64.77, while
Wii Fit commands a minimum third-party cost of $162.36.
Wii Music remains in stock, however, and has become a fast seller in
Mario Kart Wii and
Wii Fit's absence.
We Ski is also on track to become a top holiday seller, while
Wii Play finishes this week's results at fifth place.
Xbox 360
North America: 1. Gears of War 2 (Microsoft), 2. Fallout 3 (Bethesda), 3. Left 4 Dead (EA Games), 4. Call of Duty: World at War (Activision), 5. Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts (Microsoft).
Japan: 1. Fallout 3 (Bethesda), 2. Saints Row 2 (THQ Japan), 3. Mirror's Edge (EA Games), 4. Tales of Vesperia (Namco), 5. Banjo to Kazooie no Daibouken: Garage Daisakusen (Microsoft).
UK: 1. Call of Duty: World at War (Activision), 2. Fable II (Microsoft), 3. Gears of War 2 (Microsoft), 4. Need for Speed: Undercover (EA Games), 5. Fallout 3 (Bethesda).
Gears of War 2 and
Fallout 3 lead this week's Xbox 360 software sales in North America. Recent drops in price at Amazon have spurred
Left 4 Dead and
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts back into the top five, while last week's sales champion
Call of Duty: World at War finishes this week at fourth place.
Fallout 3 heads the Japanese 360 charts for the second week in a row, but has since been surpassed in weekly multiplatform sales numbers by
Machi e Ikouyo: Doubutsu no Mori and
428: Fuusa Sareta Shibuya de on the Wii.
Saints Row 2 stays at second place in regional sales, while
Mirror's Edge debuts at third.
PlayStation 3
North America: 1. LittleBigPlanet (SCEA), 2. Lost Planet: Extreme Condition (Capcom), 3. Prince of Persia (Ubisoft), 4. Resistance 2 -- Collector's Edition (SCEA), 5. Resistance 2 (SCEA).
Japan: 1. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots -- Special Edition (Konami), 2. World Soccer Winning Eleven 2009 (Konami), 3. Ryu ga Gotoku Kenzan! -- PlayStation 3 The Best (Sega), 4. Grand Theft Auto IV (Capcom), 5. Minna no Golf 5 -- PlayStation 3 The Best (SCEI).
UK: 1. LittleBigPlanet (SCEE), 2. Resistance 2 (SCEE), 3. Call of Duty: World at War (Activision), 4. Need for Speed: Undercover (EA Games), 5. MotorStorm: Pacific Rift (SCEE).
Call of Duty: World at War drops out of the North American PS3 charts this week, as
Prince of Persia and both regular and limited editions of
Resistance 2 rally to capture spots in the top five.
Lost Planet: Extreme Condition also sees a chart boost thanks to a recent Amazon "Deal of the Day" price drop, while
LittleBigPlanet remains the platform's top seller in the U.S. and the UK.
Metal Gear Solid 4 is back on top in Japan, meanwhile, as
World Soccer Winning Eleven 2009 drops to second place.
Grand Theft Auto IV hangs in at fourth, struggling against new competition from budget-priced rereleases of
Ryu ga Gotoku Kenzan! and
Minna no Golf 5.
PlayStation 2
North America: 1. Rock Band Special Edition (MTV Games), 2. Madden NFL 09 (EA Sports), 3. Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories (Square Enix), 4. Lego Batman (Warner Bros.), 5. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 (Atlus).
Japan: 1. Dragon Ball Z: Infinite World -- Special Edition (Bandai), 2. Hakuoki (Idea Factory), 3. Real Rode (Kadokawa Shoten), 4. Devil Summoner: Kuzunoha Raidou tai Abaddon Ou -- Plus (Atlus), 5. Persona 4 (Atlus).
UK: 1. Lego Batman (Warner Bros.), 2. SingStar: ABBA (SCEE), 3. FIFA 09 (EA Sports), 4. SingStar: Boy Bands vs. Girl Bands (SCEE), 5. SingStar Singalong with Disney (SCEE).
Despite extended prerelease buildup and high review scores from critics, Atlus'
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 only manages a fifth-place finish in PS2 platform sales in its first week of release in the United States. The holiday sales rush is likely to blame, as older but popular titles like
Rock Band, Madden NFL 09, and
Lego Batman have seen a marked sales increase in recent weeks.
PC
North America: 1. Fallout 3 (Bethesda), 2. Spore (EA Games), 3. World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King (Blizzard), 4. Left 4 Dead (EA Games), 5. Call of Duty: World at War (Activision).
Japan: 1. Grand Theft Auto IV (Cyber Front), 2. Left 4 Dead (Zoo), 3. Final Fantasy XI: The Vana'diel Collection (Square Enix), 4. Ragnarok Online 6th Anniversary Package (E Frontier), 5. Lineage Episode Re: -- Premium Kit ver. 2 (E Frontier).
UK: 1. Football Manager 2009 (Sega), 2. Left 4 Dead (EA Games), 3. Spore (EA Games), 4. Fallout 3 (Bethesda), 5. Far Cry 2 (Ubisoft).
Fallout 3 and
Spore finish as this week's biggest-selling PC titles in North America, surpassing the multi-week chart leader
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King in a surprise upset. This week's results reflect a holiday-influenced sales shift, however, and
Wrath of the Lich King is likely to return to the top in future weeks. Elsewhere,
Grand Theft Auto IV takes top honors in Japan in its first week of release, while
Football Manager 2009 sees another consecutive win in the UK.
Nintendo DS
North America: 1. Mario Kart DS (Nintendo), 2. Personal Trainer: Cooking (Nintendo), 3. New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo), 4. Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia (Nintendo), 5. Littlest Pet Shop: Winter (EA Games).
Japan: 1. Hoshi no Kirby: Ultra Super Deluxe (Nintendo), 2. Wagamama Fashion: Girls Mode (Nintendo), 3. Pocket Monsters Platinum (Nintendo), 4. Layton Kyouju to Saigo no Jikan Ryokou (Nintendo), 5. Rhythm Tengoku Gold (Nintendo).
UK: 1. Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training (Nintendo), 2. More Brain Training (Nintendo), 3. Imagine: Teacher (Ubisoft), 4. Mario Kart DS (Nintendo), 5. MySims Kingdom (EA Games).
Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force disappears from the North American DS top five following a chart-topping premiere last week, though its fellow debut
Personal Trainer: Cooking remains a strong seller even in the face of stiff competition from
Mario Kart DS and
New Super Mario Bros. Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia also maintains consistent sales numbers, while the recent release
Littlest Pet Shop: Winter makes an unexpected appearance at fifth place.
PlayStation Portable
North America: 1. Madden NFL 09 (EA Sports), 2. Lego Batman (Warner Bros.), 3. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (LucasArts), 4. God of War: Chains of Olympus (SCEA), 5. Daxter (SCEA).
Japan: 1. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G -- PSP the Best (Capcom), 2. Eiyuu Densetsu: Sora no Kiseki Set (Nihon Falcom), 3. Kidou Senshi Gundam: Gundam vs. Gundam (Bandai), 4. Patapon 2: Don Chaka (SCEI), 5. Musou Orochi: Maou Sairin (Koei).
UK: 1. Lego Batman (Warner Bros.), 2. FIFA 09 (EA Sports), 3. Football Manager Handheld 2009 (Sega), 4. WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2009 (THQ), 5. Lemmings -- Platinum Edition (SCEE).
Despite slight shifts in chart placement compared to last week's results, this week's top five PSP sellers in North America will likely remain the platform's strongest sellers throughout the holiday season.
Madden NFL 09 climbs up to take the top spot this week, with
Lego Batman and
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed trailing close behind.
Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G recaptures the top sales position in Japan, meanwhile, as newcomer
Musou Orochi: Maou Sairin edges in at fifth place.
