Weekly Japanese video game software sales

(All rights reserved - Square Enix)

Compared with the previous week, the Japanese video game chart for January 25-31 saw huge changes with five new titles staking a place. New Super Mario Bros. Wii continues its gigantic growth, with sales passing 3.2 million, but it's the just released role-playing games Dragon Quest VI and End of Eternity that snatch first and second place.

Dragon Quest VI is a Nintendo DS remake of a 1996 SNES / Super Famicom game that was never officially released outside of Japan. A few updates have been implemented, allowing it to look great on the handheld's dual screens, but at core it remains the same.

The original was Japan's best-selling game of 1996, and eventually sold 3.2 million copies. The new DS version appears to be well on its way to matching that, with first week sales just shy of 1 million, and a gap of nearly 800,000 unit sales between DQVI and 2nd place.

End of Eternity will be called Resonance of Fate when it is made available in North America on March 9. Fresh to store shelves in Japan, it comfortably outsold its nearest PS3 competitor, Ar Tonelico (also released this week).

The frothing demand is due in part to the game's heritage: designers tri-Ace are well known among fans for the Star Ocean series, and the game's director had been involved with iconic titles Vagrant Story and Final Fantasy Tactics.

1) Dragon Quest VI Realms of Reverie (DS): 906,000 sales (906,000 total)
2) End of Eternity (PS3): 118,000 (118,000)
3) New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii): 84,000 (3,201,000)
4) Ar Tonelico 3 (PS3): 82,000 (82,000)
5) Friend Collection (DS): 45,000 (2,741,000)
6) Wii Fit Plus (Wii): 33,000 (1,583,000)
7) Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep (PSP): 30,000 (713,000)
8) End of Eternity (360): 27,000 (27,000)
9) Valkyria Chronicles 2 (PSP): 24,000 (118,000)
10) MAG (PS3): 19,000 (19,000)
Source: Media Create