Weekly Japanese video game software sales: 'Resident Evil 5', 'Heavy Rain'

(All rights reserved - Capcom)

The Resident Evil series shows that it still has considerable pulling power, as the Resident Evil 5 Alternative Edition displaces the PSP-based monster-pummeling God Eater, bundled as it is with extra missions and a nod to classic Resident Evil games.

Resident Evil 5 was first released in March 2009. This bonus re-release came out in Japan on February 18, while North America and Europe will recieve a Gold Edition on March 9 and 12 respectively. All three include extra content in one form or another.

The updated game is also one of the first retail titles that can support the PlayStation Motion Controller out of the box - though that accessory isn't expected to hit the market until midsummer at the earliest.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii continues to enjoy sustained public interest, and though it's no longer shifting a hundred thousand each week as it did early in January, sales are still considerable and keep it in the top three.

The carefully-crafted detective adventure that is Heavy Rain was not developed specifically for the Japanese market but represents a growing trend that sees cultural imports faring well in the country.

01) Resident Evil 5 Alternative Edition (PS3): 143,000 sales (143,000 total)
02) God Eater (PSP): 64,000 (470,000)
03) New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii): 44,000 (3,366,000)
04) Dragon Quest VI (DS): 41,000 (1,217,000)
05) Friend Collection (DS): 31,000 (2,849,000)
06) Heavy Rain (PS3): 27,000 (27,000)
07) Wii Fit Plus (Wii): 26,000 (1,664,000)
08) Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's World Championship 2010 (DS): 24,000 (24,000)
09) Star Ocean 4 The Last Hope International (PS3): 15,000 (113,000)
10) Wii Sports Resort (Wii): 11,000 (1,760,000)

Unit sales are rounded to the nearest 1,000
Source: Media Create