It as fun while it lasted: Halo 3 has been bumped from the number one spot in Japan after a short stint at the top.
Last week, Halo 3 was charting at an unprecedented #1 in the Land of the Rising Sun. According to Next Generation, it was the first game for any Xbox console to secure the #1 spot for any week since the launch in 2001. And now, just like that, it's gone from the top sellers list entirely.
The game that Master Chief and Bungie built sold 60,000 copies in one week, which is a mark bested only by the 80,000 copies sold by the RPG Blue Dragon.
So what's topping the list this week? No, not a Gundam game, although that wouldn't be much of a stretch. It's a "refreshed" Dragon Ball Z Sparking! Meteor for the PS2, which sold a comparatively behemoth 200,000 copies. Adding insult to injury is the fact that Dragon Ball Z Sparking! Meteor is technically an upgraded version of the dated Dragon Ball Z Sparking! Neo.
"Regardless of the oldness of its subject matter, it outsold Halo 3 three to one. Well -- four to one, if you consider that the Wii version sold 40,000 copies," said a column at Next Generation.
And so Microsoft's ill-fated quest to conquer Japan continues...
-- Blake Snow
