Japan Software Charts: PSP Fights Back

New Super Mario Bros. Wii is certainly proving to have some legs, climbing back to the top of the Japanese software charts this week (18th - 24th January 2010 – courtesy Media Create), fending off competition from newcomer Valkyria Chronicles 2 on the PlayStation Portable.

1 New Super Mario Bros. Wii – Nintendo (Wii) – 110,918
2 Valkyria Chronicles 2 – Sega (PSP) – 94,444
3 Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha A's Portable: The Battle of Aces – Namco Bandai (PSP) – 76,088
4 Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep – Square Enix (PSP) – 59,566
5 Tomodachi Collection – Nintendo (DS) – 45,002
6 Wii Fit Plus – Nintendo (Wii) – 33,640
7 Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles – Capcom (Wii) – 23,245
8 Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (PSP the Best) – Capcom (PSP) – 16,117
9 Wii Sports Resort – Nintendo (Wii) – 15,753
10 Inazuma Eleven 2 – LEVEL-5 (DS) – 13,951

(Note: Chart position is first, then game name, publisher, format and sales for this week)

The PSP has had something of a revival this week, with Sega's long-awaited strategy-RPG sequel and Namco Bandai's The Battle of Aces (we're not typing the whole name out again) being the only new releases to hit the Top 30 this week, let alone the Top 10. It's particularly good to see Valkyria Chronicles 2 doing so well, given the lacklustre sales of the fantastic PS3 original. Perhaps this will allow a once uncertain IP to continue into a fully-fledged series.

VC2 and Battle of Aces, coupled with the recent launch of Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep, has helped Sony's handheld gain some traction in the charts overall. It's even helped get Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G back on the charts (the PSP the Best brand is essentially Sony Japan's version of the 'Platinum' budget range), which is quite a feat in itself.

Notable in its absence – as it was last week – is Final Fantasy XIII, a game thought to reignite the fortunes of the PlayStation 3. It languishes at #25 this week, little more than a month after its high-profile release. Let's see if its multi-platform availability will allow it to fare better in the West.