There is no cure for PSP fever in Japan, what with all those massive marquee releases happening overseas. Like... um God of War: Chains of Olympus maybe? Is this just Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G after shocks or are folks just falling in love all over again with the Sony handheld? Regardless of the reason, the PSP comes out on top on this week's Media Create sales chart. Nintendo DS and Wii hold strong, but certainly aren't selling as well as they are in the States.

Even the 360 is holding on to a larger slice of the pie than normal. It's all so confusing!

• PSP - 56,998
• Nintendo DS - 48,540
• Wii - 41,768
• PlayStation 3 - 12,458
• PlayStation 2 - 10,405
• Xbox 360 - 3,807

Persona 4 Takes Japanese Software Competitors To School

Everything old is new again, as PlayStation 2 release Persona 4 rockets to the top of the Japanese sales charts, with the Wii remake of Resident Evil 0 seeing a rather unimpressive, but still top ten debut. Probably a good call on Capcom USA's part not to release the title stateside. RE4 Wii Edition this is not.

A handful of new, notable releases chart, including a new Stafi DS adventure, as well as two Western born releases, God of War: Chains of Olympus and Kane & Lynch: Dead Men. Those two appear after the jump.

01. Persona 4 (PS2) - 193,000 / NEW
02. Wii Fit (Wii) - 30,000 / 2,353,000
03. Densetsu no Stafi: Taiketsu! Dire Kaizokudan (DS) - 29,000 / NEW
04. Mario Kart Wii (Wii) - 25,000 / 1,560,000
05. Daigasso Band Brothers DX (DS) - 23,000 / 190,000
06. Resident Evil 0 (Wii) - 21,000 / NEW
07. Derby Stallion DS (DS) - 20,000 / 206,000
08. Hanayori Dango: Koi Seyo Onago (DS) - 20,000 / NEW
09. Gegege no Kitarou: Youkai Daigekisen (DS) - 16,000 / NEW
10. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (PSP) - 16,000 / 2,277,000

PSP: 10 Million Sold (In Japan)

Even though E3 is next week, it's never too early to talk about the Tokyo Game Show. So! For those interested in attending TGS 2008, good news: You'll be able to buy tickets beforehand. That's right, convenience stores across the country will be selling them via Electronic Ticket Pia for ¥1,000 (¥1,200 with tax). That's ten bucks plus tax in U.S. money. But what does that matter? You'll have to be in Japan if you want to buy tickets early.

TGS tickets go on sale starting July 16th.

前売入場券は2008年7月16日より販売 [Famitsu] [Pic]

Well! If Brain Age gets a naughty movie, then one would correctly assume that Wii Fit must get one as well. Japanese adult video maker Gekidan Carnival has just released Geki Fit, which features the tagline "Fitness Is Erotic!" Geki Fit features 115 minutes of young ladies in various stretching and yoga poses against an all-white background. While there are no Wii-motes, Wiis or Balance Boards, the movie does feature font and packaging "homages." (Gekidan Carnival probably doesn't want to get sued back to the stone age by Nintendo!)

Hit the jump for the cover. The distasteful sweat might be NSFW.

Band Bros. Replaces Derby Training As Current Japanese Obsession

It may have settled for a third place showing last week, but with less fierce competition the week after Daigasso! Band Bros. DX gets a chance to shine in the top spot. Media Create's Japanese software ranking shows drifting drama Initial D Extream Stage relegated to second. Not bad for a PS3 game (still), but a low key week across the board.

Little in the way of new debuts makes for a rather dry chart. Still, if you want to see how the PS2 port of Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters fared, it's after the jump.

01. Daigasso! Band Bros. DX (DS) - 47,000 / 167,000
02. Initial D Extream Stage (PS3) - 43,000 / NEW
03. Derby Stallion DS (DS) - 38,000 / 186,000
04. Wii Fit (Wii) - 31,000 / 2,323,000
05. Nanashi no Game (DS) - 30,000 / NEW
06. Mario Kart Wii (Wii) - 28,000 / 1,535,000
07. Tales of Symphonia: Knight of Ratatosk (Wii) - 27,000 / 164,000
08. Mario Super Sluggers (Wii) - 20,000 / 108,000
09. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3) - 18,000 / 585,000
10. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (PSP) - 18,000 / 2,261,000

Dance Dance Revolution X In Silhouette

On November 21st, Konami's Dance Dance Revolution will celebrate its 10th anniversary. Can you believe it? It's been ten years since DDR stormed arcades and home consoles. This year, it seems Konami is releasing Dance Dance Revolution X on the PS2 and in arcades as well it seems. As both commenter Riyu and arcade site Arcade Renaissance points out, the teaser page shows a somewhat different cabinet design. Nothing's really been announced by Konami, so sit tight for more details.

DanceDanceRevolution X [Konami Thanks, Riyu!]

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream For Arcade Ice Cream!

Mmmm, yummy. Just in time for Japan's dog days of summer, game maker Atlus has done traditional arcade crane games one better by stocking a 'em with ice cream. And who doesn't like ice cream? (Bad people, that's who!) Dubbed the Triple Catcher Ice -25C, the machine is set at a frosty -25C and has players manipulate a three pronged claw to pull out delicious icy treats. As the official page explains in English:

ATLUS has developed "TRIPLE CATCHER ICE", THE state-of-the-art prize machine carrying the latest freezing technology. "TRIPLE CATCHER ICE" is so unique that it will be absolutely imperative at every amusement scene worldwide.

We agree. This is absolutely imperative. Oh, and while other machines are typically one player affairs, the Triple Catcher -25C can be played by four players at once. It's a quadruple catcher! The Triple Catch Ice -25C doesn't use more electricity than the standard crane machine. For Atlus, arcade innovation means cold and delicious.

「ATLUS TRIPLE CATCHER ICE−25℃」 [オープンカーで颯爽と]

This November, famed Japanese figure maker Kotobukiya is bringing the latest entry in its Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 series with a 1/6 Kokoro statue. Priced at ¥7,882 (US$74), the figure not only features removable clothes (been there! done that!) but hot umbrella action (ooooooooooooh). Out of all the Kotobukiya DOAX2 figures, this one has the most graceful pose. Umbrellas really make everything all classy like.

Sexy Bikini Japanese Beauty [Akiba Hobby]

A Decade Later, We Get New Thunder Force Game

Finally! We get another Thunder Force scrolling shooter. The last time we saw a Thunder Force game was ten years ago when Thunder Force VI was ported to the PlayStation. Back in 2000, a Dreamcast version of Thunder Force VI was rumored to be in development, but when the Dreamcast cashed out, so did Thunder Force VI, it seems. But since last month, the website for the game's developer has been touting a new Thunder Force and, whaddaya know, this week's Famitsu announces the game. It's on the PS2 and will be out October 30th in Japan.

New THUNDERFORCE Coming Soon! [TecnoSoft]

What Are The Top Selling Games Of 2008 So Far?

We're slightly at the half-way point, so it's a good opportunity to look back. What games have been selling in Japan? And how many copies? The latest issue of Famitsu has crunched the numbers and drawn up a list of the biggest selling games of 2008. Let's take a look at the top ten:

10. Wii Play (Wii) 411,416 copies
9. Mario Kart DS (DS) 416,935 copies
8. Mario Party DS (DS) 497,547 copies
7. Wii Sports (Wii) 544,958 copies
6. Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3) 576,437 copies

Not sure which is more impressive: A month old game like MGS4 making it into the top ten or a two and a half year old game like Mario Kart DS doing it. YOU DECIDE! Hit the jump for the top five.

No More Heroes Mobile Is Less Bloody, More Adorable

Suda's No More Heroes is violent. It's also really, really stylish. Those are the two things the game's probably most renowned for, so when a Japanese mobile version of the game turns up looking neither stylish nor violent, should you care? Yes! Because there's not just one mobile game, there's three of them, they take Travis and co. and turn them into fat-headed children, and because each game only costs ¥100 (USD$0.95).

NO MORE HEROES FLASH ゲーム [Game Watch]

This Year Sees Two New DS Chocobo Games

Square Enix has announced not one new Chocobo title, but two new DS titles: Chocobo and the Magic Storybook: The Witch and the Girl and the Five Valiant Men and Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon: The Labyrinth of Forgotten Time DS Plus. The Magic Storybook is a Chocobo adventure title, while Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon DS Plus is a DS version of Wii title Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon, which was released abroad with the localized title Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon. Regarding release time windows, Magic Storybook is slated for the Winter in Japan and Mysterious Dungeon DS Plus should hit this Fall. Hit the jump for very small Mysterious Dungeon DS Plus pics.

This Wii Hard Drive Is So Damn Phony (And Funny)

See that picture of a supposed Wii hard drive? It's from a tipster, and a note on the Flickr page where it appears reads:

After several days, today I could shoot a prototype hard drive for the Wii. According to what we've been seeing these days, work is well underway and I think it could be submitted on July 15 at the Kodak Theatre.
I would like to have one to experiment ^_^

But this "prototype" is fake. Like, really, really, really fake. Hilariously so. Okay, let's say that Nintendo actually did put stickers on prototypes that read "Confidential Property of Nintendo". Hey, maybe they do! See that picture of the label? It's kind of hard to make out the Japanese, but there is Japanese. And Nintendo is a Japanese company. As a Japanese company, Nintendo does know how to use the Japanese language correctly. The person who made that sticker does not. At all. So let's look at where this "prototype hard drive" exposes itself as a big, fat faker. That, after the jump.

Bionic Commando Devs Fear The Japanese

Swedish developer GRIN, working on Capcom's new Bionic Commando title as well as the PSN/XBLA update of the original one, were entertainingly forthcoming during an industry conference in the Netherlands where they talked about the tough path for an independent developer.

Managing director Bo had some blunt language for the harsh reality of game development as a business, something the audience may occasionally lose track of when levying certain accusations at development studios:

“Really, to get started, you’re not making a game for a gamer, you’re making a game for a publisher," he said. "And that’s how it is. They know the product, they are paying for the product, and they want you to pull through... on time.”

Also, apparently working with the Japanese is scary:

Morrigan, Onimusha's Soki Joining New Capcom Brawler

More characters join the Tatsunoko vs. Capcom fray! Previously, it was announced that the Capcom side was getting Street Fighter III's Alex and the Tatsunoko side was getting Gan-chan from anime Yatterman. The latest brawlers in this gaming characters versus anime character fight: Darkstalkers' Morrigan Aensland, Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams' Soki, Hurricane Polymar and Golden Warrior Gold Lightan. As game site Arcade Renaissance points out, the game's button layout seems similar to the Sengoku Basara X one. Something to keep in mind as Japanese arcade location tests kick off this weekend! That, and the possibility of even more new characters.

Capcom VS Tatsunoko features Gold Lightan [ToyboxDX Thanks, Matt!]