After briefly, mistakenly and idiotically reducing the entirety of Europe, with all its many cultures, languages and shoes to just the UK in an article yesterday, we've taken steps to reinforce the pathways that connect our brains to our rapidly typing fingers. Said fingers insist that we now draw your attention to the PS3's continued success in Madagascar the United Kingdom, with launch titles Resistance: Fall of Man and Motorstorm perching comfortably atop the Chart Track software list for the week ending 24 March.

Insomniac's first-person shooter debuted in the number one spot, with the muddy Motorstorm slotting into second position. Virtua Fighter 5 is all the way down in 14th position, bested by Namco's symphony of slide, Ridge Racer 7 (11th) and the comparitively out of tune F1: Championship Edition (7th). Finally, historically accurate crab battle simulations find themselves relegated to 16th position.

With these PS3 exclusive (for now, in the case of Virtua Fighter 5) titles making a splash in the charts alongside the PS3's strong launch performance in Guam the UK, it seems the doom and gloom impression that resulted from so many dead launch events was unwarranted. The coming weeks will show us whether or not the PS3 can maintain its momentum in both hardware and software sales.

You can never have enough Virtua Fighter, as we've been reminded while playing the sublime PS3 version of VF5 over the past fortnight. It's a game that successfully caters for every type of player, from wide-eyed novices to sharp-eyed experts -- and those groups could well clash north of Tokyo tomorrow, where Sega is holding a "Fight of the Century" Virtua Fighter 5 tournament at Japan's annual AOU arcade game exhibition.

The competition will take place in the VF5 corner of Sega's huge AOU booth, with 64 players (each of whom must have their own VF.Net access card in order to take part) fighting it out for the title of "Fighter of the Century." There's no big prize on offer (Sega isn't as generous as From Software), but that title will be coveted by Japan's Virtua Fighter hardcore and we expect the competition to be very serious indeed. The tournament will be played on Version B of VF5, which is the same build that Sega has ported to the PS3.

Let's welcome in Media Create's record of the past week's game sales in Japan. This is where you'll get big numbers and not-so-big numbers, mixed in with the crucial numbers one through ten -- a mathematician's wet dream. Firstly, here's this week's chart, with combined total sales of titles inside those pouting parentheses:

1. Virtua Fighter 5 - 48,346 units sold last week (new entry / Sega, PS3)
   
2. Wii Sports - 45,897 (1,004,555 units sold to date / Nintendo, Wii)
   
3. Wii Play - 36,090 (879,432 / Nintendo, Wii)
   
4. More Brain Training - 32,800 (3,963,712 / Nintendo, DS)
   
5. New Super Mario Bros. - 29,026 (4,118,078 / Nintendo DS)
   
6. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - 27,519 (304,113 / Capcom, PS2)
   
7. Wario: Master of Disguise - 26,815 (185,695 / Nintendo, DS)
   
8. Harvest Moon: The Island I Grew Up On - 26,804 (106,212 / Marvelous, DS)
   
9. Luminous Arc - 25,676 (new entry / Marvelous, DS)
   
10. J-League Pro Soccer 5 - 24,468 (131,541 / Sega, PS2)

And here are some lessons we can learn from the big figures:

• Virtua Fighter 5 is the WINNER
• Sega is Sony's most valuable ally in Japan right now
  
• Capcom's San Andreas marketing has paid off
• DS-like "slow sellers" are also possible on Wii
• There's still a place in the Japanese market for little players, which is just Marvelous

As the definitive fighting game tournament (for the Western world that is), the EVO2K series is always one of the years hottest events. This year will be no exception as the final line-up of games has been decided.

Returning for yet another headlining act will be Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike. It will be joined by Marvel VS Capcom 2, Guilty Gear XX Slash, Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection, Capcom vs SNK 2 and the immortal Super Street Fighter II Turbo. New to this years competition are Virtua Fighter 5 and Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. Melee.

The latter of the two isn't all that surprising as Mario Kart DS was thrown into the fray last year for both fun and profit. Virtua Fighter 5 on the other hand will be interesting. The last time Sega's flagship fighter graced the stage of EVO was in 2004 and the turnout weren't favorable to say the least. While a new game could help strengthen the community, we'll have to wait and see if it can generate better results.

If you're interested in throwing down with some of the best in the world, check EVO's website for information regarding qualifiers in your area. If not, you can always qualify at the main event itself in Las Vegas.

Another Thursday in Japan, another round of lovely digital entertainment. Today is our favourite day of the week -- even more so than Sunday. We put our skates on (not literally, you understand) and got down to our local game dealer for some home cooking, mama. Here's what we picked up, the best of this fine February release day:

• Cooking Mama (today we've been twirling pizza dough, fiercely whisking eggs, and rolling ham around asparagus spears -- tomorrow, we're going to try some haute cuisine; Wii)
  
• Virtua Fighter 5 (yes, it's just a bit good; PS3)
  
• Out Run 2 Special Tour (back to Japan in time for its 20th anniversary, but only just, and how we've been waiting for another Passing Breeze; PS2)
  
• Jet Impulse (this game is giving us impulses already, but what have the skies done to deserve our ascent?; DS)
  
• Luminous Arc (marvelous strategy from Marvelous; DS)
  

As much as you might cherish pummeling IGN-created Virtua Fighter 5 character 'Ryuutoushi,' the unprecedented pairing of press and publisher warrants investigation. A Sega-sponsored contest in which an IGN reader is selected to design a game character would be one thing, but IGN editors contributing content for Virtua Fighter 5?

Digging deeper, we discover that 1UP's James Mielke has also created a VF5 character, writing on his 1UP page, "I'm pretty sure I can die happy now, knowing that no matter how many additions there are to the series, that I am part ... of Virtua Fighter history." As it turns out, Mielke and presumably IGN, along with other members of the gaming press, won their right to design for VF5 by placing high enough in an "editor's tournament" hosted by Sega last year.

Sure, it hurts deeply that Sega neglected to invite us; knowing that Kietzmann would have mopped the floor with Mielke and his editor ilk. Of course, Sega would have rejected his poorly disguised efforts to bring back Hornet (from Fighters Megamix), but still...

In all seriousness, should we be concerned that critics have contributed, however casually, to Virtua Fighter 5? Can we really trust the opinions of those who have been charmed by thoughts of immortality within the game? There is certain danger in crossing this line.

Note: the press-created characters are not playable, but will appear as opponents in various modes throughout the game.

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

Game delays have relegated PlayStation 3 to lesser uses for the immediate future, but Sega is making good on its promise, with Virtua Fighter 5 now just a disc-press away. The fighter will meet its target release date, February 20, retailing for $59.99.

Sadly, Virtua Fighter 5 will lack online support (including basic leaderboards). But amidst the current software drought, come February, Sega's old standby will be as good as it gets for PS3. Good thing MotorStorm will be just around the corner...

Virtua Fighter 5 is also being ported to Xbox 360 for release this summer.

The early water effects caught our eye first. Like its super-powered predecessors (3DO, anyone?), Sony's technological behemoth has shown it's capable of delivering some impressive visuals. What remains to be seen, at least in this example, is if developers have become accustomed to the Xbox 360 enough to match, or even surpass, said graphical prowess.

The video is, as per our modus operandi, embedded after the break.

True HD, if you ask some people, is only 1080p. It's a shame, then, that few PlayStation 3 titles have yet to push resolution that high. Virtua Fighter 5, then, would be a great addition to the small library of 1080p games.

According to a scan at IGN, the latest edition of Sega's flagship fighter might support 1080p resolution. However, the scan of the back of VF5's box is very fuzzy and could easily be just a Photoshop job by those abusing the Internets. Not only that, but we're pretty sure Sega or Sony would be mentioning 1080p as often as possible.

We should know definitively by February 8, whenVirtua Fighter 5 lands in Japan.

See Also:
Virtua Fighter 5 smacks PS3, heads to 360

Exclusive content has been slowly moving away from the PS3. Mostly, they've been fairly minor, like Koei titles. However, an arguably bigger title is making the jump to the Xbox 360.

Sega has announced that Virtua Fighter 5 -- a former PS3 exclusive -- has moved over to the Xbox 360. Sega also offered a few more bits of information; The PS3 will still be getting a timed -- albeit short -- exclusive with the PS3 launch in Europe. The Xbox 360 version will be hitting Europe and North America in Summer 2007.

The exodus of PS3 exclusivity should start worrying Sony. Microsoft has been doing a better job of tying down exclusive content and Sony doesn't want to wage the console war utilizing in-house studios exclusively. It could be the already declining interest in the PS3 and questionable production capabilities that are convincing companies to move the the already established Xbox 360 platform.

[Thanks to all who sent this in]

Sega's bringing Virtua Fighter 5 to PlayStation 3 in just two short months. The newest installment will arrive in North America on February 20 and will be boxed and waiting for PS3's launch in Europe (presumably in March). The next round of Virtua Fighter features 17 fighters (two new) with customization dress-up options. Unfortunately, Sega's franchise will still be restricted to offline-play.

In Japan, Virtua Fighter 5's debut (February 8) will be followed by the release of Sega's 'Virtua Stick High Grade' on February 15. The USB arcade stick has not been confirmed for release outside of Japan, but is available for import. (For the thrifty: Hori is pushing a 'cheaper' alternative.)

Sega has announced Virtua Fighter 5 exclusively for the PlayStation 3. The newest installment in the franchise will feature 15 returning fighters, along with two newcomers, Eileen (monkey kung-fu) and El Blaze (lucha libre). Sega did not confirm online multiplayer support, but did reveal a new game concept where players earn virtual currency for winning matches. The money can then be used to purchase goodies at an in-game shop, which will include costumes and "attachable items."

Virtua Fighter 5 is due out next spring.