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As you already know, the launch of Final Fantasy XIII was met with record-breaking sales success for the game and the platform upon which it's played. However, you may not know the ripple effect the uber-anticipated RPG had on the rest of the Japanese economy. Let us examine this phenomenon in our traditional style:

- Hair styling products: 36,818 11,511 (45.49% )
- Preposterously large swords: 19,115 14,447 (309.49% )
- Gaudy chain necklaces: 56,701 33,776 (147.33%)
- Entire outfits made out of belts: 17,846 4,409 (32.81 )
- Richard K. Schnopp's self-help book, "How to Speak Succinctly": 11 4,509 (99.76%)

- PS3: 237,086 162,000 (215.75%)
- Wii: 191,915 56,017 (41.22%)
- DSi: 95,227 27,043 (39.66%)
- PSP: 79,194 7,309 (10.17%)
- DSi LL: 75,241 17,235 (29.71%)
- DS Lite: 12,879 1,503 (13.21%)
- Xbox 360: 8,965 1,681 (15.79%)
- PSP Go: 3,260 183 (5.95%)
- PS2: 2,982 519 (21.07%)

[Source: Media Create]

Read: The preposterous archives

Are you shocked? Probably not, considering we all knew Final Fantasy XIII would make a killing during the initial week of its release. However, the magnitude of the game's success was still a little alarming. Within its first day on the market, it broke one million units, becoming the best-selling PS3 game in Japan. According to Media Create, the game had reached 1,501,964 units by the end of the week, which more than doubled the life-to-date totals of the platform's previous bestseller, Metal Gear Solid 4. It did so in just four days. Great googly moogly!

As you also might have expected, these unprecedented sales also boosted PS3 sales in the region for the week. The platform's sales leaped, much like a gazelle would leap, from 75,086 units sold to 237,086 units (an increase of 215.75 percent). That's an impressive upshot -- but we're not sure it deserves any gibberish exclamations.

This is probably our last Japanese sales chart together before you're likely to open presents for the holiday of your choosing -- or perhaps, your mutated fusion holiday, such as Chrismukkah, or Kwamadannukhristivus. As such, we're curious as to what you're hoping to find wrapped up beneath your tree, menorah or Grandpa's ceremonial Kwamadannukhristivus beard. Sure, we expect to hear a few games on your list, but what about other gadgets? Fancy threads and fabrics? Gift certificates for Pottery Barn? Large haunches of various, succulent meats? We need to know. We're gift-giving voyeurs.

The Japanese gaming industry received the greatest gift of all this past week: A spike in consumer activity. Every console's sales -- save the PSP Go -- experienced significant increases. Especially the Wii, which was supported by the neverending font of money that flows from New Super Mario Bros. Wii, as well as the recently released RPG Tales of Graces. Fun fact: Now there's twelve Tales games in existence. Why, that's one for each of the Twelve Days of Christmas! Or one-fourth of one for each of the Forty-Eight Days of Kwamadannukhristivus. Man, you've gotta get on board with this holiday. It's nuts.

- Wii: 135,898 29,343 (27.54%)
- PS3: 75,086 17,304 (29.95%)
- PSP: 71,885 4,005 (5.90%)
- DSi: 68,814 16,549 (32.05%)
- DSi LL: 58,006 4,215 (7.84%)
- DS Lite: 11,376 3,009 (35.96%)
- Xbox 360: 10,646 5,332 (100.34%)
- PSP Go: 3,077 335 (9.82%)
- PS2: 2,463 186 (8.17%)

[Source: Media Create]

Read: The ceremonial archives

Look at them charts! Just look at 'em. Observe the massive upswings for the PSP and Wii, and the surplus of pine tree-esque emerald arrows. Observe the conglomeration of the three different DS SKUs -- is this a beautiful coincidence? Fate? Some sort of devious plot deviously devised by Japanese game buyers? Look at the falling sales of the two new handhelds, both of which ... wait, no. Don't look at those. Those are ugly. Look at the other things. The trees.

The top two contenders claimed their respective gold and silver medals this week on the strength of two big titles for each console. For the Wii, it was New Super Mario Bros. Wii (934,739 units) and Samurai Warriors 3 (121,182 units). For the PSP, it was Phantasy Star Portable 2 (286,896 units) and a game called -- we swear we're not making this up -- Mobile Suit Gundam: Gundam vs. Gundam Next Plus (222,985 units). We're guessing that last one could have easily broken a million had it included a few more Gundams in its title.

May we suggest Mobile Suit Gundam: Gundam vs. Gundam Next Plus: The Quest for Ol' Gundam's Lost Gundam 2: Gundam Edition?

- Wii: 106,555 59,882 (128.30%)
- PSP: 67,880 29,041 (74.77%)
- PS3: 57,782 11,224 (24.11%)
- DSi LL: 53,791 13,452 (20.01%)
- DSi: 51,635 14,614 (39.47%)
- DS Lite: 8,367 1,099 (15.12%)
- Xbox 360: 5,314 1,629 (44.21%)
- PSP Go: 3,412 397 (10.42%)
- PS2: 2,277 220 (10.70%)

[Source: Media Create]

Gundam: The Gundam archives

We just don't get it, folks. Usually, the purchasing habits of the Japanese gaming populace is formulaic and predictable -- when a console diminishes in size, its sales spike into the stratosphere. However, the gigantified DSi LL managed to retain its commanding lead in this week's chart, despite its newfound largeness. At the same time, the PSP Go, which is considerably smaller than its UMD-reading predecessor, continues to plummet to the bottom of the rankings.

Our world's been flipped, turned upside-down! If this one constant rule, which has proven itself true time and time again throughout the annals of history, can be so easily dismissed, what other laws of nature can we ignore? Gravity? Thermodynamics? That one law that prevents us from smashing open gumball machines and harvesting the candies within? That path leads to anarchy, friends. Delicious, chewable anarchy.

- DSi LL: 67,243 33,310 (33.13%)
- PS3: 46,558 11,806 (33.97%)
- Wii: 46,673 13,829 (42.11%)
- PSP: 38,839 6,087 (18.59%)
- DSi: 37,021 4,951 (15.44%)
- DS Lite: 7,268 2,217 (43.89%)
- PSP Go: 3,809 765 (16.72%)
- Xbox 360: 3,685 400 (9.79%)
- PS2: 2,057 33 (1.63%)

[Source: Media Create]

See: The archives

This is just getting ridiculous. It seems like every week now we see a new contender added to the Japanese sales chart. Remember? Remember the beginning of the month, how simple everything was? Seven platforms. Seven arrows. Seven percentile figures. With today's addition of the super-magnified DSi LL, we're now up to nine platforms. In addition to being a much less appealing number (unless you're a Beatle), it's incrementally increased the amount of time we have to spend compiling each chart . That's twenty precious, valuable seconds we'll never see again.

To compensate for the increased labor that goes into making the charts, we guess we'll subtract some of the usual work ethic that goes into the text of these posts. Hope you don't mind. Man, that DSi LL sold a bunch, didn't it? Man. Sure sold real good. PS2 didn't, though. Too bad about that.

- DSi LL: 100,553 (New Entry!)
- PS3: 34,752 3,746 (9.73%)
- Wii: 32,844 6,080 (22.72%)
- PSP: 32,752 6,018 (15.52%)
- DSi: 32,070 1,679 (4.97%)
- DS Lite: 5,051 15 (0.30%)
- PSP Go: 4,574 1,853 (28.83%)
- Xbox 360: 4,085 39 (0.95%)
- PS2: 2,024 7 (0.34%)

[Source: Media Create]

See: The super-magnified archives

If you haven't noticed, just about every foreign sales post we do somehow references football (or, as our primitive North American minds have designated it, soccer) -- including the post you're reading right this hot second. The terrifically named, PSP-exclusive J. LEAGUE Football Club Tsukurou! 6 Pride of J took top honors in the Japanese charts this week, pushing the portable platform to a first-place finish over its ill-equipped, football-less competitors.

We know better than to stand in the way of progress -- so, from henceforth, Joystiq will be changing its focus from video games to the foot-centric sport which half of our posts tend to be about anyways. Yes, we know very, very little about the game, but we don't really think that's too important. You know what is important? Choosing a new name of our blog, which we've already done: Joykick. Or, in sticking with our current typographically-challenged theme: Joyqick. Yeah, that's solid gold.

We know this transition will be extremely difficult, but as you probably already know, we've always had a knack for achieving our lofty GOOOOOOAAAAAAAALLS! (See? It's already started.)

- PSP: 38,770 4,986 (14.76%)
- PS3: 38,498 10,427 (21.31%)
- DSi: 33,749 3,672 (9.81%)
- Wii: 26,764 5,046 (15.86%)
- PSP Go: 6,427 7,565 (54.07%)
- DS Lite: 5,036 479 (8.69%)
- Xbox 360: 4,124 555 (11.86%)
- PS2: 2,031 35 (1.69%)

[Source: Media Create]

See: The foot-centric archives

Man, it's going to be awfully difficult to read that script, now that it's been utterly and irreversibly flipped. Now it's words-side-down, so the only thing that's going to be reading it is going to be the table. Which is impossible, because tables can't read. Even if they could, it would be far too dark to ... we forgot our original point. Oh! That's right. There were a number of large sea changes in this week's chart, which apparently means that somewhere in the world, a book of dialogue for something was upended.

For instance, the PS3 took top honors this week, which is a feat it hasn't managed since the launch of its sleeker iteration. This wasn't a random occurrence; the top selling game was the PS3-exclusive Pro Evolution Soccer (or, as its known in Japan, Winning Eleven) 2010. A soccer game. Which beat out a Pokémon game and an action title starring a scantily clad, guns-a-blazing heroine. Oops! The script's upside-down.

If only Konami had created a soccer game exclusively for the PSP Go, the sales for which completely plummeted after its first week day of availability. We're not certain that this qualifies as script-flipping per sé, as it only hit us as mildly surprising. We'd be willing to say that the script was rotated about 71 degrees to the left, and then the pages were slowly flipped through a few times -- just enough so that they get creased a little bit.

- PS3: 48,925 12,864 (35.67%)
- DSi: 37,421 96 (0.26%)
- PSP: 33,784 1,127 (3.23%)
- Wii: 31,810 2,922 (10.11%)
- PSP Go: 13,992 15,117 (51.93%)
- DS Lite: 5,515 1,387 (20.10%)
- Xbox 360: 4,679 1,368 (22.62%)
- PS2: 2,066 100 (5.09%)

[Image, Source: Media Create]

See: The upended archives

It was almost one year ago to the day when we last added a participant to the Japanese sales charts, leading to a mathematical anomaly which 'sploded our living quarters. Luckily, we learned from our mistakes, and have remembered not to add today's newcomer to our Excel spreadsheet, preserving the integrity of our apartment and, more importantly, the space-time continuum.

Not that we require number-crunching software to accurately place the PSP Go into our weekly line-up. The system's one-day sales of 29,109 garnered it a somewhat disappointing fourth-place finish -- while simultaneously, the sales totals of every other console (save for the DSi) increased, reversing a recent downward trend for the region. Our theory on why this occurred is simple: Upon seeing the digital distribution-based future our world has in store, Japanese gamers began to hoard the tangible media-reading platforms, which will undoubtedly become priceless relics in the coming years.

Also, an action game featuring an attractive, gun-toting witch whose clothes frequently disappear was released. That might have contributed to the sales surge. Like, a little.

- DSi: 37,517 4,682 (11.10%)
- PS3: 36,061 6,084 (20.30%)
- PSP: 34,911 2,046 (6.23%)
- PSP Go: 29,109 (New Entry!)
- Wii: 28,888 2,971 (11.46%)
- DS Lite: 6,902 352 (5.37%)
- Xbox 360: 6,047 1,577 (35.28%)
- PS2: 1,966 15 (0.77%)

[Source: Media Create]

See: The attractive archives

Hey, guys! How was your Halloween? Good to hear! Well, we've been up eating candy for roughly two days straight now, and whoa man do we love Whoppers. The malted milk chocolates, not the burgers, which are okay, but that malted milk chocolate is the jam. Some dude came up to us yesterday, and he was like, "Hey! Stop eating so much candy! You're an adult!" You should've seen us, we just opened up a new carton of Whoppers -- they come in cartons, remember -- and just slammed them in like four seconds.

Unfortunately, our fructose binge caused our particles to vibrate at a frequency which dislodged us from the timestream, and kept us from experiencing linear time like the rest of the world for about 60 minutes. It was a pretty terrifying experience, but to The Hershey Company's credit, it says right there on the box: "Warning: Shotgunning an entire carton of Whoppers may dislodge the consumer from the timestream for one hour." Well maybe next time you shouldn't make such a delicious product. Think about that. Mister Hershey.

So. Anyways. We've been trying to read about String Theory and stuff all day, but it's hard to turn the pages of a book that's one hour in the future. Luckily, we're really slow readers. Well, we can't feel our hands anymore, so it's probably time to put the ol' Whopperoonis down, and tell you about the Japanese hardware sales figures for this week before we go into a coma. See, both of those Pokémon gamjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj

- DSi: 42,199 7,945 (15.84%)
- PSP: 32,865 7,235 (18.04%)
- PS3: 29,977 919 (2.97%)
- Wii: 25,917 4,824 (15.69%)
- DS Lite: 6,550 1,096 (20.10%)
- Xbox 360: 4,470 1,144 (34.40%)
- PS2: 1,951 182 (8.53%)

[Source: Media Create]

See: The malted archives

We place equal amounts of stock in the practices of numerology and demonology -- that amount being very little, mind you -- but even we were perturbed by the digits which appeared in this week's Japanese hardware sales chart. From what we know of the teachings of Iron Maiden, six-hundred and sixty-six is like, the evilest number there is. We're almost certain that if you say it three times, the devil jumps out of the ground, and says really mean things about your shoes.

Imagine our terror as we read over the following chart. If one turns the sales reduction of the DSi upside-down -- there's one! If one less person would have bought a PS3 this week -- there it is again! If you add 360 (like, from the Xbox 360) to the system's sales increase, then you take the number of letters in "DS Lite" and add that to the sales reduction of the PS2, and then you subtract that number from the first number -- oh, no, here he comes!

"What? These shoes? These are Sketchers. What? No, Sketchers are still really cool! You ... you're a jerk, you know that, Lucifer?"

- DSi: 49,145 999 (1.99%)
- PSP: 33,508 6,592 (16.44%)
- PS3: 30,231 665 (2.15%)
- Wii: 29,965 776 (2.52%)
- Xbox 360: 3,662 336 (10.10%)
- DS Lite: 2,590 2,864 (52.51%)
- PS2: 2,109 24 (1.13%)

[Source: Media Create]

See: The six-hundred and sixty-fifth archive

It wasn't just relief that we felt after learning of the folk hero-esque Balloon Boy's safety -- it was inspiration. "Ah, yes," we said to ourselves upon hearing of the boy's false flight, "we've found our subject for the next Japanese Hardware Sales post." The plan was deceptively simple: It would be a metaphor! An analogy! But for what? Sales! Sales, on occasion, go up -- just like balloons. It was perfect! It would work -- it had to work.

Imagine our dismay when we actually calculated the changes in sales from last week's data. All of them, down. No -- this won't do. Can't be! The plan, the analogy! We check CNN, hoping to read of some brave copycat, utilizing bizarre means of downward transportation -- a Tunnel Boy, if you will. We could work with that. The analogy, it would stand.

Sadly, no such boy existed.

- DSi: 50,144 3,149 (5.91%)
- PSP: 40,100 11,115 (21.70%)
- PS3: 30,896 6,642 (17,69%)
- Wii: 30,741 4,651 (13.14%)
- DS Lite: 5,454 5,207 (48.84%)
- Xbox 360: 3,326 918 (21.63%)
- PS2: 2,133 46 (2.11%)

[Source: Media Create]

See: The imploded archives

After giving the Japanese game purchasing community a stern talking-to last week, we were refreshed to see such fantastic rebounds for a pair of our contenders in the most recent sales data. However, we were troubled by the causes behind said rebounds -- the PSP spiked due to the launch of the PSP Go, and the Wii got a bump from Wii Fit Plus. In other words, two products similar to their previous iterations, albeit with simple modifiers attached to their monikers. In even more other words, it's straight up Newspeak.

Perhaps the other consoles could have experienced similar boosts with the same treatment. We bet the Doubleplusgood Xbox 360 would garner a huge sales increase, as would the Goodplayful PS3. Though nothing can be done for the Doubleoldful PS2, we're afraid. It's about time Big Brother sent it to the Ministry of Love to be bathed in his ever-shining Tripleplusgood light. Or fed to rats. One of the two.

- DSi: 53,293 10,049 (15.86%)
- PSP: 51,215 33,881 (159.46%)
- PS3: 37,538 2,422 (6.06%)
- Wii: 35,392 23,661 (201.70%)
- DS Lite: 10,661 4,396 (29.20%)
- Xbox 360: 4,244 610 (12.57%)
- PS2: 2,179 168 (7.16%)

[Source: Media Create]

See: The doubleplusgood archives

Okay, Japanese game consumers. It's time we had a heart to heart. Last week, Enterbrain analyzed the Japanese hardware and software sales figures for the first half of fiscal '09, and ... well, let's just say the numbers were pretty grim. We certainly understand that times are kinda tight -- as made evident by the surplus of red arrows witnessed this year -- but let's take a moment to step back, observe the big gaming industry movements from the past six months, and illustrate how much you guys dropped the ball.

Seriously, in the past six months, Japan has seen the release of a new Dragon Quest game, a new Monster Hunter game, two new Pokémon games, a sleeker version of the PS3 and a veritable rainbow of new color choices for most of our weekly contenders. What's gotten into you, Japan? Has your interest shifted away from video games? What's your new area of expertise -- tell us, so we can start tracking the sales of whatever that may be instead.

Oh, who're we kidding. The release of Final Fantasy XIII (and the accompanying Squeenix-branded PS3) will more than make up for this slow half-year. Go ahead and keep doing whatever it is you're doing that isn't purchasing video games. Come December 17, you'll flock back like moths drawn to a spiky-haired, turn-based flame.

- DSi: 63,342 2,731 (4.13%)
- PS3: 39,960 11,095 (21.73%)
- PSP: 17,334 3,739 (17.74%)
- DS Lite: 15,057 1,502 (11.08%)
- Wii: 11,731 4,967 (29.75%)
- Xbox 360: 4,854 111 (2.24%)
- PS2: 2,347 376 (13.81%)

[Source: Media Create]

See: The diminishing archives

We're here! We're really here! The land of the rising sun! The place where all the magic happens. The factory in which the sausage is made. Sales sausage! We're currently sitting in Shibuyo, with -- what? Shibuya. That's what we said. We're sitting in Shibuya, getting ready to go on a shopping excursion in Ikeahabar, where we'll -- Akihabara. Okay, we were way off with that one, but c'mon, we lost like, six hours getting out here. Nine hours. Twenty hours?

Fine! Not all of us made the trip to the Tokyo Game Show this year -- not even the guy who, on a weekly basis, takes hours out of his day to compile the hardware sales figures of the region. In some circles, that would qualify such a person as an expert on Japanese ludological affairs. Such a qualification might inspire such a person to purchase and tirelessly study a series of tapes which teach the listener the beautiful, elegant language of Japan. Such a series of tapes cost such a person $300. Such a person isn't made of money, you know.

Sales charts are below. Pokémon Heart Gold and Soul Silver sold a whole bunch again, and -- oh, screw it. It's Miller time.

- DSi: 66,073 425 (0.64%)
- PS3: 51,055 4,289 (7.75%)
- PSP: 21,073 2,698 (14.68%)
- Wii: 16,698 870 (4.95%)
- DS Lite: 13,555 2,376 (21.25%)
- Xbox 360: 4,965 2,603 (34.39%)
- PS2: 2,723 111 (4.25%)

[Source: Media Create]

See: The jetlagged archives