The big marketing push in Japan for Pikmin 3, drawing in celebrities like Hitoshi Matsumoto and Juri Ueno, has paid off, as Pikmin 3 debuts selling 92,720 units. The launch has also caused a modest jump in the sale of Wii U hardware, from 8,251 units last week to 22,199 units. Not too far off is Level 5's Yokai Watch, taking the top 2 spot at 53,654 units.
Pikmin 3 should need no introduction, as the first installment for the series in over a decade. Olimar is replaced by new explorers Alph, Brittany and Charlie, who get the Pikmin's aid to collect fruit and extract juice for their daily sustenance and seeds to bring back to their food-strapped planet.
Yokai Watch is a brand new IP from Level-5, which is sort of a Pokemon with ghosts, but with other unique gameplay elements. The eponymous watch will help you hunt down ghosts, and you can have a party of as much as six ghosts in battles. The game will seamlessly blend in anime cutscenes to provide a solid narrative experience.
Also debuting in Japan for the first time are New Super Luigi U for Wii U, Metal Gear Solid: The Legacy Collection and Deep Silver's Dead Island:Riptide, published by Spike Chunsoft, both for the PS3. Japan shelves rapidly grew crowded this week, but clearly, all eyes are on Pikmin 3 and Yokai Watch.
