Trust Nintendo to pull rank on the Japanese sales charts after the release of one of its major IPs. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for the Wii secured the top spot of the recent Media Create sales update for the week of November 21-27.

An elf's quest triumphed for the week of November 21.

The Wii title sold 194,978 units in its debut week, beating out other titles, like Sega's 7th Dragon 2020 (122,498 units), Saint Seiya Senki (66,557 units), and the PS3 version of Metal Gear Solid HD Edition (61,192). For comparison's sake, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for the Wii sold 139,011 units in its first week of release in 2006, while The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass for the DS sold 302,887 units in its debut week in 2007.

Former number-one title Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3--distributed by Square Enix in the region--was bumped to 10th place, with 29,726 sold. Other former top-spot holders fell just below the top 10 spot for the week; One Piece: Gigant Battle 2 sold 27,379 units to finish in 11th place, while Ninokuni: Wrath of the White Witch sold 20,185 units, and was at 13th place.

Wii sales doubled for the week, likely boosted by the launch of Skyward Sword. Nintendo sold 20,148 units of its console, an improvement over the 13,613 units sold for the week of November 14. Meanwhile, Nintendo sold 120,920 units of the 3DS, while Sony sold 34,031 units of the PS3 and 33,151 units of the PSP.

Japanese game sales for the week of November 21-27:

Software
Rank/Title/Publisher/Platform/Unit sales
1. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword / Nintendo / Wii / 194,978
2. 7th Dragon 2020 / Sega / PSP / 122,498
3. Saint Seiya: Sanctuary Battle / Namco Bandai / PS3 / 66,557
4. Super Mario 3D Land / Nintendo / 3DS / 61,710
5. Metal Gear Solid HD Edition / Konami / PS3 / 61,192
6. Danball Senki Boost / Level-5 / PSP / 60,727
7. Weiss Schwarz Portable / Namco Bandai / PSP / 47,586
8. Uta no Prince-Sama: Music / Broccoli / PSP / 38,918
9. Taiko no Tatsujin Wii: Ketteiban / Namco Bandai / Wii / 32,098
10. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 / Square Enix / PS3 / 29,726

Hardware
3DS – 120,920
PS3 – 34,031
PSP – 33,151
Wii – 20,148
DSi XL – 2,237
Xbox 360 – 1,678
PS2 – 1,294
DSi – 993
DS Lite - 35

Mario's first handheld excursion into the third dimension has put the plumber in first place. According to the recent Media Create sales update for the week of October 31, Super Mario 3D Land for the 3DS sold 343,492 units on its debut week, easily topping the sales charts.

Koopa genocide rules in-game sales for October 31.

Although the 3DS's launch difficulties have been well documented, Super Mario 3D Land's Japanese debut actually outperformed its predecessors on the successful Wii console. Super Mario Galaxy for the Wii sold about 250,000 on its first week of Japanese release in 2007, and its sequel sold 339,901 in 2010.

Alongside the 3DS title, two new Western-made titles bumped former top-slot-holder Final Fantasy Type-0 to fourth place, with 122,286 units sold. They are Uncharted 3 and Battlefield 3 (PS3 version), with 124,989 and 123,379 units sold, respectively. The Xbox 360 version of the third Battlefield title was at eighth place, with 27,723 units sold.

Other new entries include the PSP version of Pro Evolution Soccer 2012, which sold 45,437 units, and the new Dragon Quest spin-off title Slime Mori Mori Dragon Quest 3, which sold 38,859 units. The spin-off for the 3DS is the sequel to Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime, which takes place on the high seas. Players control a member of the series' iconic slime race called Shujinko and must fight off evil pirates with customisable battleships and action role-playing combat.

3DS sales increased during the week due to the appearance of a new Mario title on the platform. Nintendo sold 145,271 units of the system, a jump from 65,041 units sold in the week of October 24. Sony's PSP sales went down to 27,952 units, but PS3 sales went up to 26,966 units. Meanwhile, Nintendo sold 11,725 units of the Wii for the week.

Japanese game sales for the week of October 31 - November 6:

Software
Rank/Title/Publisher/Platform/Unit sales
1. Super Mario 3D Land / Nintendo / 3DS / 343,492
2. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception / Sony / PS3 / 124,989
3. Battlefield 3 / EA / PS3 / 123,379
4. Final Fantasy Type-0 / Square Enix / PSP / 122,286
5. Kirby's Return to Dreamland / Nintendo / Wii / 55,779
6. Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 / Konami / PSP / 45,437
7. Slime Mori Mori Dragon Quest 3 / Square Enix / 3DS / 38,859
8. Battlefield 3 / EA / Xbox 360 / 27,723
9. Just Dance Wii / Nintendo / Wii / 25,665
10. Go Vacation / Namco Bandai / Wii / 16,995

Hardware
3DS - 145,271
PSP - 27,952
PS3 - 26,966
Wii - 11,725
DSi XL - 2041
Xbox 360 - 1699
PS2 - 1457
DSi - 1057
DS Lite - 33

The PlayStation Vita's Japanese launch is rapidly approaching, and Sony has finally offered some details on the program that will allow PSP owners to transfer their games and saves to their new Vita handhelds. All games will have to be repurchased to be played on the Vita, Sony said, but those who can prove via UMD that they already own games will get a discount when repurchasing the same content digitally.

The Vita will be released in Japan later this year.

Many full-price games will command a fee of ¥1,000 ($13, £8); titles confirmed to be in this price range include Dirt 2, Gran Turismo, Dead or Alive Paradise, and Patapon 3. While some other titles will cost less to transfer, some will cost considerably more. One Pachi-slot title from Daito has a fee of ¥2,400 ($31) attached to it.

More titles from third parties will also be available to transfer once the Vita hits the streets, Sony has said, with approximately 200 promised. The firm specifically called out Square Enix, Capcom, Konami, and others as having titles that would come to the program at some point but did not offer further details.

The PlayStation Vita is due to launch in Japan on December 17, in some other Asian territories on December 23, and finally in Europe and North America on February 22, 2012. It features two analog sticks, a 5-inch touch screen, and a rear touch pad. Two versions of the handheld will be released; one with 3G network access, as well as Wi-Fi capabilities, and another that can only connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi. The 3G version will retail for ¥29,980, €299, $299, and £279 in Japan, the eurozone, the USA, and the UK, respectively. In those regions the Wi-Fi version will sell for ¥24,980, €249, $249, and £229.

Full details on the program can be found (in Japanese) on Sony's website or (in English) via Andriasang.