So, a Xbox 360 game rests the top of the Japanese sales charts.. that Xbox 360 game is, of course, a Monster Hunter title, the only game powerful enough to defeat Love Plus+.

Yes, Monster Hunter Frontier did big numbers in its debut week in Japan, moving more than 90,000 copies in its first days on the market. Hey, they're not Monster Hunter 3 numbers, but cut Frontier some slack! It's not on the Wii, y'know.

And yes, Love Plus+, the virtual girlfriend sim for the Nintendo DS did just fine if you're wondering, joining more PSP adventure games and dating simulations in the Media Create top ten. Former chart topper Super Mario Galaxy 2 is still in there. The chart is just flooded with new debuts, many of which you'll never play unless you have command over the Japanese language.

The full week, below and hardware and more below that.

01. Monster Hunter Frontier (Xbox 360) - 93,000 / NEW
02. Love Plus+ (DS) - 84,000 / NEW
03. Totori no Atelier: Arland no Renkinjutsushi 2 (PS3) - 54,000 / NEW
04. Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side 3rd Story (DS) - 52,000 / NEW
05. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii) - 42,000 / 614,000
06. Hatsune Miku: Project Diva (Ohaidoku-han) (PSP) - 29,000 / NEW
07. White Album: Tsuzurareru Fuyu no Omoide (PS3) - 26,000 / NEW
08. Starry * Sky: In Spring - PSP Edition (PSP) - 22,000 / NEW
09. Ghost Trick (DS) - 20,000 / 44,000
10. Egokoro Kyoushitsu DS (DS) - 20,000 / 41,000

See the rest and your hardware data, after the break.

After taking a week off to give Wii role-playing game Xenoblade a moment in the sun, Super Mario Galaxy 2 returns to its first place spot in Japan. Two new Nintendo DS games came closest to threatening Mario's chances.

Those two games were Capcom's Ghost Trick, a clever-looking adventure game from the creator of the Ace Attorney series, and Egokoro Kyoushitsu DS, Nintendo's new painting tool that falls under the "non-game" category. Wonder if we'll see the latter come stateside...

There's at least one new PlayStation 3 game on the list, the debut of Trauma Team in Japan, a new Tamagotchi title and a new contender for longest game title ever. That'd be Kochira Katsushikaku Kameari Kouenmae Hashutsujo: Machiteba Tengoku! Makereba Jigoku! Ryoutsuryuu Ikkakusenkin Daisakusen!

01. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii) - 53,000 / 572,000
02. Ghost Trick (DS) - 24,000 / NEW
03. Egokoro Kyoushitsu DS (DS) - 21,000 / NEW
04. Xenoblade (Wii) - 21,000 / 104,000
05. Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City (PS3) - 21,000 / 85,000
06. Tamagotchi no Pichi Pichi Omisecchi (DS) - 17,000 / NEW
07. World Soccer Winning Eleven 2010: Aoki Samurai no Chousen (PS3) - 16,000 / 122,000
08. Tomodachi Collection (DS) - 14,000 / 3,277,000
09. World Soccer Winning Eleven 2010: Aoki Samurai no Chousen (PSP) - 13,000 / 69,000
10. Hakuoki: Junsouroku (PS3) - 13,000 / NEW

More numbers, including the hardware, after the break..

Nintendo and Monolith’s Wii-exclusive title sees a healthy debut, while Super Mario Galaxy 2 is still seeing good numbers.

The Media Create sales chart for the week of June 7 through the 13 places Nintendo and Monolith Software's Wii RPG Xenoblade at the top of the charts. The RPG title sold 83,000 copies in its debut week. The previous chart topper, Super Mario Galaxy 2, experienced its first drop since its May 27 debut in Japan. The game sold 73,000 copies, pushing it to the half-million mark (519,000 copies have been sold since launch).

In fourth place is Capcom’s Mega Man Zero Collection for the DS. It sold 22,000 copies for the week. Square Enix's Dragon Quest Monsters Joker 2 rounds out the top five with 20,000 copies sold for a grand total of 1,142,000 copies sold. The top ten closes with two more Nintendo titles. In ninth place is Friend Collection which sold 12,000 copies. Finally, New Super Mario Wii sold 12,000 copies.

The full Media Create chart is as follows:

1. Xenoblade, Wii (83,000)
2. Super Mario Galaxy 2, Wii (73,000)
3. Grand Theft Auto Episodes from Liberty City, PlayStation 3 (64,000)
4. Mega Man Zero Collection, DS (22,000)
5. Dragon Quest Monster Joker 2, DS (20,000)
6. Just Cause 2, PlayStation 3 (19,000)
7. Fairy Tale Portable Guild, PlayStation Portable (14,000)
8. World Soccer Winning Eleven 2010, PlayStation 3 (13,000)
9. Friend Collection, DS (12,000)
10. New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Wii (12,000)

More details and the hardware numbers after the break..

Nintendo’s Super Mario Galaxy 2 continues its reign as the best-selling game in Japan for a second week. The latest Media Create figures show that Mario’s latest intergalactic adventure sold 105,000 copies for the week ending the 6th of June. The title debuted at number 1 last week with 340,000 copies, bringing its life-to-date sales to just shy of half a million, 445,000 to be exact, in just two weeks.

Fairy Tale: Portable Guild for the PSP is new at number 2 with 35,000 copies while Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 for the DS climbs two spots to third with 23,000 copies. Let’s Make a Pro Soccer Club for the DS drops one place to fourth with 18,000 copies after a mediocre debut last week.

Lost Planet 2 for the PS3 moves up one position to finish at number 5 with 16,000 copies. Hisshou Pachinko Pachislot Kouryaku Series Portable Vol. 1 for the PSP enters the chart at number 6 with 14,000 copies while Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker remains in seventh with 14,000 copies.

There is much more, including the sales and hardware charts, after the break..

Nintendo’s Super Mario Galaxy 2 has debuted at number 1 on the Japanese Software Chart. Mario’s new intergalactic adventure is one of the most anticipated titles among Wii gamers for this year so it’s hardly surprising that the latest Media Create figures show that it sold a whopping 340,000 copies for the week ending the 30th of May. Bear in mind that the game launched across Japan on the 27th of May so these sales account for only three days. You may be interested to learn that Super Mario Galaxy 2 performed better in its opening week than the original which sold 250 585 copies in its opening week, but not quite matching the New Super Mario Bros. Wii numbers..

It was a week filled with new debuts, like Cave's new Death Smiles IIX, Alan Wake and a slew of Japanese games that appeal strictly to Japanese tastes.

Last week's champ, Lost Planet 2, managed to stay in the top ten, as did Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, which could be a million-seller in Japan, given a few more months.

For the top thirty bestselling games in Japan for the week of May 24 to 30, read on, following the page break.

01. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii) - 340,000 / NEW
02. Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Masou Kishin - The Lord of Elemental (DS) - 81,000 / NEW
03. Soccer Tsuku DS: World Challenge 2010 (DS) - 50,000 / NEW
04. Medarot DS: Kabuto / Kuwagata (DS) - 50,000 / NEW
05. Dragon Quest Monsters Joker 2 (DS) - 34,000 / 1,099,000
06. Lost Planet 2 (PS3) - 34,000 / 118,000
07. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (PSP) - 25,000 / 698,000
08. World Soccer Winning Eleven 2010: Aoki Samurai no Chousen (PS3) - 22,000 / 79,000
09. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii) - 16,000 / 3,860,000
10. Death Smiles IIX (Xbox 360) - 16,000 / NEW

This weekend we all here is the US celebrate the unofficial beginning of summer but there is a much more important reason for the holiday. Memorial Day. The day we honor those that have given the ultimate sacrifice defending their country.

With this in mind, take a few minutes to honor those in YOUR country that have died in service protecting your borders.

Members of the Westboro Baptist Church say Dio 'is currently residing in hell'

May 23, 2010 - Ronnie James Dio’s public memorial on May 30 looks set to be disrupted by US religious cult the Westboro Baptist Church, who oppose his supposed links with the devil.

67-year-old Dio passed away on May 16 after losing his battle with cancer.

Square Enix's Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 saw a drop in weekly sales in Japan, but was able to lead charts for the third week in a row, followed once again by Konami and Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker.

For the week ended May 16, tracking firm Media Create said the DS role-playing game Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 sold 126,000 units. That's down from the game's debut week, which saw 624,000 in unit sales, and its second week, which saw 253,000 units.

Coming in second was Kojima's Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker for PSP, selling 63,000 units during the week, versus 434,000 when the game debuted and 141,000 units last week.

To date, Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 has sold just over 1 million units in Japan, while Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker has sold 638,000 units. Both games launched on April 28 in the country.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii, released in Japan in December last year, continued to hang near the top of the charts with 19,000 units sold during the week. The game has sold over 3.8 million units in Japan.

Games that fell off of the top 10 list include the DS game Pokemon Ranger: Tracks of Light and Wii Sports Resort, which were ousted from the top 10 by new entries Haku Ouki Yugiroku from Idea Factory and 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa from EA.

Below are Media Create's weekly Japanese charts for the week ended May 16, 2010:

The hard rock community was in a state of mourning as artists and fans rushed to pay tribute to iconic elder statesman Ronnie James Dio, born to an Italian-American family in New Hampshire as Ronald James Padavona, who died on Sunday at the age of 67 from stomach cancer.