The latest video game craze in Japan is yet to run out of steam.
The Yo-Kai Watch franchise has already shifted more thanseven million copies, propelled by the success of the first two entries in the series.
Last week, the latest title from developer Level 5, Yo-Kai Watch Busters, shot straight to the top of the Japanese retail charts, shifting almost 700,000 copies in its first week on sale.
Busters is based upon a mini-game in predecessor Yo-Kai Watch 2, allowing players to take control of the titular creatures in order to take down bosses.
Meanwhile, a prequel instalment in the cult Ace Attorney series, Dai Ace Attorney: Naruhodo Ryunosuke no Boken, landed in second place, selling over 136,000 units during its debut week.
Both 3DS-exclusive titles, Busters and Ace Attorney helped Nintendo’s New 3DS XL handheld remain top of the hardware heap, comfortably out-selling Sony’s competing Vita. However, New 3DS XL sales were only marginally higher than the week previous.
The Vita was helped into second place by the release of Taiko Drum Master: V Version for the platform, which was the third-best-selling game of the week.
Further down, rhythm game spin-off Persona 4: Dancing All Night vanished from the software Top Ten after just two weeks in the chart.
Here is the Top Ten for the week ending July 12th, according to the latest Famitsu data:

  1. Yo-Kai Watch Busters: Akaneko-dan / Shiroinu-tai (Level 5) 3DS – 688,386
  2. Dai Ace Attorney: Naruhodo Ryunosuke no Boken (Capcom) 3DS – 136,191
  3. Taiko Drum Master: V Version (Bandai Namco) Vita – 41,400
  4. Fire Emblem Fates: White Kingdom / Black Kingdom (Nintendo) 3DS – 31,523
  5. Rhythm Heaven: The Best+ (Nintendo) 3DS – 24,033
  6. Splatoon (Nintendo) Wii U – 22,860
  7. Cho Tosochu: Atsumare! Saikyo no Tososha-tachi (Bandai Namco) 3DS – 14,864
  8. Minecraft: PlayStation Vita Edition (Sony) Vita – 9,642
  9. Mario Kart 8 (Nintendo) Wii U – 7,022
  10. Tobidase Dobutsu no Mori (Animal Crossing: New Leaf) (Nintendo) 3DS – 5,457

And here are the hardware rankings for the same period:

  1. New Nintendo 3DS XL – 21,544
  2. PS Vita – 13,063
  3. PS4 –12,906
  4. Wii U – 10,981
  5. New Nintendo 3DS – 4,627
  6. PS3 – 2,589
  7. Nintendo 3DS – 971
  8. Nintendo 3DS XL – 901
  9. PS Vita TV – 551
  10. Xbox One – 129
  11. http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/yo-ka...00-000/0152663