Peace Walker "well received by hardcore"

When Hideo Kojima releases a Metal Gear Solid game, Konami's bank balance explodes. That didn't happen with PSP game Peace Walker, but Konami takes solace in the fact it was at least "well received by hardcore Metal Gear fans".

Was it? Eurogamer's Oli Welsh awarded the stealth game 8/10.

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker commands an enviable 89 per cent on Metacritic.

Sales weren't awful, mind you: Metal Gear notched up 1.47 million between April and the end of September. Not specifically for Peace Walker - Konami didn't name names - but as there were no other MGS games released during those six months, such an assumption is logical.

Peace Walker sales, Konami did say, "progressed favourably".

Meanwhile, in the US, sales of DanceDanceRevolution "progressed steadily". That was partly because the game, which supports PlayStation Move, is part of a campaign to "fight obesity". Obviously gamers are the fattest.

"Steady" was also a word used to describe sales of the the Japanese World Cup PES game. Amusingly, Konami referred to the global competition not by its name but as "once-every-four-years festivities that excite soccer fans worldwide". Perhaps it doesn't have licensing rights. Oh yes he did.

Konami was far more enthusiastic about LovePlusPlus, its "romance communication game". This had record first week sales and a "highly positive" response from Japanese punters. Konami describes LovePlus as a "social phenomenon" in Japan - there's even a festival there for it. Taking that into account, the existence of a 3DS Project LovePlus game shouldn't surprise.

Other performers of note - but for Japan only - were Jikkyo Pawafuru Puroyakyu (on PS3 for the first time); Puroyakyu Spirits 2010; "academy romance simulation game for women" Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side 3rd Story; Fairy Tail Portable Guild and Busou Shinki Battle Masters.

In total, Konami sold 10.05 million units between the start of April and end of September. Japan snapped up 4.34 million of those, Europe 3.42 million, the US 2.18 million and Asia 120,000.

Of those 10.5 million sales, 3.44 million were for football/soccer games, 3.14 million for "Other" (a large amount not specified), 1.47 million for Metal Gear games, 740,000 for baseball games, 670 for animated television games and 590,000 for music games.

The money made from all those game sales was $327 million - roughly half of the Digital Entertainment sector of Konami Corporation.

More importantly, those numbers don't involve new games Castlevania: Lords of Shadow or PES 2011, as both were released on 8th October in Europe.

Konami also has Glee TV show spin-off Karaoke Revolution Glee poised as well as streetwise karaoke game Def Jam Rapstar.

As mentioned, Digital Entertainment (videogames, amusements, card games, online) is just one limb of the Konami company body. Let's call it a leg; a leg worth $655 million to Konami in the last six months. The other leg holding Konami up is Health & Fitness (worth $541 million). The wobbly arms are Gaming & System ($114 million) and Other & Eliminations ($117 million).