Blue Dragon helps boost 360 in Japan

Let no one doubt the power a popular anime artist and a popular RPG developer can have on a system's success in Japan. 1up is reporting that pre-orders for the 10,000 limited edition Blue Dragon Xbox 360 bundles are selling briskly, with some retailers running out of stock within minutes. This is the same console that barely sold 2,000 units in the country last week, making the healthy interest all the more surprising.

Is this sales surge a temporary blip due to a collectible bundle, or will Microsoft be able to parlay the interest into a sustainable market share in the country? Either way, we'd advise Microsoft that a boob-filled bundle for Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 couldn't hurt in the land of the giant huggable Kasumi pillow.