To the surprise of absolutely nobody, Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle was the top-selling Nintendo 3DS game on launch day last week in Japan. Level-5 is probably the best developer in video games right now, no matter what the system. The games these guys put out just exude quality on all levels.

And for those keeping track, the 3DS system itself is doing very well in Japan – again, to the surprise of nobody. In fact, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata is even expecting the 3DS to surpass DS sales — no small feat, considering the Nintendo DS is one of the best-selling consoles of all time.

You know, Nintendo really had me worried for a while when they released the N64 and Gamecube and were being pummelled by Sony’s PS1 and PS2 systems, respectively. But they recovered really well and have really hit their stride.