While individual aspects have come in for criticism, the dark atmospheres, unconventional characters and general scenarios have been cited as one of each game's strengths. Despite some mixed feelings from reviewers either for the story as a whole or certain aspects of it, the characters and plot of "Drakengard 3" have also been praised. The major exception is "Drakengard 2": the story's lighter tone and more traditional narrative were noted and sometimes criticized for being overly simplistic or too similar to other games in the genre. The "Drakengard" characters have remained popular in Japan, with "Dengeki" holding a popularity contest for those characters to celebrate the series' tenth anniversary and the announcement of "Drakengard 3". Among the most popular characters were the first game's main protagonists, Caim and Angelus (the former having earned the nickname among fans). The characters of "Drakengard 3" have also proved to be highly popular. The gameplay has so far come in for major criticism, with the original title's aerial and ground-based gameplay being seen as repetitive and dull, although some reviewers found it entertaining. "Drakengard 2" also came in for such criticism, although minor improvements were cited. In contrast, the gameplay of "Drakengard 3" was generally praised or seen as an improvement upon the previous two entries, though the dragon-riding segments came in for criticisms for difficult controls. Opinions were divided on "Nier"s unconventional mix of gameplay styles from multiple game genres, with some praising the variety and others seeing it as poorly executed. The series as a whole has gained a cult following in Japan. Each game has sold relatively well in its home market. The original game was a commercial success, selling over 120,000 units in the first week of release and eventually selling over 240,000 copies in Japan. "Drakengard 2"s first-week sales were similarly impressive, selling 100,000 units. It sold over 203,000 copies by the end of 2005. "Drakengard 3" sold just over 15,000 units in its first week, and over 150,000 units by May 2014. The two versions of "Nier"—"Gestalt" and "Replicant"—sold roughly 12,500 and 60,000 copies in their first week respectively. "Replicant" eventually sold over 121,000 in Japan by the end of May 2010. The series has sold over 770,000 units in Japan as of May 2014.