As I recall Mario Galaxy being released in Japan was a 'gift' to Japan because the trend for the past few years had been that American soil got releases before Japan - so I don't understand the issue here. As I recall Japan has a lot of making up to do on releases.
Numbers: Checker Players > Halo Players
Checkers Age and replayability > Halo Age and replayability
Therefore, Checkers > Halo
So, Checkers is a better game than Halo.