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[Man God]

27/02/96 [NGB] Pokemon Red / Green / Blue (Nintendo) - 140.074 / 7.783.101

This has got to be one of the strangest lines in Japanese video game sales history.

How could something start so mediocre and end so great? :lol

Oh, I know the story about the Mew Giveaway and the anime picking up, but that stuff usually effects the second game. Look at DQ 2 over DQ 1.

 

[Hero of Legend]

This has got to be one of the strangest lines in Japanese video game sales history.

How could something start so mediocre and end so great? :lol

Oh, I know the story about the Mew Giveaway and the anime picking up, but that stuff usually effects the second game. Look at DQ 2 over DQ 1.

Blue came a bit after IIRC, it was Red and Green together at first. Blue's essentially Pokemon USA in Japan, ala Super Mario Bros 2/ Super Mario USA.

Or putting it better; Blue in Japan is the adjusted version of the game released as Red and Blue in NA.

 

[Boney]

Go Metroid GO!!!

 

[thestopsign]

This has got to be one of the strangest lines in Japanese video game sales history.

How could something start so mediocre and end so great? :lol

Oh, I know the story about the Mew Giveaway and the anime picking up, but that stuff usually effects the second game. Look at DQ 2 over DQ 1.

It had a perfect storm of a strong TV show, great word of mouth, and extended advertising.

 

[farnham]

Looking at the sales

1. Wii is finished in Japan this year unless they pull out another Wii__ title
2. Sengoku Basara 3 is probably the last game for Wii from Capcom unless there will be a MHTG which I doubt
3. Metroid will be a dead franchise this and next gen. The games just dont sell anywhere.

 

[matmanx1]

Looking at the sales

1. Wii is finished in Japan this year unless they pull out another Wii__ title
2. Sengoku Basara 3 is probably the last game for Wii from Capcom unless there will be a MHTG which I doubt
3. Metroid will be a dead franchise this and next gen. The games just dont sell anywhere.

1. Yep. PS3 has nearly surpassed it's YTD sales and still has several heavy hitters left for the year.
2. I hope not but I can understand why if it turns out to be true.
3. =( Sad face! I love the "feel" of most of the metroid games and even though I've not always loved them (Prime 2, ugh) I would love for the series to do better commercially.

 

[farnham]

1. Yep. PS3 has nearly surpassed it's YTD sales and still has several heavy hitters left for the year.
2. I hope not but I can understand why if it turns out to be true.
3. =( Sad face! I love the "feel" of most of the metroid games and even though I've not always loved them (Prime 2, ugh) I would love for the series to do better commercially.

1. Kirby could do a million. But DK no chance. Last story will do sub 100k and uh. thats it. Nintendo is screwed unless they have a hidden Wii__ title
2. well its not only capcom though. Sega, Namco Bandai, Square Enix, Atlus, Nipponichi. they are all going to jump ship or already have done so.
3. Yeah it failed in Japan, failed in Europe. we dont know how it will do in america. But if it fails there too we will not see this series for a long long time.

 

[Boney]

Kirby will do a million +.

Probably so will DK and Last Story should do 200k.

 

[AceBandage]

1. Kirby could do a million. But DK no chance. Last story will do sub 100k and uh. thats it. Nintendo is screwed unless they have a hidden Wii__ title
2. well its not only capcom though. Sega, Namco Bandai, Square Enix, Atlus, Nipponichi. they are all going to jump ship or already have done so.
3. Yeah it failed in Japan, failed in Europe. we dont know how it will do in america. But if it fails there too we will not see this series for a long long time.

I really doubt that, honestly.
They'll just try something else.

 

[onken]

Poor Other M, sad but not unexpected.

 

[farnham]

I really doubt that, honestly.
They'll just try something else.

making a new wario ware game and rythm heaven is more lucrative then making metroid. they should just stick to that.

 

[schuelma]

Looking at the sales

1. Wii is finished in Japan this year unless they pull out another Wii__ title

Nah, Nintendo is just fine. I think they can let things go this way in Japan for another 2 years. No worries. All is well.

 

[AceBandage]

making a new wario ware game and rythm heaven is more lucrative then making metroid. they should just stick to that.

Going by that logic, they should be just making WiiSports spin offs...

 

[farnham]

Going by that logic, they should be just making WiiSports spin offs...

they totally should actually. i still cant believe they are doing stuff like metroid, xenoblade or last story. nobody is interested in buying those games on wii.

Nah, Nintendo is just fine. I think they can let things go this way in Japan for another 2 years. No worries. All is well.

well they have to. they will have to bring out the 3ds first and focus on that one being a success for a year or two. also they already said that they dont want to bring out just wii hd. they want to make something that is new and expands the demographic. so its not going to be easy.

 

[AceBandage]

they totally should actually. i still cant believe they are doing stuff like metroid, xenoblade or last story. nobody is interested in buying those games on wii.

I'm so glad you aren't running Nintendo.
You'd crash and burn it so fast.

 

[farnham]

I'm so glad you aren't running Nintendo.
You'd crash and burn it so fast.

im just looking at the sales of the wii___ products and the sales of games like xenoblade, fire emblem or metroid (btw i love those games). and see how the wii___ products are way cheaper to make yet they are selling 10 times better. so yeah its the general public that demands wii__ products not me.

 

[charlequin]

Nah, Nintendo is just fine. I think they can let things go this way in Japan for another 2 years. No worries. All is well.

You sound bitter. :lol

 

[schuelma]

You sound bitter. :lol

I am kind of pissy lately now that you mention it :lol Loooong week.

 

[farnham]

You sound bitter. :lol

hes just mocking me. he thinks wii 2 will launch in 2011-2012 and i think it will launch in 2013-14

 

[schuelma]

hes just mocking me. he thinks wii 2 will launch in 2011-2012 and i think it will launch in 2013-14

I have been wrong many many times on this board, but I'd almost be willing to bet a permaban that there is no conceivable way Nintendo will wait until 2013 to release a new home console.

 

[Cosmonaut X]

they totally should actually. i still cant believe they are doing stuff like metroid, xenoblade or last story. nobody is interested in buying those games on wii.

It's because they realise the value in trying to offer a wider range of games to their audience. They may not be able to cover all the bases, but to simply focus on the mainstream mega sellers at the expense of mid-range and niche games would be crazy. Perhaps if they were a software developer only they could afford to do that, but they are a platform holder and they have to try to provide a far broader range of software.

As for Metroid's sales, at the moment it looks as though it will perform to or slightly above most recent titles in the series in Japan, and it will probably do about as well as the Prime series in Europe. Unless it absolutely tanks in America, I don't see any apocalyptic "end of the franchise for YEARS!" situation - it will simply be Metroid as usual.

im just looking at the sales of the wii___ products and the sales of games like xenoblade, fire emblem or metroid (btw i love those games). and see how the wii___ products are way cheaper to make yet they are selling 10 times better. so yeah its the general public that demands wii__ products not me.

Again, that's a ridiculous way to think if you are a platform holder (or, arguably, if you are a large software publisher). There is immense value in having a stable of titles that don't sell particularly well but can be profitable at particular budgets, and that fill a niche in your system's library.

I'd also argue the toss about the cost of the Wii xxx line, but I think a great many people see the simple presentation and gameplay and assume it costs pennies. It's a trap you see people falling into whenever they see something simple - the assumption that it must be easy and cheap to do that, when it likely took a huge amount of time and refinement to get it in that state.

 

[Hero of Legend]

I have been wrong many many times on this board, but I'd almost be willing to bet a permaban that there is no conceivable way Nintendo will wait until 2013 to release a new home console.

I'll never understand the mentality behind permaban/ban whatever bets. :/

 

[schuelma]

I'll never understand the mentality behind permaban/ban whatever bets. :/

Oh I would never actually do it, I'm just trying to express how confident I am in this prediction.

 

[farnham]

It's because they realise the value in trying to offer a wider range of games to their audience. They may not be able to cover all the bases, but to simply focus on the mainstream mega sellers at the expense of mid-range and niche games would be crazy. Perhaps if they were a software developer only they could afford to do that, but they are a platform holder and they have to try to provide a far broader range of software.

As for Metroid's sales, at the moment it looks as though it will perform to or slightly above most recent titles in the series in Japan, and it will probably do about as well as the Prime series in Europe. Unless it absolutely tanks in America, I don't see any apocalyptic "end of the franchise for YEARS!" situation - it will simply be Metroid as usual.

well they have a good range covered

they have the totally casual games wii sports, wii fit

they have the bridge games like mario kart, kirby

and they have the hardcore hard hitters like mario, zelda or pokemon

also they have the kiddie base covered. i think nintendo should just focus on making those games rather then trying to dulge into PS3, PSP territory. Everytime they tried that they failed.

 

[Hero of Legend]

Oh I would never actually do it, I'm just trying to express how confident I am in this prediction.

Perhaps, but while YOU may never do that, I've seen too many actually do it. :/

If you're wrong, then your ass gets bitten.

 

[farnham]

I have been wrong many many times on this board, but I'd almost be willing to bet a permaban that there is no conceivable way Nintendo will wait until 2013 to release a new home console.

Oh I would never actually do it, I'm just trying to express how confident I am in this prediction.

what now ? :lol :lol


no srsly. I see the logic behind the 2011-2012 theory. i would be fine with it too. but i dont think they are quite ready yet.

 

[boiled goose]

im just looking at the sales of the wii___ products and the sales of games like xenoblade, fire emblem or metroid (btw i love those games). and see how the wii___ products are way cheaper to make yet they are selling 10 times better. so yeah its the general public that demands wii__ products not me.

dude... think about it a little more.

Part of the reason those games sell well is because there is not a new iteration every few months. Variety is important to keeping consumers happy. That those games sell more than metroid simply means that more people like those games, not that those people want to buy 4 iterations of said game.

Look at what activision did to guitar hero. Guitar hero 3 sold amazingly, since then the franchise has nearly been run to the ground.

 

[Boney]

I'm so glad you aren't running Nintendo.
You'd crash and burn it so fast.

.

 

[farnham]

dude... think about it a little more.

Part of the reason those games sell well is because there is not a new iteration every few months. Variety is important to keeping consumers happy. That those games sell more than metroid simply means that more people like those games, not that those people want to buy 4 iterations of said game.

Look at what activision did to guitar hero. Guitar hero 3 sold amazingly, since then the franchise has nearly been run to the ground.

im not saying every month. but they should at least have one or two of em each year.
so far 2009 will only have wii party and the wii is going shitters saleswise, coincidence ? i think not.


also. nintendo makes 5 to 10 mario games each year.

do people get sick of him. maybe. do they buy those games. yes they do.

 

[Boney]

im not saying every month. but they should at least have one or two of em each year.
so far 2009 will only have wii party and the wii is going shitters saleswise, coincidence ? i think not.

Look at what activision did to guitar hero. Guitar hero 3 sold amazingly, since then the franchise has nearly been run to the ground.

.

 

[AceBandage]

im not saying every month. but they should at least have one or two of em each year.
so far 2009 will only have wii party and the wii is going shitters saleswise, coincidence ? i think not.


also. nintendo makes 5 to 10 mario games each year.

do people get sick of him. maybe. do they buy those games. yes they do.

No.
They really don't.
Not even close.

 

[onken]

I have been wrong many many times on this board, but I'd almost be willing to bet a permaban that there is no conceivable way Nintendo will wait until 2013 to release a new home console.

Yeah I'm fairly confident we'll see Wii2 released around the end of 2012, with the reveal possibly next E3. So yeah, Wii has got a lot of chugging to do.

 

[Cosmonaut X]

im not saying every month. but they should at least have one or two of em each year.
so far 2009 will only have wii party and the wii is going shitters saleswise, coincidence ? i think not.

Wii Party was never going to do anything significant for hardware sales - it's aimed fairly squarely at the audience that already has the system for Wii Play or Wii Sports. Having two Wii Party-esque titles a year is no use if Nintendo are wanting to drive hardware - they need new, interesting games that appeal to people who don't already own the console (NSMB Wii did this last year and into early this year).

What they need to drive hardware sales is what any successful console needs - a steady stream of varied, desirable software. Pumping out two, three or four Wii xxx titles a year won't cut it.

also. nintendo makes 5 to 10 mario games each year.

Not on the Wii they don't, and looking at the drop-off for NSMB Wii after SMG2 released it does appear that Mario titles can cannibalise each other's sales.

 

[farnham]

No.
They really don't.
Not even close.

here you go.. btw fuck they had 18 mario related releases in 2005

 

[farnham]

Wii Party was never going to do anything significant for hardware sales - it's aimed fairly squarely at the audience that already has the system for Wii Play or Wii Sports. Having two Wii Party-esque titles a year is no use if Nintendo are wanting to drive hardware - they need new, interesting games that appeal to people who don't already own the console (NSMB Wii did this last year and into early this year).

What they need to drive hardware sales is what any successful console needs - a steady stream of varied, desirable software. Pumping out two, three or four Wii xxx titles a year won't cut it.

well looks like they are fucked then

the wii has like 5 games for the rest of the year :lol :lol

 

[AceBandage]

here you go.. btw fuck they had 18 mario related releases in 2005

2008, 9 and 10 all have less than 5 games.
/= every year.

well looks like they are fucked then

the wii has like 5 games for the rest of the year

They were fucked the instant third parties thought that making nothing but WiiSports rip offs every month was a good idea.

 

[Cosmonaut X]

well looks like they are fucked then

the wii has like 5 games for the rest of the year :lol :lol

...and circle gets the square.

 

[farnham]

2008, 9 and 10 all have less than 5 games.
/= every year.

yeah they kinda stopped spamming mario games. im really angry with that actually. where the hell is my mario tennis and mario golf wii (not the NPC. although i would take mario golf GC NPC at this point)

They were fucked the instant third parties thought that making nothing but WiiSports rip offs every month was a good idea.

that means they were fucked the moment when the wii launched

Not on the Wii they don't, and looking at the drop-off for NSMB Wii after SMG2 released it does appear that Mario titles can cannibalise each other's sales.

the strength of the mario series is that it has pretty much every genre in the world covered

 

[AceBandage]

yeah they kinda stopped spamming mario games. im really angry with that actually. where the hell is my mario tennis and mario golf wii (not the NPC. although i would take mario golf GC NPC at this point)



that means they were fucked the moment when the wii launched


the strength of the mario series is that it has pretty much every genre in the world covered

No, actually, the first few months saw a pretty big variety in lineup from both Nintendo and third parties.
But third parties decided to not capitalize on that... at all.
And so, they suffered for it, while Nintendo raked in the cash.

 

[farnham]

anyway. does anyone think that nintendo will have wii relax this year ? looks like it could be the only way to prevent them from total disaster.

No, actually, the first few months saw a pretty big variety in lineup from both Nintendo and third parties.
But third parties decided to not capitalize on that... at all.
And so, they suffered for it, while Nintendo raked in the cash.

lol wut

 

[AceBandage]

lol wut

Elebits, Red Steel, Rayman, Super Monkey Ball, Call of Duty, Trauma Center.

For a luanch line up, that's pretty varied and good.

 

[Hero of Legend]

yeah they kinda stopped spamming mario games. im really angry with that actually. where the hell is my mario tennis and mario golf wii (not the NPC. although i would take mario golf GC NPC at this point)

You could give We Love Golf a spin, but Camelot should've waited until M+ came out, or just fucking made MG Wii or at least WLG2 with M+...

Elebits, Red Steel, Rayman, Super Monkey Ball, Call of Duty, Trauma Center.

For a luanch line up, that's pretty varied and good.

Did we not get sequels of those minus Elebits this year along?

Red Steel 2, Travel in Time, Step & Roll, Black Ops, and Trauma Team.

 

[farnham]

You could give We Love Golf a spin, but Camelot should've waited until M+ came out, or just fucking made MG Wii or at least WLG2 with M+...

Id love MG Wii and MT Wii. Ive been waiting for those the moment i played wii sports.

 

[KuwabaraTheMan]

I think the Wii was the victim of, to an extent, a self-fulfilling prophecy. Most third party publishers thought the Wii would be a flop, so they focused on the HD systems which seemed like a safer bet, and Wii projects were mostly spinoffs or low budget games. By the time the Wii had proven them wrong, it was too late, and by the time there were some strong third party efforts, the Wii had garnered the reputation as having "no games".

Nintendo obviously deserves some blame for not courting third parties more heavily early on (and they have basically copped to this, saying that they thought "if we build it, they will come"), but they seem to have realized this with how we've seen Nintendo moneyhatting/publishing in the west games like Monster Hunter, Samurai Warriors and (whenever it comes out) Dragon Quest.

I doubt we'll see a similar situation with the Wii2. Nintendo will most likely be much more aggressive in trying to get third parties on board (and since the system will likely be much more powerful technically, western publishers will be more willing to play ball).

 

[Hero of Legend]

Id love MG Wii and MT Wii. Ive been waiting for those the moment i played wii sports.

I've waited for that like ever.

IMO, WLG just isn't as good, Sakuraba's music was too calm and not upbeat like it was in Camelot's Mario games, plus the control took some getting used to (you gotta twist your hand at the top of the swing to get a proper shot).

Nintendo obviously deserves some blame for not courting third parties more heavily early on (and they have basically copped to this, saying that they thought "if we build it, they will come"), but they seem to have realized this with how we've seen Nintendo moneyhatting/publishing in the west games like Monster Hunter, Samurai Warriors and (whenever it comes out) Dragon Quest.

Don't forget games like REGINLEIV, FlingSmash, Line Attack Heroes, Endless Ocean, etc.

I do wonder if those were indeed solo games and then Nintendo took them in.

 

[farnham]

Nintendo obviously deserves some blame for not courting third parties more heavily early on (and they have basically copped to this, saying that they thought "if we build it, they will come"), but they seem to have realized this with how we've seen Nintendo moneyhatting/publishing in the west games like Monster Hunter, Samurai Warriors and (whenever it comes out) Dragon Quest.

uh i believe that nintendo had to keep things secret. if things like move or kinect happened 3 years earlier the wii would have been deadborn .

I doubt we'll see a similar situation with the Wii2. Nintendo will most likely be much more aggressive in trying to get third parties on board (and since the system will likely be much more powerful technically, western publishers will be more willing to play ball).

i still say that nintendo should focus on first party and make them stronger. bringing third parties early on will only give the intel away to the competitors and ultimately will make clones happen much faster.

 

[Hero of Legend]

uh i believe that nintendo had to keep things secret. if things like move or kinect happened 3 years earlier the wii would have been deadborn .

I don't they would've been out then anyway, because they surely would've been way more expensive.

 

[markatisu]

well looks like they are fucked then

the wii has like 5 games for the rest of the year :lol :lol

Isn't that more than the last few years :lol

I am going to laugh if yet again they announce some sort of Wii_ title and end up taking the YTD back from the PS3, that seems to be the way the narrative has been playing out

 

[Boney]

Soul Calibur Legends says it all really.

 

[onken]

Isn't that more than the last few years :lol

I am going to laugh if yet again they announce some sort of Wii_ title and end up taking the YTD back from the PS3, that seems to be the way the narrative has been playing out

It was NSMB that sealed the deal last year, not a Wii_ title. Though yeah, Wii Relax is in the post. What the hell it's supposed to be and whether it will sell or not is a whole other issue, though.