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[ccbfan]

I'm confused why people are saying Nintendo is in trouble or should even be worried?

I mean they have both the best selling home console and handheld and is making more money then they ever have.

They have the casuals with the Wii and the hardcore with the DS. The are in a better situation then they've ever been. Do you really think they care what kind of games people are buying? As long as its from Nintendo, Nintendo couldn't care less what people buy. Nintendo probably hopes this current situation continues. Seriously SMG probably cost a lot more to make than their Wii party games. They'd probably prefer to make Wii party games since its more profit.

The only people thats in trouble are gamers that enjoy playing japanese style games on home consoles.

 

[ethelred]

It was funny... I picked up Galaxy at TRU last night and got the 25$ gift card. Later in the evening, before I got home from work, I stopped at the Wawa for food, and it was the craziest thing -- the register jockey's nametag said Mario! I took it as some kind of divine sign. But then I went home and played more Fire Emblem.

 

[Dragona Akehi]

what do you do manage the presidents busy schedule

and by "busy" i mean his golfing schedule

1) I wouldn't work for an american pig-dog.

2) I don't think he has the capacities to play golf, anyway.

 

[786110]

Wake up call for what, though? Make more "core" games that Japan doesn't want, or make millions off of the next Wii ____ game that Nintendo programmers slap together during their lunch hours?

Well, wake up call to the fact that the casual market doesn't seem to be biting the core games, which I assume they'd want. Of course I could always be wrong since all things considered they're still making money at the end of the day.

 

[perfectchaos007]

Wheres my numbers for 11/5-11/11?

 

[.dmc]

How many albums released since 2004 have sold 20 million worldwide or more? You know, like GTA: San Andreas did?

You got us, wikipedia says that the last time that happened was 2002, which had two albums that sold 20million copies. But the 00s have had 15 albums that have sold in excess of 15million and the 90s have 63 albums that sold in excess of 15million, so perhaps that says more about declining albums sales, I dunno.

How many games have sold more than 15million copies?

 

[Tiktaalik]

I'm confused why people are saying Nintendo is in trouble or should even be worried?

I mean they have both the best selling home console and handheld and is making more money then they ever have.

They have the casuals with the Wii and the hardcore with the DS. The are in a better situation then they've ever been. Do you really think they care what kind of games people are buying? As long as its from Nintendo, Nintendo couldn't care less what people buy. Nintendo probably hopes this current situation continues. Seriously SMG probably cost a lot more to make than their Wii party games. They'd probably prefer to make Wii party games since its more profit.

The only people thats in trouble are gamers that enjoy playing japanese style games on home consoles.

I think a huge part of the DS's success comes from hardcore gamers and casual gamers buying both casual games and hardcore games. The DS has had a lot of success with casual gamers buying casual games, psudo-casual games like Tetris and Animal Crossing and as well hardcore games like Mario Kart and NSMB. These weak SMG sales put into question how many hardcore gamers in Japan are Wii gamers (if there are actually lots I guess they have no taste) and as well it puts into question whether the casual gamers who flocked to the Wii initially for Wii Sports are ready for more hardcore games, or if they even remember if they still have a Wii.

 

[JavyOO7]

I'm hoping Galaxy has legs similar to what Mario Kart DS did back in Christmas 2005 but honestly, the only thing that could help keep steady sales is word of mouth, and probably more people buying Wii's. We'll see.

I'm starting to wonder how Galaxy will do in the states and syrup as well.

 

[Fredescu]

Darling, I didn't say that no one cares for videogames. I just said most people don't. Videogames certainly have an audience willing to spend lots of money on relatively expensive merchandise.

Fair enough, um, honey. You're semantically correct.

As I mentioned before, I think SMG's failure is because they released it at the wrong time for Japan. It'll sell incredibly well in NA, which will be ample reason to make another, and hopefully next time around they plan their release schedules better.

When is the right time? I've always thought that core games were selling poorly there because there is a higher percentage of Wii Sports only casuals own the console. A Mario platformer seemed like a pretty good candidate to even the mix out a bit, but I guess not.

 

[justchris]

So does anyone think if Galaxy continues to do poorly it will be some sort of wake up call to Nintendo or will they not even care?

I think Nintendo will count their money from NA & EU and be satisfied with what they can get. That and maybe convince them to spend a bit more on marketing.

 

[Tiktaalik]

When is the right time? I've always thought that core games were selling poorly there because there is a higher percentage of Wii Sports only casuals own the console. A Mario platformer seemed like a pretty good candidate to even the mix out a bit, but I guess not.

My personal theory is that NSMB was bought by casuals because it was pushed by the stores and the casuals were in there buying other casual games at the time. This might be completely wrong because I don't live in Japan and I don't know what it was like at the time.

If my theory is right then there might not be SMG sales from casuals because they've already bought their Wii Sports and there are no other compelling casual games out there right now for the Wii.

 

[Dragona Akehi]

My personal theory is that NSMB was bought by casuals because it was pushed by the stores and the casuals were in there buying other casual games at the time. This might be completely wrong because I don't live in Japan and I don't know what it was like at the time.

If that was the case, then 1) they would have been sold back eventually and 2) the game would not keep selling huge numbers for so long.

 

[justchris]

My personal theory is that NSMB was bought by casuals because it was pushed by the stores and the casuals were in there buying other casual games at the time. This might be completely wrong because I don't live in Japan and I don't know what it was like at the time.

If my theory is right then there might not be SMG sales from casuals because they've already bought their Wii Sports and there are no other compelling casual games out there right now for the Wii.

If that's the case, look for an upsurge in SMG sales when WiiFit releases.

(And interestingly, the recent upsurge in WiiSports & WiiPlay sales since the release of SMG points to the reverse effect also being true.)

If that was the case, then 1) they would have been sold back eventually and 2) the game would not keep selling huge numbers for so long.

No, 1 would only be true if they played the game and didn't like it. Just because it's not a casual game (per se) doesn't mean casuals wouldn't like it. 2 wouldn't be true, because casual games appear to have massive legs, and nothing stops shops from pushing NSMB & MKDS for the rest of the DS' lifespan, especially if they know it's a likely sale.

 

[birdchili]

The only people thats in trouble are gamers that enjoy playing japanese style games on home consoles.

can i get a comfy version of that tv-out handheld?

If you don't think the Wii has at least ten solid worth-buying titles, I'd be really interested in knowing what sort of games you like (and more importantly, what sort of games you dislike) because it would really surprise me.

my *entire list* of desired released and announced-with-real-gameplay-info games for all current-gen (console) systems still isn't ten titles. i like jrpgs (mainly turn-based), great works of epic imagination, brilliant visual design, gameplay innovation, and (usually) using my head over twitch-based stuff (with exceptions). i'm disinclined to play anything highly realistic or seriously militaristic. there still isn't a must-have game for me this gen, sadly.

 

[birdchili]

*any* 2d mario is nearly infinitely more accessible than a 3d game.

 

[*Guaraná]

I just don't understand how someone can have a Wii and not have Mario. Is just not normal. Is the Nintendo marketing in Japan so bad? Is the japanese people so weird? I mean, you guys act like if Mario was the uber hardcore character, wich is not the case at all. Mario is popular for kids and adults. Seriously, this time I don't believe Nintendo is the one to blame, the problem here is the japanese consumer.

 

[Grecco]

You don't find the fact that Nintendo's flagship core title, essentially bombing is troublesome? It's tracking well behind Sunshine right now, which most people considered extremely disappointing, even for the anemic selling gamecube.

Has the Wii passed Gamecube LTD in Japan yet?

 

[jj984jj]

You don't find the fact that Nintendo's flagship core title, essentially bombing is troublesome? It's tracking well behind Sunshine right now, which most people considered extremely disappointing, even for the anemic selling gamecube.

It tells us what the Japanese think of the main Mario franchise going forward in 3D. :\

Nintendo's still in the #1 spot though, Sony has a long way to go to get it back.

 

[Cheesemeister]

Wheres my numbers for 11/5-11/11?

I'll post 'em.

Has the Wii passed Gamecube LTD in Japan yet?

3. WII   -    37,617 |    27,502 | 2,825,884 |  [b]3,745,527[/b]
8. NGC   -       155 |        58 |    10,234 |  [b]4,179,702[/b]

No.

 

[Stumpokapow]

Has the Wii passed Gamecube LTD in Japan yet?

It passed the Gamecube LTD when Mario Sunshine launched a long time ago. It'll pass the total Gamecube LTD sometime between the end of the year and April 2008.

 

[RamzaIsCool]

Wasn't there like an article a few weeks back stating that like 60%+ of the Japanese Wii owners haven't been playing on their Wii. So the install base might a bit inflated it terms of actual potential custumers for SMG.

 

[*Guaraná]

Nintendo should launch a Super Mario World 3 for Wii (Yoshi's Story was SMW2 I believe).

 

[Grecco]

I'll post 'em.





No.

Awesome. So how the heck was Galaxy supposed to outsell Sunshine?

 

[Tiktaalik]

If that was the case, then 1) they would have been sold back eventually and 2) the game would not keep selling huge numbers for so long.

It would be interesting to do a study comparing how much casuals vs hardcores sell back their games. My personal feeling would be that casuals would do so less, since they maybe don't know the system and aren't in a rush to trade back their game so they can get another.

As for the second point, I think NSMB has been selling so well because of excellent word of mouth that started with the great marketing, press and word of mouth of Brain Training. I think it's been a long buildup for casuals, where they liked Brain Training or Nintendogs, then got the next Brain Training and loved it and told their friends about how much they like Brain Training, and then kept going in for casual games until NSMB came out and they thought "wow! a new Mario game. I remember Mario!" and they bought that and loved it, and now they tell their friend about Brain Training and Mario, and the cycle repeats.

In contrast on the Wii we've had Wii Sports which was bought at launch and ..... not much else of interest for casuals. I would think it's no surprise that they might not know about SMG.

Again I don't live in Japan so maybe this is totally wrong. Maybe they market the hell out of SMG and everyone knows about it and just no one cares.

 

[Linkup]

Awesome. So how the heck was Galaxy supposed to outsell Sunshine?

Doesn't GAF hype always translate into sales?

 

[justchris]

It would be interesting to do a study comparing how much casuals vs hardcores sell back their games. My personal feeling would be that casuals would do so less, since they maybe don't know the system and aren't in a rush to trade back their game so they can get another.

As for the second point, I think NSMB has been selling so well because of excellent word of mouth that started with the great marketing, press and word of mouth of Brain Training. I think it's been a long buildup for casuals, where they liked Brain Training or Nintendogs, then got the next Brain Training and loved it and told their friends about how much they like Brain Training, and then kept going in for casual games until NSMB came out and they thought "wow! a new Mario game. I remember Mario!" and they bought that and loved it, and now they tell their friend about Brain Training and Mario, and the cycle repeats.

In contrast on the Wii we've had Wii Sports which was bought at launch and ..... not much else of interest for casuals. I would think it's no surprise that they might not know about SMG.

Again I don't live in Japan so maybe this is totally wrong. Maybe they market the hell out of SMG and everyone knows about it and just no one cares.

What we need is a casual gamer from Japan to give us perspective. We're obviously not going to find any of those here, though.

 

[Stumpokapow]

Awesome. So how the heck was Galaxy supposed to outsell Sunshine?

Because Sunshine was released at a time where the Gamecube had a much lower LTD than the Wii does now, because the Wii has momentum the likes of which the Cube never had, and because the game is substantially better than Sunshine?

my *entire list* of desired released and announced-with-real-gameplay-info games for all current-gen (console) systems still isn't ten titles. i like jrpgs (mainly turn-based), great works of epic imagination, brilliant visual design, gameplay innovation, and (usually) using my head over twitch-based stuff (with exceptions). i'm disinclined to play anything highly realistic or seriously militaristic. there still isn't a must-have game for me this gen, sadly.

Then you would not be a person complaining that the Wii has a lack of compelling software, you'd be a person lamenting your own inability to have a broader taste in games. I really wrote that in response to the idea that the Wii is somehow unique failing to provide great games when in reality it has a lineup as versatile and enjoyable as the X360's first year undoubtably.

As it is though, if your description is an honest report of the type of games you like, Zack and Wiki would be right up your alleyway... and if it's not an honest report and you really just mean you like jrpgs, Blue Dragon and Eternal Sonata are both good choices.

If you like more militaristic games, like... for instance, strategy RPGs, you'll want to play Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn for the Wii, the upcoming Fire Emblem remake for the DS, FFTA2, Luminous Arc, the shitty port of the already shitty game Hoshigami for the DS, Jeanne D'Arc for the PSP, Panzer Tactics for the DS (classic hex-style military sim)

I'm not so sure I would really describe very many PS2-era Jrpgs as "great works of epic imagination" or having "brilliant visual design" or really being about actually using your head. In fact, I'm hard pressed to name one. Most of those that even had any remotely epic aspirations from a plot perspective descended into pseudo-philosophical claptrap (Xenosaga is a prime offender here). What games did you have in mind when you described your taste?

 

[Tideas]

so, where's last week's data guys? or is it a slow day in Gaf today?

 

[reilo]

Awesome. So how the heck was Galaxy supposed to outsell Sunshine?

Because when Sunshine came out the NGC userbase was about what? Half of the Wiis? Less? It also was released in July, as opposed to SMG being out in November?

 

[RamzaIsCool]

Awesome. So how the heck was Galaxy supposed to outsell Sunshine?

Dude the GC install base wasn't 4 million+ when Sunshine was released, I think it was around half what the Wii has now.

 

[Grecco]

What was the GCNS LTD at the time of Sunshines release?

 

[Attack You]

What we need is a casual gamer from Japan to give us perspective. We're obviously not going to find any of those here, though.

We should pool a few bucks for one of our JPN NeoGAF folks to kidnap and hold a Japanese school girl at gunpoint as she posts here. If she panics, tell her we're prototyping Hostage Training.

 

[justchris]

We should pool a few bucks for one of our JPN NeoGAF folks to kidnap and hold a Japanese school girl at gunpoint as she posts here. If she panics, tell her we're prototyping Hostage Training.

No one'll believe it without pictures. This is GAF afterall.

 

[birdchili]

What games did you have in mind when you described your taste?

a list? here's (some of) what i have (and liked) from last gen (ps2): BoFragon Quarter, SMT:Nocturne, Rez, Mark of Kri, Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, Disgaea1/2, Persona 3, Katamari Damacy, King's Field: The Ancient City, Killer 7, War of the Monsters, R-Type Final, Chulip, Dark Cloud 2, Beyond Good and Evil.

i'm not saying this gen is a bust or anything, there just isn't any one thing that's really grabbing my attention.

and i wasn't suggesting that last gen rpgs were works of vivid imagination or brilliant visual design - that's why i listed them separately i'd love to see a bunch that were though.

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

And why shouldn't Nintendo be shitting their booties?

Regardless of how much we love their core titles, they don't have all their eggs in one basket and can handle dips in certain sectors. If certain games do as poorly as "slightly worse than on GameCube" while other games are exploding, things work out well for them.

I just don't understand how someone can have a Wii and not have Mario. Is just not normal.

Past an early early stage, even insanely popular games don't get much beyond 25% attach. Wii Sports is a notable exception.

It passed the Gamecube LTD when Mario Sunshine launched a long time ago. It'll pass the total Gamecube LTD sometime between the end of the year and April 2008.

You seriously think they won't get the necessary 300-500K (depending on which tracker) this year with the holiday bump? Even GameCube was doing that in its 2002 and 2003 holidays.

 

[Xeke]

Oh for god's sake. Sunshine, for all its supposed faults, was the best platformer last gen. It could be Xenosaga-bad, and the secret levels would STILL have saved it.

I didn't even know it had those secret levels till I came to GAF because I stopped playing it about 15 minutes in.

 

[Oblivion]

Oh for god's sake. Sunshine, for all its supposed faults, was the best platformer last gen. It could be Xenosaga-bad, and the secret levels would STILL have saved it.

But I'm not a big 3D platformer person anyway.

Hmm?


Btw, Galaxy is disappointing, but even selling lower than Sunshine it wouldn't be a 'bomb' at this point.