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[Roders5]

I think EBA sold roughly 30,000 in november, when was reggies statement made?

 

[Pureauthor]

Maybe he was counting Ouendan as part of the total figure?

No, wait, did Ouendan even break 20K?

 

[Pellham]

oh god people can spin anything, it tanked in Japan.

:lol 50% attach ratio = tanked???

 

[ethelred]

:lol 50% attach ratio = tanked???

Depends whether or not the sales pick up as the console userbase increases. Depending upon how hardware sold this week, it may be well below 50% now. And we'll need to look at the last two weeks of the year, too, and the first week of next year, because those are the really big ones.

While statements that the game has bombed are premature at this point, blase dismissals of the very real possibility that it could be considered one when all is said and done (IE, not right now) are similarly off. Not that, even then, it'll be a true "bomb," per se, but it could certainly be considered one at that point if it's sales are much lower than the series' standard (and even then, it'll be moot because of the US/European sales; it's strictly an academic argument).

 

[DeaconKnowledge]

Depends whether or not the sales pick up as the console userbase increases. Depending upon how hardware sold this week, it may be well below 50% now. And we'll need to look at the last two weeks of the year, too, and the first week of next year, because those are the really big ones.

While statements that the game has bombed are premature at this point, blase dismissals of the very real possibility that it could be considered one when all is said and done (IE, not right now) are similarly off. Not that, even then, it'll be a true "bomb," per se, but it could certainly be considered one at that point if it's sales are much lower than the series' standard (and even then, it'll be moot because of the US/European sales; it's strictly an academic argument).

I agree.

While it may not be a bomb at this point, it could very well downtrend as time goes on. Want for the game will diminish if the console cannot be procured at a steady rate.

 

[JohnsonUT]

"The sales are strong and good. I personally thought it was going to be explosive. The consumers I've talked to who have it love it. But it's really [about] exposing it to consumers and letting them see how addictive this game is," said Fils-Aime, who'd originally hoped to sell 300,000 copies in the game's first month -- it only achieved 120,000.


Link

Article dated the 6th of December.

Maybe it exploded the last 5 days of November that weren't tracked in NPD.

 

[kisakiproject]

I propose anyone who calls a game a "non-game" should be banned. This is just getting out of hand. People calling perfectly good games like Pokemon, Kirby, Jump Ultimate Stars, Wild Arms, and Mario. How the hell are any of these games "non-games". It's just a a term that most trolls here on GAF are using to downplay Japanese Nintendo sales.

If non-games didnt sell we wouldnt have to do it. This week is an exception with the number of real games on the chart. As a gamer you should be concerned with the success of non-games because it means devs will make less real games.

 

[Joe Molotov]

If non-games didnt sell we wouldnt have to do it. This week is an exception with the number of real games on the chart. As a gamer you should be concerned with the success of non-games because it means devs will make less real games.

No it doesn't.

 

[kisakiproject]

Gaming is a business. If non-games sell better its good business to mostly make them. I can't understand how a gamer is excited about non-gaming succeeding. Its like someone being excited that their favorite band went platinum but only because they sold out and arent even the same band anymore.

 

[human5892]

As a gamer you should be concerned with the success of non-games because it means devs will make less real games.

Prove that.

 

[bigmakstudios]

No it doesn't.

As the success of "non-games" continues, more and more "non-game" concepts will be greenlighted. That's just.... how it works....

 

[kisakiproject]

Common sense. If something sells better than something else you make more of it. Unless all gamign companies in Japan are retarded this will happen. Esepcially the fact that all 3 next gen consoles (though supply is an issue) are underpreforming.

 

[Pureauthor]

As a gamer you should be concerned with the success of non-games because it means devs will make less real games.

Are you high? Just as an example, the DS is shaping up to be one of the best systems for RPGs, right up there with the original Playstation and the SNES.

Common sense. If something sells better than something else you make more of it. Unless all gamign companies in Japan are retarded this will happen. Esepcially the fact that all 3 next gen consoles (though supply is an issue) are underpreforming.

Nintendo to become the Pokemon company, circa 1998.

Wait, no.

 

[tsef]

This non game thing is getting so annoying. Seriously, with your definition scrabble isn't a game :/

 

[Private Hoffman]

As a gamer you should be concerned with the success of non-games because it means devs will make less real games.

I don't think it's possible for developers that create hardcore games can suddenly create non-games for non-gamers just because a publisher says so. It's not a very easy thing to do. I don't think it's doable at all. Brain Training wasn't created by the same team that did Zelda.

Some people joke that the Zelda Wii will end up being a minigame compilation for improved sales over Twilight Princess. If that happens, it wouldn't be handeled by the same team that did Twilight Princess headed by Mr. Aonuma, but it would rather be headed by the WarioWare people, since people that work on big epic games have little to no experience developing a minigame compilation game. The fact of the matter is, Zelda Wii is being handeled by the same team, so it will end up being an epic experience, just like every Zelda before it.

 

[stalker]

With BT2 at #18 Nintendo should start thinking about releasing BT3 soon (as I guess the game must be well finished and just waiting for street-date, right?)

 

[NintendosBooger]

This non game thing is getting so annoying. Seriously, with your definition scrabble isn't a game :/

The whole non-game thing is just an excuse to blast the DS and its games in general without being perceived as a troll.

 

[human5892]

Common sense. If something sells better than something else you make more of it. Unless all gamign companies in Japan are retarded this will happen. Esepcially the fact that all 3 next gen consoles (though supply is an issue) are underpreforming.

1. "Real" games are also selling well on the DS (possibly because of the success of "non-games")

2. It is far too early to say that the Wii and PS3 are underperforming, and nobody ever expected the 360 to do anything

3. There is no evidence to date that any company has ever opted to make New Game X a "non-game" instead of a traditional game, which is what you're suggesting

 

[Stumpokapow]

Gaming is a business. If non-games sell better its good business to mostly make them. I can't understand how a gamer is excited about non-gaming succeeding. Its like someone being excited that their favorite band went platinum but only because they sold out and arent even the same band anymore.

What we've seen over the last generation is the rise of small, anonymous, freelance studios. Nintendo and Square have notably outsourced the vast majority of their smaller projects rather than keeping internal dev teams. Internal dev teams are given high budgets to make hardcore games.

It should also be noted that none of these non-games have been created with the oversight of any of the "gurus of gaming". They've all been made by relative unknowns. Miyamoto and Sakaguchi are not working on "Mario Training" or "Curoudu Aventu Training".

Kirby is not selling any less, even if English Cooking Training: Love and Berry Edition is higher on the charts. In fact, while 3rd party sales on the DS have not been spectacular, they've been well in line with 3rd party sales on the GBA in many cases.

The only time that anyone has really made a credible argument that non-game sales have impacted game sales has been related to the Wii launch, and quite frankly I think without any hard numbers for the vast majority of the launch titles and without any history, we really can't tell how sales are going to be in the longterm.

So if non-game sales aren't impacting game sales, the only argument to be made is "Even though games are profitable, because non-games are more profitable, fewer games will be made". This is false.

If you really want to make an analogy to movies, look at the Blair Witch Project or alternatively and more realistically the 5-10 low-budget 10-20 million dollar films that crack 100 million per year. These films, while enormously profitable, do not take away from the profitability of blockbuster films.

Despite the fact that Spider-Man 3 has a 300 million dollar budget and will never even come close to hitting the profit margin a lower budget successful film will hit, studios are spending more and more on higher budget films, because they like diversifying.

And this is what's happened. The industry has diversified. It hasn't shrank, despite every indication that the Japanese market has been heading towards a crash, it's diversified.

 

[Stormbringer]

If non-games didnt sell we wouldnt have to do it. This week is an exception with the number of real games on the chart. As a gamer you should be concerned with the success of non-games because it means devs will make less real games.

Goddamnit... What that the HELL are you talking about ? You guys are freaking annoying with your non-game complex, do you know that ? GET OVER IT.

 

[The Friendly Monster]

Some people joke that the Zelda Wii will end up being a minigame compilation for improved sales over Twilight Princess. If that happens, it wouldn't be handeled by the same team that did Twilight Princess headed by Mr. Aonuma, but it would rather be headed by the WarioWare people, since people that work on big epic games have little to no experience developing a minigame compilation game.

Sorry to argue with you, but I cant let this drop. I think the WarioWare team are probably the most innovative and exciting team working in the industry right now. To dismiss any of their creations as "minigames" is just not accurate. Also don't feed the trolls.

 

[DeaconKnowledge]

As the success of "non-games" continues, more and more "non-game" concepts will be greenlighted. That's just.... how it works....

So? Not every game on the horizon has appealed to you, why should this be any different?

What you're saying is that you don't want people to get what they want then, because the Japanese are obviously clamoring for it.

This is business. That's the way it works. Square isn't just going to dump Final Fantasy because what you call "non-games" are big now.

 

[kisakiproject]

Are you high? Just as an example, the DS is shaping up to be one of the best systems for RPGs, right up there with the original Playstation and the SNES.

DS has SE RPGS and Natsume's harvest moon. These sell well. However, given DS userbase Tales of the Tempest underpreformed. It sold less than PSP tales. Xenosaga flopped thats another big name franchise. There are little DS IP rpgs and those that exsist flop. Animal Crossing has sold well but its a different kind of RPG and its hard to categorize.. DS is not an RPG success story. SE can just take a shit in a bag and 1 million japaneses gamers will buy ti day one. Its a real shame. Though I hope DS's future RPG IP such as mistwalker's ash and the luminous arc game sell well. But somehow I doubt they will. DS's top sellers are non games brain age 1&2, tamagotchi, english trianing, kanji training, big brain academy vs. FF3, NSMB, MKDS, Tetris, Animal Crossing Pokemon. Those are the biggest. So its 1/2 games 1/2 non-games. There is 1 RPG on that list. 2 if you count pokemon.

And all this "OMFG stop saying non-gaming" its classical nintendo fanboy whinning. Whats with this 'if your not with this your against us" bs. Anytime you disagree about anything nintendo your a "troll" it doesnt matter what your actual gamer beliefs are. I camped out all night for Wii and TP. Not all nintendo fans agree with everthing they do and say as if they were infalable.

 

[ghostlyjoe]

Common sense. If something sells better than something else you make more of it. Unless all gamign companies in Japan are retarded this will happen. Esepcially the fact that all 3 next gen consoles (though supply is an issue) are underpreforming.

"Selling out" is a nice analogy. Not because it's apt, but because it's an empty, meaningless phrase applied arbitrarily to successful bands without any grounding in reality. It's the cry of a cloistered hipster suddenly finding his counter-culture idols sinking into the miasma of pop culture.

The "non-game" label is kinda like that -- you know, arbitrary and out-of-touch with reality.

 

[Private Hoffman]

Sorry to argue with you, but I cant let this drop. I think the WarioWare team are probably the most innovative and exciting team working in the industry right now. To dismiss any of their creations as "minigames" is just not accurate. Also don't feed the trolls.

I'm not dismissing their creations as minigames, I am labelling their creations as minigames. I don't see how this is somehow insulting, belittling or dismissive since the WarioWare team creates some of the best minigames ever. The development process of a game like WarioWare and a game like Zelda are very different. This is what I was trying to make clear in my previous post.

 

[DeaconKnowledge]

DS has SE RPGS and Natsume's harvest moon. These sell well. However, given DS userbase Tales of the Tempest underpreformed. It sold less than PSP tales. Xenosaga flopped thats another big name franchise. There are little DS IP rpgs and those that exsist flop. Animal Crossing has sold well but its a different kind of RPG and its hard to categorize.. DS is not an RPG success story. SE can just take a shit in a bag and 1 million japaneses gamers will buy ti day one. Its a real shame. Though I hope DS's future RPG IP such as mistwalker's ash and the luminous arc game sell well. But somehow I doubt they will. DS's top sellers are non games brain age 1&2, tamagotchi, english trianing, kanji training, big brain academy vs. FF3, NSMB, MKDS, Tetris, Animal Crossing Pokemon. Those are the biggest. So its 1/2 games 1/2 non-games. There is 1 RPG on that list. 2 if you count pokemon.

And all this "OMFG stop saying non-gaming" its classical nintendo fanboy whinning. Whats with this 'if your not with this your against us" bs. Anytime you disagree about anything nintendo your a "troll" it doesnt matter what your actual gamer beliefs are. I camped out all night for Wii and TP. Not all nintendo fans agree with everthing they do and say as if they were infalable.

Why are we not counting Pokémon now?

 

[jarosh]

i don't usually participate in these threads but zelda isn't even in the top30, is that true? holy shit why

 

[Elios83]

No leaked hardware numbers this week (outside DS)?

 

[BrodiemanTTR]

God this thread went straight to the garbage fast. I think we all know who I'm lookin' at.

 

[Pureauthor]

However, given DS userbase Tales of the Tempest underpreformed. It sold less than PSP tales.

Pst. The game stank.

Xenosaga flopped thats another big name franchise.

It's also one of the most shoddily done games. Note how both these examples come from Namco.

There are little DS IP rpgs and those that exsist flop. Animal Crossing has sold well but its a different kind of RPG and its hard to categorize.

Animal Crossing. An RPG.

...

I need to go to bed.

DS is not an RPG success story. SE can just take a shit in a bag and 1 million japaneses gamers will buy ti day one. Its a real shame.

Chocobo and the Magic Picture Book.

Though I hope DS's future RPG IP such as mistwalker's ash and the luminous arc game sell well. But somehow I doubt they will.

And I'm sure all the stellar RPGs on the PS1, PS2, the SNES, the GBA, all lit up the charts.

No, wait, they didn't. This is different how?

DS's top sellers are non games brain age 1&2, tamagotchi, english trianing, kanji training, big brain academy vs. FF3, NSMB, MKDS, Tetris, Animal Crossing Pokemon. Those are the biggest. So its 1/2 games 1/2 non-games. There is 1 RPG on that list. 2 if you count pokemon.

I see no reason to leave out Pokemon.

And all this "OMFG stop saying non-gaming" its classical nintendo fanboy whinning. Whats with this 'if your not with this your against us" bs. Anytime you disagree about anything nintendo your a "troll" it doesnt matter what your actual gamer beliefs are. I camped out all night for Wii and TP. Not all nintendo fans agree with everthing they do and say as if they were infalable.

I don't call you out on it because it's anti-Nintendo. I call you out on it because it's bullshit.

 

[The Friendly Monster]

I'm not dismissing their creations as minigames, I am labelling their creations as minigames. I don't see how this is somehow insulting, belittling or dismissive since the WarioWare team creates some of the best minigames ever. The development process of a game like WarioWare and a game like Zelda are very different. This is what I was trying to make clear in my previous post.

But they aren't minigames...

Anyway the important point is that the consumer drives the market the games that are made are made because the market is there. If the market grows...more games will be made!

 

[ghostlyjoe]

And all this "OMFG stop saying non-gaming" its classical nintendo fanboy whinning. Whats with this 'if your not with this your against us" bs. Anytime you disagree about anything nintendo your a "troll" it doesnt matter what your actual gamer beliefs are. I camped out all night for Wii and TP. Not all nintendo fans agree with everthing they do and say as if they were infalable.

The problem, as I said above, is that "non-game" isn't a suitable label -- it's a "non-group" of games arbitrarely lumped into an amorphous "genre." In reality, Brain Age, Nintendogs and Animal Crossing are about as similar as Gears of War and Psychonauts. Which is to say, not at all similar. They are not "traditional" in some sense, though even that is vague. After all, Sudoku puzzles appear daily in every American newspaper. They are also a big part of Brain Age. Does gaming get more "traditional" than this?

What I see is a lot of "traditional" gamers who don't want to share. They don't want to let everybody else into their little club, so they arbitrarily lable new genres as outsider -- in this case, "non-gamers."

Give me a clear definition of what a "non-game" is, and maybe I'll change my stance.

 

[kisakiproject]

"Selling out" is a nice analogy. Not because it's apt, but because it's an empty, meaningless phrase applied arbitrarily to successful bands without any grounding in reality. It's the cry of a cloistered hipster suddenly finding his counter-culture idols sinking into the miasma of pop culture.

The "non-game" label is kinda like that -- you know, arbitrary and out-of-touch with reality.

Wow selling-out doesnt exsist. I'm out touch with reality? You trully live in a nic eimaginary world were people don't do things for the wrong reasons. And people don't become something they arent for the wrong reasons.

@Deacon pokemon is an RPG, but when when people make a reference to SNES/PS1 they are talking about JRPGS. And pokemon isnt really a JRPG.

Also at all the non-gaming fanboys. Why is there spyro and crash bandicote and 10k other platformers. Cause mario64 sold well. Why is there jrpgs? cause DQ and FF sold well. Why is there digimon, neopets, yu-gi-oh cause pokemon sells well. These are example of how an innovatice new game creates lots of other games in the same previosuly non exsistent or non mainstream genre.

 

[kisakiproject]

oops double post.

 

[Private Hoffman]

But they aren't minigames...

Don't contradict me and leave a void like that. If they're not minigames, what are they?

 

[Pureauthor]

@Deacon pokemon is an RPG, but when when people make a reference to SNES/PS1 they are talking about JRPGS. And pokemon isnt really a JRPG.

*rubs temples*

I would, dearly, dearly love to say that this is a joke post.

 

[kisakiproject]

The problem, as I said above, is that "non-game" isn't a suitable label -- it's a "non-group" of games arbitrarely lumped into an amorphous "genre." In reality, Brain Age, Nintendogs and Animal Crossing are about as similar as Gears of War and Psychonauts. Which is to say, not at all similar. They are not "traditional" in some sense, though even that is vague. After all, Sudoku puzzles appear daily in every American newspaper. They are also a big part of Brain Age. Does gaming get more "traditional" than this?

What I see is a lot of "traditional" gamers who don't want to share. They don't want to let everybody else into their little club, so they arbitrarily lable new genres as outsider -- in this case, "non-gamers."

Give me a clear definition of what a "non-game" is, and maybe I'll change my stance.

Thats a good point. But I'm not a vehement believer that animal crossing and nintendogs are non games. Nintendogs is a sim game. Animal crossing is an RPG in the vain of harvest moon(a great series.) My issues with non-games lie solely with games like brain age etc, english training, kanji training, sudoku. As for not letting people in its true. I don't want non-gamers in the market. I won't deny.

 

[mj1108]

If the idiot trolls here weren't spouting off the "non-game" stuff, they'd go right back to the "kiddy" crap.

So the DS is singlehandedly destroying everything in Japan and there's nothing anyone here can do about it.

 

[BrodiemanTTR]

Where the hell is stopposting.gif already?

 

[Link]

Thats a good point. But I'm not a vehement believer that animal crossing and nintendogs are non games. Nintendogs is a sim game. Animal crossing is an RPG in the vain of harvest moon(a great series.) My issues with non-games lie solely with games like brain age etc, english training, kanji training, sudoku. As for not letting people in its true. I don't want non-gamers in the market. I won't deny.

I wonder if shit like this was spewed when Tetris blew up.


EDIT -

Where the hell is stopposting.gif already?

 

[Pureauthor]

I wonder if shit like this was spewed when Tetris blew up.

I'll do better. Shit like this was spewed when Super Mario Bros. blew up.

 

[Masklinn]

If non-games didnt sell we wouldnt have to do it. This week is an exception with the number of real games on the chart. As a gamer you should be concerned with the success of non-games because it means devs will make less real games.

Gaming is a business. If non-games sell better its good business to mostly make them. I can't understand how a gamer is excited about non-gaming succeeding. Its like someone being excited that their favorite band went platinum but only because they sold out and arent even the same band anymore.

As the success of "non-games" continues, more and more "non-game" concepts will be greenlighted. That's just.... how it works....

Yeah, because the DS, which rose to heaven on the shoulders on what you call "non-games" seriously looks deprived of real games.

I mean, look at that top 10, there are only, like, 6 games which I don't see how you could call "non games" out of the 7 DS games!

Clearly, there are only "non games" on the DS.

Common sense. If something sells better than something else you make more of it. Unless all gamign companies in Japan are retarded this will happen. Esepcially the fact that all 3 next gen consoles (though supply is an issue) are underpreforming.

Dude, talking about that, I think you should import Common Sense Training because you're clearly... lacking... in that area.

Tales of the Tempest underpreformed. It sold less than PSP tales. Xenosaga flopped thats another big name franchise.

Oh noes, shitty sequels tanked...

And all this "OMFG stop saying non-gaming" its classical nintendo fanboy whinning. Whats with this 'if your not with this your against us" bs.

Uh no, it's just that the notion of "non games" is utterly retarded, seeing as the definition of "game" is

a recreational activity involving one or more players. This can be defined by A) a goal that the players try to reach, B) some set of rules that determines what the players can or can not do. Games are played primarily for entertainment or enjoyment, but may also serve an educational or simulational role.

What you seem to label as "non-games" are still games. Not to your liking maybe, but no one cares about that.

And as far as your notions of eco go, you should rework them, as long as "traditional" games make a profit, there will be people who make them. Even if other types of games generate more profit, not everyone can be successful at making specific types of games, especially specific types of games they don't know jack about.

Why are we not counting Pokémon now?

Because it sells well, we can't have that in our threads nosir

 

[fresquito]

The whole non-game/non-gamers term is stupid. I agree it should be banned.

 

[ghostlyjoe]

Wow selling-out doesnt exsist. I'm out touch with reality? You trully live in a nic eimaginary world were people don't do things for the wrong reasons. And people don't become something they arent for the wrong reasons.

I didn't intend to insult you, but "selling out" is very difficult to define. Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube ... are they sell-outs? U2? What about a group like Fall Out Boy, which rocketed to internatinal stardom? At what point does a performer sell out? Is it a question of success? Popularity?

I can see how members of a counterculture can view a band as selling out once that band stops identifying with that sub-culture, but what is tbe litmus test that defines such a state? It's more of a personal reaction than a applicable label.

 

[ghostlyjoe]

The whole non-game/non-gamers term is stupid. I agree it should be banned.

No way should it be banned. I don't care for the term, but it's open for discussion. To close off that avenue of debate would be unfair, considering there is far form a consensus on the issue. Let's not make GAF too homogenous. It'll end up just another fan site.

 

[ethelred]

DS has SE RPGS and Natsume's harvest moon. These sell well. However, given DS userbase Tales of the Tempest underpreformed. It sold less than PSP tales. Xenosaga flopped thats another big name franchise. There are little DS IP rpgs and those that exsist flop. Animal Crossing has sold well but its a different kind of RPG and its hard to categorize.. DS is not an RPG success story.

It is, actually. Its RPGs have been selling very well -- from FF3 to Mario & Luigi, Pokemon D/P, Pokemon Ranger, PMD, Dragon Quest Heroes, Children of Mana... and then more niche stuff like Rune Factory (that this game topped 100k is very impressive), Tingle RPG (that this game is at 200k and climbing is very impressive), Digimon (see previous).

The fact that these RPGs are doing so well is why more and more keep getting announced. MMV is delighted with what it's been seeing off the DS, which is why it's announced a new Harvest Moon game and Luminous Arc in the wake of the first Harvest Moon, Contact, and Rune Factory. And they'll have more coming. Square Enix is the biggest RPG company out there, and they're elated with their RPG performance. Taito did very well with Lost Magic, given that the game is over 70k now between the US and Japan -- extremely good numbers for such a niche title.

So, I mean, not to say you're wrong, but

Spoiler

you're ****ing completely wrong.

Though I hope DS's future RPG IP such as mistwalker's ash and the luminous arc game sell well. But somehow I doubt they will. DS's top sellers are non games brain age 1&2, tamagotchi...

Protip: it doesn't matter if your game is the best selling game if it's still selling well comparably to other games in the genre (say, compared to PS2 RPGs) or if it's selling well enough to earn your company a nice profit.

Those are the biggest. So its 1/2 games 1/2 non-games. There is 1 RPG on that list. 2 if you count pokemon.

I'm at a loss as to why we wouldn't count Pokemon (or PMD and Pokemon Ranger, two other big performers). And of course, Dragon Quest will be joining them all shortly.

Sans the addition of Pokemon, looks pretty similar to the RPGs topping the PS2 best-selling list.

@Deacon pokemon is an RPG, but when when people make a reference to SNES/PS1 they are talking about JRPGS. And pokemon isnt really a JRPG.

It's... an RPG made in Japan by Japanese people that's selling well in Japan.

What the fuck are you talking about?

 

[Pureauthor]

Can you really count Ranger as an RPG, though?

 

[fresquito]

No way should it be banned. I don't care for the term, but it's open for discussion. To close off that avenue of debate would be unfair, considering there is far form a consensus on the issue. Let's not make GAF too homogenous. It'll end up just another fan site.

1) It's been discussed over and over again.
2) It's never used to have fair discussions, but as a stealth troll attack.

Maybe I should begin saying in every MC thread "see, non gamers buy PSP and PS3, the attach rate is lame :lol "...

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

wtf?! Is the DS domination really all that strange signaling the end of console gaming in japan? Did not the GBA outsell even the mighty PS2?

They both sold really well, but neither was tripling the other every single week. Since it's release, DS (+Lite) has outsold everything else combined.
http://joshuajamesslone.name/gamech...ate2=2006-12-04&group=HardwareFamily&size=0.1

 

[Masklinn]

It's... an RPG made in Japan by Japanese people that's selling well in Japan.

What the fuck are you talking about?

unicorns