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Media Create Sales: Week 48, 2011 (Nov 28 - Dec 04)

Instro

Member
Flopped in Europe, flopped Japan, only managed 500k in the first wee...

Okay, 2.5 million, tops.

Zelda, a series with a generally good tail when it comes to sales, has probably close to 1 million sales in the US alone by now heading into xmas as the only major new title for the Wii. What evidence do you have to support your prediction(oh wait its BP lol)? It under performing in Japan would hardly make the series suddenly sell less than half the previous title.
 

matmanx1

Member
Skyward Sword Japan sales are sort of a travesty. Perhaps, as others have suggested, the audience just doesn't care at this point and have mostly moved on or perhaps there's something about the game itself that isn't resonating.

Great sales for 3DS hardware and a very good week for Gundam which gladdens my heart because it's a great game.
 
Hasn't console Zelda games been selling better outside of Japan ever since OoT?

NA and Europe are bigger markets than Japan. Most of Nintendo's biggest franchises (2D Mario, 3D Mario, Mario Kart, Zelda, Metroid) sell in higher numbers in the west than they do in Japan.

Figured it was part of the whole 2D vs 3D situation with many of their IPs. Similar to how 3D Mario is more successful outside of Japan.

If Japanese customers and Western customers had diametrically opposed taste in 2D and 3D games, then what you'd see would be 3D Mario outselling 2D Mario in the west, and 2D Mario outselling 3D Mario in Japan. But that's not the case. 2D Mario outsells 3D Mario in all regions. The only thing that differs is the size of the gap.

Metroid Prime being more successful outside of Japan as well.

There hasn't been a 2D Metroid game on consoles since the SNES, so a comparison can't be made.

As far as how all of this has affected Zelda, it's true that decline in the franchise has been more pronounced in Japan than in the U.S., but even if we isolate U.S. sales, OoT is still the highest selling Zelda, showing that the series is declining or flat world wide.

Please don't tell me I'm wrong. If I am, then that means that the drop is a result of franchise decline that'll only get worse next-gen.

Why do speak as if franchise decline was some supernatural force that publishers have no control over? Nintendo can turn around the Zelda franchise just like they did the Mario franchise.
 
Skyward Sword Japan sales are sort of a travesty. Perhaps, as others have suggested, the audience just doesn't care at this point and have mostly moved on or perhaps there's something about the game itself that isn't resonating.

Great sales for 3DS hardware and a very good week for Gundam which gladdens my heart because it's a great game.

The fact is that Ocarina of Time 3D DID sell, a lot, and also the games on DS sold well (PH more than ST though). I think the main problem is the Wii itself.
 

BurntPork

Banned
Why do speak as if franchise decline was some supernatural force that publishers have no control over? Nintendo can turn around the Zelda franchise just like they did the Mario franchise.

They did everything they could with SS. This is the beginning of the end.
 
The fact is that Ocarina of Time 3D DID sell, a lot, and also the games on DS sold well (PH more than ST though). I think the main problem is the Wii itself.

On the other hand, OoT is the best selling game in the series and the most fondly remembered game in said series... (AKA, the Final Fantasy 7 remake hype effect)
 

wazoo

Member
most Zelda sell 4M worldwide, even in complet darkness, like the Oracle games. sometimes they sell twice as much, like OOT or TP, but in the serie the lowest value appears more often.

4M (like Majora Mask) is quite achievable, we are probably not far from the middle of the road.
 
They did everything they could with SS. This is the beginning of the end.

More can always be done. The problem is keeping it familiar enough that it retains the identity of the series. I think Nintendo succeeded in doing that with the Mario Galaxy games, but it's much easier to identify the core element of Mario, jumping, than it is for Zelda. Additionally, they have those inoffensive NSMB games to fall back on if the mass market doesn't take to the creativity of the Galaxy games. There's really no foolproof fallback plan for Zelda. Well, maybe remakes, I guess.
 
As far as how all of this has affected Zelda, it's true that decline in the franchise has been more pronounced in Japan than in the U.S., but even if we isolate U.S. sales, OoT is still the highest selling Zelda, showing that the series is declining or flat world wide.

Pretty much, times have changed a bunch since OoT; back in the day it was one of the most anticipated games ever and videogamers all around the world - me included - were literally dying to lay their hands on a copy of the game, on the other hand nowadays it would be far too difficult to recreate that sort of hype, with so many games out - or announced - at any moment and with internet spreading details and footage much more easily than when you could just rely for informations on paper monthly magazines.
 
They did everything they could with SS. This is the beginning of the end.

Oh, it's that time again?

You should really learn how to be less hyperbolic. Either something is complete shit, or it's the bees knees. There's no in-between for you. Zelda selling mediocre? Well Obviously this is "the beginning of the end".



P.S.: I'm also of the opinion that the problem is the Wii itself. I'd reckon the game would sell better if it were released on the HD twins. Most people, even the "hardcore Nintendo fans" seem to have moved on from the console. And the userbase for these kind of games was never really big on the Wii to begin with (compared to the total Wii sales numbers, or the userbase for party games).
 
They did everything they could with SS. This is the beginning of the end.

Oh, my...

For everything that Nintendo did right with SS, it isn't a huge departure from the OoT template and it's come late in the life of a machine that has been largely abandoned by the "core".

What Nintendo should be doing is perhaps what they've done with Mario - split off the 3D and 2D games and go from there. Why shouldn't they have a "New Legend of Zelda" series that veers back in the direction of ALttP/Link's Awakening, but taking advantage of whatever platform it ends up on, while another team works on taking 3D Zelda forward in fresh directions?

At the moment, 3D Zelda is becoming a niche with the kind of decline that accompanies that. Perhaps that's what it needs for a while, to give Nintendo the impetus to really do something fresh with it?
 

Shepard

Member
Damn, making it WiiMotion+ only, launching after an enormous drought and in the end of Wii's lifespan sure hurted SS
 

Chris1964

Sales-Age Genius
sinobi confirms 1 million initial shipment for XIII-2. XIII had shipped 1.8 million at launch according to Wada.
 

BurntPork

Banned
Oh, my...

For everything that Nintendo did right with SS, it isn't a huge departure from the OoT template and it's come late in the life of a machine that has been largely abandoned by the "core".

What Nintendo should be doing is perhaps what they've done with Mario - split off the 3D and 2D games and go from there. Why shouldn't they have a "New Legend of Zelda" series that veers back in the direction of ALttP/Link's Awakening, but taking advantage of whatever platform it ends up on, while another team works on taking 3D Zelda forward in fresh directions?

At the moment, 3D Zelda is becoming a niche with the kind of decline that accompanies that. Perhaps that's what it needs for a while, to give Nintendo the impetus to really do something fresh with it?

The "OoT template" is so loosely defined that the only way to "break away" from it is to be something other than a Zelda game.

sinobi confirms 1 million initial shipment for XIII-2. XIII had shipped 1.8 million at launch according to Wada.

Wow. :lol
 

Rocksteady33

Junior Member
What's the differences between the console Monster Hunters and portable Monster Hunters? I'm not sure why but I just realized that the upcoming 3DS title is the expanded version of the console version on Wii. I know people are shocked that Capcom seems to be under shipping, but is the gameplay within the console games less appealing then what is seen on the PSP? If that's the case I'm not all that surprised by the lower shipment for the 3DS title. Especially considering how much Capcom overshipped when the game first released on Wii.
 

BurntPork

Banned
skyward sword had good fetch quests throughout the main game.

you heard me.

But you never say anything true...

At this point, I think the only thing Nintendo can do to save Zelda is to make one which Miyamoto and Aounuma are banned from playing any part in. That'll never happen, so Wii U will have the final high-profile Zelda game.
 
They did everything they could with SS. This is the beginning of the end.

You're being ridiculous. I don't want to get into a debate about what is or is not wrong with modern Zelda games because it's so subjective, but in my view, SS seems to be pretty similar to previous modern Zelda games.

Why shouldn't they have a "New Legend of Zelda" series

Yea, Nintendo should probably assign a small team to make a game based on the original Legend of Zelda formula. It wouldn't sell gangbusters, but I imagine sales would be strong and that it would be highly profitable.
 
The "OoT template" is so loosely defined that the only way to "break away" from it is to be something other than a Zelda game.

Not really.

The heart of Zelda should be the romance of discovery and boundless horizons, of being a fresh-faced young adventurer on a grand quest. The meat of the game is the dungeons, giant puzzles for the player to unravel a layer at a time.

Since OoT (or arguably ALttP, since OoT was in many ways just a 3D version of that game) the console series has calcified around a handful of "Zelda-isms" that have left the series feeling "safe" in a way it didn't back when OoT first appeared. I buy a Zelda game now expecting that - despite the window-dressing or gimmicks - it's going to follow a certain pattern (tutorial tutorial tutorial, dungeon/new item, dungeon/new item, sidequests if I choose, dungeon/new item etc. etc.) and while SS is beautifully-executed & it introduced some twists on the formula and made some welcome changes, it's not gone far enough.

You're being ridiculous. I don't want to get into a debate about what is or is not wrong with modern Zelda games because it's so subjective, but in my view, SS seems to be pretty similar to previous modern Zelda games.

It is. It does plenty of wonderful things, and it has some great new innovations, but I think you'd have to be a real Zelda fanatic to look at it as being drastically different from what came before it.
 

BurntPork

Banned
You're being ridiculous. I don't want to get into a debate about what is or is not wrong with modern Zelda games because it's so subjective, but in my view, SS seems to be pretty similar to previous modern Zelda games.

Again, "modern Zelda" is too loosely defined. The only way to break from it is to change it so much that there's no point in calling it "The Legend of Zelda." It would need to be the biggest reboot in gaming history. They'd have to ditch dungeons, change the setting (both place and time period), have no more puzzles, make a totally new weapon system, add full voice acting, make a new combat system... Really, make a new IP that's Zelda only in name. The franchise has hit its limit. I hope they just focus on making the Wii U game the best one so the series can at least go out with a bang. In fact, I want them to make it a launch title for the system after Wii U.
 

Sadist

Member
Again, "modern Zelda" is too loosely defined. The only way to break from it is to change it so much that there's no point in calling it "The Legend of Zelda." It would need to be the biggest reboot in gaming history. They'd have to ditch dungeons, change the setting (both place and time period), have no more puzzles, make a totally new weapon system, add full voice acting, make a new combat system... Really, make a new IP that's Zelda only in name. The franchise has hit its limit. I hope they just focus on making the Wii U game the best one so the series can at least go out with a bang. In fact, I want them to make it a launch title for the system after Wii U.
Rnyys.gif
 

Spiegel

Member
What's the differences between the console Monster Hunters and portable Monster Hunters? I'm not sure why but I just realized that the upcoming 3DS title is the expanded version of the console version on Wii. I know people are shocked that Capcom seems to be under shipping, but is the gameplay within the console games less appealing then what is seen on the PSP? If that's the case I'm not all that surprised by the lower shipment for the 3DS title. Especially considering how much Capcom overshipped when the game first released on Wii.



MH3G is MHTri + MHP3 - MHP3 village + new monsters. The same exact game could've been called MHP3G and released on psp.
 
Again, "modern Zelda" is too loosely defined. The only way to break from it is to change it so much that there's no point in calling it "The Legend of Zelda." It would need to be the biggest reboot in gaming history. They'd have to ditch dungeons, change the setting (both place and time period), have no more puzzles, make a totally new weapon system, add full voice acting, make a new combat system... Really, make a new IP that's Zelda only in name. The franchise has hit its limit. I hope they just focus on making the Wii U game the best one so the series can at least go out with a bang. In fact, I want them to make it a launch title for the system after Wii U.

Play the original Zelda and then play SS and tell me there's no clear definition between the two. The gameplay is drastically different. LOZ is mostly about combat - I die constantly when I'm playing the game - and that combat takes place mostly in the overworld. The dungeons are also mostly combat based. Modern Zelda is based around puzzles, the dungeons are the biggest part of the game, and the overworld shrinks with each iteration. Depending on your preference, you might enjoy one or the other, but modern Zelda and LOZ are very different. All I'm saying is that Nintendo should make a "New Legend of Zelda", just for profitability's sake.
 
but is the gameplay within the console games less appealing then what is seen on the PSP?

I don't think so, quite the contrary actually, at least controls-wise, as far as I know.

Although I have never played MH on PSP myself, hanging around Monster hunter threads I read almost everybody complaing how much nightmarish uncomfortable were controls on PSP.

Incidentally, compared to pocket series, on Tri there were also included for the first time ever water levels.

Between regular series and pocket versions I gather there are some minor differences, in the amounts of monsters featured, in the game difficulty level, in the graphic style, but the gameplay is pretty the same in my understanding, and Tri was actually a good game, much appreciated and well received among MH die-hard fans.
 

Sadist

Member
Maybe I went a little too far with some of that, but it's pretty obvious at this point that what people want is a total reboot.
Nope. You're judging solely on Japanese sales and think that these suggestions would make the series desirable again for the Japanese public. It won't.
 

BurntPork

Banned
Play the original Zelda and then play SS and tell me there's no clear definition between the two. The gameplay is drastically different. LOZ is mostly about combat - I die constantly when I'm playing the game - and that combat takes place mostly in the overworld. The dungeons are also mostly combat based. Modern Zelda is based around puzzles, the dungeons are the biggest part of the game, and the overworld shrinks with each iteration. Depending on your preference, you might enjoy one or the other, but modern Zelda and LOZ are very different. All I'm saying is that Nintendo should make a "New Legend of Zelda", just for profitability's sake.

They already hinted at that.

Also, you just proved something that I previously thought. What makes Zelda what it is is different to everyone, and that's the issue. They'll never be able to make a Zelda that breaks the mold without removing the heart of the franchise in someone's eyes. They'll split the fanbase to the point that it'll form a totally new fanbase, and in that case they're better off killing the franchise and making a new IP.
 
In the end, Aunoma is right. It's time to evolve the series in some way. Don't think the series is on its way out though. At least not yet.
 

BurntPork

Banned
In the end, Aunoma is right. It's time to evolve the series in some way. Don't think the series is on its way out though. At least not yet.

It needs more than an evolution; it needs a revolution. Aonuma won't do it. He doesn't have the balls. He should never be allowed to play a part in Zelda development again. Same goes for Miyamoto.
 

Datschge

Member
At this point, I think the only thing Nintendo can do to save Zelda is to make one which Miyamoto and Aounuma are banned from playing any part in. That'll never happen, so Wii U will have the final high-profile Zelda game.

Yes please! A Tezuka-led Zelda purely focussed on fun, with a deep optional story in the background that doesn't get in the way, maybe again by Koizumi. Like Link's Awakening you know, which Tezuka called a parody of the series. Do that again!

Since OoT (or arguably ALttP, since OoT was in many ways just a 3D version of that game) the console series has calcified around a handful of "Zelda-isms" that have left the series feeling "safe" in a way it didn't back when OoT first appeared. I buy a Zelda game now expecting that - despite the window-dressing or gimmicks - it's going to follow a certain pattern (tutorial tutorial tutorial, dungeon/new item, dungeon/new item, sidequests if I choose, dungeon/new item etc. etc.) and while SS is beautifully-executed & it introduced some twists on the formula and made some welcome changes, it's not gone far enough.

I may be alone with this but I played ALttP after LA and had the same issues with it like the 3D Zeldas indeed...
 

farnham

Banned
I believe nintendo should stop developing zelda games for a good while now. They can make 5 wii - titles for the funds they used developing zelda ss.
 

Mpl90

Two copies sold? That's not a bomb guys, stop trolling!!!
Gamedatamuseum updated datas for some of the 3DS games.
Combining with the newly officially released ones ( Super Mario 3D Land, MK7's first week), we get this


1 [3DS] Super Mario 3D Land (Nintendo) - 344.698 / 542.842 / 63,50% 03/11/11
2 [3DS] The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (Nintendo) - 182.998 / 462.126 / 39,60% 16/06/11
3 [3DS] Mario Kart 7 (Nintendo) - 451.932 / 451.932 / 100,00% 29/08/02
4 [3DS] Nintendogs+cats (Nintendo) - 68.973 / 362.958 / 19,00% 26/02/11
5 [3DS] Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracles (Level 5) - 117.589 / 340.477 / 34,54% 26/02/11
6 [3DS] Pokemon Rumble Blast (Nintendo) - 91.613 / 216.161 / 42,38% 11/08/11
7 [3DS] One Piece: Unlimited Cruise SP (Bandai Namco) - 76.578 / 189.857 / 40,33% 26/05/11
8 [3DS] Samurai Warriors: Chronicles (Koei Tecmo) - 43.044 / 144.744 / 29,74% 26/02/11
9 [3DS] Super Street Fighter 3D Edition (Capcom) - 38.557 / 133.142 / 28,96% 26/02/11
10 [3DS] Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D (Capcom) - 61.306 / 118.117 / 51,90% 02/06/11
11 [3DS] Tales of the Abyss (Bandai Namco) - 68.218 / 114.439 / 59,61% 30/06/11
12 [3DS] Ridge Racer 3D (Bandai Namco) - 34.663 / 110.415 / 31,39% 26/02/11
13 [3DS] Winning Eleven 3DSoccer (Konami) - 26.222 / 107.274 / 24,44% 26/02/11
14 [3DS] Pilotwings: Resort (Nintendo) - 27.729 / 83.926 / 33,04% 14/04/11
15 [3DS] Star Fox 64 3D (Nintendo) - 36.858 / 75.081 / 49,09% 14/07/11

From Nintendogs to Winning Eleven, we have datas updated to 13/11/11
 
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