November 2008 Console Sales Figures (featuring broken records)

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

fixed

Okami
Zack and Wiki
No More Heroes
Boom Blox
and on, and on, and on

There's a large list of games for the Wii now that have very positive reviews and you can probably count the games that that sold well and weren't made by Nintendo on one hand.

[MJ4H]

I agree, there are some great games. Very few approach the quality of most Nintendo games, though. And the ones that do tend to sell pretty well.

Anyway, blah blah. 3rd parties shaft the Wii with sub-standard ports 99% of the time is the point. And no it isn't acceptable because the Wii isn't HD capable.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

I agree, there are some great games. Very few approach the quality of most Nintendo games, though. And the ones that do tend to sell pretty well.

Anyway, blah blah. 3rd parties shaft the Wii with sub-standard ports 99% of the time is the point. And no it isn't acceptable because the Wii isn't HD capable.

I agree that the Wii does get the shaft and some of the blame definitely goes to the studios, but I just wanted to point out that blame also falls on Wii owners (they need to support the good games that aren't made by Nintendo if they want to see more good games not made by Nintendo) and even Nintendo as well (the lack of even a small hard drive is a big issue).

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Atocep

Okami
Zack and Wiki
No More Heroes
Boom Blox
and on, and on, and on

There's a large list of games for the Wii now that have very positive reviews and you can probably count the games that that sold well and weren't made by Nintendo on one hand.

Let's be fair- Okami was already on the PS2 and it didn't sell all that great there with an even larger install base than the Wii has. Both systems have sold around 150K.

I can't speak for others but I own Zack and Wiki and Boom Blox. As as aside, Boom Blox has some funky ratings- 85% on gamerankings but IGN only gave it a 8.1 and Gamespot a 7. But let's not kid ourselves- lots of good games don't sell well. Neither has been a complete bust, either, each selling over 500K.

And it's not as if all 3rd party games don't sell on the Wii. Mario and Sonic at the Olympics (Sega) at over 6M, good for 7th, and Sonic and the Secret Rings is almost 2M. Guitar Hero 3 rounds out the top 10 at over 3.5M. Both Resident Evil games have gone Platinum. Both Rayman games are at 1.5M. Lego Star Wars: the Complete Trilogy for the Wii has outsold both the PS3 and 360 combined at over 1.5M.

But, again, the problems is twofold with lots of shovelware burying the good games and lots of devs half-assing anything Wii, making the problem worse.

I'm really curious to see how GH: World Tour and Rock Band 2 do for the Wii since Activision went a bit further out of their way to dev for the Wii than Red Octane. However, Rock Band 1 completely stiffed the Wii on features and they improved quite a bit.

SI

[sterlingice]

Also, along with development budgets- how about ad budgets. Has anyone seen ads for a Wii-exclusive 3rd party game? It was hard to watch tv and not see an ad for GTAIV or MGS4 before they came out. Or Call of Duty or Assassin's Creed or Bioshock. Or, hell, any Tom Clancy game or EA Sports game or Music Game.

But are there ads for any 3rd party Wii games? No, unless they're something like "Here's a multi-platform game, and in the last 10 seconds we'll say 'Also available on the Wii and PS2'" and that's the only advertising blurb.

If you don't even spend a minimum baseline of money, don't be surprised when you don't make money even when making money on the Wii is like shooting fish in a barrell if you're halfways competent.

SI

[sachmo71]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Also, along with development budgets- how about ad budgets. Has anyone seen ads for a Wii-exclusive 3rd party game? It was hard to watch tv and not see an ad for GTAIV or MGS4 before they came out. Or Call of Duty or Assassin's Creed or Bioshock. Or, hell, any Tom Clancy game or EA Sports game or Music Game.

But are there ads for any 3rd party Wii games? No, unless they're something like "Here's a multi-platform game, and in the last 10 seconds we'll say 'Also available on the Wii and PS2'" and that's the only advertising blurb.

If you don't even spend a minimum baseline of money, don't be surprised when you don't make money even when making money on the Wii is like shooting fish in a barrell if you're halfways competent.

SI

you see them often enough on the Cartoon Network.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Also, along with development budgets- how about ad budgets. Has anyone seen ads for a Wii-exclusive 3rd party game? It was hard to watch tv and not see an ad for GTAIV or MGS4 before they came out. Or Call of Duty or Assassin's Creed or Bioshock. Or, hell, any Tom Clancy game or EA Sports game or Music Game.

But are there ads for any 3rd party Wii games? No, unless they're something like "Here's a multi-platform game, and in the last 10 seconds we'll say 'Also available on the Wii and PS2'" and that's the only advertising blurb.

If you don't even spend a minimum baseline of money, don't be surprised when you don't make money even when making money on the Wii is like shooting fish in a barrell if you're halfways competent.

SI

Boom Blox was advertised on TV quite a bit.

Call of Duty and the EA Sports games are on the Wii so they're getting advertising as well.

But, lets be honest here, pretty graphics are easier to sell through TV advertising and the Wii simply doesn't compare. That's why when Call of Duty or an EA Sports game is shown its going to be the PS3 verison or the 360 version and then at the end of the ad they'll mention its also available on the Wii. Nintendo has also been making games a certain way for 20+ years and it differs a lot from what is currently mainstream as far as videogames go. So you can do something you're not familiar with, try to emulate Nintendo, and probably end up with a shitty game or you can stick with what you do best and make First-person shooters and action games which play very well on 3 platforms and appeal to a large number of gamers right now.

You also have to point the finger at Nintendo as well. The made hardware with some major limitations that prevent developers from doing direct ports. The big GoY candidates this year are Fallout 3, GTA4, MSG4, Gears of War 2, Left 4 Dead, and Little Big Planet. Not a single one of those would be possible on the Wii hardware (I know 3 of those are exclusives but the point is they wouldn't be possible on the Wii to begin with). Nintendo is also about 5 years behind when it comes to online content which really makes them look bad in the eyes of your teenagers to mid 20s gamers.

Nintendo made a solid console that appeals to a lot of people, but if they want 3rd party support they need to make hardware at least in the same ballpark as Sony and Microsoft and they need to step up their online support.

[Big Fo]

Originally Posted by Atocep

Okami
Zack and Wiki
No More Heroes
Boom Blox
and on, and on, and on

There's a large list of games for the Wii now that have very positive reviews and you can probably count the games that that sold well and weren't made by Nintendo on one hand.

Okami - had disappointing sales on the PS2 (with a far larger userbase mind you) and the Wii port met Capcom's expectations. Also the Wii version was criticized for wonky controls and having a more subdued parchment filter effect that gave the PS2 version such distinct graphics. Even Nintendo Power said "just play the PS2 version" in it's review. Still 300,000+ sold in NA/Europe (link), not bad for a non-advertised, inferior port of a game that wasn't a big seller on the most successful home console of all time.

Originally Posted by Christian Svensson, VP Capcom of America

(Okami Wii)"was never predicated on reaching the sales of the PS2, so from a profitability standpoint, [Capcom is] relatively pleased with where it’s at and where it’s going."

Zack and Wiki - over 300k sold (as of June) according to one of Capcom's financial statements, if you've played it you'd know it wouldn't exactly have required an MGS4-esque budget. link for 300k figure

No More Heroes - the best selling game ever created by the developer, and a sequel is coming for the Wii. Around half a million sold worldwide.

Originally Posted by From Rising Star Games, NMH's European publisher

Quote from the publisher "We are weeping with delight. Especially as sales should improve further with the TV campaign moving up a gear from tonight. It is a verification of all the posturing and ambitious claims made these past months. I think a 'told you so' would be apt at some point. Thanks to Nintendo and the Wii console. Thanks to Mastertronic for their sales efforts and all our retail partners. Most of all thanks to Grasshopper for the greatest of products" link for quote

Boom Blox - 450k sold as of June and was "continuing to sell well" according to EA. Again, it almost assuredly made money and a sequel is coming for the wii. link

Then there are multiplatform games that sell best on Wii, like Guitar Hero, Tiger Woods, the recent Shaun White Snowboarding, etc. Hell, as mentioned in a few posts back, Rock Band on the Wii outsold it's sequel (a recent release) on the PS3/360 last month. Not to mention that other than Wii Music and Animal Crossing Nintendo left the biggest sales season of the year wide open for third-parties to exploit, so the usual excuse of "omg nobody can compete with Nintendo" has even less merit than it ever did.

There have been at least ten (15 if you go by vgchartz) third-party million sellers for the Wii so unless you're some horribly disfigured mutant you won't be able to count them on one hand.

I know that since this is the Internet people like to spout off ignorant meme posts like it's 2006 (lol 360 sux RROD and who pays for online, lol PS3 $600 and no good games, lol Wii is just for grandmas, babies, and Ntards) but if people actually paid any attention they'd realize that while Nintendo software sells great, third parties can, have, and will continue to sell a lot of games on the platform as well.

[Atocep]

Are we seriously going to consider 300k a successful game for a console with an install base over 41 million? I mean, that barely puts it in the top 100 and just ahead of Barbie Island Princess' 270k sold. That's one hell of a prize for a solid game. 500k for one of the 7-8 best reviewed games on the system? Its successful because its the developer's best selling game ever?

That's a different argument, though, because you missed the point of my posts altogether. The point was, and I made it pretty clear, that the fault doesn't fall strictly with the developers for lack of 3rd party support on the Wii. If you pull up the sales charts for the PS3 and the 360 you see that games that get good reviews generally sell pretty well. The Wii is all over the place. Carvnival games is a steaming pile of crap and it sold over 2.5 million copies (a bit more than 300k). Nintendo has 13 of the top 20 selling games on the platform.

So why would a big company work hard to release a good game on the Wii when they could make a game without the hardware limitations for the PC, 360, and PS3 and feel comfortable about it selling well if its good?

[Big Fo]

Your game doesn't have to sell like Mario Kart to make money. If you're Grasshopper and all of your games have sold 100k-200k (again some on the PS2 which had a higher userbase that the time of those releases than when NMH came out on Wii) at the most yet you've stayed in the business for years, then you make a Wii game that sells close to half a million, that isn't a success? Have you played No More Heroes? If so, can't you see that such a game doesn't require a massive budget like some of the bigger games on the HD consoles?

Also, just because a shitty game sold well doesn't erase the money you made from your good game that sold well. The PS2 had a bunch of crappy games that sold well (50 Cent's game sold over a million ffs), that's part of being the market leader.

Good games can and have sold poorly on the PS360, like Mirror's Edge, Valkyria Chronicles, Tales of Vesperia, and Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway. Hell, Stranglehold practically bankrupted Midway.

You're right that the lack of quality third-party games isn't all on the developers, it's more the fault of the third-party publishers that are afraid to take a chance on doing something different despite the clear evidence that good games aimed at core gamers can sell well on the Wii.

If it's all about the graphics and using the latest and greatest hardware, why don't they go PC exclusive? Top-end PCs are far more powerful than the 360 and PS3, why make technical compromises?

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by Big Fo

Good games can and have sold poorly on the PS360, like Mirror's Edge, Valkyria Chronicles, Tales of Vesperia, and Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway. Hell, Stranglehold practically bankrupted Midway.

Did I say all games that reviewed well sold well? No. But your chances of selling well are better on the PS3 and 360 with good reviews than they are on the Wii.

Originally Posted by Big Fo

If it's all about the graphics and using the latest and greatest hardware, why don't they go PC exclusive? Top-end PCs are far more powerful than the 360 and PS3, why make technical compromises?

Because you can develop for all 3 and hit an install base larger than the Wii's without having to deal with hardware limitations? Pretty crazy, I know.

For the record, and in order to prop up my fanboy cred, I've owned a Wii since January of '07 and have around 20 games for it. I'm just realistic about why it doesn't get the support that the other systems get. I can post pics if that's needed.

[Daimyo]

From VGChartz, number of games with over 1M in sales for each platform:

	1st	3rd	Total
Wii	16	16	32
360	11	44	55
PS3	7	14	21

[Big Fo]

Originally Posted by Atocep

Did I say all games that reviewed well sold well? No. But your chances of selling well are better on the PS3 and 360 with good reviews than they are on the Wii.

I don't agree. There just haven't been that many good third-party Wii games. Half of the ten best (by review scores on metacritic) were made by Nintendo, and Super Mario Galaxy, Twilight Princess, and Smash Bros. (the three best) all sold multiple millions.

Originally Posted by Atocep

Because you can develop for all 3 and hit an install base larger than the Wii's without having to deal with hardware limitations? Pretty crazy, I know.

This is true, I was just saying it's not all about the tech/power.

Originally Posted by Atocep

For the record, and in order to prop up my fanboy cred, I've owned a Wii since January of '07 and have around 20 games for it. I'm just realistic about why it doesn't get the support that the other systems get. I can post pics if that's needed.

No need, I believe you. I enjoy my PC and PS3 (not to mention the DS) games fwiw. My bad if you felt I was accusing you of trolling, that was not my intention. Not even the most ardent Nintendo fan is going to argue that companies should stop making games on other platforms, just that a majority of third-party efforts on the Wii have been lousy and the platform will support well-made games (and yes, some bad games too) in general.

Originally Posted by Daimyo

From VGChartz, number of games with over 1M in sales for each platform:
1st 3rd Total
Wii 16 16 32
360 11 44 55
PS3 7 14 21

Games sell great on the 360 (highest tie ratio around 8-9 with the PS3 and Wii around 5-6), and it's one year head start on the market certainly doesn't hurt.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Big Fo

There have been at least ten (15 if you go by vgchartz) third-party million sellers for the Wii so unless you're some horribly disfigured mutant you won't be able to count them on one hand.

I know it's early but this line had me cracking up.

SI

[Samdari]

Originally Posted by Atocep

So why would a big company work hard to release a good game on the Wii when they could make a game without the hardware limitations for the PC, 360, and PS3 and feel comfortable about it selling well if its good?

I am curious as to why you think having more advanced hardware makes it harder/more expensive to develop for.

I can assure you, quite the opposite is true.

[gstelmack]

Can we get back to laughing at all the folks who predicted a few months ago that the PS3 would catch the 360 and eventually zoom past the Wii?

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

Can we get back to laughing at all the folks who predicted a few months ago that the PS3 would catch the 360 and eventually zoom past the Wii?

It's somewhat silly to even discuss this at this point in time. The premise of those statements by most people were set upon the thought that Sony would have a $299 model available by this holiday season. Obviously, Sony didn't get that done and likely won't until a few months from now. Given the sudden boom in Blu-ray player and movie sales, there's no question that a $299 model would have done much better this holiday season. As it is, we have the 360 with a price cut while the PS3 remains at $399. The only thing that would be surprising would be if the 360 didn't do well after the price cut given the lack of a cut on the PS3. Sony had clear momentum over the first 8 months of this year, then failed to keep it when MS made their price cut.

The PS3 vs. 360 competition will continue to go to MS as long as the PS3 remains at the $399 price point. It's not terribly complicated.

As for the Wii, I continue to be amazed at the defensive nature of Wii owners. While it's selling a lot of units, there's no question that there are some severe concerns in regards to first party/third party sales and the relatively lousy quality of many of the games being released for the system.

[Ronnie Dobbs2]

It's over (all three places), and has been for a while.

[Samdari]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

As for the Wii, I continue to be amazed at the defensive nature of Wii owners. While it's selling a lot of units, there's no question that there are some severe concerns in regards to first party/third party sales and the relatively lousy quality of many of the games being released for the system.

I think that they are no more or less defensive than owners that spent hundreds of dollars on any other system and had that decision ridiculed publicly.

I think the reason that third party games are so unsuccessful so far is the same reason the Wii appeals to people who previously hated console games, and turns off those who previously loved them: the motion controls.

There really has been only one third party game where the developer "got" the appeal of the Wii - Boom Blox. The motion controls are integral to the game. That really has not happened very often. Most third party titles try to use a more traditional analog stick and button control scheme, with one or two "shake the Wiimote" controls added in. People who love the Wii because it does not feature those type of controls are going (and do?) hate those games.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Samdari

There really has been only one third party game where the developer "got" the appeal of the Wii - Boom Blox. The motion controls are integral to the game. That really has not happened very often. Most third party titles try to use a more traditional analog stick and button control scheme, with one or two "shake the Wiimote" controls added in. People who love the Wii because it does not feature those type of controls are going (and do?) hate those games.

Agreed. Boom Blox was really well done and appealed to both audiences that you mention.

BTW.....the recent commercials that I've seen for Boom Blox are also very well done. Showing lots of gameplay and people having fun playing it. MS and Sony should take some hints in that regard. Their commercials should emulate that formula.

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by Samdari

There really has been only one third party game where the developer "got" the appeal of the Wii - Boom Blox.

Rayman: Raving Rabbids. Yeah yeah I work for Ubi, but my daughter and son LOVE the "Bunny Game" and it makes heavy use of the controls.

But BoomBlox is definitely awesome.

[Samdari]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

Rayman: Raving Rabbids. Yeah yeah I work for Ubi, but my daughter and son LOVE the "Bunny Game" and it makes heavy use of the controls.

But BoomBlox is definitely awesome.

I did not mean to imply I'd played every 3rd party game - just point out what I thought the problem was that 3rd party developers were having being successful making Wii games. The problem is, they are not making Wii games, they are trying to make traditional console games for the Wii.

Rayman: Raving Rabbids - this was considered a success, no? Enough to produce a sequel anyway. Boom Blox is perhaps not unique, but somewhat a rarity then.

[Daimyo]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

As for the Wii, I continue to be amazed at the defensive nature of Wii owners. While it's selling a lot of units, there's no question that there are some severe concerns in regards to first party/third party sales

I'm guessing the vast majority of Wii owners don't really care much about those things.
I've had my Wii for about 20 months and I've purchased or played through seven games that each gave me at least a good month of solid game play (I've also purchased a few others like Wii Play that didn't give any):

Wii Sports
Wii Fit
Mario Kart Wii
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Mario Galaxy
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Super Paper Mario

That averages out to about a game every three months. Factor in games for the PS2, DS, and PC and I bet I purchase one game every two months. With a busy job, a two year old son, and all the other entertainment options I really couldn't consume video games any faster than that and wouldn't really want to.

For me its not so much defensiveness about the lack of 3rd party games, but apathy. As long as Nintendo or the occasional 3rd party continues releasing AAAA games every three months or so, I will continue to be very pleased with the Wii. There are already more than enough games I want to buy (Bloom Blox, NMH, etc) that having better third party support wouldn't really add anything for me.

. . . and the relatively lousy quality of many of the games being released for the system.

As for all the crappy games released on the Wii, I simply don't buy them. Just like I didn't buy the crappy games released on the PS2 or any console I've owned. Crappy games always get thrown at the market leader every generation. Luckily they're trivial to identify and avoid.

[gstelmack]

I continue to be amazed that people who attack other platforms are amazed that those owners get defensive...

[Big Fo]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

Can we get back to laughing at all the folks who predicted a few months ago that the PS3 would catch the 360 and eventually zoom past the Wii?

Laugh at me on the first part. A year or so ago I thought the PS3 would catch up to the 360 in America before either Sony or Microsoft launched a successor console, I was definitely wrong on that one. Heck, now I don't even think that the PS3 will catch up worldwide.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by Big Fo

Laugh at me on the first part. A year or so ago I thought the PS3 would catch up to the 360 in America before either Sony or Microsoft launched a successor console, I was definitely wrong on that one. Heck, now I don't even think that the PS3 will catch up worldwide.

I will say that the current situation feels similar to the Genesis/SNES dustup. Leaving the Wii out of the discussion for the moment, since it's pretty clearly on its own planet (and I suspect the majority of its market share would not defect to either Sony or Microsoft if somehow Nintendo vanished), look at the parallels.

Nintendo was a dominant market leader in 1988, with Sega occupying a minority role with the Sega Master system. They released their new system ahead of Nintendo, launching in 1989, and by 1991 held something like a 60/40 split of the market. Nintendo was seen as vulnerable at that point in time, and eventually recovered to flip the percentages to ~60% Nintendo, 40% Genesis.

Sony was the dominant leader in the last generation, with Microsoft occupying a minority role with the Xbox, and 2-3 years into its lifespan, the 360 is sitting on top with people questioning whether Sony's leadership will continue.

Now, here's the problem - Nintendo's philosophy has *always* been centered around great games on affordable (and profitable) hardware.

Sony's got a $400 boondoggle that was designed to add another profitable product line to the company's balance sheet. It was not designed purely with games in mind, nor with the idea of getting it into as many homes as possible as quickly as possible. As a result, they're in a vulnerable position, and their market share is being attacked by both a direct and an indirect competitor.

I say indirect because even though a large part of the Wii base is the 'blue ocean' gamer, it still has that perception as being a system "for kids," and so parents who are buying a game system for their children still compare all three of them.

See, the problem is just about anybody with an interest in the industry can see a path out of this for Sony, but they may have painted themselves into such a corner that they can't avail themselves of that path. They're not dead yet, but the Romans are rolling the boulder in front of the tomb, and they don't have that whole "Son of God" thing going for them as a way out once that boulder is in place.

[Big Fo]

Xbox 360 is one million units ahead of the PS3 in Europe (or at least the five biggest European gaming markets).

Originally Posted by Eurogamer

Xbox 360 currently has a combined lead over PlayStation 3 of around one million lifetime sales across five key European territories - the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy.

That's according to GfK Chart-Track data seen by Eurogamer that shows like-for-like sales of console hardware across October and November.

The installed base totals suggest that Sony is catching up on Microsoft, which launched Xbox 360 over a year earlier than PS3.

But following a price cut in September, Microsoft's figures have jumped and the platform holder can be confident of holding its lead into the New Year.

eurogamer.com link

The momentum gained from the price drop wasn't limited to the North American market. Sony really needs a price drop that they just can't afford at the moment.

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

Rayman: Raving Rabbids. Yeah yeah I work for Ubi, but my daughter and son LOVE the "Bunny Game" and it makes heavy use of the controls.

Rayman: Raving Rabbids was awesome - I'd put it up there with pretty much any of the first party Wii games.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by dawgfan

Rayman: Raving Rabbids was awesome - I'd put it up there with pretty much any of the first party Wii games.

And, go figure, RRR and RRR2 sold 1.42 and 1.48M copies, good for #21 and #23 on the console, sandwiched around Metroid Prime 3. Wait? So if you make a good game, it will sell on the Wii? Even if you're a third party?

SI

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

As for the Wii, I continue to be amazed at the defensive nature of Wii owners. While it's selling a lot of units, there's no question that there are some severe concerns in regards to first party/third party sales and the relatively lousy quality of many of the games being released for the system.

With compliments of that level of backhandedness, I don't know why anyone would be so defensive.

I mean, it's not as if that paragraph could be broken down into the following sour grapes bullet points:
-I don't know why Wii owners are defensive
-It sells well (understatement), BUT
-sucks {reason 1}
-and sucks {reason 2}

SI

[Big Fo]

Platform top 10's with numbers drawn from the top 20 report:

Top 10 Wii Titles

1. Wii Play w/ Remote = 796,000
2. Wii Fit = 697,000
3. Mario Kart = 637,000
4. Guitar Hero World Tour* = 475,000
5. Wii Music = 297,000
6. Animal Crossing: City Folk* > 181k
7. Rock Band* > 181k
8. Star War: Clone Wars Lightsaber Duels < 181k
9. Nerf N Strike
10. Link's Crossbow Training


Top 10 Xbox 360 Titles

1. Gears of War 2* = 1,560,000
2. Call of Duty: World at War* = 1,410,000
3. Left 4 Dead = 410,000
4. Fallout 3* > 181k
5. Guitar Hero World Tour* > 181k
6. Fable II* = 181,000
7. Madden NFL 09* < 181k
8. Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe*
9. Need for Speed: Undercover
10. WWE Smackdown Vs. RAW 2009


Top 10 Playstation 3 Titles

1. Call of Duty: World at War = 597,000
2. Resistance 2* = 385,000
3. Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe* ~ 141k-181k
4. Little Big Planet = 141k
5. Guitar Hero World Tour*
6. Fallout 3*
7. Madden NFL 09*
8. Need for Speed: Undercover
9. WWE Smackdown Vs. RAW 2009*
10. Rock Band 2*


Top 10 Nintendo DS Titles

1. Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia > 181k
2. Mario Kart > 181k
3. Kirby Superstar Ultra < 181k
4. Club Penguin: Eleite Penguin Force
5. New Super Mario Bros.
6. Guitar Hero On Tour
7. Mario Party
8. Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day
9. Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day
10. Mystery Case File: Millionheir


Top 10 Playstation Portable Titles

1. WWE Smackdown Vs. RAW 2009 < 181k
2. Lego Batman
3. Madden NFL 09
4. Midnight Club: LA Remix
5. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
6. Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions
7. Iron Man
8. FIFA Soccer 09
9. NBA Live 09
10. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories

* Includes Collector's, Limited, Legendary, Bundled (Guitars) Editions



- No Chrono Trigger *grumbles about $40 SNES port on DS* still a great game though

- 360 and Wii software sales >>>> PS3 software, par for the course really

- Has anyone gotten that Wii Nerf game for their kids and have anything to say regarding its quality? I was looking online and only saw two reviews, both said it was decent. Just curious.

- Need for Speed used to be a million seller type franchise. It just came out and clearly didn't do so well. Rumors are circulating that plans for the series in the future have been cancelled.

- Are Rock Band 2 sales affected more by the economy or by the sequel coming out relatively soon after the original?

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by Big Fo

- Are Rock Band 2 sales affected more by the economy or by the sequel coming out relatively soon after the original?

I don't think it's an either/or proposition.

I think it's probably more a factor of incredible DLC support. Because Rock Band 1 still enjoys such robust support, there's not a mass movement to Rock Band 2, the way we usually see with the Guitar Hero franchise.

[Big Fo]

So when a DLC song is released, it is available for Rock Band 1 and 2?

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by Big Fo

So when a DLC song is released, it is available for Rock Band 1 and 2?

Yes. All DLC is compatible with both games. This is also true of the track packs that are exportable to the hard drive.

[Big Fo]

That's pretty cool, now I get your point, that probably would have a large effect on the sequel's sales.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by Big Fo

That's pretty cool, now I get your point, that probably would have a large effect on the sequel's sales.

Or at least spread those sales out. There's no rush to go get it now now now because there's always new music to get.

So you don't have to pay $60 for it...you can wait and get it for $45, say.

[Fidatelo]

I don't get why they released RB2 when they did. It was way too soon after RB1. They should have milked RB1 for another year, done the DLC stuff, and then dropped RB2 in September of '09.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

With compliments of that level of backhandedness, I don't know why anyone would be so defensive.

I mean, it's not as if that paragraph could be broken down into the following sour grapes bullet points:
-I don't know why Wii owners are defensive
-It sells well (understatement), BUT
-sucks {reason 1}
-and sucks {reason 2}

SI

So are you going to address the point or just write it off as sour grapes? I think SackAttack did a good job of making the points without any complaints of perceived bias. I think his points regarding there being just enough games to keep him busy is a very good one. I think the PS3 is very similar in that regard (new exclusive every few months to play). His point is spot on regarding Sony moving forward from here and it's exactly why gstelmack's comment seems silly at this point. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE knows exactly what needs to be done to put Sony in a position to compete and outsell the 360. The problem is that the message hasn't been received by Sony, so many of the predictions based on common sense management fall flat on their face at this point due to Sony's unwillingness to make the right move. It's mind-boggling to be honest.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

I don't get why they released RB2 when they did. It was way too soon after RB1. They should have milked RB1 for another year, done the DLC stuff, and then dropped RB2 in September of '09.

World Tour, mostly. They had to react to that. Just like there was an anti-GH backlash for a while after Rock Band because "this is way cooler," they couldn't afford to see a similar backlash against the RB brand when World Tour came out.

[Scoobz0202]

Gents, I need some help.

This is coming from somebody who was a massive console gamer back in my day. My day being 10 years ago, as I am only 21 years old now. Well, I left console games and went to pc gaming and am FINALLY going back to console gaming. Back then, my parents would buy me whatever I wanted. Now, my poor college ass is looking to be cheap.

I'm only taking the plunge because my older brother is going to give me his 360 as he only plays his PS3 now. I have a couple of questions.

I want to put this in my bedroom. I would put it in the living room with the HDTV, but it's just would be easier to have it in my bedroom.

In there I have a regular, old-ass, tv that would probably not be good to use, but I have a Samsung 204BW 20 inch computer monitor. I figure I can use a VGA adapter to hook up to that, correct? The problem is the RCA cables, as there is no where to plug them in to the monitor and there is there no where to plug into the speakers I have, which are these:

Amazon.com: Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 THX Certified Computer Speaker System (Black): Electronics

What do I do? That is probably such a stupid question, but like I said, I have been out of this game since the old-gen, and the new-gen is totally out of my element.

So:

1. Above

2. I understand the xbox has reliability issues. I'm not sure what he has for the system, but just in case, what are the must buy things to help me, and the system.

3. He has had this system for three years, since it came out pretty much I think. The warranty has to be up. Once this baby dies, am I toast? Basically, enjoy it while it lasts?


Thanks guys!

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by Scoobz0202

Gents, I need some help.

This is coming from somebody who was a massive console gamer back in my day. My day being 10 years ago, as I am only 21 years old now. Well, I left console games and went to pc gaming and am FINALLY going back to console gaming. Back then, my parents would buy me whatever I wanted. Now, my poor college ass is looking to be cheap.

I'm only taking the plunge because my older brother is going to give me his 360 as he only plays his PS3 now. I have a couple of questions.

I want to put this in my bedroom. I would put it in the living room with the HDTV, but it's just would be easier to have it in my bedroom.

In there I have a regular, old-ass, tv that would probably not be good to use, but I have a Samsung 204BW 20 inch computer monitor. I figure I can use a VGA adapter to hook up to that, correct? The problem is the RCA cables, as there is no where to plug them in to the monitor and there is there no where to plug into the speakers I have, which are these:

Amazon.com: Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 THX Certified Computer Speaker System (Black): Electronics

What do I do? That is probably such a stupid question, but like I said, I have been out of this game since the old-gen, and the new-gen is totally out of my element.

So:

1. Above

2. I understand the xbox has reliability issues. I'm not sure what he has for the system, but just in case, what are the must buy things to help me, and the system.

3. He has had this system for three years, since it came out pretty much I think. The warranty has to be up. Once this baby dies, am I toast? Basically, enjoy it while it lasts?


Thanks guys!

1) Chances are the monitor has a line in. I think there's an adapter out there that'll let you 'reverse split' the RCA audio into a single line in and plug that into a monitor. Not ideal, but since you're looking to be cheap and the alternative would be a new speaker system or a 5.1, a few bucks for one of those adapters is probably the way to go.

2) I don't really buy the notion that there are specific accessories you can use to prevent issues. i would say it's going to be primarily environmental. Keep the room temperate and keep the Xbox off of heat-conducting surfaces. Beyond that, pray.

3) Give Microsoft a call. They may not sell you an extended warranty because of its age, but it's not totally out of the realm of possibility.

That said, because it's older than three years, they might sell an extended warranty that covers everything *except* the red ring, so...

[Scoobz0202]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

1) Chances are the monitor has a line in. I think there's an adapter out there that'll let you 'reverse split' the RCA audio into a single line in and plug that into a monitor. Not ideal, but since you're looking to be cheap and the alternative would be a new speaker system or a 5.1, a few bucks for one of those adapters is probably the way to go.

Samsung 204BW 20" Widescreen LCD Monitor - 6ms, 700:1, WSXGA+ 1680x1050, DVI, VGA, Black, Height Adjustable, 16:10 Aspect Ratio at TigerDirect.com

The above is the monitor, see there are no builit in speakers.

Is there a coupler you think that would work for headphones, maybe?

[SackAttack]

It needs to have an aux port or a line-in port for a coupler to work. If it doesn't have that, then you need a separate 2.1 or 5.1 system to hook the 360 audio into.

[Big Fo]

A new game in the Metal Gear Solid has been announced in Famitsu magazine

for iPod Touch/iPhone.

[Scoobz0202]

Wonder if a pair of headphones with that would be easy to find.

This is turning out to be more hassle then I anticipated

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by Scoobz0202

Wonder if a pair of headphones with that would be easy to find.

This is turning out to be more hassle then I anticipated

Sure. You can get the...X3 headphones, I think, from Best Buy. Headphones that you can use for both game sound and Xbox Live chat. They're only about a hundred bucks.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

Sure. You can get the...X3 headphones, I think, from Best Buy. Headphones that you can use for both game sound and Xbox Live chat. They're only about a hundred bucks.

I've heard that those headphones are excellent. I've been considering purchasing a wireless headphone set to use on my PS3. That may end up being the one.

[Neon_Chaos]

Originally Posted by Scoobz0202

Samsung 204BW 20" Widescreen LCD Monitor - 6ms, 700:1, WSXGA+ 1680x1050, DVI, VGA, Black, Height Adjustable, 16:10 Aspect Ratio at TigerDirect.com

The above is the monitor, see there are no builit in speakers.

Is there a coupler you think that would work for headphones, maybe?

You can use something like this:

Audiogear.com

You can plug in the male RCA jacks and plug in the male audio sterio mini jack so the audio from your XBOX goes into your headphones.

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

World Tour, mostly. They had to react to that. Just like there was an anti-GH backlash for a while after Rock Band because "this is way cooler," they couldn't afford to see a similar backlash against the RB brand when World Tour came out.

But isn't World Tour just the reaction to RB1? I don't follow the exact details of these franchises super closely, which probably puts me in line with the average consumer, and in my eyes RB1 = GH:WT = RB2. Aside from track lists, I honestly don't see the difference... oh, except that GH3 sucked and RB1 has huge acclaim, so I'd purchase RB1 over GH:WT if I could choose.

I honestly think the Rock Band guys should have just spent some money on advertising RB1, especially advertising all the DLC, maybe thrown out a DLC "expansion" in November, and focused on RB2 for Q3 '09.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

But isn't World Tour just the reaction to RB1? I don't follow the exact details of these franchises super closely, which probably puts me in line with the average consumer, and in my eyes RB1 = GH:WT = RB2. Aside from track lists, I honestly don't see the difference... oh, except that GH3 sucked and RB1 has huge acclaim, so I'd purchase RB1 over GH:WT if I could choose.

I honestly think the Rock Band guys should have just spent some money on advertising RB1, especially advertising all the DLC, maybe thrown out a DLC "expansion" in November, and focused on RB2 for Q3 '09.

Word of mouth was going to help GH:WT a lot. I know personally that a lot of the kids in my extended family raved on pre-release about how the GH:WT had 5 pads instead of 4 and it had cymbals! To us, it doesn't mean all that much. To kids under the age of 14, it's the latest and greatest and the cool thing to buy.

You see the same phenomenon with games like Madden. Most of us realize it's basically a roster update most years with some PR talk thrown in to promote a feature or two that doesn't enhance the game that much overall. But that same PR talk and word of mouth makes it the greatest Madden ever in the 14 and under crowd, resulting in huge (though declining) sales of a game that really isn't much of an advance over the previous version of the game.