3. donny2112
Could the first week numbers be close to their LTDs because, oh I don't know, that they don't show up on the charts again, so we never get updates on them? Nah, it couldn't be that. You must be right in that when they fall off the charts, they sell 0 per week from there on out. It isn't like we have examples of other games falling off the chart months ago, and then blipping on the chart showing a substantial increase from that last update. That kind of stuff never happens.
You're right. Third-party Wii sales are trash, since Square-Enix is "special" and doesn't count
Interesting point there, but th eproblem is they never resurface again: even with a spike in Wii sales, they don't show back up; which tells us the userbase doesn't care about the game anymore. What they do tell us is that they sure do love to pick up Wii SPorts and Wii Play, forget about those dumb ol' third party games.
I think the biggest hit, to me at least, was Zelda Twilight Princess. So much hard work put into a great game, and it sold very wwell by GAF standards, and all the trends pointed to Zelda series declining and Japan gamers liking non-traditonal games more and more, but still it was a harsh blow to still not even crack 500k
I'm just messing with LanceStern. I think he makes some statements without always thinking about all the reasons why what he says may be true. In this case, the LTD of some lower-selling games is equal/close to the first week for the clear reason that they didn't chart again. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that they've sold badly. They could've, certainly, but as we've seen with some DS games cropping back into the charts recently, they could still be selling but just below the lower limit of the charts.
He's very doom and gloom about sales on the Wii (despite the recent historical precedent of the DS), so I just wanted to offer up an alternative viewpoint.
I take that comment personally (in a good, constructive criticism sort off way) and will work on it in upcoming threads. You should see me even now! I take about 2 to 3 minutes singing before I type a response (to wipe out any emotion from posts) haha.
When I think about it, I shouldn't be too harsh on Wii sales because it still has time to sell some games. But I have to voice my worry: I worry that 3rd parties are going to start relying on Wiimakes and such to make money, and thereby hurt our gaming library. If the real games that they put hard work in don't sell on PS3 and 360 in japan, and then they try on the Wii and it too doesn't sell, what are they left to do? We're stuck with half-baked efforts.
But I'm hopeful for more Wii sales, and DQS could be the right start. But depends on whether or not the 2nd week goes well.
4. ethelred
So, to bounce off that, I think you're setting the bar mighty low there for Tales of Symphonia: Knight of Ratatosk. Whether it's better understood as a sequel or a spinoff (a spinoff sequel seems accurate), 100k would not be decent -- it'd be downright poor. And 200k would not be good, it'd be okay. The game should really perform better than that, though -- the key is for Namco to make a good game. We'll see if they manage that.
So what are you saying would be good for a next Tales game?
5. Mithos Yggdrasil
I think the majority agree with your point of view. Lance is Lance. We know him and we know his "mathematical limits" to define if a game is a success or not. <200k is a success; 199k is a bomb>.
You're still one of the nicer ones here. You're on my "A list" haha ^_^
For me, the BIG question I've always had trouble to find an asnwer, is why Third Parties are still relative reluctant to bring big franchise on Nintendo's consoles.
Wait: this is not to open a new useless war, but after seeing that Third Party games CAN sell very well on DS (as Square-Enix already showed us) and that the Wii IS potentially a big oppurtunity to increase sales, AND considered the low developing costs and low time of productions, I cannot really understand why some Third parties simply don't take seriously Nintendo.
ethel gave a good answer, as did moku, and I guess I could throw in my small opinion on the matter. I think 3rd parties are still sitting back waiting for more "hits" on the Wii. Dragon Quest Swords is a good start, but thenagain so was Tamagotchi for the DS and yet still on SquareEnix and Sega could penetrate good sellers before Rocket COmpany and IE and such could come in and sell well.
I believe they still might have that intimidated mindset that only Nintendo's titles and a few of their "dreamteam" 3rd parties will sell well on the system. Wii Sports, Zelda, Wario, Super Paper Mario, Brain Age and Wii Play being the undeniable proof until now (Where DQS finally made a bump into Wii top sellers).
That, or they could be seeking more next-gen technology (PS3 and 360) and relying on good sales in US and such.
I can see some 3rd parties just not accepting that Wii is less powerful and want to see their franchises take more of a leap forward (Metal Gear, Final Fantasy main series, Resident Evil 5, Devil May Cry) rather than taking the time to make their titles cater to the Wii's strength and make them as nice looking as Nintendo's efforts. Plus, the 360 is giving 3rd parties the sales they need so far WITH the technological advancements.
I believe one interview, some 3rd parties were completely irate with Wii not being more powerful, and thus they wouldn't release a big franchise on it.
