Ok, so I'm really really late to my little analysis, but hey, better late than never eh?
My predictions for last week were:
-Wii Fit and Mario Kart Wii to hold down 1st and 2nd place respectively in the UK yet again. I'm thinking that they won't increase this week, but hey, these games keep surprising us every single week so they'll probably do it again.
Well, they both remained in the top 2, except Mario Kart took the spotlight this time, hitting top spot and increasing by 6%. Wii Fit decreased by 24%, but still managed to stay in the top 2.
- Soul Calibur IV to sell solidly again but one version to fall out of the UK top 10 and one to stay, the 360 version being the one that stays.
Pretty much.
- Mario and Sonic to rise once again due to the Olympics. I expect a top 10 appearance in the UK from the Wii version and the DS version to not be far behind. Beijing 2008 should also rise as well. This should be interesting to see.
Yep. Beijing especially.
- I have no idea how well Madden sells in Europe, but i can't imagine it would be very good. I don't expect any of this week's releases to have a significant impact on the charts. Hellboy could do decently I suppose. Overall expect the charts to be pretty similar to this week.
Yeah, not much new this week. Madden did ok but otherwise, it was same old (aka Nintendomination).
As for my predicted top 15:
1. Wii Fit (Wii) - No. 2nd
2. Mario Kart Wii (Wii) - No. 1st
3. Big Beach Sports (Wii) - No. 4th
4. Wii Play (Wii) No. 3rd
5. Guitar Hero: On Tour (NDS) No. 6th
6. Dr Kawashima's Brain Training (Wii) No. 5th
7. Carnival: Funfair Games (Wii) - No. 9th
8. Soul Calibur IV (360) - No. 10th
9. Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii) - No. 7th
10. Sports Party (Wii) - No. 14th
11. Soul Calibur IV (PS3) - No. 17th
12. Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games (NDS) - Yes.
13. More Brain Training From Dr Kawashima (NDS) - No. 16th
14. Beijing 2008 (360) - No. 8th
15. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii) - No. 13th
Ok, so pretty bad.
Most of my predictions were close though.
I say this every week, but
Wii Fit and
Mario Kart Wii really are insane. Just insane. These boys have legs, that's for sure. Mario Kart Wii gained top spot in the UK, 4th in Ireland, 2nd in Netherlands, 3rd and 4th in Italy, 13th in Norway, 3rd in Sweden, 4th in Australia, and 1st in Germany. Wii Fit charted 2nd in the UK, 1st in Ireland, 1st in Netherlands, 1st in Spain, 1st twice in Italy, 8th in Norway, 10th in Sweden, 2nd in Germany, and 1st in Australia. These games have been out for several months now and yet there seems to be no sign of them slowing down anytime soon. Wii Fit appears to have a bit more momentum than Mario Kart, but both are doing amazingly well.
Brain Training is an absolute freak. How it can still pull 5th spot years after its release is beyond comprehension. Factor in the stellar performance of its sequal and it becomes quite clear that Nintendo has a gold mine in the Brain Training franchise. Brain Training also managed 3rd in Ireland, 5th and 6th in Italy, 3rd in Germany, and 7th and 8th in Australia, whilst its sequal charted 16th in the UK, 17th in Ireland and 8th in Germany. I find it interesting that the original is selling more than the sequal. I wonder what causes that - most like the casual audience doesn't want to feel left out by buying the sequal first, and so instead choose the first one and some are satisfied with that.
Guitar Hero: On Tour maintains its impressive form in PAL land. 6th in the UK, 7th in the Netherlands, 7th in Spain, 2nd twice in Italy, 2nd in Norway Handhelds, and 6th in Germany. I find it odd that it isn't charting in Sweden, where the GH brand seems popular, but other than that it has really maintained steady sales since its release and I expect it to maintain them for at least a few more weeks. A real success story.
Olympic fever is bright and strong with increases sales of
Mario and Sonic as well as
Beijing 2008. Mario and Sonic charted 7th and 12th in the UK, 2nd in Ireland, 4th and 6th in Netherlands, 5th in Germany, and 2nd and 3rd in Australia. For the most part both versions have been performing similarly well, though the Wii version has generally been a bit higher. This is a strong increase from the previous week, demonstrating the improvement that we thought Olympic games would bring to its sales. What surprised me more was the significant increase of Beijing 2008's sales, which prior to now had been greatly overshadowed by Mario and Sonic. But that changed this week when it charted 8th and 11th in the UK, 15th in Ireland, 6th in Norway, 9th and 10th in Australia, and 4th and 6th in New Zealand. Very good numbers, making me think that there should have been a Wii version. I don't think it would have canibilised Mario and Sonic's sales much, if at all, and it would have sold like there was no tomorrow.
Just WTF is going on with
Denmark's charts?
Soul Calibur IV suffered the drop I thought it would. It's the type of game that was always going to have a steady fall during its second week, with the 360 version falling to 10th and the PS3 version coming in at 17th place in the UK. It also managed 6th in Ireland, 9th and 10th in the Netherlands, 3rd and 7th in its first week in Italy, 5th in Norway, 6th and 7th in Sweden, 7th in Australia, and 4th and 5th in New Zealand. Still solid sales after a good debut, but I would think that we'll soon see down the lower end of the charts.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl is holding its ground. It kept 13th spot in the UK, 3rd spot in the Netherlands, and 11th spot in Ireland, increased to 3rd in Spain, 5th in Australia and 7th in Germany, and came in at 6th and 10th in Italy, 11th in Norway and 5th in Sweden. Strong sales and great to see for such a terrific game.
Some small notes - Metal Gear is still hanging in there for a few countries; Big Beach Sports/Carnival Games/Sports Party/Summer Athletics/Game Party/Sports Island/etc are all doing incredibly well in the UK; Madden barely gave a shout on the Wii; and Guitar Hero III is definitely most popular on the Wii - World Tour will pull crazy numbers on the system.
Looking at the Italy hardware numbers, handhelds are definitely the most popular form of gaming. Also, the PS3 had a very strong start and the Wii had a slow beginnning, but their roles seem to be reversed now, with the Wii gaining real momentum whilst the PS3 is starting to lag behind. Soon enough the Wii will catch up to the PS3 unless current trends change. SonyLand is SonyLand no longer.
As for my predictions for next week:
- Expect Mario Kart Wii and Wii Fit to continue their dominance. As the holidays draw closer, I think they will begin to fall down the charts a little (but of course, still maintain top 10 spots for a long time) but for now, they'll continue to pull amazing numbers.
- With the Olympic fever maintaining its strength, expect Mario and Sonic and Beijing 2008 to both keep up their sales, maybe even improving once again. Actually, anything with "games" or "sports " in the title should do well.
- Other than that, same old same old. Carnival Games for DS could pull some great numbers, guess it just depends on how much Take2 have gotten the word on the street about the game.
As for my top 15 prediction:
1. [WII] Wii Fit
2. [WII] Mario Kart Wii
3. [WII] Big Beach Sports
4. [WII] Wii Play
5. [WII] Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games
6. [360] Beijing 2008
7. [NDS] Dr Kawashima's Brain Training
8. [NDS] Guitar Hero: On Tour
9. [PS3] Beijing 2008
10. [NDS] Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games
11. [NDS] Carnival: Funfair Games
12. [WII] Carnival: Funfair Games
13. [WII] Sports Party
14. [WII] Super Smash Bros. Brawl
15. [360] Soul Calibur IV
As always, I expect to get them horribly wrong. :lol
