TheDinoman
Member
So as E3 has shown, the Metroid series is alive and well and people are once again optimistic about its future. So, looking back, one thing I've always wondered: How come Metroid Zero Mission sold as low as it did?
Now, a lot of people always talk about how Metroid's never really sold that much to begin with, but at the very least, a good majority of the games have at least managed to sell over a million units. I made this really crappy looking chart, using Celine's Nintendo hardware/software sales thread as a source.
Now, as you can see, there's only been four games bearing the Metroid title that couldn't quite crack the million mark. And for the most part, they do speak for themselves: Metroid Prime Pinball is as the name implies, just a throwaway pinball spinoff with Samus slapped on it. And Metroid: Other M and Metroid Prime: Federation Force are both, well, yeah.
So it's just really odd to me that Zero Mission, which is usually one of the most acclaimed games in the series that is considered to be vastly superior to the game its based on in just about every way possible, couldn't make it to at least a million units at retail. Even the often maligned Metroid Prime Hunters did that, though I suppose maybe its multiplayer mode gave it some longer legs. What's also weird that ZM was released only a little over a year after Metroid Fusion, which managed to sell 1.60 million.
It kinda makes me wonder how well Samus Returns is gonna do when it releases in September.
Now, a lot of people always talk about how Metroid's never really sold that much to begin with, but at the very least, a good majority of the games have at least managed to sell over a million units. I made this really crappy looking chart, using Celine's Nintendo hardware/software sales thread as a source.
Now, as you can see, there's only been four games bearing the Metroid title that couldn't quite crack the million mark. And for the most part, they do speak for themselves: Metroid Prime Pinball is as the name implies, just a throwaway pinball spinoff with Samus slapped on it. And Metroid: Other M and Metroid Prime: Federation Force are both, well, yeah.
So it's just really odd to me that Zero Mission, which is usually one of the most acclaimed games in the series that is considered to be vastly superior to the game its based on in just about every way possible, couldn't make it to at least a million units at retail. Even the often maligned Metroid Prime Hunters did that, though I suppose maybe its multiplayer mode gave it some longer legs. What's also weird that ZM was released only a little over a year after Metroid Fusion, which managed to sell 1.60 million.
It kinda makes me wonder how well Samus Returns is gonna do when it releases in September.