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[Father_Brain]

One point that I think should be emphasized, especially as TGS approaches: Despite its success, Wii will get very few numbered sequels to successful last-gen Japanese franchises, for the simple reason that the major Japanese publishers bet on the wrong horse at the beginning of this gen, as much as (if not more so than) their Western counterparts. If someone had traveled back in time to late 2004 or early 2005 and showed Capcom/Konami/Square/etc. executives the recent sales numbers, it's much more likely that RE5, FFXIII, DMC4, SCIV et al. would have been designed for Wii (or, perhaps, put on hold until the following gen).

But that's obviously not what happened; the big publishers, lacking precognition, bet on PS3 (and to a lesser extent, 360), and I can't see any of the series I mentioned taking a DQIX-esque technical leap backwards for their next numbered installments.

 

[malek4980]

This is not a cause for celebration.

When I was a child I once had a favorite band. This band was at the top of their game right through the eighties and into the early nineties. The band was tremendously innovative and caused a slew of imitators. Every single they released was a massive hit. Not only were their albums major commercial successes, but they were praised by nearly every music critic. They sold a ton of merchandise and even made some movies (one with Jenny Lewis yummm).

Eventually critics began accusing the band of being soft and playing the same old pussy-rock. They charged that the band was repetitive and stale. The band ignored the critics and soon album sales plummeted.

Though sales fell substantially, the band nevertheless retained a group of dedicated and loyal fans. When an album was released; they praised it. When there was a delay; they justified it. When the band repackaged old albums for the fiftieth time; they stood in line to buy the first available copies. When the band refused to sell their music online; they defended the decision citing the Amish who 'didn't have computers'. When the band continued to sell albums on eight-tracks; they denigrated the CD. When the band started to forgo cover art; they welcomed the loss of such a useless distraction. When the band started playing reggaeton; they did not waver in their support.

And as the great unwashed embraced reggaeton the band was back on the top of the charts. The fans were happy. Though they think they were keeping the band alive all this time they actually ended up killing everything that once made the band great.

Enjoy your reggaeton. wiiiiiiiiiiiiii

 

[EktorPR]

This is not a cause for celebration.

When I was a child I once had a favorite band. This band was at the top of their game right through the eighties and into the early nineties. The band was tremendously innovative and caused a slew of imitators. Every single they released was a massive hit. Not only were their albums major commercial successes, but they were praised by nearly every music critic. They sold a ton of merchandise and even made some movies (one with Jenny Lewis yummm).

Eventually critics began accusing the band of being soft and playing the same old pussy-rock. They charged that the band was repetitive and stale. The band ignored the critics and soon album sales plummeted.

Though sales fell substantially, the band nevertheless retained a group of dedicated and loyal fans. When an album was released; they praised it. When there was a delay; they justified it. When the band repackaged old albums for the fiftieth time; they stood in line to buy the first available copies. When the band refused to sell their music online; they defended the decision citing the Amish who 'didn't have computers'. When the band continued to sell albums on eight-tracks; they denigrated the CD. When the band started to forgo cover art; they welcomed the loss of such a useless distraction. When the band started playing reggaeton; they did not waver in their support.

And as the great unwashed embraced reggaeton the band was back on the top of the charts. The fans were happy. Though they think they were keeping the band alive all this time they actually ended up killing everything that once made the band great.

Enjoy your reggaeton. wiiiiiiiiiiiiii

And the band name was "La Secta". Blergh.

Nice attempt at a decent analogy

Spoiler

troll

. Didn't work, though.

 

[Grecco]

And the band name was "La Secta". Blergh.

Nice attempt at a decent analogy

Spoiler

troll

. Didn't work, though.

La Secta blows

 

[TheGreatDave]

That's the most pointless analogy in quite some time.

 

[Christine]

Wow. The history of Puerto Rican music is pretty interesting.

 

[Grecco]

Wow. The history of Puerto Rican music is pretty interesting.

Ill tell you this we have better bands than La Secta

 

[sprsk]

Livin_Lovin I need you to change your avatar. It's against the rules.

 

[Xisiqomelir]

Can someone link me to the Moore/Allard quote about 1st to 10M winning the gen? Or all such quotes, if there are more than one.

Thanks!

Thanks GAF, I had to go do it myself

Moore

On to where things are at today. A lot of the executives at Microsoft, yourself included, in the run-up to the release of the Xbox 360 spoke a lot about the importance of being the first to ten million units; that the first to ten million wins. Effectively, that's a statement of unassailability. PS2 certainly got to ten million first and was definitely unassailable. But looking at the position right now, a) we know that it was unclear as to whether that meant ten million shipped or sold--

Right.

--but your position doesn't seem unassailable right now.


So my comment--I'll tell you exactly what I said, because I said it in London a year [ago] last summer, and this is where the ten million number was first heard. It was at the ELSPA conference [Entertainment & Leisure Software Publishers Association], and I said, "History tells us that the first guy that gets to ten million is in a really, really strong position." Those were my exact words. And I still stand by that. History tells us--in our industry anyway--as you know even better than me, that getting that critical mass develops a lot of goodness in the ecosystem. You've got publishers who now have an installed base of substance to sell into. You've got developers who are now used to developing games; are getting used to the architecture; feel comfortable about what they're developing into from a technical point of view. And you've got consumers who are getting a lot of games to choose from, so the selection of games becomes broad and it becomes deep. All of that comes together. So ten million, I think, is a good critical mass, particularly if you can achieve it before the second holiday. And that's always been my point. I don't think anybody ever said, "He who gets to ten million first is in an unassailable position."


I'm pretty sure J [James "J" Allard] said "First to ten million wins."


Did he? Ah...then if J said that, you're going to have to ask J. I can sit here today and tell you I have never said that. But boy, I'd rather be first to ten million than trying to play catch up.

Allard

It's not that he's worried about diluting the console's purpose. He just doesn't want to lose focus. He believes that for the Xbox platform to thrive, it must first trounce Sony in the gaming space. That means getting the hardcore gamers on board. "If we can get the first couple million Xbox 360s into the hands of the serious gamers, we can get to 10 million first," he says. "And the first guy to sell 10 million units wins."

I have to find a new dummy-packed forum for relaxation, the one I was using isn't taking this news well at all :lol

 

[EktorPR]

La Secta blows

I think it was pretty decent until they crashed the fun bus with that horrible fourth album. What a great way to destroy a "succesful" track record (and then what better way to follow that than going SOLO? OH CRAP! :lol ).

 

[Grecco]

I think it was pretty decent until they crashed the fun bus with that horrible fourth album. What a great way to destroy a "succesful" track record (and then what better way to follow that than going SOLO? OH CRAP! :lol ).

The Lead Singer i think studied at the same high school i did. Some weird connection. Whatever he blows. The band sucks

 

[fernoca]

Wow. The history of Puerto Rican music is pretty interesting.

:lol :lol :lol
Found that funny..don't know why..

Anyway, stop talking about "Puertorican music" on a Wii thread!! ..Que pajo? :lol

 

[ZealousD]

Eventually critics began accusing the band of being soft and playing the same old pussy-rock. They charged that the band was repetitive and stale. The band ignored the critics and soon album sales plummeted.

...

And as the great unwashed embraced reggaeton the band was back on the top of the charts. The fans were happy. Though they think they were keeping the band alive all this time they actually ended up killing everything that once made the band great.

I don't get it. Are you suggesting that this band should have continued to make stale pussy rock and then eventually break up? Maybe reducing themselves to collaborating with other artists?

 

[WORLDWIDEWII]

look like x360 is having a little problem selling in japan:lol :lol :lol

 

[Brofist]

look like x360 is having a little problem selling in japan:lol :lol :lol

guess that was funny enough for 3 laughing smileys apparently

 

[legend166]

This is not a cause for celebration.

When I was a child I once had a favorite band. This band was at the top of their game right through the eighties and into the early nineties. The band was tremendously innovative and caused a slew of imitators. Every single they released was a massive hit. Not only were their albums major commercial successes, but they were praised by nearly every music critic. They sold a ton of merchandise and even made some movies (one with Jenny Lewis yummm).

Eventually critics began accusing the band of being soft and playing the same old pussy-rock. They charged that the band was repetitive and stale. The band ignored the critics and soon album sales plummeted.

Though sales fell substantially, the band nevertheless retained a group of dedicated and loyal fans. When an album was released; they praised it. When there was a delay; they justified it. When the band repackaged old albums for the fiftieth time; they stood in line to buy the first available copies. When the band refused to sell their music online; they defended the decision citing the Amish who 'didn't have computers'. When the band continued to sell albums on eight-tracks; they denigrated the CD. When the band started to forgo cover art; they welcomed the loss of such a useless distraction. When the band started playing reggaeton; they did not waver in their support.

And as the great unwashed embraced reggaeton the band was back on the top of the charts. The fans were happy. Though they think they were keeping the band alive all this time they actually ended up killing everything that once made the band great.

Enjoy your reggaeton. wiiiiiiiiiiiiii

But, the band made the it's best songs in the late ninties. Hell, some would say they made the greatest song ever in 1998.

 

[Broktune]

This might not be the correct thread for this rant but since it's been all over the place.....

I was 9 or 10 when I got my nes. I'm 32 now and my Wii gets very little play time. I don't blame Nintendo, I blame....aging. I just don't enjoy the same games that I did when I was younger: Mario, Zelda, Kirby. Nothing against adults who do enjoy these games, I'm happy for them, I wish I still could. I bought the Wii because I wanted to recapture my childhood. It didn't happen. I could only imagine if I was 10 years old and had a Wii. I would be doing cartwheels while shitting on myself in happiness. My question is, do you think that the people out there that are so bitter about Nintendo doing well are in that same type of boat? Perhaps some of these people are upset at the fact that they are indeed getting older and that their childhood is long past.

I don't know, I'm just trying to understand the crazy rage against a video game company that , for me and millions of others, has provided countless hours of entertainment in the past.

But I'm probably just being foolish, because after all, I'm a junior member.

 

[koam]

July Console Sales Shakedown
Sony and Microsoft respond to the Nintendo-riffic NPD numbers.
by Ryan Geddes
August 24, 2007 - July's NPD console sales figures may show Nintendo's hardware handily beating all other comers in terms of sheer U.S. units moved, but Sony and Microsoft aren't ready to bend the knee to Mario just yet.

Despite the fact that, collectively, more Nintendo Wii and DS units were purchased last month than all other current-generation gaming platforms combined, Microsoft and Sony this week announced that they are quite happy with their platforms' performance, thank you very much.

Microsoft on Friday gave a polite nod to Nintendo's numbers but said it was the Xbox 360 - not the Wii or DS - that "continues to drive the growth and success of the videogame industry," which has seen 37 percent overall year-over-year growth.

Nintendo may have surged and sold more than twice as many Wiis in June as Microsoft sold Xbox 360s, but the 360 is slowly and steadily winning the race, the company argues, grabbing half of the overall consumer spending on gaming hardware since the PlayStation 3 and Wii launched.

And for the record, Microsoft made sure to mention, the 360 is still outselling the PS3 for the ninth month in a row, despite the Sony console's recent price drop.

For its part, Sony Computer Entertainment America saw sunshine in the July NPD figures, too. On the official PlayStation blog, analyst relations manager Mariam Sughayer lead off her NPD-related post by announcing Sony is "very excited about how great July was for video games."

And Sony grabbed a slice of that magic, Sughayer said, enjoying a 61-percent increase in the number of PlayStation 3s sold in last month, thanks to a price drop announced July 9.

When will Sony be crowing about its next big month? Possibly in October, after the release of Warhawk (Aug. 28), Lair (Sept. 4), Heavenly Sword (Sept. 12) and the slimmed-down PSP, which is due to hit store shelves sometime next month.

The real news behind the latest monthly NPD numbers could be less the sales trends of indivudual platforms and more the fact that, in a traditionally slow month for videogame sales, everyone was a winner.

"July is typically one of the slower months for the video game industry, falling between June and the related Father's Day and graduation gift occasions, and before Madden month, said Anita Frazier, industry analyst with The NPD Group. "Despite the summer slowdown, the industry still realized nearly $1 billion in sales for the month, and year-to-date is up nearly 43% from the same time period in 2006. At this pace, the industry is on track to ring up $16-$18B for the year."

http://wii.ign.com/articles/815/815538p1.html

 

[Terrell]

This might not be the correct thread for this rant but since it's been all over the place.....

I was 9 or 10 when I got my nes. I'm 32 now and my Wii gets very little play time. I don't blame Nintendo, I blame....aging. I just don't enjoy the same games that I did when I was younger: Mario, Zelda, Kirby. Nothing against adults who do enjoy these games, I'm happy for them, I wish I still could. I bought the Wii because I wanted to recapture my childhood. It didn't happen. I could only imagine if I was 10 years old and had a Wii. I would be doing cartwheels while shitting on myself in happiness. My question is, do you think that the people out there that are so bitter about Nintendo doing well are in that same type of boat? Perhaps some of these people are upset at the fact that they are indeed getting older and that their childhood is long past.

I don't know, I'm just trying to understand the crazy rage against a video game company that , for me and millions of others, has provided countless hours of entertainment in the past.

But I'm probably just being foolish, because after all, I'm a junior member.

I think it has more to do with older gamers wanting Nintendo to bend to its every whim and them not listening, which is "absurd", because as a core consumer, "we're always right"... except that we're not.

 

[AniHawk]

http://wii.ign.com/articles/815/815538p1.html

Well that's just adorable.

 

[ToxicAdam]

I don't know, I'm just trying to understand the crazy rage against a video game company that , for me and millions of others, has provided countless hours of entertainment in the past.

But I'm probably just being foolish, because after all, I'm a junior member.

For the same reason people hated Chronicles of Narnia, New Kids on the Block, Reality TV and other inferior entertainment choices.

By virtue of their immense popularity, it threatens to spawn numerous imitators and bring the overall quality of your entertainment choices down a few pegs. It can even make other competitors rethink their product and influence them into copycat measures (either to cash in or to minimize your competitors profits).

 

[Pureauthor]

For the same reason people hated Chronicles of Narnia, New Kids on the Block, Reality TV and other inferior entertainment choices.

By virtue of their immense popularity, it threatens to spawn numerous imitators and bring the overall quality of your entertainment choices down a few pegs. It can even make other competitors rethink their product and influence them into copycat measures (either to cash in or to minimize your competitors profits).

First off, I assume by Chronicles of Narnia you are referring to the movie and not the books.

Second, none of the examples you listed have had an overal debilitating effect on their respective industries - so why would you use these as examples?

 

[Ash Sparrow]

I Demand that any console thats awarded the title of sole generation leader should have to lead by atleast 500,000 hardware sold or they can not be given thE title pole position. We need to see viable seperation. Too many countries have numberS unaccounted for, so how likely is it that Wii is really ahead. And isnt the 360 in way more countries thaN wII.



aND YEAH gO nINTENDO AND ms! WOOHOO WOOHOO

Too much caffeine

 

[ape2man]

I go where the games go. If they go to Wii so be it.

QFT

 

[malek4980]

But, the band made the it's best songs in the late ninties. Hell, some would say they made the greatest song ever in 1998.

The song has not aged well. It skips all the time and the lyrics about some stupid 'water temple' drag on forever. And that was ten years ago. Sure, they still release some good songs. But with all the reggaeton, does that really matter?

 

[Count Dookkake]

First off, I assume by Chronicles of Narnia you are referring to the movie and not the books.

Second, none of the examples you listed have had an overal debilitating effect on their respective industries - so why would you use these as examples?

Someone with your avatar defending Narnia? Couldn't see that coming. Really.

Spoiler

They are terrible books for adults

Agreed 100% on the second point, though.

 

[johnsmith]

I Demand that any console thats awarded the title of sole generation leader should have to lead by atleast 500,000 hardware sold or they can not be given thE title pole position. We need to see viable seperation. Too many countries have numberS unaccounted for, so how likely is it that Wii is really ahead. And isnt the 360 in way more countries thaN wII.

Sales outside Europe, Japan, and US are mostly irrelevant. They aren't enough to make a difference in favor of Microsoft or anyone else. Plus August's sales will put the Wii even farther ahead, as even with the price cut the Wii will still have sold more.

 

[Xisiqomelir]

I Demand that any console thats awarded the title of sole generation leader should have to lead by atleast 500,000 hardware sold or they can not be given thE title pole position. We need to see viable seperation.

Okay, wait for September 13th.

 

[iidesuyo]

I love the bitter tears in this thread. Which is the #1 reason Im enjoying Nintendo's success. Shows most people here don't have a fucking clue what the average consumer wants and enjoys.

Who gives a shit about that. I'm not the "average consumer" who is satisfied with Nintendogs and Wario Ware. There's no reason to celebrate when games become even less challenging and the average graphics drift back into 2001.

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

I Demand that any console thats awarded the title of sole generation leader should have to lead by atleast 500,000 hardware sold or they can not be given thE title pole position. We need to see viable seperation.

So what you're wanting is two or three more weeks.

 

[Mgoblue201]

slowly and steadily

Microsoft got this part of it right.

 

[dog$]

Just passing through. I could sit here all day, it's horrible. Why do I think anyone else cares.

If the DS can get Dragon Quest from the Playstation

Why are you speaking of the Nintendo DS and the Sony Playstation as if they were physical tangible beings?

The Playstation never took anything from The Nintendo DS. DQ games are free to exist wherever the possessing company sees fit.

Oh and DQ games aren't exactly "hardcore".

I don't know, I'm just trying to understand the crazy rage against a video game company that , for me and millions of others, has provided countless hours of entertainment in the past.

Because the past has no bearing on the present.

I dearly loved Nintendo so much once upon a time. That time is gone. Now, there's no free passes.

Perhaps that's where the "crazy rage" comes from - you can have any opinion you want, but if your basis behind them primarily lies in nostalgia, certain people might not consider that to be sufficient.

ps: for chrissakes people stop quoting that guy's leg

 

[Evlar]

Just passing through. I could sit here all day, it's horrible. Why do I think anyone else cares.
Why are you speaking of the Nintendo DS and the Sony Playstation as if they were physical tangible beings?

The Playstation never took anything from The Nintendo DS. DQ games are free to exist wherever the possessing company sees fit.

Oh and DQ games aren't exactly "hardcore".
Because the past has no bearing on the present.

I dearly loved Nintendo so much once upon a time. That time is gone. Now, there's no free passes.

Perhaps that's where the "crazy rage" comes from - you can have any opinion you want, but if your basis behind them primarily lies in nostalgia, certain people might not consider that to be sufficient.

ps: for chrissakes people stop quoting that guy's leg

You're persistently wrong about everything.

 

[dog$]

So people do care about what I write!

I love you Sphinxy. Let's go out.

 

[Proc]

I dearly loved Nintendo so much once upon a time. That time is gone. Now, there's no free passes.

Your tag is fitting lol.

 

[dog$]

I forget, what is my tag?

It hasn't been quoted in the last 10 hours or so.

 

[John Dunbar]

Wait, what band was it?

 

[gkryhewy]

For the same reason people hated Chronicles of Narnia

I hate narnia for the overt christian proselytizing, as do lots of other people who hate it. Bad example, unless the wii is a trojan horse for religious silliness

Spoiler

MII CHRIST IS PROLIFERATING

.

 

[ksamedi]

This is not a cause for celebration.

When I was a child I once had a favorite band. This band was at the top of their game right through the eighties and into the early nineties. The band was tremendously innovative and caused a slew of imitators. Every single they released was a massive hit. Not only were their albums major commercial successes, but they were praised by nearly every music critic. They sold a ton of merchandise and even made some movies (one with Jenny Lewis yummm).

Eventually critics began accusing the band of being soft and playing the same old pussy-rock. They charged that the band was repetitive and stale. The band ignored the critics and soon album sales plummeted.

Though sales fell substantially, the band nevertheless retained a group of dedicated and loyal fans. When an album was released; they praised it. When there was a delay; they justified it. When the band repackaged old albums for the fiftieth time; they stood in line to buy the first available copies. When the band refused to sell their music online; they defended the decision citing the Amish who 'didn't have computers'. When the band continued to sell albums on eight-tracks; they denigrated the CD. When the band started to forgo cover art; they welcomed the loss of such a useless distraction. When the band started playing reggaeton; they did not waver in their support.

And as the great unwashed embraced reggaeton the band was back on the top of the charts. The fans were happy. Though they think they were keeping the band alive all this time they actually ended up killing everything that once made the band great.

Enjoy your reggaeton. wiiiiiiiiiiiiii

Sounds like your talking about the PS3.

 

[PkunkFury]

Who gives a shit about that. I'm not the "average consumer" who is satisfied with Nintendogs and Wario Ware. There's no reason to celebrate when games become even less challenging and the average graphics drift back into 2001.

Nintnedogs is a sim game. How is it any less challenging than, say, the Sims. did you stand on street corners and bitch at people who owned Tamogotchis 7 years ago? Did the creation of RollerCoaster tycoon ruin gaming for you?

And how WarioWare is not challanging is beyond me. It's a classic high score game with no end. The game is as challanging as you make it. No one ever wins...

I think you are seeing what you want in these games instead of seeing them for what they are. They aren't desroying your industry. They are concepts that have been sold in stores alongside everything else for ages

 

[ComputerNerd]

Dragon Quest games not hardcore?

WTF?

 

[dog$]

Dragon Quest games are not hardcore.

The series thrives on its simplicity and accessibility - both of which are qualities that are at the opposite end of whatever spectrum a "hardcore" game has. A person looking for a deep, complex RPG would start their search from DQ, not end there.

 

[Forgotten Ancient]

Dragon Quest games not hardcore?

WTF?

Not really, no. Not at all. Maybe niche in America, but that's more attributed their low market penetration than having qualities that cater to the hardcore.

I guess that begs the question: "What is hardcore?" Is it defined by gameplay mechanics, or is it solely based on the fact that aside from Japan it sells to a relatively insignificant number of people?

 

[Mariah Carey]

Dragon Quest games are not hardcore.

The series thrives on its simplicity and accessibility - both of which are qualities that are at the opposite end of whatever spectrum a "hardcore" game has. A person looking for a deep, complex RPG would start their search from DQ, not end there.

The fact that you called any RPG not hardcore is pretty nuts. (Of course, I have no idea how this all works in Japan, really...)

 

[Forgotten Ancient]

The fact that you called any RPG not hardcore is pretty nuts. (Of course, I have no idea how this all works in Japan, really...)

What makes RPGs intrinsically hardcore? There are hardcore subsets to most any genre, but to label an entire category hardcore whilst said genre consists millions of annual pieces of software sold is kind of nuts. Pokemon, Final Fantasy, and World of Warcraft are hardcore now?

 

[dog$]

I guess that begs the question: "What is hardcore?"

Funny you should ask, I wondered the same thing recently, in a way.

Pokemon, Final Fantasy, and World of Warcraft are hardcore?

No, most of them aren't, and fuck no.

The fact that you called any RPG not hardcore is pretty nuts.

Not really.

A well developed genre is host to all types of games, some being much more complex and intricate than others.

 

[BlueTsunami]

Sounds like your talking about the PS3.

Well, it ends with the reimaged band being back on top...so it actually doesn't. And your post reads like a "NO U" :lol

 

[Xeke]

Mar, apujanata, AlternativeUser, and Taurus as well.

Okay, it's sealed. If 360 still holds its worldwide lead at the end of 2007, Xisiqomelir, moku, Auron, Xeke, Mar, apujanata, AlternativeUser, Taurus, and myself each get a one-month timeout. If the Wii overtakes it and holds it at the end of 2007, EverSoTrendy gets a one-month timeout.

Doesn't anyone want to join EverSoTrendy on his suicide march?

So lets not forget about this bet now. In light of this latest NPD it's not looking so hot for EverSoTrendy and Thunder Monkey.

 

[Mar]

So lets not forget about this bet now. In light of this latest NPD it's not looking so hot for EverSoTrendy and Thunder Monkey.

I don't think the 360 has a chance in hell of gaining back the lead. Sure it has awesome games coming out for it, and I can't stop playing the damn thing myself. But everyone and their grandmother wants a Wii, and Wii Sports is the killer app. I honestly believe this holiday season is going to be a tidal wave of sales for Nintendo.

 

[Pachael]

So this has to be the Wii crow thread? ;p