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100 Days Later: Is RE 4 still of legendary status? Yes.

i got RE 4 the first day it was out, and looking back on it now, i have to admit it is clearly the game of the year so far. the graphics were crazy, the feeling of the game was unlike any other and the life of the product (i still enjoy it even months after beating it) was incredibly long for an action/adventure/horror game.

while i want to praise RE 4 for being a top notch product, i also have to ponder why it didn't sell through the roof. please answer the following:

1. how much did RE 4 sell to this point?
2. did Resident Evil Outbreak (PS 2) outsell it?
3. why didn't it set the world on fire? i know GC has a smaller userbase, but still... this should be a system seller not unlike Halo 2 or GTA
4. any new info on the PS 2 version? i would be interested in paying another $50 if the game can graphically stand up to the GC version and includes some nice extras
 

Mooreberg

Member
FrenchMovieTheme said:
1. how much did RE 4 sell to this point?

~ 475K
2. did Resident Evil Outbreak (PS 2) outsell it?

no. RECVX is still ahead as of now though.

3. why didn't it set the world on fire? i know GC has a smaller userbase, but still... this should be a system seller not unlike Halo 2 or GTA

Even at the height of it's popularity it is was never as big as Halo and GTA are now. Those sold over 2 million copies on the first day (Halo 2) and the first few days (San Andreas).

4. any new info on the PS 2 version? i would be interested in paying another $50 if the game can graphically stand up to the GC version and includes some nice extras

Probably at E3, though I doubt they'd add enough to make it worth buying the same game again.
 
So far I would say 2005 has been amazing because of Minish Cap, Chaos Theory, and RE4. RE4 is my favorite game in a while, and if I ever meet Mr. Mikami I would thank him. The only thing I don't understand is in the demo, you can use the binoculars everywhere by pressing Z, but they took that out of the retail game. I don't understand why.
 

king zell

Member
FrenchMovieTheme said:
1. how much did RE 4 sell to this point?

Japan = 200k
Europe = 200k
USA = 500k
others = 100k

total = 1m

shipped is more of course.. Capcom's target was 1.8m I think..
 

Firest0rm

Member
The sales that GC could have gotten from RE4 were greatly cutback by the fact that Capcom announced it was coming to PS2 before it actually came out for GC.
 

Link

The Autumn Wind
I think the less than spectacular sales can be attributed to the combination of it being released on the GC, coming out in January, and having the PS2 version announced before the GC version even came out.
 
Firest0rm said:
The sales that GC could have gotten from RE4 were greatly cutback by the fact that Capcom announced it was coming to PS2 before it actually came out for GC.
I don't think enough people knew about that to affect sales. Even though it's an amazing game, it won't sell nearly as much as Zelda, or many other Nintendo games. I think that's the key issue Nintendo needs to work it out next time.
 

Krowley

Member
considering the time of year it was released and the current state of the gamecube, i think already being at 1 million worldwide is pretty damn "spectacular". the only thing that would sell more at this stage for the cube would be zelda or mario. i don't think capcom is kicking themselves. the current sales for the game have to be considered extremly successfull and they will continue to increase slowly through the rest of the gc's life.

it never had the potential on any system to sell like halo... resident evil just doesn't have that kind of broad appeal.
 

Nerevar

they call me "Man Gravy".
FrenchMovieTheme said:
3. why didn't it set the world on fire? i know GC has a smaller userbase, but still... this should be a system seller not unlike Halo 2 or GTA

All kidding aside, this goes to show how hard it is to revive a series that has been run into the ground with sequalitis. Once you lose credibility it is very hard to regain it.
 

Donnie

Member
1. how much did RE 4 sell to this point?

To this point I have no idea. But as of March it had sold 475,000 in the US and around 200,000 in Japan. It then sold 210,000 in its first 2 weeks in Europe and is very hard to find there ATM with Nintendo recently promising to replenish stock very soon due to high demand. So overall based on current sales data its at 885,000, but it will likely be slightly higher with places like Australia not listed in those sales. I wouldn't be suprised if its at 1 million by now or within the next week. So its done well, but certainly could have done better if not for several mistakes from Capcom and Nintendo. Capcom missed the Christmas release by a couple of weeks and ended up releasing at the slowest part of the year (mid to late January). They also announced the PS2 version before the GC version was released. Then Nintendo messed up the stock for the European release and provided rather lackluster advertising for the game. Which IMO is quite amazing considering how much Nintendo have hyped this game in every interview and at every conference for the last 2 years.. Nintendo got a game that not only had the name but also had the quality, GOTY quality. A game GC was crying out for, especially in the UK (if not Europe in general). Yet instead of going all out with mass advertising and hype like any sensible company they cut corners with advertising and didn't even get enough stock out to stores. Their distrobution of this game honestly has been a joke. Underestimating demand is one thing, 210,000 sales in two weeks is high demand after all. But to still not have the game stocked properly over a month after its UK release is pathetic (the game has been coming into stores in nothing more then trickles lately). Nintendo need to get their heads sorted out!!
 

Musashi Wins!

FLAWLESS VICTOLY!
One of my favorite games too. I have to admit, along with all the others who will buy it for the first time on PS2, I will be buying it again for whatever the extras are as well. I think it would have sold much better if...

1)the older RE's were better games.

2)it was on any system but Gamecube.
 

Donnie

Member
Resident Evil:CVX on PS2 sold 1.3 million worldwide. So while I'm not sure RE4 will outsell RE:CVX in the US this year (I'm sure it will eventually though) I'm sure it will worldwide this year.
 

3phemeral

Member
I just got the game a few days ago, started playing it last night and I'm in the castle. I was never really into the old RE games, but this has me hooked. The graphics are solid, the AI is incredible, and the atmosphere is awesome.

I'm desperate for ammo, though -- I'm constantly buying and selling my own weapons because I'm in such a tight spot that I require the use of specific weaponry to make the next area a little easier, but I lose a lot of the old ammo because I have to sell as much as I can to get thew new weapon. I literally running on clip by clip as I kill each character, and just recently I've been forced to use only my sniper rifle in the castle, since I've run out of everything else.

The scene where we're trapped in the house where you're ambushed by hundreds of villagers raped me to no end. As the story unfolds, though, I can't help but feel that it's a mixture of Eteneral Darkness and old RE.
 

Solid

Member
Donnie said:
Resident Evil:CVX on PS2 sold 1.3 million worldwide.
How long ago was that? RE:CVX for PS2 sold 379,205 in 2001 in Japan. So that makes it 1,265,266 for Japan and US. So what you are saying is that Code Veronica sold 35k in Europe?? I seriously doubt that :lol Code Veronica sold Platinum over here, and where does the Platinum limit go? 500k? 700k?
 

Shaheed79

dabbled in the jelly
More RE4 gushing for everyone. I stopped playing it over a month ago but my close friend who bought the same day I did still plays it daily. Then again he hasn't yet beaten it on Pro mode either. I still think it is better than any game to release this generation especially Metroid Prime.
 

Johnas

Member
Yeah, RE4 will definitely be remembered as one of the games that represented the best this generation had to offer. Personally, I feel the GC has had the best software selection this gen, based on sheer quality, with no regard to quantity obviously. It's been a fantastic generation for all three consoles though, I hope next gen gets even better. :)

*crosses fingers*
 

Buggy Loop

Member
YES! 100 days later i still have a hard time realizing just how good the game was, just thinking about the moments makes me want to play it again (5 times already..). Its just oozing with atmosphere and polish, its crazy, this game will remain in my collection forever, i'll force my child and grandchilds to play the damn game even if graphics by then will be way outdated :D
 
Yes, yes it is. After playing through multiple times, I watched someone play it the other day...And I was amazed all over again.
 

Kleegamefan

K. LEE GAIDEN
Yes, RE4 is a work of art.....its a masterpiece....

I can't believe I am saying this, but....its even better than MGS3 :O
 

bogg

Member
Fuck yeah. An amazing game. Only game ever i played 3 times, and in a row.
Im about to play it again, i want to give a speed run a try :)
 

Donnie

Member
Solid

My worldwide number for RE:CVX comes from a Capcom financial report which covers all sales upto November 2003. The exact number was 1.32 million and that was just over 2 years into its life in all regions. Its sales will have increased a bit since then, but that is the only definate worldwide number I know of so.. Lets say 1.45 million then to be safe :)

BTW are you completely sure about those Japanese sales of RECVX?
 

MutFox

Banned
Finally finished the game last night. (I bought it at launch too.) :lol
Excellent game, one of the best of the generation.
... Now I gotta beat Pikmin 2...
 
After months of reading the official thread, I eventually took the plunge last weekend (whan at last I found it on sale in the UK). Despite the gushing in the thread, I wasn't convinced as I expected the controls to still be awful in some way. I had loved the original RE on PSX but since then had fallen out of love to the point I barely started RE:CV on the Dreamcast.

Now I just don't know how I doubted. It's just an incredible experience...so, so solid as a game. So much more going on at any one time than I expected, fantastic atmosphere etc. I hardly ever replay games but I know a game is amazing to me if I'm already thinking about replaying it before I've even finished it. I was expecting it to be pretty, but was not expecting it to be so much fun and with such scope to play around. I've totally stuck to my rifle and punisher this first play through, but have many other weapons to try yet. I was also expecting a few great set pieces. This is like one long giant set-piece!

Stunning.

But I guess I can't answer the original question as I haven't had it long enough yet :/

PS. Does this support Progressive Scan in the US? UK Cubes don't but I also have an import console, and I'm about to get e new projector. So if it does I will be purchasing the Cube component cable and another (import) copy of the game for some crisp big screen action. If it does support PS anyone got feedback on how it looks? Thanks in advance.
 

123rl

Member
Still legendary status? Oh yes... :D

It'll take a lot of effort for this game to be beaten, IMO. There's not many devs who could make a better overall game, IMHO
 

GamerDad

Member
Cathcart said:
Maybe you should try knitting or something.

Funny guy! Or what do the kids say? LOL?
I was surprised by Resident Evil IV (and I'm not talking about my first meeting with the chainsaw guy - or the time the cultist climbed through the window behind me when I thought I was safe in the shed). I actually thought a Resident Evil game would never scare me past the first game (rotted rottweiler coming through the window). Even if I do think the whole "President's Daughter" plot device is stupid and a serious over-reach into anti-plausibility land, the story as a whole is pretty damn good. Great game. Yay GameCube for that one.
 

jarrod

Banned
Donnie said:
Solid

My worldwide number for RE:CVX comes from a Capcom financial report which covers all sales upto November 2003. The exact number was 1.32 million and that was just over 2 years into its life in all regions. Its sales will have increased a bit since then, but that is the only definate worldwide number I know of so.. Lets say 1.45 million then to be safe :)

BTW are you completely sure about those Japanese sales of RECVX?
Capcom doesn't list budget rereleases in with their figures. 1.32m is for CVX PS2 before going Platinum/Greatest Hits/The Best/whatever. It sold around 550k in the US before GH iirc, so about on par with RE4/Outbreak actually.
 

gameboya

Member
Nerevar said:
All kidding aside, this goes to show how hard it is to revive a series that has been run into the ground with sequalitis. Once you lose credibility it is very hard to regain it.

i agree 100%!!!
 

Ramirez

Member
The thing I was most dissapointed by was that I never once felt scared,the game kinda lost that feeling since you had enough ammo to take down anything that crossed your path :p

Well, the frozen lab or whatever it was, was kinda freaky,but other than that,nothin compared to RE/RE2 :(
 
I haven't been this hooked on a game in a very long time, RE4 totally has me under its spell. Best game this generation? I don't know, time will tell... One of my favorite games ever? You bet.

I'm seriously contemplating giving away my GC and my copy of RE4 to my best friend (who lives in a different country) so he can finish the game, he started playing it with me and really loved it, but he had to leave before he could finish it and it he can't afford a GC. This game is SO GOOD that I want to give it away with the console so other people can experience it too... I think that's a damn good complement for any game.
 

Ranger X

Member
RE4 fucking rules.
I'm on my second play through and i want those extras. I'm still playing the other extras too. Extremtely well done and fun game. I hope Capcom is taking notes and RE5 will be godly too. And release on the most popular console if you want sales Capcom.
 

Spike

Member
Kleegamefan said:
Yes, RE4 is a work of art.....its a masterpiece....

I can't believe I am saying this, but....its even better than MGS3 :O

Believe it. RE4 is the best game this gen.
 
I've got a huge pile of unopened games that I really should be getting on with, whereas ResEvil 4 is still sitting in my Gamecube while I'm on my 4th play through!

I've probably put the same amount of time into Mercenaries mode too!! Easily the most fun I've had (with a game) in the past 5 years.
 
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