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[Square2005]

Personally, I don't have a baseline to compare them to. It's been on the market for four years, but (through no fault of your own) we only have the last four months of sales. Maybe we should've been shocked at January-March Genesis sales, and for April, things finally got back to normal.

I am surprised about the general total lack of staying power for the gaming industry

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back in 1994

. One game over 100K

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, both major consoles selling at well below current NDS/PSP levels, which in turn are a huge drop from GBA levels

. Super Metroid (considered by some, one of the best games ever) selling a paltry 56K in its first month. Nintendo franchises selling like crap

Spoiler

compared to now

on their own system.

No wonder games

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had

have to cost $60-$70. No one

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was

is buying any!

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Also, it's not unheard of for SEGA consoles to have big surges followed by massive drops (see Dreamcast)

I'm refering to

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current gen consoles (PS2, XB, GC)

. we've had sales for
them for almost four years now.

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Are you surprised at how much the American industry has grown? It's at what...$11 billion/a year now. In 1994 it was something like $3.2 billion. Plus average tie ratios for consoles were b/w 4-6...meaning there were few hardcore gamers so new titles had much lower initial sales compared to today (but they may have had longer legs). And not having the internet for updated release data meant most relied on TV commercials for their gaming news.

 

[Raw64life]

Huh!? It's set for a Fall '94 release. It ain't out yet.

Oh. GameFAQs and Wikipedia both have it as being released 02/28/94 in the US.

 

[ioi]

Oh. GameFAQs and Wikipedia both have it as being released 02/28/94 in the US.

And it didn't make a million worldwide:

http://everythingandnothing.org.uk/vg/worldtotals.php?name=&console=SNES&publisher=Nintendo&sort=Total

 

[Square2005]

Oh. GameFAQs and Wikipedia both have it as being released 02/28/94 in the US.

Well I can tell you it doesn't begin selling until October. Maybe that's the Japanese release.

Update: I checked Nintendo's master release list and it's set for October. So GameFAQ is wrong again, their older game release dates are usually incorrect. I wouldn't rely on them.

 

[vitaflo]

Well I can tell you it doesn't begin selling until October. Maybe that's the Japanese release.

Update: I checked Nintendo's master release list and it's set for October. So GameFAQ is wrong again, their older game release dates are usually incorrect. I wouldn't rely on them.

They certainly are. I've updated a few release dates on there based on the old reviews I wrote back then, but many of them are still off.

 

[Square2005]

Predictions for May?

 

[Lapsed]

Hey guys! I hear Nintendo is experimenting with 3d technology with something called the Super FX chip. But no good games will use that. Instead, the real hotness is with the upcoming 32 X. OMG! Sega is going to get rich off that mushroom shaped device.

Look! Nintendo has RPG games coming out for its system. Only DORKS play stupid games like Final Fantasy 6. We know the masses will stay with Genesis and its macho style of games. Has anyone heard about that upcoming game called Chrono Trigger coming out for the SNES? Yeah. Instant bomb. No one is going to be playing those SNES games years from now, even fifteen years from now, unlike the awesome Genesis sports games that dominate the sales charts now.

 

[Square2005]

Look! Nintendo has RPG games coming out for its system. Only DORKS play stupid games like Final Fantasy 6. We know the masses will stay with Genesis and its macho style of games. Has anyone heard about that upcoming game called Chrono Trigger coming out for the SNES? Yeah. Instant bomb. No one is going to be playing those SNES games years from now, even fifteen years from now, unlike the awesome Genesis sports games that dominate the sales charts now.

Sounds about right...

 

[ioi]

Predictions for May?

What's out?

 

[Square2005]

What's out?

Not much...nothing that will be very high in the charts:
Mortal Kombat CD (SCD)
R.B.I. Baseball (GEN)
Caesar's Palace (GEN)
a few minor others that won't ever make the TOP25.

Make some predictions for what's already available plus HW.

 

[Cheebs]

Nothing much software wise so I don't expect much in gains of hardware.

Gen: 135,000
SNES: 110,000

NBA Jam Gen: 100,000
NBA Jam SNES: 60,000
Sonic 3: 40,000
Super Metroid: 50,000

 

[CO_Andy]

Can't wait for the release of FF VI

 

[ioi]

Not much...nothing that will be very high in the charts:
Mortal Kombat CD (SCD)
R.B.I. Baseball (GEN)
Caesar's Palace (GEN)
a few minor others that won't ever make the TOP25.

Make some predictions for what's already available plus HW.

GEN 130k
SNES 125k

Super Metroid 75k
NBA Jam GEN 95k
NBA Jam SNES 65k

 

[Fuzzy]

Can't wait for the release of FF VI

VI? I guess I miss III, IV, and V.

 

[ioi]

Not much...nothing that will be very high in the charts:
Mortal Kombat CD (SCD)
R.B.I. Baseball (GEN)
Caesar's Palace (GEN)
a few minor others that won't ever make the TOP25.

Make some predictions for what's already available plus HW.

When do we get Mays then?

 

[Square2005]

When do we get Mays then?

Tomorrow afternoon (U.S. time).
I don't want to release these too often or when new NPD data is posted cos it'll be ignored.

 

[starship]

Woah, hang on!!

WHERE???



And to aid in people's estimations, the worldwide million sellers chart will give LTDs for these games, Super Metroid sold a lot more in Japan than NA:

http://www.everythingandnothing.org.uk/vg/worldtotals.php?name=&console=SNES&publisher=&sort=America

About 470k vs 800k

Those are predictions, right?
Some of those games aren't out yet, where did these figures come from?

 

[ioi]

Those are predictions, right?
Some of those games aren't out yet, where did these figures come from?

What are predictions?

 

[donny2112]

I'm refering to

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current gen consoles (PS2, XB, GC)

. we've had sales for
them for almost four years now.

I meant we don't have data to know what's "normal" for Genesis.

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Compared to current generation consoles, I don't think it dropped out of proportion to what some of their ups and downs have been. The PS2 has had some of the biggest drops from March to April (160K - 2002, 140K - 2003, 160K - 2005) just because it gets so high otherwise, for example.

In that case the March -> April drop for Genesis is surprising but not shocking.

Spoiler

Are you surprised at how much the American industry has grown?

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Yes. I'd heard the approximate total $ numbers before, but actually seeing that translated to sales is a different story. Of course, having 7 consoles (5 not dead) on the market at the same time sure isn't hurting.

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Plus average tie ratios for consoles were b/w 4-6...meaning there were few hardcore gamers so new titles had much lower initial sales compared to today ...

Spoiler

That makes sense when I look back at how many games I have for older systems. The number of games for each successive system gets higher and higher.

Nintendo Power April 1994

Anyone going to Power Fest '94? Link
10-page feature on Ken Grifey Jr. presents Major League Baseball
10-page feature on Star Trek: The Next Generation (Check out those graphics! I hope this games plays as good as it looks. )
5-page preview on Super Metroid ("Big New!" "24 Megs!")
Play as Bill Clinton and Al Gore in NBA Jam!
Super Metroid comic
Step-by-step guide to Crystalis! All the way to Sabera the Witch. More next month.

Anyone else notice this?

CDs are for slow dummies!

 

[Square2005]

Anyone else notice this?

CDs are for slow dummies!

I should remember this,"The next time someone tells you that CD-ROM is the wave of the future, tell them that the future doesn't belong to snails!"
- Nintendo Power (April 1994)

 

[starship]

What are predictions?

I meant those numbers on that website(?)
Do you know what will happen in the future?
Some of those games listed there are not available NOW

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1994

 

[140.85]

Hey guys! I hear Nintendo is experimenting with 3d technology with something called the Super FX chip. But no good games will use that. Instead, the real hotness is with the upcoming 32 X. OMG! Sega is going to get rich off that mushroom shaped device.

Look! Nintendo has RPG games coming out for its system. Only DORKS play stupid games like Final Fantasy 6. We know the masses will stay with Genesis and its macho style of games. Has anyone heard about that upcoming game called Chrono Trigger coming out for the SNES? Yeah. Instant bomb. No one is going to be playing those SNES games years from now, even fifteen years from now, unlike the awesome Genesis sports games that dominate the sales charts now.

:lol

Right on man.

 

[goldenpp72]

I don't recall chrono trigger selling well, so I dunno about that :lol

 

[Greenpanda]

I don't recall chrono trigger selling well, so I dunno about that :lol

Nah, it sold quite well, though I don't have any specific figures off the top of my head.

I mean ... I think it will sell quite well

 

[Do The Mario]

Anyone else notice this?

CDs are for slow dummies!

:lol

 

[Square2005]

Nah, it sold quite well, though I don't have any specific figures off the top of my head.

I mean ... I think it will sell quite well

Guys, Chrono Trigger is over a year away.

For this Fall, RPG-wise look forward to:
Breath of Fire (AUG)
Illusion of Gaia (SEPT)
Final Fantasy III (OCT)
Shining Force II (OCT)

Who knows if any of them will sell...