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[Vinci]

That's... that's a lot of 2D-enabled Wii units.

 

[poppabk]

This begs the question of how many of NSMB's purchasers are, and were, gift-givers, one which I don't think I can really answer.

We can't answer it, but I think it is safe to say that the number of gifted copies of NSMB:Wii is not insignificant, given the general bump for all things video game based (except the PSP:Go ) during holiday periods and the run up to them.
Anecdotally - in my household 100% of NSMB:Wii copies were gifts.

 

[Brofist]

Don't know if mentioned, but Demon's Souls is getting released as a "the Best" title on 2/25. Doubt it's going to push anything, but it'd be nice if the game got some of the sales it deserved in the first place.

 

[Mojojo]

No big image but.....

Legend of Zelda (FC) - 1.69 million
Adventures of Link (FC) - 1.61 million
Ocarina of Time (N64) - 1.14 million
Phantom Hourglass (DS) - 902k
Wind Waker (GC) - 742k
Majora's Mask (N64) - 601k
Twilight Princess (Wii) - 552k
Oracle of Ages (GBC) - 373k
Oracle of Seasons (GBC) - 372k
Link's Awakening DX (GBC) - 314k
Link to the Past + 4 Swords (GBA) - 293k
Minish Cap (GBA) - 235k
Four Swords Adventure (GC) - 127k

Missing titles: Link's Awakening GB original, Link to the Past SFC.


As you can see, Zelda is no Mario.

Thanks for the info.
It makes me doubt if we'll see a Zelda million seller in Japan ever again and what it would need to do so.
And Minish Cap sales are

 

[Grampa Simpson]

My local game centre has SMB set-up on one of those sit-down arcade cabs, 100Y for three lives

Should you need more than that?

 

[onken]

Should you need more than that?

Nah, 3 lives probably gives me about 20 minutes of game time, then I get bored and give up. You can't continue anyway, you put in more money and it takes you right back to the beginning :lol

 

[Chris1964]

Media Create Wii and PS3 2009 sales until Golden Week.

Wii     PS3
119.965	60.654
41.243	28.144
32.333	20.690
26.770	17.708
23.278	17.405
20.412	16.082
21.016	18.656
16.973	16.149
17.876	36.513
16.560	39.835
17.941	28.014
18.095	25.435
17.276	22.825
15.525	20.362
13.349	16.701
13.221	62.527
18.439	23.351
21.546	23.588
24.397	18.483 -> Golden Week

What we get for hardware this week maps to week 1 for 2009. Normally both systems will be way up comparing to previous year. Next week is critical for the performance they will have after holidays.

 

[cvxfreak]

You're saying that they would deliberately prevent all these kids who have just received otoshidama from spending money on Nintendo products just to try to improve sales through January? That makes zero sense. A real sale now is more valuable than a potential sale next week, and I don't see any worth in maintaining a smooth number on Media Create anyway. Year-end has always been Nintendo's forte, and noone expects otherwise.

Says the guy who said PSP Go sales were intentionally gimped/lowered/staggered to save on server costs.

I can think of no other reason the game would sell out, other than demand being higher than even super-optimistic me expected. There's no Balance Board, Wii Zapper or Wii Wheel to hold things up, other than the red case, which we can't even prove is something that holds production up (yellow case didn't hold NSMB up).

But I don't dispute your points either. The game's very difficult to find in the U.S. too. But I think, whether intentional or not, the game selling out now bodes well for the Wii's possible Q1 sales. There will be a correlation between NSMB Wii and Wii hardware for awhile, and higher weekly sales due to sell outs now means a healthier outlook for them overall.

That said, there's nothing to stop this week from being comparatively huge as well. It's just that the following weeks should be larger too, especially compared to the first months of past long-sellers.

 

[Majmun]

Should you need more than that?

Cammie does. She'll probably lose all the lifes during the first goomba encounter.

 

[Chris1964]

NDS -- 3 978 953
PSP -- 2 248 171
Wii -- 1 962 367
PS3 -- 1 764 532
X360 -- 373 357
PS2 -- 206 555

PS2 number is 206.625. You have lost 70 units somewhere.

 

[Kurosaki Ichigo]

Don't know if mentioned, but Demon's Souls is getting released as a "the Best" title on 2/25. Doubt it's going to push anything, but it'd be nice if the game got some of the sales it deserved in the first place.

And 3800Y. Lost chance I think. The game had legs, really positive word of mouth and it was undershipped on release:

It was asking for a quick re-release, say PS3 Slim launch, and being 1st party a 2980Y price-point. Would have done very decently like MW1 re-release did while setting it up for the sequel to improve the original numbers by far. Now its probably lost quite a few sales with used copies, could probably pave the way for Demon Souls 2 in...Golden Week? Would certainly be a nice change for PS3 to have something for Golden Week!

Uncharted twin pack on 2/25 too, 7980Y, not a really good deal, September budget Uncharted 1 was 2980Y and Uncharted 2 was 5980Y, so 9k total if you bought them at launch at full price.

Retailer watch #3, PSP gets another Gundam game. From amazon.co.jp, Gundam Assault Survive, March 18 for 6279Y. Same day as MGS Peace Walker lol.

 

[Shin Johnpv]

People often said this about the Wii hardware after launch. I guarantee you every company is trying to throw out as much of their product as fast as possible, ESPECIALLY over the holiday season. As someone else said, it's kids with their new year's money (like me, buaha) out to spend it. They're not going to hold out for a re-supply, they'll simply buy something else.

That happened with me and the PS3, got some extra cash for christmas, wanted to get a PS3 and not a single store around me had one. I waited a week and still no re-supply so the money got spent on a bunch of other shit. Sony's loss for not supplying Northern Jersey with enough units.

 

[Hero of Legend]

Cammie does. She'll probably lose all the lifes during the first goomba encounter.

My uncle played NSMBW at our local Toys R Us in Canada, lost a life at the 1st Goomba indeed. :lol

 

[The_lascar]

http://www.geocities.jp/v7160c_l5/gb.html


Search: ゼルダの伝説　夢をみる島

Thanks!

Anybody know where these numbers (there are some numbers for the Famicom too (FFI/FFII/Mappy/Pac-Man/Bomberman/DK) are from ? If it's shipment numbers like the million-sellers list or Famitsu ?

PS2 number is 206.625. You have lost 70 units somewhere.

Can you please check your data with mine ?

12 548
6 628
5 760
5 077
5 334
5 089
5 332
5 029
5 029
4 954
4 844
5 067
5 246
5 394
4 531
4 230
4 524
5 479
5 137
4 020
4 075
4 120
4 096
3 498
3 770
3 578
3 734
3 508
3 352
3 305
3 617
4 601
4 907
3 295
3 179
3 001
2 612
2 723
2 347
2 179
2 133
2 109
1 951
1 966
2 066
2 031
2 024
2 057
2 277
2 463
2 982
3 747

 

[Chris1964]

12 548
6 628
5 760
5 077
5 334
5 089
5 332
5 029
5 029 ->5.099
4 954
4 844
5 067
5 246
5 394
4 531
4 230
4 524
5 479
5 137
4 020
4 075
4 120
4 096
3 498
3 770
3 578
3 734
3 508
3 352
3 305
3 617
4 601
4 907
3 295
3 179
3 001
2 612
2 723
2 347
2 179
2 133
2 109
1 951
1 966
2 066
2 031
2 024
2 057
2 277
2 463
2 982
3 747

 

[charlequin]

2) There are key design decisions in a Zelda that Nintendo will always choose to make that prevent the game from being at the forefront of western gaming in 2010. No voices for Link. Tutorial messages every time you open a box or get 5 rupees. Fixed dungeon formula. Pretty weak overworlds by choice. Very linear progression. No blood or gore--now that's not to say everything has to be God of War, but Zelda has always been a soft T game and that limits certain things.

Dungeon-item-A-goes-in-dungeon-puzzle-slot-B gameplay. Lack of "special moves" and different weapons. Really insipid plotting. A design approach where collectible items are always useless almost right away (compare to Okami where there are cool and useful things that you will never, ever accidentally get enough money for.) And so on, and so forth.

The place where the extended analogy SMB:TLoZ::SM64:OoT::SMG:??? breaks down, IMO, is that by virtue of how Nintendo dominated 3D platforming during its most successful era (on the N64) and how it's been underutilized by other developers since, Nintendo is still in a position to make really inventive and revolutionary changes to the formula -- they've kept abreast of what's happened in the genre and have chosen to iterate on it only when they think they have something new to offer. Meanwhile, distant offspring of the 3D-action-adventure genre that OoT invented have become increasingly successful over the last ten years and Nintendo's Zelda team has iterated the series over that time solely to appeal to its existing fans, taking back in none of the innovations that have occurred elsewhere.

Actually creating a Zelda game that people sat up and paid attention to would require rethinking the series almost from the ground up (or, more likely, bringing in an external team to do that rethinking for them, a la Metroid), and the resulting product would probably give TSA a heart attack.

Alternately, I think the success of Phantom Hourglass was partially because it came closer to reverting back to the pre-OoT version of the series, and I think a really dedicated effort on a New Legend of Zelda that dialed back to the pure form of the very first game, without the borked difficulty and irritating handholding, could also be relatively successful.

 

[Chris1964]

Anybody know where these numbers (there are some numbers for the Famicom too (FFI/FFII/Mappy/Pac-Man/Bomberman/DK) are from ? If it's shipment numbers like the million-sellers list or Famitsu ?

These numbers are shipments.

 

[The_lascar]

Thank you.

 

[BowieZ]

The thought of about 20 million people in the world having already struggled their way up Larry Koopa's tower makes me smile.

 

[d+pad]

That happened with me and the PS3, got some extra cash for christmas, wanted to get a PS3 and not a single store around me had one. I waited a week and still no re-supply so the money got spent on a bunch of other shit. Sony's loss for not supplying Northern Jersey with enough units.

So, you're never going to buy a PS3 then? It was a once-in-a-generation opportunity for you, and now it's gone?

I ask because I find this line of thought really strange. If I want a game or a system, I want it--that feeling doesn't go away just because I can't buy the thing *right now*.

I guess I'm just in the minority?

 

[sphinx]

So, you're never going to buy a PS3 then? It was a once-in-a-generation opportunity for you, and now it's gone?

I ask because I find this line of thought really strange. If I want a game or a system, I want it--that feeling doesn't go away just because I can't buy the thing *right now*.

I guess I'm just in the minority?

I am not sure if that's his case but for me, wanting something is not the only thing factored in when I am going to buy an expensive thing like a videogame system.

Am I REALLY interested in that console? Will I have time to use it? Do I have other things to pay or may I use this money to buy it? Am I in a mood to play videogames or am in one of those phases with Hobby fatigue?

Sometimes you are in the mood to spend money for the hell of it, specially in christmas where most of the time there is extra money available and that makes an impulse buy or a " I was kinda unsure but o.k." kind of buy more likely.

I am guessing that for Shin Johnpv, that chance just went away, now he has to find another point in time to bring himself to buy the console, without this christmas extra cash and being busy with work/school/whatever instead of having 1 or 2 weeks free to use the new console.

I can definitely understand his stance.

 

[Shin Johnpv]

So, you're never going to buy a PS3 then? It was a once-in-a-generation opportunity for you, and now it's gone?

I ask because I find this line of thought really strange. If I want a game or a system, I want it--that feeling doesn't go away just because I can't buy the thing *right now*.

I guess I'm just in the minority?

No it means untill I have the spare cash laying around again I'm not gonna pick it up. I have a 360, a Wii, and a fairly high end PC. I have no rush to buy a PS3 and can do so at my leasure, but I had the spare cash right now, Sony how ever didn't have the shipment. Same thing happened when I wanted to get my 360 in January of 2008. Had some really nice freelance pay and wanted to pick one up, couldn't find one though anywhere. Ended up not buying it till November of that year. I know a fair amount of people though who decide ohh I want this, they can't find it and move onto the next thing they want. Gaming isn't my only hobby so it's easy to find other things to spend the cash on.

 

[Shin Johnpv]

I am not sure if that's his case but for me, wanting something is not the only thing factored in when I am going to buy an expensive thing like a videogame system.

Am I REALLY interested in that console? Will I have time to use it? Do I have other things to pay or may I use this money to buy it? Am I in a mood to play videogames or am in one of those phases with Hobby fatigue?

Sometimes you are in the mood to spend money for the hell of it, specially in christmas where most of the time there is extra money available and that makes an impulse buy or a " I was kinda unsure but o.k." kind of buy more likely.

I am guessing that for Shin Johnpv, that chance just went away, now he has to find another point in time to bring himself to buy the console, without this christmas extra cash and being busy with work/school/whatever instead of having 1 or 2 weeks free to use the new console.

I can definitely understand his stance.

This is definitely it right here. I had 2 1/2 weeks with no freelance work, and christmas money which basically to me = free money. Free money like that is easier to spend on a big impulse buy like another system. I would imagine a lot of others feel the same way.

 

[gimz]

so much numbers on this page

 

[d+pad]

This is definitely it right here. I had 2 1/2 weeks with no freelance work, and christmas money which basically to me = free money. Free money like that is easier to spend on a big impulse buy like another system. I would imagine a lot of others feel the same way.

Yes, I definitely can see where this would be the case for something like a console--especially one that costs $299 like the PS3--but I'm not so sure it's the case when it comes to a game (like NSMBW, for instance). Sure, some of those kids who have New Year's money to spend won't save it until NSMBW is in stock again, but some will. And even those who spend their money on something else now probably will still buy/get the game at some point in the future.

 

[test_account]

PS3 dropped more than half.

once the FFXIII craze is over I expect it to once more go sub 20k.

Do you mean that the PS3 will sell sub 20k in January 2010? I am under the impression that the FFXIII craze was pretty much over after the first week, or maybe after the 2nd week (just like most of the other main Final Fantasy games as well).

Unless the PS3 and the Wii gets good software support spread nicely across 2010 (not just 1 big release now and then, and then maybe 2 months until the next big-titled game comes out), i think that it is only a question of time when both the PS3 and the Wii will sell sub 20k again, like both consoles did for some time in 2009.

I think that it shall be interesting to see how long New Super Mario Bros Wii can hold up the Wii hardware sales though. NSMB Wii might have some similar effect like Wii Sports had on the Wii hardware sales.

 

[sphinx]

This is definitely it right here. I had 2 1/2 weeks with no freelance work, and christmas money which basically to me = free money. Free money like that is easier to spend on a big impulse buy like another system. I would imagine a lot of others feel the same way.

as a freelancer myself, where time and money are hard to pinpoint, this is exactly my case as well.

I am kinda rushing through the Wii/360 games I bought for myself as christmas presents because come January 25, my gaming time will be reduced to using my DS occasionally in airplanes, trains and the toilette. Not the mention, when I am stressed because of work, I am less likely to enjoy any kind of gaming so even if I had money, wouldn't spend it there.

And sometimes I'd play something old that I already know and understand instead of buying the newest 360 epic mega blockbuster where I need to learn the basics and play some hours to see if I am really getting into it. Most of the time I am too lazy for that, so a missed opportunity of buying a console and devoting time to 2 or 3 of its games, is REALLY a missed opportunity.

 

[squall211]

Do you mean that the PS3 will sell sub 20k in January 2010? I am under the impression that the FFXIII craze was pretty much over after the first week, or maybe after the 2nd week (just like most of the other main Final Fantasy games as well).

Unless the PS3 and the Wii gets good software support spread nicely across 2010 (not just 1 big release now and then, and then maybe 2 months until the next big-titled game comes out), i think that it is only a question of time when both the PS3 and the Wii will sell sub 20k again, like both consoles did for some time in 2009.

I think that it shall be interesting to see how long New Super Mario Bros Wii can hold up the Wii hardware sales though. NSMB Wii might have some similar effect like Wii Sports had on the Wii hardware sales.

I think the PS3 will be OK in Jan-Feb. There's 3 (I think) RPGs coming out at the end of Jan-beginning of Feb. with Ar Tonelico III, End of Eternity, and SO4. I think those should keep PS3 hardware at least respectable.

 

[Yoshi]

Dungeon-item-A-goes-in-dungeon-puzzle-slot-B gameplay. Lack of "special moves" and different weapons. Really insipid plotting. A design approach where collectible items are always useless almost right away (compare to Okami where there are cool and useful things that you will never, ever accidentally get enough money for.) And so on, and so forth.

I don't see how these are innovations which could bring Zelda even a step further. Collecting money because you don't get enough money by just playing the games and solving the side quests is not fun but is incredibly dumb imo and special moves and different weapons would just turn Zelda into an action game. Zelda is mostly about ideas and cleverness in solving puzzles and I don't want it to turn into Zelda of War. I highly doubt that a big part of the fanbase would want that either. I agree though, that Zelda could use some fresh ideas, but I don't agree that there are lots of other games in that genre where Zelda could borrow good ideas to improve its formula. Despite Beyond Good and Evil (which is great but doesn't offer all too many new ideas from a gameplay perspective), Starfox Adventures (which is yuck), Kameo (same as BGE), Okami (Where it doesn't copy Zelda, it's boring. Collecting for the heck of it, stupid sidequests, but nothing exciting or new about dungeon/puzzle design) and Mumy (which is just so much worse on all acounts) I don't see any games in Zelda subgenre.

 

[Fularu]

Why are people expecting GT5 to have a significant impact? Both Prologue versions barely did anything worthwhile and the PSP version bombed.

So I'm confused, why would it be a heavy hitter?

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

Why are people expecting GT5 to have a significant impact? Both Prologue versions barely did anything worthwhile and the PSP version bombed.

So I'm confused, why would it be a heavy hitter?

Main game will do better than Prologues. The Prologues are some of the bigger games on PS3 anyway, both making the system's top 10 until newer games kicked them out. Console success doesn't necessarily lead to handheld success and vice-versa, so the PSP version's failure isn't a sign of complete doom for the franchise. It's the biggest PS2 franchise remaining that hasn't had a direct successor yet, just above Kingdom Hearts. It may not be as huge as it once was, but it should be more significant than most releases.

 

[test_account]

I think the PS3 will be OK in Jan-Feb. There's 3 (I think) RPGs coming out at the end of Jan-beginning of Feb. with Ar Tonelico III, End of Eternity, and SO4. I think those should keep PS3 hardware at least respectable.

Yep, i think those 3 games combined will help the PS3 hardware from dropping (i think that the PS3 hardware sales will drop, but if it wasnt for Ar Tonelico III, End of Eternity, and SO4, then the PS3 hardware sales might have dropped faster). I dont know how the PS3 and the Wii hardware sales will be in 2010 though, but i think that it shall be interesting to see

Why are people expecting GT5 to have a significant impact? Both Prologue versions barely did anything worthwhile and the PSP version bombed.

So I'm confused, why would it be a heavy hitter?

When GT5 Prologue came out, the PS3 console was still quite expencive. After the PS3 Slim release and the pricedrop, it seems that there is some gained interest in the PS3. I think that this gained interest might be good for GT5. And as JoshuaJSlone said, main games will probably sell better compared to the Prologue games

I havnt played GT PSP myself, but i think that this game lacks a career mode. I am not that much into the Gran Turismo games in general either, but i am under the impression the career mode is one of the more popular things with the Gran Turismo games. Maybe making a GT game for a portable device doesnt give the same GT feeling as being on a standalone console? But i am not sure.

I have no idea how much GT5 will sell compared to GT5 Prologue though, and i have no idea how big impact GT5 will have on the PS3 hardware sales either. But i think that GT5 will sell more than what GT5 Prologue did at least

 

[wrowa]

Actually creating a Zelda game that people sat up and paid attention to would require rethinking the series almost from the ground up (or, more likely, bringing in an external team to do that rethinking for them, a la Metroid), and the resulting product would probably give TSA a heart attack.

How may adventures sold more than Twilight Princess this generation? You are saying this as if Zelda has become a niche series that not many people pay attention to anymore. Which in fact is simply not true.

Alternately, I think the success of Phantom Hourglass was partially because it came closer to reverting back to the pre-OoT version of the series, and I think a really dedicated effort on a New Legend of Zelda that dialed back to the pure form of the very first game, without the borked difficulty and irritating handholding, could also be relatively successful.

Didn't Phantom Hourglass sell less than TP did? Why is that a success but TP not?
Unless you are only speaking of Japan. But in that case the rest of your post doesn't make sense.

 

[Fularu]

Main game will do better than Prologues. The Prologues are some of the bigger games on PS3 anyway, both making the system's top 10 until newer games kicked them out. Console success doesn't necessarily lead to handheld success and vice-versa, so the PSP version's failure isn't a sign of complete doom for the franchise. It's the biggest PS2 franchise remaining that hasn't had a direct successor yet, just above Kingdom Hearts. It may not be as huge as it once was, but it should be more significant than most releases.

I'm not so sure... look :

4 PS2 2003-12-04 1321 Gran Turismo 4 Prologue SCE 2980 747,692 2004-12-27
5 PS2 2004-12-28 2066 Gran Turismo SCE 7665 1,066,749

The prologue game did 75% of what GT4 pulled... If we use the same pattern :

7 PS3 2007-12-13 2694 Gran Turismo 5 Prologue SCE 4980 238,578 2008-12-22
8 PS3 2008-10-30 3254 Gran Turismo 5 Prologue Spec III SCE 4980 295,174

Can we expect GT5 to go much beyond 400k? Why would the pattern change? Also the sales numbers for both GT5P and GT5P2 are eerily similar...

 

[gerg]

The prologue game did 75% of what GT4 pulled... If we use the same pattern :

[...]

Can we expect GT5 to go much beyond 400k? Why would the pattern change? Also the sales numbers for both GT5P and GT5P2 are eerily similar...

This has been debated before, and it has been highlighted that it is incorrect to automatically presume that all those who bought GT5P2 had already bought GT5P. Apparently the former was available as a free download to those who already owned the former, making the likelihood of a repeat buyer less so.

Although, all this could mean is that GT5's sales end up somewhere around 600k as opposed to being around 400k, which would still represent a large decline for the series.

 

[schuelma]

Can we expect some sort of end of 2009 news release from Famitsu this week?

 

[Meier]

Can we expect GT5 to go much beyond 400k? Why would the pattern change? Also the sales numbers for both GT5P and GT5P2 are eerily similar...

I think we can expect more than 400k but I wouldnt be shocked if it didn't do 600k-800k life time.

 

[Vinci]

New Legend of Zelda

Yes, please. Good lord, I want Zelda in 2D again.

 

[Fularu]

This has been debated before, and it has been highlighted that it is incorrect to automatically presume that all those who bought GT5P2 had already bought GT5P. Apparently the former was available as a free download to those who already owned the former, making the likelihood of a repeat buyer less so.

Although, all this could mean is that GT5's sales end up somewhere around 600k as opposed to being around 400k, which would still represent a large decline for the series.

It was also packed with PS3s for a while, inflating its number.

I'm just saying that GT5 moving hardware is far from a foregone conclusion

 

[GameplayWhore]

Yes, please. Good lord, I want Zelda in 2D again.

Aren't the DS Zeldas basically Zelda in 2D in the same manner than NSMB is 2D? I've only played PH at a demo kiosk for a few minutes, but it seemed like basically an overhead fixed-camera up/down/left/right control with 3D graphics, whereas the true 3D Zeldas had a freely rotating camera and occasionally first person (or thereabouts) perspective. NSMB had side-view fixed-camera with 3D graphics, while 3D Marios have a freely rotating camera with a rare moments of [awesome] forced fixed-camera perspective.

...just an addendum: I checked random videos of LoZH to make sure I wasn't being totally crazy/misinformed. It looks like topdown fixed camera except for the boat parts.



(also, thanks Vinnk for your postings -- in the three years that I was lurking before I started posting, your weekly Village report was one of my highlights of GAF)

 

[Vinci]

Aren't the DS Zeldas basically Zelda in 2D in the same manner than NSMB is 2D?

I think I'm not being clear. I don't look at NSMB Wii and want a Zelda version of it for graphical reasons. I want a return to form. Something definitively old-school but with enough imagination thrown into it to make it worthwhile. I want a massive Hyrule filled with endless amounts of crazy content and shit to do.

 

[test_account]

I'm not so sure... look :

The prologue game did 75% of what GT4 pulled... If we use the same pattern :

Can we expect GT5 to go much beyond 400k? Why would the pattern change? Also the sales numbers for both GT5P and GT5P2 are eerily similar...

I think that the pattern might change because of these things:

- When GT4P was released, it costed 2,980 Yen i think. When GT5P was released, it costed 4,980 Yen if i am not mistaken. I think that GT5P was 2,000 Yen (about $20) more expencive compared to GT4P. But please correct me if i am wrong about any of these prices.

- When GT5P was released, the PS3 cosnole costed 39980 Yen. Today, the PS3 cost 29980 Yen. Unfortunately i am not sure what the PS2 console costed when GT4P came out, but i dont think that it was as much as 39980 Yen at least.

- GT4P was released about 1 year before (December 28, 2004) the release of GT4. The first version of GT5P was released about 2 years and 4 months before (December 13, 2007) GT5 is going to be released. Maybe the time differene between the Prologue and Final version might affect the sales somehow? But i dont know.

- I think that there as been a bigger increase of interest in the PS3 since GT5P was released and upto when GT5 will be released, compared to the increased interest in the PS2 when GT4P was released and upto when GT4 was released. The PS2 might have sold more consoles compared to the PS3 though, but i think that the PS3 interest increase itself is bigger, if you know what i mean?


It might be that GT5P and GT5 will follow the same pattern as GT4P and GT4, but in my opinion there are different variables between GT5P/GT5 and GT4P/GT4 to concider.

It was also packed with PS3s for a while, inflating its number.

That is true, but who knows how much GT5P would have sold if it wasnt packed it? GT5P was also available through the PS Store as a download-able version. Although it might be safe to assume that the download-able version of GT5P didnt sold a lot of copies in Japan, it is unfortunately not possible to know how much the download-able version of GT5P sold without having any sales numbers. So it might be hard to do a good/exact comparison between GT4P and GT5P, at least in my opinion

I'm just saying that GT5 moving hardware is far from a foregone conclusion

That is also true, it is not guaranteed that GT5 will move a lot of PS3 hardware, i agree. Several of unpredictable things have happend in this console generation (like who knew that the Wii would sell as much as it has done far when the Wii was first announced?), so it might indeed not be a guarantee that GT5 willl result in a lot of PS3 hardware sold. I think that the PS3 hardware sales will see a bump when GT5 get released though, but i have no idea how big or small this hardware bump might be.

 

[Thunder Monkey]

I think I'm not being clear. I don't look at NSMB Wii and want a Zelda version of it for graphical reasons. I want a return to form. Something definitively old-school but with enough imagination thrown into it to make it worthwhile. I want a massive Hyrule filled with endless amounts of crazy content and shit to do.

I agree to an extent.

I really like Nintendo's art designers. I love looking out over the vistas they've made for me. I 'd just stargaze in Twilight princess. Or sit next to a lake and watch the fish. Watch some grass blow in the wind.

I really like being able to do that in Zelda. A true return to form would limit my personal enjoyment of the title. I'm a bit of an oddball though. I have fond memories of the 2D Zeldas, and of OoT and MM, but it wasn't until Wind Waker that it "clicked" with me. I didn't love Zelda until WW. In that regard I'm a graphics whore. :lol

I really liked what advanced 3D allowed them to do in their respective worlds. And I can't wait to see what an HD 360/PS3 level Wii allows them to do visually.

If they're going to go back to its roots, do it on handhelds. That way I can get my big money investment on the home console.

 

[Fularu]

- When GT5P was released, the PS3 cosnole costed 39980 Yen. Today, the PS3 cost 29980 Yen. Unfortunately i am not sure what the PS2 console costed when GT4P came out, but i dont think that it was as much as 39980 Yen at least.

The PS2 was 40k yen when GT3 released, and that did 1.4k lifetime (470k first week)

 

[Allan Holdsworth]

Yes, please. Good lord, I want Zelda in 2D again.

Uh... both DS Zelda have 2D gameplay (except the boat/train parts).

I think I'm not being clear. I don't look at NSMB Wii and want a Zelda version of it for graphical reasons. I want a return to form. Something definitively old-school but with enough imagination thrown into it to make it worthwhile. I want a massive Hyrule filled with endless amounts of crazy content and shit to do.

Well, it's not like that's what "Zelda in 2D" automatically implies.

PS: I want Four Swords Adventures 2.

 

[test_account]

The PS2 was 40k yen when GT3 released, and that did 1.4k lifetime (470k first week)

That is true, but GT3 is a full GT game, so a more fair comparison to compare GT3 to GT4/GT5 instead of comparing them to GT4P/GT5P, at least in my opinion Who knows much much GT5 would have sold if it was released when the PS3 costed 39980 Yen? Unfortunately we wont know the answer, but i think that it is an interesting question at least I dont think that GT3 got a Prologue version at least, or am i mistaken?

The PS2 was also the leading console when GT3 got released and the PS2 was the only "current gen" console released at the time when GT3 was released (the Gamecube and the Xbox 1 was released after GT3. Maybe the Xbox 1 wouldnt have put up much competition even it was released at the same day as the PS2, but maybe the Gamecube would have put of more of a competition if it was released at the same day as the PS2? But i dont know), this isnt the case with the PS3. Now the Wii and the Xbox 360 is already out, and the Wii is the leading console. Some variables might be the same, that is true, but i think that it is important to look at all the variables together

But what i wanted to say is that there are different variables/things between GT5P/GT5 and GT4P/GT4. Since there are different variables, it means that GT5P/GT5 doesnt necessarily wont follow pretty much the exact pattern that GT4P/GT4 did. It is also about 5 years since GT4 was released, so maybe some things have changed since then? But i dont know.

I am not saying that GT5P/GT5 will follow a very different pattern compared to GT4P/GT4. For all that i know, the patterns might be almost identical, but since there are different variables between the two games, i just wanted to say that the sales patterns might be different

EDIT: I added some text.

 

[charlequin]

I don't see how these are innovations which could bring Zelda even a step further.

My point is that Zelda is a heavily formulaic series that hasn't meaningfully changed or evolved in ten years. I'm not saying that aping GoW or copying the numerous ways Okami bettered the Zelda formula or any one of many other options is the correct way to evolve it, just pointing out that any decay in interest in the property is a result of it being essentially creatively moribund.

You are saying this as if Zelda has become a niche series that not many people pay attention to anymore.

I was responding to a point about Zelda being influential, which it absolutely is not and has not been for ages. The last time Zelda did anything that drew anything like attention for being new and different was Wind Waker's graphical style, which was widely derided by the series' fanbase.

Unless you are only speaking of Japan. But in that case the rest of your post doesn't make sense.

I am, and I don't see why. Zelda became a relatively unsuccessful series in Japan, and was partially (but not all the way) restored to greater success with Phantom Hourglass, a game which also did not do anything particularly new or update the formula but did make a few small strides towards echoing what was popular about TLoZ and ALTTP. Now ST is basically a quick turn-around PH2 and it looks to have blown whatever renewed interest it built up as a result.

 

[P90]

Yes, please. Good lord, I want Zelda in 2D again.

As much as the 3D Zeldas have become formulamatic, I have never liked a 2D Zelda yet. OoT and MM uber alles.

 

[Liabe Brave]

I'm just saying that GT5 moving hardware is far from a foregone conclusion

It is a foregone conclusion. Even if it only sells 400k as you expect, it will absolutely move hardware. Games do not sell that high with no effect on platform sales.

If what you really meant was "it will only move as much hardware as a 400k-level title, not a 1m-level title", then that would make more sense. Personally, I think you're undershooting by a huge margin; my personal expectations are a reduction from previous entries, but still 700k+ lifetime. But we'll see. The performance of GT PSP has to be worrying to Sony.

 

[SolidSnakex]

The performance of GT PSP has to be worrying to Sony.

All that should tell Sony is to never make Polyphony waste their time developing for the PSP again.