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[BishopLamont]

And meanwhile Ubisoft and (for the most part) Konami have been complete shambles this gen.

Don't forget the Wii is winning. Oh and you're not giving Konami much credit when it comes to the DS. Sure they haven't given it the time or budget with it, but they have found some success with it. Quite a few of their DS games have sold decently. I'm not just talking about their recent Penguin and Magic games either. Oh yeah and Ubisoft has been a great disappointment this gen, they came out supporting and giving the Wii lip-service at the beginning, but it all went down hill from there.

Sega is really the only notable third party that has done great this gen, when it comes to support for the Wii.

UK was one of Nintendo's weakest markets last gen, though.

Not just the UK but Europe altogether. PS2 was really the only console that found big success in Europe.

 

[Jokeropia]

UK was one of Nintendo's weakest markets last gen, though.

 

[Spiegel]

UK was one of Nintendo's weakest markets last gen, though.

Europe was one of Nintendo's weakest markets

GC - 4 millions shipped

 

[Jokeropia]

Not France and Germany.

 

[gconsole]

After years in the wilderness, Capcom decides to develop Street Fighter 4 to be accessible and specifically/brazenly with the goal of re-kindling the memories of their highest selling game, Street Fighter II on the Super Nintendo. Nintendo has a system selling record amounts based on being accessible and having great local multiplayer. A major feature of the console is its nostagia-based retro download library, and has a cheap and easy to obtain official controller perfect for fighting games. Street Fighter 4 sees no release on the Wii.

Hmm, i'm not very sure but i think Wii audience is completely different group from SNES. Majority of SNES user moved over to PS a decade ago (so that's why N64 wasn't so popular and sale like it predecessor). So to ask why don't Capcom put Street Fighter 4 to Wii just to get the old SNES audience is kind of wrong. I am the one of them who changed to more hardcore machine like PS3 and Xbox360 rather than non-hardcore support machine like Wii.

 

[Jokeropia]

Hmm, i'm not very sure but i think Wii audience is completely different group from SNES. Majority of SNES user moved over to PS a decade ago

And the majority of the PS userbase moved to the Wii this generation.

 

[Segata Sanshiro]

Hmm, i'm not very sure but i think Wii audience is completely different group from SNES. Majority of SNES user moved over to PS a decade ago (so that's why N64 wasn't so popular and sale like it predecessor). So to ask why don't Capcom put Street Fighter 4 to Wii just to get the old SNES audience is kind of wrong. I am the one of them who changed to more hardcore machine like PS3 and Xbox360 rather than non-hardcore support machine like Wii.

I think short of putting SFIV on every system, Capcom made the best business decision.

That said, insofar as Japan is concerned, I'd bet the path has been Fam-SuFam-PS-PS2-Wii moreso than to PS3 or 360, just by sheer force of numbers.

The error I feel some are making here is in assuming that people who played SF2 obsessively back then care enough about a home version of SFIV *now*. Outside of otaku circles, I really don't think anyone gives a flying fuck about SFIV.

 

[Andrew J.]

Europe was one of Nintendo's weakest markets

GC - 4 millions shipped

And before that, even. Europe has historically not been overly fond of Nintendo: the Master System and Mega Drive were the most popular consoles of their time in that region, and it was basically Sonyland from the PS1 launch to 2006. This generation is really the first time that Nintendo has been really popular in Europe.

 

[ccbfan]

And the majority of the PS userbase moved to the Wii this generation.

Depends on the region.

Japan: = The majority of PS gamers are on the DS or still on the PS2 especially in Japan. Wii got a whole new brand userbase. PS2 version of games would not be wooping the Wii version so much if that wasn't the case.

NA: = The PS2 userbase got spread across all the systems. (Sport games and mature titles fans on the 360 while Wii getting a lot of the casual and younger gamers) Wii also getting a brand new userbase like they got in japan.

Europe:= This is the region where Wii got a majority of PS gamers.

 

[HK-47]

Not France and Germany.

France and Germany vs the UK and the rest of Europe...

 

[Jokeropia]

Final GC shipments to Europe was ~4.8 million, but yes, I know Europe as whole has never been a Nintendo stronghold until now. However, UK was even weaker for them than most PAL countries, while France and Germany was comparatively stronger.

NA: = The PS2 userbase got spread across all the systems. (Sport games and mature titles fans on the 360 while Wii getting a lot of the casual and younger gamers) Wii also getting a brand new userbase like they got in japan.

What's a "mature" title?

 

[ccbfan]

What's a "mature" title?

Its games with an black M inside of a white box with a black border. Its usually placed at the lower left corner of the package.

edit:added an example

Example:

 

[Spiegel]

Final GC shipments to Europe was ~4.8 million, but yes, I know Europe as whole has never been a Nintendo stronghold until now. However, UK was even weaker for them than most PAL countries, while France and Germany was comparatively stronger.

So you're trying to say that SCII sold better on GC in Europe? Yes/No?

Because that's the point. We're not discusing the european sales of GC

Looking at how many copies did SCII sold in UK, I'd say no chance.

 

[Jokeropia]

That's M-rated, which if I'm gonna be picky is a pretty different concept. Regardless though, what were the big M-rated games on PS2 that there's no audience for on Wii?

So you're trying to say that SCII sold better on GC in Europe? Yes/No?

Nope, just that UK wouldn't necessarily be representative of Europe as a whole. (In how much the PS2 version beat the GC version by.) I'd definitely guess that the PS2 version won in Europe, but I have no idea if it was enough to put it on top worldwide.

 

[ccbfan]

That's M-rated, which if I'm gonna be picky is a pretty different concept. Regardless though, what were the big M-rated games on PS2 that there's no audience for on Wii?

What do you think the M stands for. Oh I know. Its on the package.

I'm also pretty sure the commercials I see say "Rated M for Mature". Maybe its just me anecdotal evidence isn't very reliable.

Also never said there was no audience for M-Rated games (Hopefully you mean Mature games cause there seems to be some confusion here but if you're not then just forget what I wrote.) I'm just saying there is a much larger audience for the 360 version of these type of games. As seen with some pretty insane sales numbers in NA for these types of games.

 

[Y2Kev]

care to explain..? all games were awesome (okay baseball was kinda weak)

I think everyone agrees the best two games in Wii Sports are tennis and bowling. Boxing I think is kind of random and almost exhausting, and golf and baseball I think are boring.

So I'll give ya 3/5! And if we have beach volleyball, fencing, and one other good event, I'll be satisfied with WSR. Not dog disc though.

 

[Jokeropia]

My point is that the word "mature" can mean a lot of things, and the content of many "mature" games (while being unsuitable for minors) is not exactly what I would consider mature. This is just semantics though.

Also never said there was no audience for M-Rated games (Hopefully you mean Mature games cause there seems to be some confusion here but if you're not then just forget what I wrote.) I'm just saying there is a much larger audience for the 360 version of these type of games. As seen with some pretty insane sales numbers in NA for these types of games.

But the most prominent examples I can think of would be shooters, and I don't recall the PS2 having a big shooter audience.

 

[Rolf NB]

I think everyone agrees the best two games in Wii Sports are tennis and bowling. Boxing I think is kind of random and almost exhausting, and golf and baseball I think are boring.

It being "almost exhausting" is exactly what makes boxing interesting. Out of the whole package, it's the closest thing to a sport, in the sportive sense.

Not that it changes anything in this argument. I don't see how the wave racer or the dog disc thing or the fencing can be physically tiring.

 

[DarkMehm]

Not in the U.S., and the Japanese sales for the game were pretty small compared to the U.S. levels.

The latest LTDs we got showed the GCN version ahead like 50k, while the PS2 version was selling a lot more monthly, so I wouldn't be that sure about that.

 

[AdventureRacing]

I think everyone agrees the best two games in Wii Sports are tennis and bowling. Boxing I think is kind of random and almost exhausting, and golf and baseball I think are boring.

So I'll give ya 3/5! And if we have beach volleyball, fencing, and one other good event, I'll be satisfied with WSR. Not dog disc though.

Most people i know like baseball/boxing best. There are some who like tennis and bowling best to. However they all enjoy baseball/boxing/tennis/bowling, so i would say wii sports hit the mark in 4/5 cases. Which i personally consider a pretty difficult thing to achieve.

 

[BishopLamont]

I personally find boxing to be very inaccurate and unresponsive. Hopefully Punch-Out remedies this problem, but I love baseball/tennis/bowling.

 

[wackojackosnose]

baseball I think are boring.

Baseball is freaking excellent. It's all about the psychological warfare of throwing splitters at your opponent.

 

[jeremy1456]

Baseball is freaking excellent. It's all about the psychological warfare of throwing splitters at your opponent.

I found pitching in particular, to not be about psychology at all. It's all about holding random buttons and waggling like there's no tomorrow.

 

[farnham]

I personally find boxing to be very inaccurate and unresponsive. Hopefully Punch-Out remedies this problem, but I love baseball/tennis/bowling.

if you waggle around yes..

if you keep dodging and throwing punches occasionally it works great..

especially if the opponent knows his stuff the game gets great..

 

[Link]

Okay lets just say for sake of argument that the Wii never goes back to selling like it did in 2007 and 2008. Lets say that the decline in sales continue and the Wii dies out by the end of the year. Was it a fad, or was it real game console that just had a shorter lifespan?

It's a console that, despite its sales, third parties treat as the Gamecube 2, and as such, it's going to end up just like its predecessor.

People give me shit for my posts, but exactly what I feared is happening, and quite frankly, it's only going to get worse. The few big games coming out for it in Japan this year (which can be counted on one hand) is not going to be enough to reverse the death spiral the Wii has fallen into. Just look at how ineffective RE4 and ToS were for the GC.

It's funny, I remember Nintendo fans saying that third parties had it in for Nintendo, with the shit support they gave the N64 and the GC. Other people would call them paranoid and cite poor hardware sales as the reason. Looking at the Wii's situation, maybe it wasn't paranoia after all.

 

[BishopLamont]

It's a console that, despite its sales, third parties treat as the Gamecube 2, and as such, it's going to end up just like its predecessor.

People give me shit for my posts, but exactly what I feared is happening, and quite frankly, it's only going to get worse. The few big games coming out for it in Japan this year (which can be counted on one hand) is not going to be enough to reverse the death spiral the Wii has fallen into. Just look at how ineffective RE4 and ToS were for the GC.

It's funny, I remember Nintendo fans saying that third parties had it in for Nintendo, with the shit support they gave the N64 and the GC. Other people would call them paranoid and cite poor hardware sales as the reason. Looking at the Wii's situation, maybe it wasn't paranoia after all.

How's it going to end up like the GC when it's already way past it? Both in sales and support. Sure things don't look very good at the moment, but you guys are really blowing this way of proportion.

 

[AranhaHunter]

What does everybody expect for SO4 week 2? I'm expecting decent numbers

 

[Lightning]

What does everybody expect for SO4 week 2? I'm expecting decent numbers

Between 20-30k. I will be VERY surprised if the numbers exceed 30k.

 

[AranhaHunter]

Between 20-30k. I will be VERY surprised if the numbers exceed 30k.

I'm expecting 60k+

 

[Lightning]

I'm expecting 60k+

Good luck with that. :lol

 

[AranhaHunter]

Good luck with that. :lol

lol we'll see, what was TOV 2nd week?

 

[Rolf NB]

lol we'll see, what was TOV 2nd week?

edit: shit, image doesn't want to load anymore. It's roughly 10k.
edit edit: or maybe more? I thought the first data point was day one, second was week one, third was week two. But it's, uh, not?
edit edit edit: got it. First datum is three days, which is the first week as per MC sales. Second point is week two. So a bit below 20k, like donny said.

 

[donny2112]

lol we'll see, what was TOV 2nd week?

< 20K.

 

[Eteric Rice]

How's it going to end up like the GC when it's already way past it? Both in sales and support. Sure things don't look very good at the moment, but you guys are really blowing this way of proportion.

I think he means in comparison to the other consoles. The Wii is really being treated as the third place console.

 

[AranhaHunter]

Ok 60k+ might've been a little optimistic.

 

[gantz85]

Anyone with more information about how Yakuza 3 is doing now?

 

[mujun]

Anyone with more information about how Yakuza 3 is doing now?

i popped into one of the biggest game sellers in osaka today, still a decent pile of copies there for whatever that info is worth.

 

[Fafalada]

I remember Nintendo fans saying that third parties had it in for Nintendo

From what I heard it was more a case of "have had it with Nintendo". No idea if nowadays it's still a case of that or third parties just holding long grudges.

 

[gantz85]

i popped into one of the biggest game sellers in osaka today, still a decent pile of copies there for whatever that info is worth.

I see that MGS4 sold about 300,000 copies on its first day while RGG/Yakuza 3 did about 230,000 copies.. That's a handsome amount for a hardcore game and it compares well given the budget of the teams and whatnot.

All these big releases is slowly expanding the PS3 installbase by inches, but I think the writing on the wall is that HD console gaming as is currently offered in Japan may not be what they want. Sony needs to rethink the whole product strategy.

 

[Sleeker]

From what I heard it was more a case of "have had it with Nintendo". No idea if nowadays it's still a case of that or third parties just holding long grudges.

Why would they have had it with nintendo?

 

[Laguna]

I think he means in comparison to the other consoles. The Wii is really being treated as the third place console.

While I won´t disagree, you have to keep in mind since when those games were in the works. RE5 for example (2005/2006), Street Fighter, Star Ocean, Yakuza and they´ll be/were released only now. There´s also FFXIII that probably won´t even make it this year. People who are claiming these things against Wii often (Sonyfanboys) combine the lineups of both consoles (PS3/X360) since they actually know that the PS3 is lacking RPGs severely too besides Enchanted Arms. At the moment they can only hope for X360 ports. While Wii support is lacking right now for obvious reasons, it isn´t looking too bright for the other consoles too after the release of RE5 (before someone jumps out I know there´s also a FF demo due in April *lol*) for the rest of this year. Besides the yearly rehashes like WE, Baseball, Musou or GT5. Actually there´s only FFXIII and Versus announced right now (^^the same names for years).

 

[Spiegel]

While I won´t disagree, you have to keep in mind since when those games were in the works. RE5 for example (2005/2006), Yakuza and they´ll be released only now. There´s also FFXIII that probably won´t even make it this year. People who are claiming these things against Wii often (Sonyfanboys) combine the lineups of both consoles (PS3/X360) since they actually know that the PS3 is lacking RPGs severely too besides Enchanted Arms. At the moment they can only hope for X360 ports. While Wii support is lacking right now for obvious reasons, it isn´t looking too bright for the other consoles too after the release of RE5 (before someone jumps out I know there´s also a FF demo due in April *lol*) for the rest of this year. Besides the yearly rehashes like WE, Baseball, Musou or GT5. Actually there´s only FFXIII and Versus announced right now (^^the same names for years).

Yakuza 2 was released in December 06, Yakuza Kenzan in March 08.

So, Yakuza 3 wasn't in the works in 05/06

 

[Laguna]

Yakuza 2 was released in December 06, Yakuza Kenzan in March 08.

So, Yakuza 3 wasn't in the works in 05/06

Take a closer look
RE5 for example (2005/2006) ,

I´ve added SF4 in my previous post now.

 

[Spiegel]

Take a closer look
RE5 for example (2005/2006) ,

Yeah, you are implying that Yakuza 3 is a ps3 game because at that time the Wii wasn't released.

And no, it's more that Nagoshi is a HD fanboy

 

[Pureauthor]

Why would they have had it with nintendo?

Because Nintendo was kind of a dick to them back in their glory days.

 

[Laguna]

Yeah, you are implying that Yakuza 3 is a ps3 game because at that time the Wii wasn't released.

And no, it's more that Nagoshi is a HD fanboy

Actually no one besides Sega knows since when they were planning Yakuza 3 on PS3 ok actually it surely was directly after Yakuza 2 even with Kenzan inbetween, no doubt.

 

[Eteric Rice]

Because Nintendo was kind of a dick to them back in their glory days.

The thing is, that was in the 90s.

I mean Christ, that's a hell of a grudge.

 

[Paracelsus]

The thing is, that was in the 90s.

I mean Christ, that's a hell of a grudge.

Well, imo it's more of a "Nintendo does not need us" kind of thing.

I mean, third parties abandoned them, yet they managed to release one hell of a first party line up last gen -the NGC purchase was fully justified-, and if this gen they got to win it's not thanks to the thirds, but thanks to them and them alone.

If they are seeking for "support", Nintendo is the last place where they hope to find it.

 

[Eteric Rice]

Well, imo it's more of a "Nintendo does not need us" kind of thing.

I mean, third parties abandoned them, yet they managed to release one hell of a first party line up last gen -the NGC purchase was fully justified-, and if this gen they got to win it's not thanks to the thirds, but thanks to them and them alone.

If they are seeking for "support", Nintendo is the last place where they hope to find it.

If they had relied on third parties, they would have failed. They honestly had no choice but to do it on their own.

I'm more surprised at companies like Square-Enix and Atlus so far. You'd think for all their DS support, they'd support the Wii way more than they have.

 

[Opiate]

Actually no one besides Sega knows since when they were planning Yakuza 3 on PS3.

It's irrelevant. The director of Yakuza has stated that he would support the HD consoles even with these lower install bases, and presumably even if it means making less profit (or more losses).

He does not want to work on the Wii, that has been made clear.