This week’s Japanese video game sales are a harbinger of things to come
Thursday, June 19th, 2008 at 4:37pm by Jack
Forgive me a moment for being so pompous, and for the unabashedly bombastic headline. I’m in full fanman mode this week, and I smell blood.
First, as the link demonstrates, it was in defense of the beleaguered, but soon to be wildly successful, Boom Blox. Now, it’s with a follow-up: an accurate real-world depiction of just how powerful Nintendo’s slow cooker game strategy is, and what it will mean for 3rd party developers in the future. In short, it means tons of cash.
Anyway, to understand the future of gaming, you have to look to the past. But enough preaching. The power of the Long Tail and a snapshot of the future lies after the break. Here’s a hint: 25 out of 30.
1. [PS3] Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (Konami) - 465,000
2. [WII] Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo) - 38,000 / 1,444,000
3. [WII] Wii Fit (Nintendo) - 37,000 / 2,227,000
4. [PSP] Jikkyou Powerful Pro Baseball Portable 3 (Konami) - 27,000 / 187,000
5. [PSP] Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (Capcom) - 26,000 / 2,203,000
6. [NDS] Hisshou Pachinko Pachislot Kouryaku Series DS Vol. 2 CR Shinseki Evangelion ~Shito, Futatabi~ (D3 Publisher) - 22,000
7. [PS3] Dragon Ball Z Burst Limit (Bandai Namco) - 18,000 / 111,000
8. [NDS] Beautiful Letter Training (Nintendo) - 17,000 / 285,000
9. [NDS] DS Yamamura Misa Suspense: Kyoto Murder Files (Tecmo) - 17,000 / 56,000
10. [WII] Mysterious Dungeon: Fuurai no Shiren 3 (Sega) - 14,000 / 73,000
11. [WII] Wii Sports (Nintendo)
12. [NDS] Taiko Drum Master DS: Seven Island Adventure (Bandai Namco)
13. [NDS] Make a Pro Baseball Team (Sega)
14. [WII] Family Trainer (Bandai Namco)
15. [PSP] Valhalla Knights 2 (Marvelous Entertainment)
16. [WII] Wii Play (Nintendo)
17. [NDS] Mario Kart DS (Nintendo)
18. [NDS] We Are Fossil Diggers (Nintendo)
19. [NDS] Pokemon Ranger: Batonnage (Nintendo)
20. [NDS] Empty Space Training (Benesse)
21. [NDS] Demon Detective Nougami Neuro (Marvelous Entertainment)
22. [WII] Link’s Crossbow Training (Nintendo)
23. [NDS] More TOEIC Test Training (IE Institute)
24. [WII] Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Nintendo)
25. [NDS] Endless Frontier: Super Robot Wars OG Saga (Bandai Namco)
26. [NDS] Tottado! Yowiko’s Deserted Island Life (Bandai Namco)
27. [NDS] New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo)
28. [NDS] More Brain Training (Nintendo)
29. [WII] Battalion Wars 2 (Nintendo)
30. [NDS] Pocket Monster Diamond (Nintendo)
Mario Kart DS? Third party DS games in the top 30? Brain Training and Battalion Wars 2, in the same list?! LINK’S CROSSBOW TRAINING?! But that’s impossible! “Casual games” mean the death of “serious games!” Mario Kart DS should have dropped off in sales after the first week, just like GTAIV and Metal Gear Solid 4, because that’s what great video games do!!! What’s going on???
What’s going on is Nintendo has utterly decimated Japan and the industry by appealing to all types of gamers. It’s not casual versus core, because such a dynamic never existed. The streets are paved in old NES carts, I swear.
More info here in a great GigaOm column. And, before you start spinning, folks, realize that nowhere did I say GTA IV or Metal Gear Solid 4: You Are A Spectator were “bad games.” Oops, wait, maybe I just did.
June 19th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
“Metal Gear Solid 4: You Are A Spectator”
So so true. Of course, that was a pus for me. Great story, but still the same crappy game play,IMO.
On Topic: So true.
June 19th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
Yes, this is a great list.
Japan is really different than U.S. - they have a wide range of interests.
It’s not surprising, either that X360 doesn’t show up - Microsoft doesn’t do so hot in that area.
“Casual” games abound!
There really is a major difference in interests - I happen to have similar interests to those of this list as compared to a U.S. list.
“But it’s Japan! That’s not going to matter to us!”
Wrong.
A lot of the games you play now on your DS or Wii were released originally as Japan-only titles, and after a few months, U.S. interest surged - and the demand caused Japan to translate/localize them to us.
Here’s a small list of such games:
Trauma Center: UTK
Phoenix Wright/Apollo Justice
The World Ends With You
Professor Layton and the Curious Village
So Japan is a major factor in determining what can also be a successful game here in the U.S., as well - it just may not be the expected group you think it will succeed in.
June 19th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
“What’s going on is Nintendo has utterly decimated Japan and the industry by appealing to all types of gamers.”
Nintendo is doing very well, agreed…and I know Jack has been rolling lately, but I have to disagree with that last point. Has Nintendo appealed to ALL types of gamers? Absolutely not. Blue ocean rhetoric and sales figures aside, the hardcore Wii gamer is still neglected. That may change at E3, but as it stands now, there is a gaping hole in the Wii library that doesn’t exist on the 360 and PS3 thanks to Bioshock, COD4, RE5, MGS4 and the countless epic, hardcore games available there.
I beat Metroid a long time ago. Same with Zelda and Mario. Okami is on deck, but let’s be honest with ourselves…experiences such as these are still VERY sparse on Wii. Nintendo is dominating, sure…but at what cost?
June 19th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
@Derek
I totally disagree. Nintendo has done an excellent job of making games that appeal to the “hardcore gamer”. You list a few obvious games, but left out the others. Fire Emblem, Battalion Wars 2, Super Mario Strikers Charged, Smash Brothers, Paper Mario, Excite Truck all within a year and a half of the consoles release is pretty damn good. The lack of good third party titles that appeal to the hardcore is the issue.
June 19th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
This is somehow news? This has been common knowledge for a good solid year now. I remember once seeing Nintendo platforms take 45 or 46 titles in the Top Fifty. 40 out of 50 spots is average in Japan. 30 out of 50 spots is a poor week for Nintendo platforms nowadays. It was happening so often that I got sick of writing about it on my LiveJournal. I think Jack The Pro Gamer One has discovered the obvious here.
June 20th, 2008 at 1:04 am
Slow cooker indeed. I’m starting to think only real console owners have a Wii. The though pattern and games that are wanted on the HD console are really looking boring. I keep telling people that catering to multiple gamer types is the best way. By having those games people will always say that they hate so and so company because they release X type of game yet as soon as their game comes out they love them.
If it wasn’t for the hardcore games HD would be very dead and as I predicted HD gamers will go PC pretty soon thanks to PCs getting ports. I’m glad kojima’s game sold so well he’s a great guy but the game is terribly boring. It’s like halo all over again yet with sell sales. GTA4 even out sold MGS4 on the first day. It’s good to see PS3s move though things where getting boring.
June 20th, 2008 at 1:27 am
You rock, Jack.
‘Nuff said.
June 20th, 2008 at 7:45 am
I’ve known that gaming as we know is chaning….Even I am sometimes unwilling to admit it. I have a Wii and I love it, but I sometimes I get that real hardcore gamer itch, to get a ps3 or 360 because of graphics, etc. etc. But I go over to my friends house, and play all the new 360 titles..and I don’t get much rise from those types of games anymore…
Whatever Nintendo is doing, they are doing it right. Third-party developers on the other hand, completely miss the point…However, when they finally ‘get it’ the Wii is going to blow up even more..(hopefully)
June 20th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
I don’t believe the hardcore gamer is neglected on the Wii, just not as catered to as they have been on other systems and in the past. Well, maybe that is neglect, since the system is finally giving everyone attention and not just one specific group.
I’m 20 years old and still watch cartoons. Chowder is very funny depending on the episode. Most cartoons in the states are aimed at kids, but there’s a nice selection that have broad appeal. There’s a scant few aimed at everyone that I love too. Why can’t there be games aimed at everyone that can appeal to everyone? I don’t feel neglected at all, I am used to having more content fly my way that I like, but plenty of this new stuff is great and satisfies a hunger I didn’t know I had in the same way a Vampire’s secret hunger is finally satisfied when they first drink that oh so delicious blood.