GameCube Resurgence Via RPGs? 50
Daetrin writes "GamesAreFun.com is reporting that Namco's Tales of Symphonia RPG for GameCube sold 200,000 copies in its first day of release in Japan. It also reports that Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles for GameCube has sold over 350,000 units since its Japanese release last month. Perhaps the influx of RPGs will help revitalize the low GameCube hardware sales in Japan?" IGN Cube has hands-on impressions of Tales Of Symphonia, and GamesAreFun also mention the "73,000 pre-orders in Japan" for GC farming RPG Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life, which comes complete with a plush cow if you pre-order Stateside.
Re:Free Gift (Score:2, Funny)
No thanks, I prefer my cows more austere.
Re:A stuffed cow? (Score:1, Funny)
Even better, what would it take to get you to stop using them altogether?
Re:A stuffed cow? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:A stuffed cow? (Score:1)
You're right though... my wife does love those cows.....
Every single person (Score:4, Insightful)
But the problem with N64, imho, and with Gamecube (which was instead going the Dreamcast way) was that there are no crappy games produced for the masses, no serial soccer/american football/whatever (like that ugly game series of FIFA and EA sports series).
Normal People love to be able to buy a simple game for a party, yet to be able to access to good games as well, like Gran Turismo.
Long Time Videogame Fandom (which is still an important market) instead likes to be able to buy great games, like Tales of Symphonia and FF: Crystal Cronicles, and sometimes to buy also a party game as well.
If Nintendo wants to be again the number one, they have to lower the prices of SDKs, and win back the hearts of the videogame publishers. But if they want to continue like they are now they can only count on a shrinking fanbase... not everyone wants to play the same game with the same "childish atmosphere" (albeit if they have a "really adult gameplay").
Re:Every single person (Score:3, Interesting)
Stop talking about Normal People like they're a bunch of mindless sheep. You're the mindless sheep, fucking slashbot.
I was not certainly talking about normal people like sheep, but in the videogame userbase you see two patterns:
First one is the "normal people" pattern. They don't read videogame magazine, they don't know who the producers are. What they care however is to
Re:Every single person (Score:1)
As much as the AC resorted to insults, fundamentally, he/she/it is right!
You may have further broken down your stereotypes, but your still lumping the entire console consuming community into 2 categories, its laughable!
Re:Every single person (Score:1)
Well, ok, now you and AC go and fetch figures and try to demonstrate that there is a third force that is interesting to the videogame market, expecially when we are talking about figures of sales that go from 200.000 people upwards. I live in a town that barely makes 5.000 people, and I have a hell of time trying to imagine every household here having 40 gamecubes.
Anyway...
As much as the AC resorted to insults, fu
Re:Every single person (Score:3, Interesting)
I agree with you, that there are effectively 2 forces of video-game-buying people... those who know what they're getting, and those who don't. Those who don't, like you said, don't read magazines, don't look up reviews, and don't care about publishers, or developers. We are th
Re:Every single person (Score:2)
Maybe. Perhaps you need to look at what happened. (Score:5, Interesting)
Nintendo also has the crap games for the masses. They get the EA games the same as the PS2 or Xbox.
So why isn't the GameCube more popular, since they did everything you said to do (except they did it before you posted here)? Because no one cares. They have a PS2 already (single console owners), or they have an Xbox (multiple console owners). Almost everyone who wants a GameCube has one; the rest either don't know they want it because of Nintendo's less than stellar advertising campaign, or will buy the Xbox version.
Soul Calibur 2 and Madden 2004 prove exactly how different the audiences are. Right now, for every 3 PS2s in the North American market, there is 1 GCN and 1 Xbox (numbers aprox: PlayStation 2 18,485,673; Xbox 5,682,847; GameCube 4,429,930).
How are these two games proving this? Madden 2004 came out on all 3 systems the same day. Madden 2004 for the PS2 has sold 35 to 1 versus the GameCube version (it has sold about much better on the Xbox; ~5 to 1). Soul Calibur 2 for the GameCube has sold 5 to 1 verus the PS2 version -- despite the number of potential PS2 Soul Calibur purchasers being 3x the number of GameCube purchasers. It's even managed to sell more than the Xbox version, again even though they Xbox market is bigger.
These numbers tell us a few things. Most people who only own a PS2 only care about the so-called "crap" games for the masses. They are happy with their crap games on their system with slow load times and jaggy picture, even if they could potentially get it better elsewhere.
If they person owns multiple consoles, chances are that the GameCube is a second console; the Xbox or PS2 is the primary. If they Xbox is the primary, they will probably by the Xbox version of multi-platform titles because the Xbox version "will be better." Even if the PS2 is the primary console, chances are the owner will play mainly Nintendo titles on the GameCube because their games come out first on the PS2 compared to the GameCube.
It also tells us that people will buy for the GameCube when there is incentive to. The PS2 and GCN versions of SC2 have PL2 and widescreen; the GCN version also supports 480p. The Xbox triumphs over this with its 720p support and Dolby Digital audio. So why is the GameCube version selling more copies? Because Link's in it, duh!
I think the strong sales of Soul Calibur 2 on the GameCube despite the existance of an Xbox version will show third parties that GameCube titles will sell well when there is a reason to buy them. So far most of what the Xbox and GameCube get for third-party titles are warmed-over PS2 ports. Nintendo is trying to bump up the third-party exclusives because they know that people won't buy those titles in any noticable quantity because of the widely-held belief that, "the Xbox version is always better."
Hopefully this example from Namco will show third-party publishers that simply porting a title is not enough; if they are willing to put in the effort to make each version distinct and worth owning, they will sell more copies than they would've otherwise. If they support the more powerful hardware (Xbox and GameCube) by truly using the features available to them, they will also sell more copies as compared to the PS2 version recompiled and slapped on a mini-DVD.
Time will tell. Hopefully Nintendo will be able to make good on their promise to beat Sony to the 2005 next-gen console launches.
Re:Maybe. Perhaps you need to look at what happene (Score:3, Interesting)
Nintendo has done a lot to win back video game publishers: witness such amazing events as lowered royatly rates, parterships for developing titles (Sega/Namco/Nintendo F-Zero), and farming out franchise characters for use in third-party titles (Link in Soul Calibur 2).
Yes, the lower rates and technological partnerships are something new for Nintendo, but the farming out of franchise character isn't.
Nintendo has already let Mario, Luigi and Zelda to be stars in third
Re:Maybe. Perhaps you need to look at what happene (Score:3, Interesting)
iirc Cervantes is an unlockable character in SC2 (I unlocked most of the characters this weekend so I'm not completely sure, I just know that he's definitely in there).
I'd say the only reason Spawn doesn't feel right in SC2 is because I know he is an out
Re:Maybe. Perhaps you need to look at what happene (Score:2)
Mario is Missing and Mario Typist were "educational" titles (not sure what Missing is educating you on) so it's less of a big deal that they were on the PC. As for the CD-I titles, Nintendo had inked a deal with Phillips to make a SNES CD-ROM drive, but when that deal, like the Sony deal before it, went south, Phillips got
Re:Maybe. Perhaps you need to look at what happene (Score:1)
Don't forget about Square's Super Mario RPG for the SNES. In any case, I think it's too soon to say if this is a trend or not.
Re:Maybe. Perhaps you need to look at what happene (Score:2)
Yep, Cervantes is unlockable, and is every much as bit a bitch as he was in the original Soul Calibur. :)
Link fits in suprisingly well, actually, much better than I had hoped. I think I've had more fun playing him than any other character thus far, becaus
Re:Maybe. Perhaps you need to look at what happene (Score:1)
Or p
Not quite. (Score:2)
That's the point of the paragraph. Soul Calibur 2 is not just selling well because it's a good fighter on a console with few fighting games (Mortal Kombat aside), it's selling even better than expected considering how many multi-console homes are. People are choosing the GameCube version over
Party games? (Score:2)
Three words: Super Smash Brothers
Re:Party games? (Score:1)
Re:Every single person (Score:1)
I think the lack of variety turned off the hardcore audience as well (You can only play the same great titles for so long before you need to move on to another great game). I felt burned by the N64 not because there weren't good games for it, but becau
Farming is fun. Who knew? (Score:5, Informative)
It's impossible to explain this game's charm. You just have to try it.
If you want more information about the Harvest Moon franchise, check out the Harvest Moon Farm [hmfarm.com]. There's a lot of good info there.
Re:Farming is fun. Who knew? (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Farming is fun. Who knew? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Farming is fun. Who knew? (Score:1)
I see how it is... (Score:2)
Thursdae
GAF staffer
If you have a GC you'll play with.... (Score:3, Insightful)
Hype helps selling more consoles, more sold consoles help selling more games... there are maybe a couple of millions of japanese with a GC at home who don't have exactly what I would define as an infinite choice of titles, so say that one out of eight or ten want to play without buying a PS2 and the math is quickly done.
Here comes a shameless karma whore (Score:2, Informative)
PS2 has the titles...baby. (Score:4, Interesting)
Now, If I were into furries and cereal box characters I would have bought a non dvd playable game cube. Nintendo just doesn't have the titles, and even if you have chronicals, I have heard that a gameboy advanced is almost a neccesity...I think I'll stick to the Ps2.
Re:PS2 has the titles...baby. (Score:2, Insightful)
hmmm...
Granted, I bought my PS2 because of Tekken, GT3, and Final Fantasy, but those aren't even the games I currently play on it (well, Final Fantasy 2, but I could've played that on my PS1). I probably won't be buying FFXI (MMO, no thanks), and might wait for FFX-2 and FFXII to drop in price a bit (or maybe wait for a US release of FFIII, if that's ever going to happen), because I hav
Re:PS2 has the titles...baby. (Score:2)
Re:PS2 has the titles...baby. (Score:1)
Well ok I beat the end in 30 minutes because I had the sacred weapons and was pissed that I was killing so called end bosses with single limit break.....ok yes I was really pissed...
But still
The Gamecube doesn't have the titles? (Score:5, Insightful)
I'd say that's enough incentive to buy a Gamecube. It certainly beats buying a system for two games like you did.
Re:The Gamecube doesn't have the titles? (Score:4, Interesting)
All the gamecube really needs is more memory and a better advertising campaign. Maybe Nintendo will get that right next time.
Re:The Gamecube doesn't have the titles? (Score:1)
I'll see that and raise you one. (Score:2)
My sister-in-law bought a Gamecube for one title: Animal Crossing.
Oh, she also got a spare memory card (one comes with AC) and a gameboy.
Re:PS2 has the titles...baby. (Score:1)
Sorry but.. no. (Score:1)
If nintendo really wants to recover its ground it has to do 3
Re:Sorry but.. no. (Score:1)
You know what? Mario maybe 20+ years old, but he still sells very well, no need to retire him. The same goes for the rest of Nintendos characters (Samus, Kirby, Megaman, Link, Capt. Falcon, Pokemon, etc).
Nintendo says in bussiness and is profitable because they sell franchises and characters that Nintendo fans want. Nintendo doesn't need to alienate their existing c