Topic: Fils-Aime: 'Other M Should Be a Million Unit Title'

[NWR_pap64]

The Nintendo of America President ponders about the future of the series.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/24455

Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime expressed his concerns regarding the future of Metroid: Other M's sales. He expressed that the tile "should be a million unit title" in an interview with Kotaku.

"We're not going to get there, not through the holiday," he said. "And we are doing a lot of thinking as to why. Because it's a great game. The consumer reaction because of the quality has been strong. We're doing a lot of thinking about why we didn't get there. I think the marketing was strong, advertising was very good, the social media we did was very positive."

The title has sold around half a million copies in North America, and despite the bleak outlook for the title, Fils-Aime believes that the Metroid franchise still has a future. 

"I'm not going to sit here and criticize a style of the game," he said. "But have I read the same feedback that said, broadly, that the portrayal of Samus felt different than how the player in the past had internalized the character? I've heard and read the same feedback. Do I think it's warranted or not? I'm not quite sure yet... I don't yet believe that that is the driving factor to the performance of the game."

Metroid: Other M has received criticisms regarding how the character of Samus was portrayed. In our review of the title, Zachary Miller expressed that the writing was weak, but that the overall gameplay was solid.

[NWR_pap64]

If you guys allow to chip my two cents in... Did Nintendo really believe in Other M? I mean, when Retro did the Prime series Nintendo didn't do that much of a hullabaloo about it. Sure there were trailers and reveals, but from the way they are expressing themselves about Other M's failure its like the games that came before it mean nothing. Is it because the title was developed in Japan and thus was a title for the Japanese audience?


I think the reception of Other M might be historic, along with Wii Music. I've never seen a game receive this much hatred and cause this much anger in BOTH sides of the argument. Believe me, I have seen this title being defended with the same tenacity as the haters.

[Plugabugz]

The thing with the Prime Trilogy is that Retro's talents were so good it sold itself. In exactly the same way how DKCR is getting it.

[GoldenPhoenix]

If you guys allow to chip my two cents in... Did Nintendo really believe in Other M? I mean, when Retro did the Prime series Nintendo didn't do that much of a hullabaloo about it. Sure there were trailers and reveals, but from the way they are expressing themselves about Other M's failure its like the games that came before it mean nothing. Is it because the title was developed in Japan and thus was a title for the Japanese audience?


I think the reception of Other M might be historic, along with Wii Music. I've never seen a game receive this much hatred and cause this much anger in BOTH sides of the argument. Believe me, I have seen this title being defended with the same tenacity as the haters.

Um Fusion? Seriously people get a bit rabid and silly in their hatred just like they did with Fusion or any other game that they feel does not stack up to prior games in the series (Super Mario Sunshine, and Twilight Princess come to mind as well) while still being very good games in their own right. Also Nintendo marketed the first two Prime games like crazy (especially Prime 2), they were trying to make it a Halo killer which was a silly goal IMO.

[Jonnyboy117]

Corruption didn't do all that well either. This has nothing to do with the quality of either title, and it certainly isn't a result of the crappy writing, voice acting, or any other specific criticism you want to make.


The reason is actually pretty simple, and I'm surprised that Nintendo of America claims to be so puzzled. Metroid can't sell a million units for the same reason that so many other high-quality, complex, adult-oriented games have performed below expectations on Wii. Nintendo didn't establish the platform as a strong destination for such games in the first place. Before Other M, what was the last first-party Wii game with a similar level of design complexity and seriousness of tone? All I can think of is Corruption itself, released three years earlier. It's no wonder that gamers aren't looking for these kinds of titles on Wii!

[GoldenPhoenix]

Corruption didn't do all that well either. This has nothing to do with the quality of either title, and it certainly isn't a result of the crappy writing, voice acting, or any other specific criticism you want to make.


The reason is actually pretty simple, and I'm surprised that Nintendo of America claims to be so puzzled. Metroid can't sell a million units for the same reason that so many other high-quality, complex, adult-oriented games have performed below expectations on Wii. Nintendo didn't establish the platform as a strong destination for such games in the first place. Before Other M, what was the last first-party Wii game with a similar level of design complexity and seriousness of tone? All I can think of is Corruption itself, released three years earlier. It's no wonder that gamers aren't looking for these kinds of titles on Wii!

That's a good point, isn't Other M pacing sales wise to Corruption? Maybe it is time Metroid went back to handhelds.

[Ian Sane]

So has Reggie actually played this game or any of the Metroid before it?  This title DESERVES to bomb.  It is ****.  It's a dumbed down linear action game with only the most superficial resemblance to the Metroid series and it has laughable fan-fiction level storytelling.

If Nintendo is having any second thoughts about the future of the Metroid series after this then they're fucking idiots.  They took out everything that made Metroid special in the first place.  This has nothing to do with the marketability or selling power of Metroid because this is not a good game.  When you don't do a good job you cannot make any assumptions about anything else.  The product failed because you failed at making a good product.  Now go out there and make a GOOD Metroid and then we can talk.

This isn't selling poorly because it's Metroid.  It is selling poorly specifically because it is Metroid: Other M.

Is Metroid going to turn out like Star Fox?

[Ian Sane]

The reason is actually pretty simple, and I'm surprised that Nintendo of America claims to be so puzzled. Metroid can't sell a million units for the same reason that so many other high-quality, complex, adult-oriented games have performed below expectations on Wii. Nintendo didn't establish the platform as a strong destination for such games in the first place. Before Other M, what was the last first-party Wii game with a similar level of design complexity and seriousness of tone? All I can think of is Corruption itself, released three years earlier. It's no wonder that gamers aren't looking for these kinds of titles on Wii!

That makes sense and, hey, either way Nintendo has no one but themselves to blame.
 
But I really think that the quality of game makes it difficult to jump to any other conclusions.  Third parties get all pissy whenever one of their games doesn't perform well on the Wii.  But 99% of the time that game in question is not a good game!  They're all pointing their fingers at the userbase or the console's image but what about the game they made?  They act like their game is entitled to sell well.  If it is not a good game it doesn't deserve anything.  Make a great game, give it a decent marketing push and if it bombs then form conclusions from that.  But unless you make a product that deservs to sell you've got nowhere to look but at yourself.
 
Yeah, the Wii is largely associated as the system for casuals and kids and that the target market for this game might not pay any attention to the Wii.  But this still is not a good game.  Does it deserve to be a million unit title?  I say no, regardless of what system it is released for.

[xcwarrior]

This one didn't make much sense to me. I saw more commercials for it than I do for most Wii games. It had a hot chick in it. Yet it didn't sell. I really don't think most people read reviews, they just buy on impulse.

Considering sales of other female heroines that aren't Lara Croft, maybe they are better off just showing scenes of her in the suit? Too late obviously, but I thought this would at least sell a million.

Still need to try it in order to cast my own judgment.

[Halbred]

I don't think Tomb Raider games sell well these days, either. I think Underworld performed pretty terribly, despite it being incredibly pretty and (my opinion) very fun.

[Stogi]

I haven't played it but I think it's because it seemed to focus on things metroid is not about, e.g., fighting and storytelling. This isn't Ninja Gaiden.

[Mop it up]

Yes Reggie, the problem is the weak story. Now, sure, most Nintendo games have weak stories, but most also rarely have the story be a focal point of the game. I just hope they don't take away from this that people don't want storytelling in games, but rather, they want something better.

[jimwood27]

everyone needs to stop pretending that Metroid has ever been a HUGE franchise that guaranteed a million sales no matter what.  its always 'Mario, Zelda, and Metroid' when someone mentions Nintendo but Metroid has never really held up to the others.  The first Prime is the best selling game in the series, which has DOUBLE the sales of the much-revered Super Metroid.  Corruption also has more sales.  Hard to blame the situation on the image of the Wii (or the 'kiddy' Gamecube).


the lower-than-expected sales also cant be blamed on story or bad voice-acting because someone would have to play (and presumably buy) the game to be exposed to these since there was no demo.  sure, those are reasons why people who did play the game now detest it but people who didnt play the game cannot comment on it.  true, the word of mouth was far from great, and this could have had a negative affect on sales, but only to those who spend time reading and writing comments like we are.


it all comes down to Metroid being much more of a niche franchise than people are willing to admit.  the series has rarely done well in Japan and has only seen marginal success in the west.  people claim they want more hardcore titles on the Wii but truth is they really dont because we would see better sales otherwise.

[bofabses]

This was one of the only big Nintendo "first party" games in recent years that I was concerned about purchasing it. Right there is a sign of how well it is going sell. I have no doubt that I will be picking up DKCR day one.

If it had come out on N64 it would have sold millions upon millions.

[Ian Sane]

people claim they want more hardcore titles on the Wii but truth is they really dont because we would see better sales otherwise.

Why would I care about sales?  All I care about is if games I like get made.  My only concern is that those games sell well enough to encourage future creation of those types of games.
 

 the lower-than-expected sales also cant be blamed on story or bad voice-acting because someone would have to play (and presumably buy) the game to be exposed to these since there was no demo.  sure, those are reasons why people who did play the game now detest it but people who didnt play the game cannot comment on it.  true, the word of mouth was far from great, and this could have had a negative affect on sales, but only to those who spend time reading and writing comments like we are.

As Metroid does not have the same level of widespread appeal that Mario and Zelda do I would argue that poor word of mouth would have more of an effect on its sales.  The sort of people that play Metroid games are probably more likely to be the sort of people that look at reviews and go on videogame forums and stuff like that.  If you're not on the internet checking out videogame news and reviews odds are you don't know about Metroid and don't give a **** about it to begin.  It isn't like Mario where Joe Blow walks by the game at Best Buy and thinks "hey, why not?"  You kind of have to be hip to games to know about Metroid in the first place and if that's the case you know about the flaws of Other M.

[King of Twitch]

Corruption didn't do all that well either. This has nothing to do with the quality of either title, and it certainly isn't a result of the crappy writing, voice acting, or any other specific criticism you want to make.

The reason is actually pretty simple, and I'm surprised that Nintendo of America claims to be so puzzled. Metroid can't sell a million units for the same reason that so many other high-quality, complex, adult-oriented games have performed below expectations on Wii. Nintendo didn't establish the platform as a strong destination for such games in the first place. Before Other M, what was the last first-party Wii game with a similar level of design complexity and seriousness of tone? All I can think of is Corruption itself, released three years earlier. It's no wonder that gamers aren't looking for these kinds of titles on Wii!

This is crazy talk. jimwood27 on the other hand knows what is up.

[Mop it up]

people claim they want more hardcore titles on the Wii but truth is they really dont because we would see better sales otherwise.

It seems more like people changing the definition of terms, as many of Nintendo's games that were once considered "hardcore" like Mario are now called "casual."

[NWR_insanolord]

Anyone calling Mario games casual has obviously never tried to get 120 stars.

[MagicCow64]

I agree that Other M deserved to sell poorly because it was a misconceived piece of junk. It didn't even look good, as for some reason many reviews claimed as a saving grace. I almost couldn't believe it when I saw those ridiculous lava men for the first time. Really, some of the worst art design I've ever seen in a flagship title from Nintendo.

Like movie reviews, however, I don't think the press ratings had any effect on the sales outcome. The Jaws videogame was a million seller. So is Carnival Games. The Wii is five years old, and despite the raw sales numbers most people who own the console never bought a second game for it. Thems the breaks. The true injustice is that games that were among the best of the generation (looking at you Zack and Wiki and Little King's Story) fizzled. This is partly due to the Wii's core appeal and partly due to the way the video game industry has changed. But, unlike the Hollywood paradigm that the megapublishers are trying so hard to emulate, the video game industry has not figured out a way to create space for niche or independent games outside of $10 downloadable Wiiware or Xbox Live titles. Other M is just a rare case of individual justice aligning with universal injustice. Kind of like recent Tom Cruise movies!

[NWR_insanolord]

Pointing to the sales of things like Carnival Games is the wrong angle to take here. Carnival Games didn't sell to us; it sold to casuals. Casuals don't buy Metroid games, regardless of their quality. Metroid sells, predominantly, to people like us, who pay attention to reviews and word of mouth, and those have been, at best, mixed.

[ThePerm]

yeah, what is it with people in Japan making products with terrible stories?

I'll excuse Manga-ka, cus they do have good stories, but everything else seems like a pale imitation of their work and the work of Akira Kurosawa

[Shaymin]

Reggie thought EBA should have been hot too, as I recall. So his batting average on these things is .500.

[Guitar Smasher]

Metroid sells, predominantly, to people like us, who pay attention to reviews and word of mouth, and those have been, at best, mixed.

Actually, I'd argue that that word-of-mouth is way more critical to selling to 'casuals'.  They aren't going to care what some snobby game reviewer geek thinks about a game, but they will pay attention to what their friends are playing.

Not that this applies to this particular game, which is clearly designed to be casual "unfriendly".  I'm making the comment to combat the notion that 'casuals' will buy anything they see on the store shelf.

[King of Twitch]

Not that this applies to this particular game, which is clearly designed to be casual "unfriendly"

Are you saying OM was not designed to appeal to new gamers? But then why did they only include....

*head explodes*

[Jonnyboy117]

Less informed consumers are more likely to be influenced by marketing.