Topic: Amazon Wii Top 10 list for Nov. 27th...surprising...

[Smash_Brother]

For the ending week of Nov. 26th:

1. Rayman: Raving Rabbids—Ubisoft
2. Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz—Sega
3. Red Steel—Ubisoft
4. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess—Nintendo
5. Excite Truck—Nintendo
6. Trauma Center: Second Opinion—Atlus
7. Call of Duty 3—Activision
8. Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam—Activision
9. Madden NFL 07—EA
10. Need for Speed Carbon—EA

I actually think this is good news. Everyone was going to buy Zelda anyway, but it was the fear that "Nintendo owners only buy Nintendo games." which killed much of the Cube's 3rd party chances.

With this list, it's quite clear that 3rd parties are making some serious bank off the Wii, especially with the development costs likely being far lower for Wii games than 360 or PS3.

[ryancoke]

It's surprising to see Rayman at the top. It's a pretty fun game but I haven't seen the buzz for it like I have with Zelda, Red Steel or even Monkeyball.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

More like EVERYBODY ELSE already bought Zelda and Red Steak elsewhere, and these sales lists are just leftovers.

[BranDonk Kong]

Here's the way I see it - these are people's 2nd or 3rd games. Most people bought Zelda when they bought there system at a retail store. I'm sure Amazon has sold 100 times as many games as it has systems.

[couchmonkey]

Quote
Originally posted by: Smash_Brother
For the ending week of Nov. 26th:

I actually think this is good news. Everyone was going to buy Zelda anyway, but it was the fear that "Nintendo owners only buy Nintendo games." which killed much of the Cube's 3rd party chances.

That and Microsoft/Sony moneyhats.  This is good news, in a worst-case scenario it still means third party games are selling pretty well.

[Smash_Brother]

Strong 3rd party sales are a better pull than moneyhats because moneyhats are a one-time deal whereas a strong reputation on a particular console typically ensures solid sales for future franchises and games from that company.

Moneyhats are just a way of saying, "Yeah, no one buys your game our console, but we'll pay you to put it there anyway." It also puts power in the hands of the briber because if they decide to stop throwing moneyhats at the developer and their games don't sell well, then that 3rd party would be SoL for their future games because they don't have a reputation.

Moneyhats are the slippery slope to bankruptcy. Just look at all of the Sega franchises that went to the Xbox to die: Toejam and Earl, Crazy Taxi, Panzer Dragoon...all of those were viable franchises that could have sold well on the right console. Now, Sega can't use them anymore because they took the one-time moneyhat in favor of reestablishing them as sellable franchises on a more suitable console.

[31 Flavas]

Quote
Originally posted by: Smash_Brother

I actually think this is good news. Everyone was going to buy Zelda anyway, but it was the fear that "Nintendo owners only buy Nintendo games." which killed much of the Cube's 3rd party chances.

Well, I dunno about you, but I know the GC was graphically capable of more. When the cube got crappy ports, i'm not surprised they didn't sell as well as Nintendo's first party offerings.

Conversly i'm not surpised that now 3rd Party games ARE selling on Wii since they are bringing not only original content, but putting effort into creating Wii games. Not just, "Oh, well, just make it work."

 

[segagamer12]

>>Crazy Taxi<<


Not true Sega liscended this game to Acclaim who also ported it to GC.


Shenmue was the big game that Mixrosoft paid out the ass for and flopped cuz Xbox wasnt strong enough yet. TJ and E would have sold better on PS2, not GC Nintendo fans still to this day talk trash on TJ and E.

PS2 fans atr least would have appreciated the atmosphere where as Nintendo fans immediiately ripped it for no reason at all.  

[Arbok]

Quote
Originally posted by: segagamer12
TJ and E would have sold better on PS2, not GC Nintendo fans still to this day talk trash on TJ and E.

PS2 fans atr least would have appreciated the atmosphere where as Nintendo fans immediiately ripped it for no reason at all.

Right, because GCN was not the system where Sonic sold best, along with Shadow (which was also torn into by internet Nintendo fans)... You don't think that would have been a prime market for the game?

Regardless, though, I'm pretty glad that franchise is dead, as I never cared for it even during the Genesis days.

[couchmonkey]

Quote
Originally posted by: Smash_Brother
Strong 3rd party sales are a better pull than moneyhats because moneyhats are a one-time deal whereas a strong reputation on a particular console typically ensures solid sales for future franchises and games from that company.

Moneyhats are just a way of saying, "Yeah, no one buys your game our console, but we'll pay you to put it there anyway." It also puts power in the hands of the briber because if they decide to stop throwing moneyhats at the developer and their games don't sell well, then that 3rd party would be SoL for their future games because they don't have a reputation.

Moneyhats are the slippery slope to bankruptcy. Just look at all of the Sega franchises that went to the Xbox to die: Toejam and Earl, Crazy Taxi, Panzer Dragoon...all of those were viable franchises that could have sold well on the right console. Now, Sega can't use them anymore because they took the one-time moneyhat in favor of reestablishing them as sellable franchises on a more suitable console.

Ah, but moneyhats can also be used to say, "Look, we want Nintendo to fail."  I've heard from Sean Malstrom on theWiikly that his industry friends (lol very reliable) have seen MS pay publishers not to port multiplatform games to GameCube.  When I look at how Eidos suddenly came back on the GameCube scene this year - AFTER Xbox stopped competing with GameCube - I really have to wonder.  It could also explain a lot of other odd things that have happened during the past console war - like Sega constantly porting games to other consoles where they inevitably do worse.

Usually I'm not one for conspiracy theories, but I've heard so many bad things about the industry over the past few years...ask them to stoop and they say, "How low?"  I question everything now.</conspiracy>

With that conspiracy theoried, I totally agree that getting a big install base and having strong third party sales is the anti-moneyhat.  If my conspiracy theory were correct, you'd note that Microsoft didn't bribe publishers to skip PS2 - probably because it would just cost way too much money.  If Wii becomes really popular (and bearing in mind how cheap it is to develop for), it won't be worth it for publishers to take bribes.  

[Smash_Brother]

TJ&E should have been on the GC because Sega mascot characters had already been doing immensely well on the GC. Sega's biggest problem was forcing their remaining fanbase to divide up among the three consoles. Ultimately, that's what hurt them so badly. If they had just picked one and stuck with it, they wouldn't be in this fix.

Imagine if Nintendo went 3rd party instead of Sega, released Mario on the Dreamcast, Metroid on the Xbox and LoZ on the PS2. Nintendo fans would need to buy all three consoles if they intended to still play their favorite franchises. Obviously, that would cost an assload of money, so the compromise would likely be to only pick your favorite and go with that console.

Quote
Originally posted by: couchmonkey With that conspiracy theoried, I totally agree that getting a big install base and having strong third party sales is the anti-moneyhat.  If my conspiracy theory were correct, you'd note that Microsoft didn't bribe publishers to skip PS2 - probably because it would just cost way too much money.  If Wii becomes really popular (and bearing in mind how cheap it is to develop for), it won't be worth it for publishers to take bribes.

Wow, I had never heard of them paying companies to not release multiplatform games on the GC...that's low. But it doesn't surprise me. This is, after all, a completely cutthroat industry.

Nintendo said they wanted to differentiate themselves with the Wii and I at first believed that to be only for advertising purposes because many people last gen didn't know that an "Xbox" and a "Gamecube" were different consoles. However, with the Wiimote, developers making a game specifically for the Wii would be much harder to convince to not release the game, especially since they basically would need to pay them to not release the game at all if it was built around a concept which won't work with a regular controller.

Nintendo's solution was to just be something so different that it confuses their competitors and delights their developers. So far, it's working.

[The Omen]

I have firsthand information on Microsoft and their moneyhat syndrome.  At a huge 3rd party I worked for, there were constant jokes made like "Ooooh, better not upset Microsoft and release ***** ***** for GC, day and date".  The day and date thing was always what struck me as funny, that they'd be willing to basically pay for 6 months or so of exclusivity(is this even a word?), but it worked.  I remember hearing rumblings from those of us that worked with GC ports for the majority of the time that MS had it in for Nintendo because they tried to buy them out and couldn't.  So the rumor was one of the MS guys that visited on a semi-regular basis would make jokes about crushing Nintendo, or mocking their lack of so and so game because the Xbox had it.

I also remember me thinking it was all fun and games at the time, but it's appearing that there was more than met the eye going on.

[JonLeung]

Howard Philips and Ken Lobbs, both very vocal Nintendo employees, both moved on to Microsoft.

Why the major change of heart?  Money, most likely.

If money can buy people, it can buy games.  And the absence of games for the competition.

[Smash_Brother]

I like what Nintendo did: they know they can't compete with money so they chose instead to compete with innovation and it has yet to fail them.

[couchmonkey]

I have to agree.  I used to think Nintendo was wimping out, but now I think this is the only way to turn things around and remain profitable.

[NWR_pap64]

BUMP!

This is an updated version of the list, this time it includes the best sellers in the US, Japan and the UK.

These are the top selling Wii games in the US:
1. Rayman: Raving Rabbids (Ubisoft),
2. Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz (Sega),
3. Madden NFL 07 (EA Sports),
4. Red Steel (Ubisoft),
5. Excite Truck (Nintendo).

Link with the rest of the info.

Note that they say one of the reasons these games are selling well is because Zelda has been sold out for a while, but still it is good to see the third party games do so well.

[Smash_Brother]

I still want to see actual numbers.

Shame I can't find them anywhere...