• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Japan is lining up again, this time for Pokémon XY!

B

Bronetta

Ask me about the moon landing or the temperature at which jet fuel burns. You may be surprised at what you learn.
Exokell said:
Do Japanese people love to play the same game over and over? Monster hunter and pokemon sequels have so little difference with their predecessor.
Click to expand...

How is it any different from Americans buying Call of Duty and Madden every year?
 
E

ExigentContact

Member
Exokell said:
Do Japanese people love to play the same game over and over? Monster hunter and pokemon sequels have so little difference with their predecessor.
Click to expand...

It's funny that you're specifically talking about MH4 and Pokemon X and Y, which both brought their share of significant changes to the core mechanics of their respective franchises.

But yes, iterative game design remains a common element of incredibly popular franchises, even here in the west. Otherwise what can you say for the sustained popularity of Call of Duty, Madden, and even Grand Theft Auto? If it ain't broke, don't fix it, or the adage says.
 
W

wmlk

Member
Exokell said:
Do Japanese people love to play the same game over and over? Monster hunter and pokemon sequels have so little difference with their predecessor.
Click to expand...

Gaming is more communal in Japan, hence these games sell well.

Of course, sequels are nice too.
 
R

Riki

Member
Exokell said:
Do Japanese people love to play the same game over and over? Monster hunter and pokemon sequels have so little difference with their predecessor.
Click to expand...

Only in the sense that any sequel is the same as the previous game.
Which often means they're fairly different.
 
A

Angel Whispers

Member
Vire said:
Let's take a look at software sales for 3DS so far.

The highest title which has been out for 2 years now, has 8 million units sold. (Super Mario 3D Land)

3DS software sales aren't there yet. Hopefully, with Pokemon, Zelda A Link Between Two Worlds and Smash coming, the install base will grow.

New Super Mario Bros 2 saw an absolutely massive drop off (From 30 Million to 6). And probably rightfully so, nothing was added in that game.
Click to expand...

Bolding this part, because people who say this ought to have their ignorance pointed out to them. It hasn't dropped off. I also feel that where Nintendo are concerned, we need to get away from all this rubbish about one week/month/quarter's figures, because for them, it isn't about that. It's about the long haul. They've said as much themselves. I will leave this post from another thread here:

Angel Whispers said:
NSMB is a very popular series, with more potential for growth. NeoGAF's naysayers are extremely unaware of are the following points; I will address them here.

Many on here are extremely ignorant of their 'Evergreen' approach, which was more since the 7th Generation. That is to say that these games aren't titles which everybody typically buys on Day One, although some will - They are rather games that will continue to sell for the duration of the console's life cycle and beyond (thanks to backwards compatibility and digital distribution), and will most probably be on the 'must play lists' for those who bite on their games consoles. I am not saying that they will reach the same heights. I am rather suggesting that it is better to wait until the 9th Generation consoles release before writing anything off - To do so at this point is extreme folly and abysmal form. It's also rather bizarre, preposterous and dumb.

NSMB2 is actually a faster-selling entry than the record-breaking DS game. In 2008, two years after its release, NSMB on the DS had sold 5 million copies Worldwide. In 2009, it had sold 18 million; that's a further 13 million copies, and without a price reduction - I think you can agree that this is a beastly level of growth for ANY game in its third year. Every development and publishing house in this industry would give limbs for that, and more. Since 2009, it has sold over 12 million more copies, and in March 2013, we learned that it had eclipsed the 30 million mark. That game has been out for over seven years. I would put it to you again that every publisher in the games industry would give their limbs and the entire kitchen, not just the sink to have games perform as well as that from their fourth year onwards. Now, consider that NSMB2 has been out on the 3DS for just over a year, and launched on a system with a higher user base than the Wii U has currently. Consider that NSMBU hasn't even been out for one year, that it launched about three months after NSMB2, and is the only entry which was a launch title. Now imagine what is possible for both by March 2019.

Furthermore, 6.42 million was as of March 2013, and eight months after its launch. We know that since then, the 3DS replaced the X360 as the best selling console in North America, and the game still sells now. Not so unthinkable, then, that when the 2DS launches, and as more people buy a 2DS or 3DS, or when both hit that £99 point of entry, more people might want to play that game once they've bitten. For the third time, I would put it to you that every developer and publishing house would LOVE to be in a position where their games can provide plenty of bread and butter over long and often challenging stretches.

Simply put, what these games accomplish on a single platform is nothing short of outstanding - NSMB is bigger than COD and GTA in those respects, and that's why I laugh hard in the faces of those who spew the Doom Narrative. It isn't about one week's worth of sales for Nintendo. It's about the long haul. 6.42 million without an official price reduction is still a hell of a lot more than what plenty of games ever accomplished across the PS360 consoles combined, breaking even at lower number barriers and achieving more than enough to justify new entries.

Oh, and NSMBU is a lot closer to Super Mario World than SMB3. On a personal note, I would hope for more in the way of Switch Palaces and secret exits, levels and stages. I would also hope that future handheld versions have the Koopalings, or more bosses such as Mouser, Tryclyde and the Reznors. If the trailers are anything to go by, Super Mario 3D World appears to be delivering heavily in this area.

Now, to address the art style - I don't understand why these games are beaten with this stick on the Internet, and feel that this is very much undeserved. As far as I've noted, very few say this about Super Mario All-Stars, which, to my mind, is a very similar case. I don't disagree that a new art direction would be welcome, but these games are primarily a throwback to the originals, and above all... they're STILL lots of fun to play!! They're also more about the level designs, which are, for me, some of the tightest in the 2D series, especially in NSMBU. Each of the NSMB games plays differently, too, but it appears that few can actually look beyond the art style to think about that, and I feel that this is unfortunate. Let us hope that Super Mario 3D World's showcase will provide even greater platforms for more ideas to be realised in future NSMB entries.
Click to expand...

Similarly, one would imagine that Pokemon games can, and will do well over the 3DS's life cycle, but I don't understand why some people crow over these numbers, or take pleasure in some games not performing brilliantly. Your favourite band doesn't always reach #1 in the charts, but I would hope that it doesn't make you enjoy their music any less. Ditto computer games.
 
D

Darryl

Banned
WillyFive said:
So they are losing kids as an audience, but the audience that they had before seems to be staying as they grow older?
Click to expand...

it could also be an effect of the older audience lingering around at the end of a console generation kind of thing while kids move on to the new hotness
 
Vire

Vire

Member
Angel Whispers said:
Bolding this part, because people who say this ought to have their ignorance pointed out to them. It hasn't dropped off. I also feel that where Nintendo are concerned, we need to get away from all this rubbish about one week/month/quarter's figures, because for them, it isn't about that. It's about the long haul. They've said as much themselves. I will leave this post from another thread here:
Click to expand...

Sorry, you aren't convincing me that New Super Mario Bros 2 is a quality game or will sell as much as the original.

Just isn't happening.

That game is probably the most disappointing product Nintendo has put out in the last decade.
 
N

NewGame

Banned
Australia had ~300 people (10pm status) in front of EB Games Swanson Street, Melbourne waiting for the midnight release.
 
C

chadboban

Member
Vire said:
That would require New Super Mario Bros 2 to actually be good to continue to sell like that.


Because Midnight Launch threads are usually about the number of people lined up outside? Equating to sales?
Click to expand...

But you were pretty much wrong about NSMB2 not selling as well as NSMB as it is currently outpacing NSMB sales in the same amount of time. But as you've said, I doubt we'll see that insane spike in sales that happened between 2008 and 2009 happen for NSMB2.

Now can we please stop this discussion, I never thought that coming into this thread would have me searching sales data for NSMB of all things.
 
D

Darryl

Banned
Sats said:
See?

People keep saying this.

this is gonna be big
Click to expand...

check stuff like google trends, shit is huge. pokemon as a franchise is hardly on a decline or anything. for the first iteration on a console, this looks like it is going to be very big
 
Vire

Vire

Member
mhayze said:
When was that, last year?
Click to expand...

oooooh.gif
 
R

Riki

Member
Nintendo of America ‏@NintendoAmerica

Congrats to Jeff and Debbie who just got engaged at the #PokemonXY launch event at @Nintendo_World!

BWWAPHXIYAAkegs.jpg
 
K

Kangi

Member
Riki said:
Nintendo of America ‏@NintendoAmerica

Congrats to Jeff and Debbie who just got engaged at the #PokemonXY launch event at @Nintendo_World!

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BWWAPHXIYAAkegs.jpg[IMG][/QUOTE]

How um... romantic.
Click to expand...
 
E

Exokell

Banned
I don't see a Fuck ton of American people lining up for madden or call of duty. Anyway first pokemon was released like in the 90s, franchises usually lose their popularity. I could understand kids right now playing their first pokemon. But from the pics I see 20 to 30yr olds. Don't they get sick of the same Shit?
 
Y

Yamauchi

Banned
ExigentContact said:
I highly doubt it's even $30 million with marketing budget factored in. Game Freak is 90 people, of which about 80 actually worked on X and Y, with a few people from the Treehouse to do faster localization. Sure, it's the first time Pokemon has done 3D graphics, but even that was relatively simple and humble versus what the system can really pull off. Considering that games like Uncharted and Gears of War 2 had budgets in the 10-20 million range with marketing factored in, I'd have to guess that X and Y had a budget under ten million. Maybe even under five, but that might be selling it a bit short.

And these games are guaranteed to rake in incredibly handsome profits day one and beyond for at least a year or two.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I thought I might have been high-balling it a bit. I remember Shenmue cost $10 million, and wages have not changed in Japan since that time (unlike in the US). So yeah, I think $10 million or less would be more realistic.
 
E

ExigentContact

Member
NewGame said:
It's also pretty striking that people aren't just downloading the game. It's available same day yeah?
Click to expand...
Yeah, but Nintendo's digital market is only just starting to grow. To be fair the slice of eShop sales that Nintendo does get is pretty staggering considering that Nintendo is very new to digitally distributing their traditionally physical games and that they're so much more expensive that iOS or smaller eShop offerings, but for the time being, people tend to prefer having a cartridge.

Still, Nintendo has to be happy with the extra bank they've been making on the eShop.
 
A

AniHawk

Member
oh wait this is tomorrow.

totally forgot it was a worldwide launch. so used to seeing hugeass lines in japan and then waiting months to get something here.
 
Vire

Vire

Member
NewGame said:
It's also pretty striking that people aren't just downloading the game. It's available same day yeah?
Click to expand...

It's not really surprising at all considering how bad Nintendo's 3DS digital policy is.

Lose/Break your 3DS? Oops! All your games are gone.
 
R

Riki

Member
Exokell said:
I don't see a Fuck ton of American people lining up for madden or call of duty. Anyway first pokemon was released like in the 90s, franchises usually lose their popularity. I could understand kids right now playing their first pokemon. But from the pics I see 20 to 30yr olds. Don't they get sick of the same Shit?
Click to expand...
This is the problem. It's not "the same shit".
Every Pokemon game has been a great game. Plus, each one adds a substantial amount of new stuff. Not just new Pokemon, but new items and moves and areas and all that.
And X/Y look to be the freshest in the series by far.
So of course long time fans will be buying this game. Why is that surprising?
 
Vire

Vire

Member
Riki said:
This is the problem. It's not "the same shit".
Every Pokemon game has been a great game. Plus, each one adds a substantial amount of new stuff. Not just new Pokemon, but new items and moves and areas and all that.
And X/Y look to be the freshest in the series by far.
So of course long time fans will be buying this game. Why is that surprising?
Click to expand...

That's debatable, Ruby and Saphire were pretty poor coming in my book. Especially coming off Gold/Silver...

Also, freshest with the least amount of new Pokemon?
 
C

chicagocubsfan

Member
Exokell said:
I don't see a Fuck ton of American people lining up for madden or call of duty. Anyway first pokemon was released like in the 90s, franchises usually lose their popularity. I could understand kids right now playing their first pokemon. But from the pics I see 20 to 30yr olds. Don't they get sick of the same Shit?
Click to expand...

It's not the same "shit", and new generations don't come out every year. Learn your facts buddy.
 
T

Tusk

Member
Vire said:
It's not really surprising at all considering how bad Nintendo's 3DS digital policy is.

Lose/Break your 3DS? Oops! All your games are gone.
Click to expand...

Not everyone cares about that though.
People just like physical versions, y'know.
They also like to go out and hang with other fans of the game, even if they're random people they'd probably never see again. :p
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Vanillaware ran out of money for Unicorn Overlord’s development (as they did for 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim)
News Game Dev 2 3 4
187
9K
Shake Your Rump replied
Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio (Yakuza, Judgment) will have another announcement in 2024
46
2K
The Cockatrice replied
Japanese Police Arrest 36-Year-Old Man on Suspicion of Tampering With Pokémon Violet Save Data
2
69
4K
poppabk replied
'Nobody likes to sue fans', says former Pokémon Company top lawyer
Community
22
2K
ahtlas7 replied
Tetris: The Grand Master is the hardest Tetris game officially coming to consoles for the first time
Platform
27
2K
Bogard replied
Top Bottom