Support NeoGAF

[Pie and Beans]

so we're good right? you agree the title is apt?

Well to be fair that German chart is all of 2012, not just December, not sure if we've been given the normal German chart this week actually. But yeah, the people after your balls for this is classic shameful defence force stuff.

 

[Father_Brain]

Dude, don't take it personally. It was poor phrasing, whoever coined it. That is all.

This is a sales thread. If this were a "Vita Software in 2013" thread, you might have a point, but here, I really don't think I need to append an asterisk saying:

*although there are still qualitatively good games coming

every time.

 

[radioheadrule83]

New Nintendo console releases for holiday season, new Mario game is not on top 100 charts.

It doesn't exactly look as good as people were expecting I think.

Totally depends on sales in the Top 100 though. It's unlikely that Germany significantly differed from UK sales, if anything - they may have been slightly better - but the top 100 we're looking at here is for the whole year, and as posters pointed out those sales milestones in parenthesis are lower limits.

Wii U was on sale for about 3.5 weeks in that time. If bundles are included in the charts and number 100 is say ~30-50k, then you would want to see NintendoLand charting at the very least (as it should have, in theory, done better than Mario) -- if however they're not included, then how bad it is depends on how well the #100 game sold.

In any case Vita has been on sale in Germany for 43/44 weeks, 40 weeks more than Wii-U, it's in its first Christmas too and that's not charting in the top 100 either.

 

[liger05]

Totally depends on sales in the Top 100 though. It's unlikely that Germany significantly differed from UK sales, if anything - they may have been slightly better - but the top 100 we're looking at here is for the whole year, and as posters pointed out those sales milestones in parenthesis are lower limits.

Wii U was on sale for about 3.5 weeks in that time. If bundles are included in the charts and number 100 is say ~50k, then you would want to see NintendoLand charting at the very least (as it should have, in theory, done better than Mario) -- if however they're not included, then how bad it is depends on how well the #100 game sold.

In any case Vita has been on sale in Germany for 43/44 weeks, 40 weeks more than Wii-U, it's in its first Christmas too and that's not charting in the top 100 either.

Isnt Europe Sony Land and Vita would of been expected to do a lot better because of that?

 

[electroplankton]

Besides Blue Wing Blitz, were any of the Square Enix games for Wonderwan (and Wonderswan Color) anything than ports? Above here you talk about that ports, niche games and spin-offs are abysmal support, how come Square Enix's Wondeswan support was nice in comparison?

Back then, Final Fantasy portings were quite big, as well as Chocobo spin-off. Now you have Final Fantasy everywhere, but in 2000 the series was at its peak, and handheld portings were a new thing. On WS, Square also had Hanjuku Hero and Front Mission that were series above the 100k mark. So yes, WS had a better support than Vita from Square.

 

[crinale]

Besides Blue Wing Blitz (most likely a niche game), were any of the Square Enix games for Wonderwan (and Wonderswan Color) anything than ports? Above here you talk about that ports, niche games and spin-offs are abysmal support, how come Square Enix's Wondeswan support was nice in comparison?

The sole reason Square Enix was supporting Wonderswan was that they were banned from Nintendo hardware.
As soon as they are "forgiven" by Yamauchi they have cancelled FF3 port to Wonderswan right away.

 

[SmokyDave]

This is a sales thread. If this were a "Vita Software in 2013" thread, you might have a point, but here, I really don't think I need to append an asterisk saying:

*although there are still qualitatively good games coming

every time.

That doesn't mean we shouldn't make a little effort to communicate clearly.

I'm obviously not the only one confused by this as test_account replied "I wouldnt say abysmal 3rd party support in Japan. The Vita actually has many 3rd party games coming, even if they arent huge sellers".

 

[test_account]

Back then, Final Fantasy portings were quite big, as well as Chocobo spin-off. Now you have Final Fantasy everywhere, but in 2000 the series was at its peak, and handheld portings were a new thing. On WS, Square also had Hanjuku Hero and Front Mission that were series above the 100k mark. So yes, WS had a better support than Vita from Square.

That could be, but they are still ports. Same with Hanjuku Hero and Front Mission, those are enhanced ports from Super Famicom. Many of the Vita ports doesnt excist everywhere else either, even if they are not on the same level as Final Fantasy games in terms of popularity.

It was better in terms of numbers of games for sure, but i feel there is a pretty big jump between "nice support" and "abysmal support". If both systems have the same conditions (getting ports, spin-offs and niche games), i feel that the situation should be comparable, meaning that both would be in the same ballpark as "nice support" or "abysmal support", in my opinion.

How much did the Wonderswan games sell by the way?

The sole reason Square Enix was supporting Wonderswan was that they were banned from Nintendo hardware.
As soon as they are "forgiven" by Yamauchi they have cancelled FF3 port to Wonderswan right away.

Is this true? At first i thought you were joking, but looking at the Square released games, i dont see a single N64 or Gameboy Color game, so it made me wonder.

 

[crinale]

Is this true? At first i thought you were joking, but looking at the Enix released games, i dont see a single N64 game, so it made me wonder.

I'm not even joking at all. It was actually Square that shoot their own feet, though.
After stunning success of FF7 they openly, well, "dissed" N64 for not having CD-ROM drive, and Nintendo took it as an insult (which I agree).

Then few years later Nintendo has successfully launched GBA, but Final Fantasies were not released, not even ports. When current SE's CEO Yoichi Wada finally made a deal with Nintendo, that was to release FF Crystal Chronicle Series as Nintendo exclusive, they could finally release games on GBA.
This is still regarded as Wada-san's best work ever, and thus it has got him in CEO position at SE merger.

This is quite common knowledge regarding gaming industry in Japan. I think there were some books written about this topic as well.

 

[Road]

What's the LTD estimates for Far Cry 3?

No idea. That guy that used to post the small tidbits vanished, maybe he was caught by the Chart-Track police.

Chart-Track needs to randomly put some sales in their commentary again.

Current status of Dragon Quest X is: 500.000 active users, fastest selling MMORPG ever in Japan, higher figures than Final Fantasy XI. Also: free beta in the Premium pack. I think it can do nicely.

Was the 500k figure announced recently? I only remember 400,000.

 

[AzaK]

Holy shit. Not sure how this doesn't result in everyone at Nintendo Europe getting fired.

Because it's NCL's fuckup all over the world

 

[Durante]

It would be essential to know if that German 2012 top 100 includes bundled games or not. If it does, that paints a really bleak picture for Wii U in Germany at this point in time. If it doesn't, NSMBU not being on there is a bit of a surprise, but it's not nearly as bad a situation.

Isnt Europe Sony Land and Vita would of been expected to do a lot better because of that?

Germany in particular (and the other German-speaking countries in Europe) is PC land, probably more so than any other region in the world. You can see that by retail PC-exclusives charting high on the overall list, without even taking into account the fact that digital sales are probably massively higher for PC than any of the other platforms.

The countries that really deserve the "Sony Land" moniker are mostly the southern European ones.

 

[electroplankton]

Was the 500k figure announced recently? I only remember 400,000.

Nope, I was wrong, it's 400.000!

That could be, but they are still ports. Same with Hanjuku Hero and Front Mission, those are enhanced ports from Super Famicom. Many of the Vita ports doesnt excist everywhere else either, even if they are not on the same level as Final Fantasy games in terms of popularity.

It was better in terms of numbers of games for sure, but i feel there is a pretty big jump between "nice support" and "abysmal support". If both systems have the same conditions (getting ports, spin-offs and niche games), i feel that the situation should be comparable, meaning that both would be in the same ballpark as "nice support" or "abysmal support", in my opinion.

How much did the Wonderswan games sell by the way?

It doesn't matter whether they were porting or not, they had a big sales potential; IIRC, one of them sold over 400k units, figures that any announced Vita game hardly will see this year. Maybe I wasn't enough clear: Square supported better WS in terms of sales potential of their titles; it doesn't have anything on Vita, aside from FFX HD which disappeared and anyway it's multi with PS3.

Also: it was a nice support given how handheld platforms were not main platforms back then, and WS was just one of the main attempts to fight Nintendo leadership (Vita, instead, come from a platform the sold 20 mln units). Given the last generation, instead, Japan has become an handheld market mainly, and the fact that Vita is receiving nothing (SmokyDave: nothing in terms of sales; hyperbole to highlight the situation) is even more worrying. 3rd party support is abysmal, and I still wonder how anyone can argue this.

 

[test_account]

I'm not even joking at all. It was actually Square that shoot their own feet, though.
After stunning success of FF7 they openly, well, "dissed" N64 for not having CD-ROM drive, and Nintendo took it as an insult (which I agree).

Then few years later Nintendo has successfully launched GBA, but Final Fantasies were not released, not even ports. When current SE's CEO Yoichi Wada finally made a deal with Nintendo, that was to release FF Crystal Chronicle Series as Nintendo exclusive, they could finally release games on GBA.
This is still regarded as Wada-san's best work ever, and thus it has got him in CEO position at SE merger.

This is quite common knowledge regarding gaming industry in Japan. I think there were some books written about this topic as well.

But were they litterally banned, meaning that Nintendo refused to give them a publishing license for Nintendo platforms? Or did they simply not want to develope for Nintendo platforms in that era? But seeing that Yamauchi has it on him to be a though business man, and that Square didnt release any N64 or Gameboy Color game, it wouldnt surprise me. But it is the first time i hear about it

 

[QaaQer]

It would be essential to know if that German 2012 top 100 includes bundled games or not. If it does, that paints a really bleak picture for Wii U in Germany at this point in time. If it doesn't, NSMBU not being on there is a bit of a surprise, but it's not nearly as bad a situation.

Germany in particular (and the other German-speaking countries in Europe) is PC land, probably more so than any other region in the world. You can see that by retail PC-exclusives charting high on the overall list, without even taking into account the fact that digital sales are probably massively higher for PC than any of the other platforms.

The countries that really deserve the "Sony Land" moniker are mostly the southern European ones.

Germany is different is so many ways. Why do you think Germany is PC-centric, moreso than any other country? I mean in terms of culture etc.

 

[test_account]

It doesn't matter whether they were porting or not, they had a big sales potential; IIRC, one of them sold over 400k units, figures that any announced Vita game hardly will see this year. Maybe I wasn't enough clear: Square supported better WS in terms of sales potential of their titles; it doesn't have anything on Vita, aside from FFX HD which disappeared and anyway it's multi with PS3.

I understand. Yeah, it might have had bigger sales potential, although i have no idea how the demand was for the Wonderswan and ports of those games back in the days (we now know that the Wonderswan sold very little, but i'm thinking about before the system and the games were released). I have also no idea how big the sales potential for a FFX port is.

Are there any sales numbers for the Wonderswan games by the way? I'd like to read more about how they sold. 400k for a WS game sounds like a lot, isnt the LTD of the hardware less than 400k? Although WS Color and SwanCrystal were backward compatible with some games, and there was also a WS Color Final Fantasy hardware bundle, so i guess it is not impossible

Also: it was a nice support given how handheld platforms were not main platforms back then, and WS was just one of the main attempts to fight Nintendo leadership (Vita, instead, come from a platform the sold 20 mln units). Given the last generation, instead, Japan has become an handheld market mainly, and the fact that Vita is receiving nothing (SmokyDave: nothing in terms of sales; hyperbole to highlight the situation) is even more worrying. 3rd party support is abysmal, and I still wonder how anyone can argue this.

I see your point. I'm not really arguing against you calling it abysmal support. As i mentioned, 'abysmal' is an adjective, so it is all relative and there is no objectively right or wrong answer to it. I'm just saying my view on it, that i dont think the Q1 2013 for Vita is abysmal. It could be much worse as i gave examples on earlier, and i see abysmal as being pretty much the lowest of the lowest.

I see your view on it and if you want to define it as abysmal support, that is fine by me, you're not wrong about using abysmal as a definition because it is all relative depending on what you compare it to. But personally this is not how i define abysmal support because i think it could be worse (in other words, it is not the lowest of the lowest).

EDIT: And just to point out, saying that it is not abysmal does not necessarily mean i say that the support is very great. It could definitelly be better than what it is now.

 

[Miles X]

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/gaming/news/a448565/console-sales-fall-by-a-third-in-2012.html

New thread worthy? Anyone wanna make it?

 

[farnham]

No idea. That guy that used to post the small tidbits vanished, maybe he was caught by the Chart-Track police.

Chart-Track needs to randomly put some sales in their commentary again.



Was the 500k figure announced recently? I only remember 400,000.

even 400 k is a really good number for a japan only mmorpg.

ff ix had 50k initially on ps2 and got 600k in the subsequent years presumably mostly on pc.its the most succesful ff ever according to square enix.

 

[ghst]

Because that represents about 3.5 weeks of sales in a 52 week year for Wii U

With number 1 at only 500k and number 10 around 100k though, I hope there are a lot of 50k+ games in the top 100 or that's pretty terrible for both consoles, probably worse for the one that's actually been on sale since February

those 3.5 weeks between the console's launch and christmas. i know you've got this tragic quixotic console warrior thing going on, but at least learn where to pick your battles.

 

[Clay Davis]

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/gaming/news/a448565/console-sales-fall-by-a-third-in-2012.html

New thread worthy? Anyone wanna make it?

I think so, I'll create a thread if no-one objects.

 

[crinale]

But were they litterally banned, meaning that Nintendo refused to give them a publishing license for Nintendo platforms? Or did they simply not want to develope for Nintendo platforms in that era? But seeing that Yamauchi has it on him to be a though business man, and that Square didnt release any N64 or Gameboy Color game, it wouldnt surprise me. But it is the first time i hear about it

Yamauchi has refused to give Square license to develop software for Nintendo just for GBA. At that time Square really wanted to release games for GBA because it was really high-profiting market. (As I said before Square did not like N64 at all due to limited size of software because of lack of CD-ROM drive).

To simply put, what Yamauchi told Square is that they must release FF to GameCube (or show some support), if Square want to benefit from GBA market. To me it looks like it wasn't unreasonable demand...

 

[Pie and Beans]

Its the kind of doom and gloom article that fails to acknowledge the obvious cause though: the bottom dropping out of the Wii market. Its not really news if you follow any of this even vaguely, its really a statement of the obvious. Market is normalising post crazy extended audience fad.

 

[Clay Davis]

Its the kind of doom and gloom article that fails to acknowledge the obvious cause though: the bottom dropping out of the Wii market. Its not really news if you follow any of this even vaguely, its really a statement of the obvious. Market is normalising post crazy extended audience fad.

agreed. thread is up if anyone's interested.

 

[test_account]

Yamauchi has refused to give Square license to develop software for Nintendo just for GBA. At that time Square really wanted to release games for GBA because it was really high-profiting market. (As I said before Square did not like N64 at all due to lack of limited size of software because of lack of CD-ROM drive).

To simply put, what Yamauchi told Square is that they must release FF to GameCube (or show some support), if Square want to benefit from GBA market. To me it looks like it wasn't unreasonable demand...

Ok, i see, thanks for the info Yeah, it was smart by Nintendo business wise to demand Gamecube support in addition.

 

[Road]

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/gaming/news/a448565/console-sales-fall-by-a-third-in-2012.html

New thread worthy? Anyone wanna make it?

MCV also has the top 20 UK games: http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/call-of-duty-black-ops-ii-dominates-uk-2012-charts/0108868

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops II - Activision
2. FIFA 13 - Electronic Arts
3. Assassin's Creed III - Ubisoft
4. Halo 4 - Microsoft
5. Hitman Absolution - Square Enix
6. Just Dance 4 - Ubisoft
7. Far Cry 3 - Ubisoft
8. FIFA 12 - Electronic Arts
9. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Bethesda
10. Borderlands 2 - 2K Games
11. Mass Effect 3 - Electronic Arts
12. LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes - Warner Bros
13. Need for Speed: Most Wanted - Electronic Arts
14. FIFA Street - Electronic Arts
15. Mario & Sonic: London 2012 Olympic Games
16. Skylanders Giants - Activision
17. Battlefield 3 - Electronic Arts
18. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 - Activision
19. Max Payne 3 - Rockstar
20. Sleeping Dogs - Square Enix

But I don't know if we need a 3rd thread about the UK market. =P

 

[electroplankton]

Its the kind of doom and gloom article that fails to acknowledge the obvious cause though: the bottom dropping out of the Wii market. Its not really news if you follow any of this even vaguely, its really a statement of the obvious. Market is normalising post crazy extended audience fad.

It's not only because of Wii decline.

 

[radioheadrule83]

those 3.5 weeks between the console's launch and christmas. i know you've got this tragic quixotic console warrior thing going on, but at least learn where to pick your battles.

The 44 weeks of Vita sales which also resulted in no titles in the top 100 also include its first Christmas, and supply would have been orders of magnitude higher. Their excellent UK campaign is being used in Italy, maybe if its not also used in Germany it should be.

If the German top 100 is bad for Wii U, its equally bad if not worse for Vita. Perhaps even 'apocalyptic' as Pie and Beans said of UK Wii U performance. That was my point. Maybe vita fans shouldn't throw stones from glass houses!

 

[Pie and Beans]

The 44 weeks of Vita sales which also resulted in no titles in the top 100 also include its first Christmas, and supply would have been orders of magnitude higher. Their excellent UK campaign is being used in Italy, maybe if its not also used in Germany it should be.

If the German top 100 is bad for Wii U, its equally bad if not worse for Vita. Perhaps even 'apocalyptic' as Pie and Beans said of UK Wii U performance. That was my point. Maybe vita fans shouldn't throw stones from glass houses!

Vita is having a totally shit performance worldwide, yeah, will be Sony's last handheld which is a shame given the fiercely magnificent hardware. Dunno where most Vita fans have said otherwise? Clearly you were branded with that tag for a reason, sometimes its not about one tribe versus the other. Theres no get out of jail free card for Nintendo following up the Wii with a console now failing to chart just because Sony is also flubbing with the Vita. Like some odd rivalry in special needs school where just because the other guy is drooling onto the floor it suddenly becomes okay to shit your pants in kind.

The much respectable Vita-Force weren't gagging on "soft launch" and "stock shortage" soundbyte excuses coming from their lips though. They can pride themselves on that.

 

[Totobeni]

German charts 2012

1. "FIFA 13" - Playstation 3 (500k +) (award on 05.11.)
2. "Diablo III" - PC
3. "Call Of Duty: Black Ops II" - Playstation 3
4. "Assassin's Creed III" - Playstation 3
5. "New Super Mario Bros. 2" - 3DS
6. "Guild Wars 2" - PC (200k +)
7. "Just Dance 4" - Wii
8. "FIFA 13" - Xbox 360
9. "World Of WarCraft: Mists Of Pandaria" - PC
10."Landwirtschafts-Simulator 2013" - PC (100k +)

No Vita or WiiU titles in top 100.

Numbers added from biu sale awards.

source: media control GfK

again..FIFA complete domination, damn.

Konami must have a huge pool of tears.

other publishers need to make football games,how in hell this genre/market is now a 1 game only.

 

[radioheadrule83]

Vita is having a totally shit performance worldwide, yeah, will be Sony's last handheld which is a shame given the fiercely magnificent hardware. Dunno where most Vita fans have said otherwise? Clearly you were branded with that tag for a reason, sometimes its not about one tribe versus the other. Theres no get out of jail free card for Nintendo following up the Wii with a console now failing to chart just because Sony is also flubbing with the Vita. Like some odd rivalry in special needs school where just because the other guy is drooling onto the floor it suddenly becomes okay to shit your pants in kind.

Ha I dunno, I'd sanction said behaviour on account of how funny that sounds

I'm likewise disappointed in the reception thus far for Wii U. I think serious errors have been made, but its a platform I do want to see do well and see great potential in.. Its frustrating to see Nintendo fluffing their lines. Recovery is certainly not out of the question... I don't think its out of the question for Vita either, I just note that the most gleeful schadenfreude and criticism of the platform is by and large coming from PlayStation and Vita fans on this board. That's my genuine perception and belief. SmokeyDave, and others included in that. I suspect quite strongly that some here feel all of this is neogaf coming back into balance or something, or a vindication of their feelings towards the casual plastic apocalypse, as you yourself have referred to it. As someone seeing the same posters jumping all over a platform they don't seem to have any genuine interest in or enthusiasm for I think it only fair people acknowledge how dreadfully some of the favoured alternatives are doing too.

The much respectable Vita-Force weren't gagging on "soft launch" and "stock shortage" soundbyte excuses coming from their lips though. They can pride themselves on that.

Nobody has seriously claimed stock shortages or shops sold out, they know the machine is freely available, that's your own selective reading at work. Its undeniable that wii u launch shipments were diminuitive compared to previous launches though.. As undeniable as it is that its embarrassing for Nintendo that their poor performance comes in that context.

 

[Pie and Beans]

its a platform I do want to see do well and see great potential in.. Its frustrating to see Nintendo fluffing their lines.

I just don't see that potential at all. If its for gameplay that uses both screens, thats not using the OTP most users evangelise, if its all about the OTP than what you most desire is an HD console-level handheld that you can also take out of the house. Nintendo have soundly split the point of the system into Catch 22 territory.

People point to Nintendo doing good as good for the industry as a whole, but thats not been the case for a long, long time; it often only suits Nintendo (Just Dance craze the exception, and maybe mascot franchise lovers adopting Sonic makes total sense for Sega's sighs of relief). Imagine if all devs had gone the way most Wii fans wanted and the Wii was the de facto home of development this generation past. The hardcore here are already gasping for 'next gen', but people would be dying of thirst if shit had stayed mostly PS2/GC level for another whole generation. Now the Wii U arrives with the exact same proposition: long live the power tier you've already begun to feel tired of after 7 long years.

I'm a progress whore, not just graphics but the whole bag. Everytime a franchise goes exclusive to Nintendo hardware it feels like its popping on the iron boots from OoT. Theres not even some big new gimmick to proceedings like motion controls.

 

[SmokyDave]

SmokeyDave, and others included in that.

I'll cop to that. I do indeed take an unusual amount of glee from the Wii-U flopping*. It's not because of any sort of 'revenge' for a favoured platform though, it's because I was sick of seeing Nintendo get away with utter mediocrity (in hardware and services) on the back of a handful of franchises.

*the missus loves the Wii-U launch because now I'm cheerful on Monday mornings.

 

[DragonSworne]

I'll cop to that. I do indeed take an unusual amount of glee from the Wii-U flopping*. It's not because of any sort of 'revenge' for a favoured platform though, it's because I was sick of seeing Nintendo get away with utter mediocrity (in hardware and services) on the back of a handful of franchises.

*the missus loves the Wii-U launch because now I'm cheerful on Monday mornings.

Wii U isn't flopping...

 

[ghst]

The 44 weeks of Vita sales which also resulted in no titles in the top 100 also include its first Christmas, and supply would have been orders of magnitude higher. Their excellent UK campaign is being used in Italy, maybe if its not also used in Germany it should be.

If the German top 100 is bad for Wii U, its equally bad if not worse for Vita. Perhaps even 'apocalyptic' as Pie and Beans said of UK Wii U performance. That was my point. Maybe vita fans shouldn't throw stones from glass houses!

the vita?

the fucking vita?

i'm dropping an anvil from my ivory tower of independent judgement you blabbering zealot.

 

[SmokyDave]

Wii U isn't flopping...

No dear, it's doing just fine. It just isn't charting, that's all.

 

[Baconsammy]

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/gaming/news/a448565/console-sales-fall-by-a-third-in-2012.html

New thread worthy? Anyone wanna make it?

It is speculated that tablet and smartphone sales may have impacted the figures, particularly in the handheld market.

How was Apple's performance in the UK this year? Down? Up? I know a lot of people want to ignore the fact that people are buying smartphones and tablets instead of dedicated handheld devices and then stating that UK's game market is simply shrinking, but perhaps it is in fact not.

I'll cop to that. I do indeed take an unusual amount of glee from the Wii-U flopping*. It's not because of any sort of 'revenge' for a favoured platform though, it's because I was sick of seeing Nintendo get away with utter mediocrity (in hardware and services) on the back of a handful of franchises.

*the missus loves the Wii-U launch because now I'm cheerful on Monday mornings.

You're a trip.

 

[Majmun]

This WiiU launch has brought the best and the worst out of us :lol

 

[AkimbO_Arcana]

I'll cop to that. I do indeed take an unusual amount of glee from the Wii-U flopping*. It's not because of any sort of 'revenge' for a favoured platform though, it's because I was sick of seeing Nintendo get away with utter mediocrity (in hardware and services) on the back of a handful of franchises.

*the missus loves the Wii-U launch because now I'm cheerful on Monday mornings.

When did that happen?

 

[Pie and Beans]

I'll cop to that. I do indeed take an unusual amount of glee from the Wii-U flopping*. It's not because of any sort of 'revenge' for a favoured platform though, it's because I was sick of seeing Nintendo get away with utter mediocrity (in hardware and services) on the back of a handful of franchises.

*the missus loves the Wii-U launch because now I'm cheerful on Monday mornings.

I'll agree to this too, unwarranted success is always a bit of an axe to grind as you want to see genuine hard effort, loss leading, and more yield success because I'm a consumer that demands it all. Heres an amusing tale for those embittered by my WiiU failure crowing though:

Because of Bayonetta 2, I had admitted to family members that I would I guess be interested in getting a WiiU at some point when faced with "The news mentioned this new console, do you know about it?". Christmas shopping period arrives, and obviously I'm seeing all the shitty UK sales and feel a price drop is going to come fairly early into 2013 (hello already Zavvi), but obviously didn't have these discussions outside of GAF, or don't remember them. Maybe I went on a drunken game rant at a Christmas party with the missus. Her ears, always open. Always watching. Judging.

Christmas morning theres a wrapped present under the tree the size of a WiiU box. My blood runs cold, family has accidentally purchased something I will feel like a twat opening knowing theyve paid over the odds (that GAF thread of the dude refusing a Vita from his partner comes quickly to mind). I open it up, and thank the heavens (actually I say "Oh thank FUCK" aloud), its a plain cardboard box with a Galaxy Note II insulated by the most bubble wrap in the world inside. Such is the insidious tradition of 'The Box Trick' in the Pie and Beans extended family due to my and others uncanny gift guessing abilities that strips all the fun out of it. Instead, fun was had by all.

 

[radioheadrule83]

I just don't see that potential at all. If its for gameplay that uses both screens, thats not using the OTP most users evangelise, if its all about the OTP than what you most desire is an HD console-level handheld that you can also take out of the house. Nintendo have soundly split the point of the system into Catch 22 territory.

For me, a touchscreen is a good perk for any console, but the Wii U touchscreen is an exciting inclusion for me because for the first time - I can communicate easily (type/write/draw), play art programs like New Art Academy, and hope for titles like Ouendan, RPGs, RTS games, and games with dynamic views and controls to be done competently and more intuitively on a home console. Playing around on Miiverse its clear to me that including a touchscreen (even a resistive one) on the gamepad was as effective for communication as including a keyboard and mouse with every PC is. It broadens what's possible and I don't see how that can be a bad thing. Hopefully you enjoy some of the similar perks the Galaxy Note IIs S-pen offers you for your phone! The onboard camera and NFC stuff could lead to good things too.

I love off TV play, but it doesn't mean I want to spend hundreds on a separate gaming device that I can take outside. I'll be picking up a Vita at some point but the truth is, my 3ds gets neglected enough because I drive and have a busy job... Its more about being able to free up the TV (a socially useful utility if you live with others who use your main media center), play in unusual places with comfort (like bed), or if you want to play a game with someone else without necessarily having to carve up your TV for splitscreen. This solution ensures a computational and visual superiority over handheld devices too, as by virtue of being streamed to by a console box, they can have bigger innards. Higher battery life is possible too. Taking a friend online in Black Ops 2 is great. I can't do that at Wii U's price in any other way.

For me the asynchronous stuff is like the original Wii and the Wii Sports / Wario / Party games, chances to enjoy that aspect of the machine will be good fun but few and far between. Hopefully that sheds some light on my sincerity when I say I see potential and hope they can make something good of it.

 

[Baconsammy]

When did that happen?

DSi, Wii, 3DS/XL.

 

[Dabanton]

again..FIFA complete domination, damn.

Konami must have a huge pool of tears.

other publishers need to make football games,how in hell this genre/market is now a 1 game only.

I still don't understand how Konami fucked up the PES franchise. They used to have the football fans on lockdown FIFA was seen as the shit version of the beautiful game.

I don't see anyone else coming to challenge EA for the foreseeable future.

 

[AkimbO_Arcana]

DSi, Wii, 3DS/XL.

Those consoles have tons of games that obviously many people enjoyed and therefor bought. If there was nothing for SmokeyDave, fine. But how is that "geting away with mediocrity"?

 

[Baconsammy]

Those consoles have tons of games that obviously many people enjoyed and therefor bought. If there was nothing for SmokeyDave, fine. But how is that "geting away with mediocrity"?

You should re-read what he wrote.

 

[maquiladora]

German charts 2012

...

No Vita or WiiU titles in top 100.

Holy shit.

 

[AkimbO_Arcana]

You should re-read what he wrote.

I did before I quoted and bolded it, obviously.

 

[Pranay]

It would be essential to know if that German 2012 top 100 includes bundled games or not. If it does, that paints a really bleak picture for Wii U in Germany at this point in time. If it doesn't, NSMBU not being on there is a bit of a surprise, but it's not nearly as bad a situation.

Germany in particular (and the other German-speaking countries in Europe) is PC land, probably more so than any other region in the world. You can see that by retail PC-exclusives charting high on the overall list, without even taking into account the fact that digital sales are probably massively higher for PC than any of the other platforms.

The countries that really deserve the "Sony Land" moniker are mostly the southern European ones.

Nope not really.

Retail sells more then DD in Germany even though Witcher 2 is the only example i have which favours this.

But in genral pc retail exists in germany because DD isnt that great yet

 

[farnham]

I still don't understand how Konami fucked up the PES franchise. They used to have the football fans on lockdown FIFA was seen as the shit version of the beautiful game.

I don't see anyone else coming to challenge EA for the foreseeable future.

I gotta say that they dropped the ball massively with the marketing of the playmaker version (wii). It is probably the best soccer game system ever created, it was out at the hight of the wii craze and yet somehow they managed not to sell it.. I dont understand how.

 

[Baconsammy]

I did before I quoted and bolded it, obviously.

Then how'd you miss (in hardware and services).

 

[Vampirolol]

I gotta say that they dropped the ball massively with the marketing of the playmaker version (wii). It is probably the best soccer game system ever created, it was out at the hight of the wii craze and yet somehow they managed not to sell it.. I dont understand how.

My god. The best soccer game ever for me. I don't love soccer games (even if I'm Italian) but I enjoy PES/FIFA in multiplayer. But man, PES Wii was really FUN even in single player.