smg
Latest
Another week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 1/7-1/13
Sales for all systems predictably tumbled last week as Japan's holiday shopping season came to an end. That's not all that dropped, though; the Wii also slipped to third place, while the PSP claimed the second spot. Although the hardware sales reflect Japan's portable-mania, the software sales once again scream Nintendo.Since we already knew about Wii Fit's million accomplishment, there wasn't much surprise in the software charts. Super Mario Galaxy, however, finally fell out of the top ten as it makes it way toward the million mark.Hardware: DS: 103,000 PSP: 84,000 Wii: 82,000 PS3: 34,000 PS2: 15,000 Xbox 360: 5,500 The software sales are listed after the break.
Analyst predicts the Wii's bestsellers
In the most recent simExchange report, analyst Jesse Divnich had some interesting predictions about Wii software sales. According to Divinich, the top selling games will be as follows (including estimated worldwide sales for the software during the Wii's lifetime): Wii Play – 20 million Super Smash Bros. Brawl – 13.95 million Mario Kart – 13.16 million Super Mario Galaxy – 12.61 million Wii Fit – 8.73 million We're not surprised that Divinich would predict Wii Play to be the top selling piece of Wii software, since the game is constantly popping up in the top of the NPD and Japanese charts. Since two of the five predicted games aren't even out yet, and one of them is only out in Japan, it's hard to tell by trends if the rest are good choices. Still, taking our best "we're not paid analysts" guesses, we'd say that Wii Fit will have much higher sales than Divinich predicted. The game already sold one million copies in Japan, and it's only been out for a month. We do think that those are a solid top five, though, even if we don't agree on the order and total sales for all games.How about you? What are your best guesses for the Wii's top five?[Via Joystiq]
Another week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 12/31-1/6
The Wii got a huge boost in hardware sales thanks to the New Years holiday, which is known to be big for consumerism in Japan. All system sales increased, in fact, but the gap between the Wii and PSP widened as the Wii sold almost 80,000 more units than it did the previous week. The bump in hardware sales also affected software sales, helping Nintendo regain its domination in the charts. The top twelve games were for Nintendo systems, with a lot of those games either having the words "Wii" or "Mario" in their titles. Wii Sports and Wii Play continue to bully newer titles out of the top ten, while Wii Fit nears the million mark (and according to some trackers, already reached it as of today). Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles also shows some legs by barely making the top thirty, selling 21,000 copies last week for a total of 234,000.It will be interesting to see whether Super Mario Galaxy can hang in the top ten, but regardless, it seems that the game will hit one million sales relatively soon. Also, expect a huge drop in sales all around next week, as holiday spending in Japan finally comes to an end.The hardware and software numbers are listed after the break, for your viewing pleasure.
Wii Warm Up: A good yarn
Cory Barlog's recent remarks on Super Mario Galaxy's "vapid story" riled quite a few of our readers, with many arguing that Mario games simply don't need much of a narrative hook to be hella fun.That argument certainly has some weight, but we don't want to open that particular debate again today. Instead, we'd like to know how important a good story is to you when it comes to choosing games. Are you more a fan of epic tales (Final Fantasy), do you prefer something a little more subtle (Ico), or couldn't you care less about having a story to wade through? Finally, if you do appreciate a strong narrative like the Beatrix Potter fan above, which Wii games have kept you glued?
Another week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 12/24-12/31
Normally we bring you Japanese sales charts on Wednesday, but since Japan was on vacation this week, that didn't exactly work out. It's back to work for Japan, however, which means that the sales numbers for games and hardware for the week of 12/24 were finally released.So, how did Nintendo fare? While software sales were good, the company certainly lost its dominance in the charts. The week of 12/17 had Nintendo in nine out of ten of the top spots, while the week of 12/24 had the company in only seven. (Note: When "only seven" is a bad week, that's a good thing.)To see what this means for the Wii (and to view the actual Famitsu sales numbers), check after the break.
Do Mario games need a better story?
God of War 2 director Cory Barlog recently criticized Super Mario Galaxy in his blog for its "vapid story." While he does have some positive things to say about the game, Barlog was ultimately left disappointed. As for the reason he didn't get hooked on the game, he speculates, "I think it is because I just don't care about the why. I mean, the freaking princess is abducted ... again." The fact that Mario games sell incredibly well isn't lost on him, and he acknowledges that they're fun to play, but to him they're still missing a key element.Barlog expressing his distaste for something Wii related is nothing new, but all the same, we think his point is valid. While playing Mario games is more about the great platforming experience than the "why" behind it, we can't help but wonder if some fresh story elements would bring some life into the franchise. We certainly wouldn't complain if we were to see something different in the next iteration of Mario, but maybe that's just us.[Via Game|Life]
Another week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 12/17-12/23
The Wii did well last week in Japan, finally managing to outsell the PlayStation 3 again by five to one. Wii Fit, Super Mario Galaxy, and Mario and Sonic continued to find success in the software sales charts, while Wii Sports and Wii Play extend their quests toward spectacularly high numbers.We're glad to see that Super Mario Galaxy is doing well (the game is great, in case you haven't noticed), and are still awed by the phenomenon that is Wii Sports. Only one game in the top ten (and top fifteen, for that matter) was for a non-Nintendo system, which exemplifies the company's current dominance in Japan. Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon is mysteriously missing from the charts, however, leading some to speculate that the game sold less than FIFA 360 (which took the last place with 2,400 copies sold).Check after the break to see the sales numbers for Japan's hardware and software.
Expect SMG, RRR2, and more; pay less
Starting today until this Saturday, Target will have six of its Wii games for sale for only $37.00! As you can see from the list below, they're not all crap, either! Super Mario Galaxy Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Need for Speed: Prostreet Madden NFL 08 Smackdown vs Raw Most of these titles are already out of stock on Target's online shop, but you should still be able to pick them up at a brick and mortar location. If you've been putting off on buying Super Mario Galaxy to accommodate your Christmas budget, with the holiday now behind us and this great deal, you can make this long overdue purchase without having to feel guilty about it![Thanks, Tofufa!]
Super Mario Galaxy DS video a hoax
About ten days ago, we got our first glimpse of a video showing a downloadable, Nintendo DS version of Super Mario Galaxy, supposedly hidden inside the Wii version of the game. We watched with rapt attention as the shaky-cam footage showed Mario and Luigi jumping from the Wii to the DS using a previously unknown, hidden galaxy and the DS' WiFi download capabilities. We were surprised to see low-resolution versions of Mario and Luigi running around low-resolution versions of familiar Mario Galaxy levels. We were shocked and hopeful when the video promised each DS star would be redeemable for 10 Wii shop points.We weren't ready to definitively declare the video real or fake at the time, but now, after some digging, we're ready to set the record straight on this hoax. Read on for our evidence and thoughts on the matter.
Super Mario Galaxy versus Super Mario Sunshine
This video is making its way around the internets, showing some of the similarities between Super Mario Galaxy and the GameCube's Super Mario Sunshine. We really never realized how similar the two were, but that doesn't mean there aren't a lot of differences as well.Where do you think Galaxy separates itself most from Sunshine? Is it the gameplay, perhaps the music, or something else? Or do you think that they're just too alike for their own good?
A year of Wii: The PAL verdict
Being a devotee of Nintendo in a PAL region is probably a bit like marriage (I'd urge you to stick with me here, because I've thought this analogy through for at least four minutes). For years, you slog away at the relationship, mildly irritated by the other person's foibles and imperfections, like that weird bumpy mole on their back, or how they noisily slurp soup, or how they insist on playing nothing but Keane during long car journeys.Then every so often, you have your disputes, arguing about the merits of Magnolia Eggshell and Cream Eggshell in the aisle of Lowe's. And sometimes, these disagreements might build up to something bigger in your mind, begin to fester, and perhaps you occasionally think, "Is this it? Is this the rest of my life?" But then, something strange happens -- every so often, the other person does something really fantastic, something that reminds you exactly why you got hitched in the first place, and why you settled on this individual as your soul mate. And suddenly, everything is well with the world, or at least until it's soup night again.The point of this long-winded comparison being: as a gamer in the UK, that pretty much sums up my relationship with Nintendo. For years now, PAL region gamers have often been treated fairly shabbily by Nintendo. I'll freely admit it doesn't take much too rile us -- we hardcore types are notoriously tough to please -- though Nintendo doesn't always help itself. Its insistence that we receive games or hardware late, or not at all, or borked ... well it's just plain infuriating is what it is. The prices, as well, leave a lot to be desired. And totally rad free gifts? Yea, forget about those.
Galaxy back down to #2 in all-time rankings, we burn our copies
Super Mario Galaxy's recent appearance at the top of the Game Rankings all-time pile has come to a swift end. Previously, the Mario romp had former champ The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time pinned against the ropes, thanks to an average review score that was just 0.3% higher than that of Zelda. But the fresh-faced pretender tired, and has now slipped back into second place, thanks to a recent flurry of new reviews. Will the plumber get another shot at the top spot? Barring a sudden deluge of perfect scores, probably not.On another note, it's nice to see the top three can all be played on the Wii.
Super Mario Galaxy sells 500k in its first week
Super Mario Galaxy's initial sales in Japan may have been a little disappointing, but that's not the case in the U.S. The game has sold 500,000 copies in its first week, which isn't too shabby of a debut for the portly plumber's newest escapade. Sure, the U.S. has a larger install base than Japan, meaning that the game should sell more, but even when put into context the U.S. sales for Super Mario Galaxy don't disappoint.According to George Harrison, NoA's senior vice president of marketing, Galaxy is both the fastest selling Wii and Mario game in the U.S. to-date. Furthermore, with the excellent reviews that the game has been receiving, it's not hard to believe that the game will sell even more for the holidays.We'll have to wait until February to see if Super Smash Bros. Brawl can dethrone Galaxy as the Wii's first week sales champ, but we certainly wouldn't be surprised (or upset) if it does. Even so, we decided to put a little Mario tribute video after the break.
Super Mario Galaxy sitting pretty as the #1 ranked game
Remember the days when The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was the top ranked game ever? Well, those days are over, and now Super Mario Galaxy reigns as the champion over at Game Rankings with its average score of 97.9%. That's right, it just barely squeaked by Ocarina by a 0.3% margin. Let it be known, however, that Ocarina is still first on Metacritic.Are you happy or sad to see Link trumped by Mario? We tend to not put enough stock in these combined rankings ourselves to care either way, but hey, maybe that's just us.[Thanks, Andres!]
Super Mario Galaxy sells 251k its first week
We're not the type to equate a game's sales with its quality or our enjoyment of the title, but we're still a little disappointed with these low numbers for Super Mario Galaxy. Media Create, Japan's digital entertainment tracking service, reported that only 251,000 copies of Nintendo's high-profile platformer were sold in its first week of release.While selling a quarter-million of anything seems impressive, let's, once again, compare that number with first-week sales data for previous Mario games and recent blockbusters: New Super Mario Bros. - 900,000 Super Mario Sunshine - 280,000 Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core - 486,659 Mario Party 8 - 265,000 Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen And The Tower Of Mirrors - 263,000 We expect Super Mario Galaxy to stay near the top of the sales chart until, at least, the end of the year, offering itself up to shoppers as the perfect holiday gaming gift. We fear, however, that Super Mario Galaxy's low numbers -- as well as Metroid Prime 3's and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess', for that matter -- may point towards a negative sales trend for epic/hardcore titles that Nintendo won't be able to ignore. Peek past the post break to see how other games fared in Japan this past week.
Buy Super Mario Galaxy at Toys 'R' Us, get a $25 gift card
var digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/nintendo_wii/Buy_Super_Mario_Galaxy_at_TRU_Get_25_Gift_Card'; If you had plans to buy Super Mario Galaxy at any other store besides Toys "R" Us, it looks like you're going to have to change them; this deal is too good to pass up. An upcoming weekly circular (11/11-11-17) reveals that the giraffe-fronted retailer will be rewarding anyone who makes an in-store purchase of Super Mario Galaxy with a $25 gift card. Here's a quick list of possible things you can buy at Toys "R" Us with the free $25, according to their online shop: 2000 Nintendo Wii Points Card Wii Classic Controller or Nunchuck Controller Nyko Nintendo Wii Charge Station Picross DS Bratz Talk Back Alarm Clock [Via CAG]
Watch some more Super Mario Galaxy gameplay (you know you wanna)
Here we are, throwing even more Super Mario Galaxy goodness upon you. At this point, you probably won't even have to buy the game with all the footage you've seen.Of course, videos like these tend to have the opposite effect and make us want the game more than before. What a vicious paradox.The video embedded above is just a short trailer, but there's heaps of SMG action with some new (and old) environments to check out after the break.
Rumor: Super Mario Galaxy sells 130k first day
Despite the weak crowds queuing outside of game shops yesterday in Japan, an estimated 130,000 people opened their wallets for Super Mario Galaxy's first day of sales, according to Japanese blogger and ninja sales reporter Sinobi. That seems like a lot, right? Well, while that's an excellent figure for most other titles and publishers, many were expecting much higher numbers for this major release. Let's compare that 130,000 with some first-week sales data for past entries to the series and recent games. New Super Mario Bros. - 900,000 Super Mario Sunshine - 280,000 Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core - 486,659 Mario Party 8 - 265,000 Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen And The Tower Of Mirrors - 263,000 Of course, Super Mario Galaxy still has a lot of months ahead to pick up sales, as the moustachioed plumber has proven many times in the past that his releases have legs. Also, it's not as if the numbers are any indication of the game's quality. Still, it's a bit distressing to think of such a high-profile release from Nintendo generating so-so sales.
SPOILER: Unlockable revealed in Super Mario Galaxy!
A spoiler about Super Mario Galaxy invaded the internet recently. We can promise you, though, that it isn't any of these: If you press the + and - buttons after exactly four hours of gameplay, you unlock the soundtrack from Tron. Mario is only controllable in the first chapter. The rest of the game stars a rookie named "Raiden." Defeating Bowser with an arse dive will make Miyamoto come to your house and tend to your garden. If you play every day, Dr. Kawashima gets jealous and murders Mario, leading to an immediate "game over" with no continues. Completing the game in under 10 minutes will let you unlock a secret chapter called "Mario: The College Years." Now, onto the real thing. Keep in mind, this unlockable was found in the Super Mario Galaxy Official Strategy Guide, so if you ordered one of those, be careful. Some of you will find this to be a big spoiler, and others may not. It's up to you to decide if you want to continue reading!SERIOUSLY DON'T READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU'RE SENSITIVE ABOUT SPOILERS!!!We clear, then? Good.
Crowds lining up for Super Mario Galaxy in Japan? Not so much
Siliconera's Spencer Yip took a short tour of electronic shops in Akihabara, Tokyo's famed shopping district, this morning to capture the masses that've skipped work and camped out in anticipation of today's Super Mario Galaxy release. Considering that this is one of Nintendo's biggest titles of the year and a much-hyped new entry to the company's most popular franchise, you would assume that the head count would surpass or at least rival the crowds that often gather for Dragon Quest titles, right?Well, according to what Spencer saw at the there stores he surveyed, while a few people queued up outside of shops to snatch themselves a copy, there weren't any of the huge lines that we've come to associate with major releases in Japan. In fact, a few of the guys in the photo above were actually waiting on Ace Combat 6 for the Xbox 360. Perhaps everyone is waiting to pick up Super Mario Galaxy after work? Or maybe everyone preordered the game in advance to avoid the lines?
