2 things (Video Game Related)

[tamakun]

There is a report on Kotaku that when No More Heroes, the latest game from Grasshopper Manufacture and Suda51 (creator of Killer7), was released on December 6th, there was a release-party-of-sorts in front of the SofMap in Akihabara. However, No-one bought a copy in the first 20 minutes, and that first person who bought it was the Famitsu Reporter who did the reporting!

This really upsets me. Sure, games like Super Mario Galaxy and WiiFit and Dragon Quest 15-million is out in the same timeframe, and yes, it's really close to Christmas, but y'know, if there was an opportunity to meet the creator and the executive producer of the game, especially one I'm interested in getting (Day One for me!), I'd make an effort to get out there. I hope that this doesn't affect the US release of the game (though it likely won't, I'm still concerned). Maybe the game is too Americanized?

If I had an infinite amount of money (and had I even known), I would've flown out there just to purchase a copy and shake their hands. Their games are so different from the everyday game and I heartily appreciate the work that they put into them. It really upsets me to see a game like this have such a poor initial reception. :(

I hope that this doesn't affect that Suda51 has said that he plans to localize other games he's done in the past to the DS, including The Silver Case and Flower, Sun, and Rain. Again, Day One purchases for me!

Though, on the flipside, I've been told that it sold 10,000 copies in the first week - more copies than any other Suda51 game sold in their first week. That's something, right? Right? -_-;;

And I want the No More Heroes toilet paper! What a wacky bonus!

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And 2 - Hey Erin, you got mentioned about your "Casual Game" thoughts on GoNintendo (which then linked to the JoyStiq article)!

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Okay, one more. Three days left in the Super Mario Sunshine Auction! I don't know who else to e-mail to promote this more...

Comments

[woekitten.livejournal.com]

I know someone who works at Konami, and he says that console gaming in Japan is basically dead; the DS outsells absolutely everything.

Case in point: Super Mario Galaxy's sales in Japan have been pretty dismal, too. It's no secret why Squeenix put DragonQuest 9 on the DS.

It's an interesting case of Japanse gaming versus American/European gaming.

[tamakun.livejournal.com]

Especially with No More Heroes... it's like they've deliberately shot themselves in the foot by catering to the North American audience, but even so, I thought there would be some fanfare, it's got some stuff that appeals to some Japanese audience...

I guess I just feel sad for the guys, especially since I would've been there if I was anywhere remotely close. I'm a big Suda51 fan :)

(Now that I think about it, didn't Konami release Elebits and Dewy's Adventure, both exclusively for the Wii? I guess they didn't have excellent sales with them, given that comment about dead consoles...)

[kawaiiayu.livejournal.com]

Cans I has your addy for xmas cards please. kawaiiayuchan@gmail.com thanks

[tamakun.livejournal.com]

Sent! :D

[kinnonyee.livejournal.com]

Suda's stuff has always been aimed at you guys (North Americans) so it's not surprising. I'll get No More Heroes, cause it's a game for adults, but to be honest, most Japanese are not going to grab it because Wii owners are not gamers in Japan. They're mostly bought as novelty items and productivity hardware. Mario is an exception, just like Super Mario Bros was on DS, and wasn't really made for a "gamer" in a lot of ways. There's no reason to be pissed off though, because that's how the market has been structured. Nintendo might yell about how many systems they sell and how hot their software is, but they've opened up a market that's not gamers in the traditional sense, so they're not going to sell productions that we would expect to sell normally.

[tamakun.livejournal.com]

But the real problem comes from how this does for sales - no-one's buying third-party games for the Wii, mainly because (well, this has always been the case with Nintendo) first-party games are incredible and very hard to fight for shelf space with anything else manufactured. This goes with a lot of companies saying that Exclusives are dead and that you can't make a game for just one console...

Couple that with the fact that NMH is definitely off the beaten path, and primarily geared towards the Western audience, and well... you've got a strange product to market to the Japanese audience. But how could this have been such a huge bust that no-one went to get it? I know Akihabara's been pretty changed as of the past few years...

God, so confusing and complex... and I'm certain I've made several different points in this reply :P

[kinnonyee.livejournal.com]

I vehemently disagree that Nintendo's first party games are just so great that they blow out everything from all the 3rd parties. The fact of the matter is, it's just that Nintendo's first party efforts attract a "certain type of gamer" especially in Japan. They cater to a crowd, so if I'm a 3rd party, I think "should I release something in the Wii, or on the 360, where I know that it will be bought because the gamers that are on the 360 are looking to play games, instead of training/cute games/nintendo-brand?" It's pretty simple from a company standpoint.

I mean, look at it this way... Most Wii users, like DS users, are families, and especially mothers and fathers. The kids use it, for sure, but for the most part, it was bought because it was the "in thing" at the time. The biggest sellers so far are Wii Sports and Wii Play, and just goes to show you that Nintendo's penetration is going towards those that want just an "experience" from playing the system. They don't want games. they couldn't evey care less about games. They just want to have it so that they can have the next "in" game when it comes out, ie, Wii Fit. That's all there is to it.

[woekitten.livejournal.com]

Wait, wait...are you talking about Japanese developers making a choice between the Wii and the Xbox 360? Because if so, lol. The 360 is pretty much nothing in Japan.

And the Wii sells a lot more than gimmicky cutesy games in America. Super Mario Galaxy, for a start. Metroid Prime is another.

[kinnonyee.livejournal.com]

I'm talking companies like Namco, Capcom, and Mistwalker. I know the footprint for the 360 is nothing in Japan, but the games developed are still there because most of those companies don't care anymore if they sell in Japan. The games are still available though, unlike the Wii.

And I'm talking about Japan as far as Galaxy and Prime are concerned, though, Galaxy falls under that "Nintendo-cute" part that Japan takes after, and sales should be consistent (Super Mario DS took about a year to really ramp up to 3+ million copies sold). Prime never sells well in Japan cause they're not an FPS country.

[liradralyn.livejournal.com]

Wow cool, thanks for posting Jason.