To be fair, huge newspapers like the New York Times and L.A. Times were hyperventilating about how Beatles Rock Band will probably be one of the top five games of the year, so he's far from the only one to get swept away with the hype.
And again I ask... how do the first month's sales of Beatles Rock Band and GH5 across all platforms compare to the first month for Rock Band 2 and GH5? I suspect Beatles Rock Band isn't THAT much higher than the first month of RB2.
Hm. Just curious, how does this month's performance of Beatles Rock Band and GH5 across all platforms compare to the first month of release for Rock Band 2 and GH4 across all platforms?
I tried to look at the video game sales wiki, but that site gave me pop-ups insisting I needed to download some virus scanner I've never heard of. Bah.
GHWT: 534k combined first month.
GH5: 499k
RB2 is more difficult because the launches were spread out (360 in Sept, PS3 in Oct, Wii in Dec). Combining their first months: 631.5k
BRB: 595k
It looks like Borderlands, well-received by critics, is having trouble getting received at all by some potential purchasers, with retail shortages being reported in the US. Canada is also dealing with supply issues, possibly as the result of the game's $40 price tag in the region.
Gearbox's Steve Gibson has contacted Joystiq regarding the matter, noting that the shortage is mostly limited to the Xbox 360 version, particularly on the east coast. Gibson states that Gearbox is "working with production and distribution at ramping up to catch up with demand," adding that fresh copies should hit "as early as Thursday or Friday."
Meanwhile, the PS3 version has run into supply problems on the west coast, but Gibson says these "are mostly regional and can be addressed by reallocation." Gibson notes that this should happen "quickly."
So, how about it? Have you had trouble snagging a copy of Borderlands?
To get enough copies out to meet demand.
Or it was just undershipped because retailers are conservative. Either way, it shows that it is at least putting up a fight if it was actually sent out to die.
Companies like to throw that line about 'only Nintendo titles sell well on Nintendo consoles' but there is quite a bit of proof to the contrary.
I play a lot of Wii and no nintendo titles on it.
Let's be a bit fair here: There is some credence to the meme when there are so many third-party titles that just seem to get released as a cash-in on the market size. If anything, Nintendo does know how to design for their own system...
But even in a case where RE4 sells because it's RE4 and not some well thought out design, there's still something to be learned about why.
I'd still rather first kill the idea that tossing a game onto the Wii will generate success due to market size. That's just terrible planning and harms the industry overall.
Marketing is the big difference between Nintendo and third parties. Nintendo's willing to market their shit while third parties just put it out and expect it to sell.
Hm. Just curious, how does this month's performance of Beatles Rock Band and GH5 across all platforms compare to the first month of release for Rock Band 2 and GH4 across all platforms?
I tried to look at the video game sales wiki, but that site gave me pop-ups insisting I needed to download some virus scanner I've never heard of. Bah.
GHWT: 534k combined first month.
GH5: 499k
RB2 is more difficult because the launches were spread out (360 in Sept, PS3 in Oct, Wii in Dec). Combining their first months: 631.5k
BRB: 595k
Thanks so much!
Hm. As I suspected, GH5 dropped a bit. Not bad, but with the free game giveaway it should have done much better. BRB actually did a little worse than I thought, at least compared to RB2.
cloudeagle on
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Brainiac 8Don't call me Shirley...Registered Userregular
Companies like to throw that line about 'only Nintendo titles sell well on Nintendo consoles' but there is quite a bit of proof to the contrary.
I play a lot of Wii and no nintendo titles on it.
Let's be a bit fair here: There is some credence to the meme when there are so many third-party titles that just seem to get released as a cash-in on the market size. If anything, Nintendo does know how to design for their own system...
But even in a case where RE4 sells because it's RE4 and not some well thought out design, there's still something to be learned about why.
I'd still rather first kill the idea that tossing a game onto the Wii will generate success due to market size. That's just terrible planning and harms the industry overall.
To add to your first point, Nintendo has always been able to churn out quality software. It may not all be that great, but they put more care into their games than many companies do, especially companies putting out games on their systems.
How much you market your game shouldn't depend on how much it cost but rather what kind of game it is. The more casual your game is, the more you need to market it.
EDIT: I would think that Beatles Rock Band would have respectable lasting sales power since it's, well, the Beatles. I know I'm planning on getting it later on and I know at least one person where the only reason why she hasn't bought it is because she's still saving up money for the console to play it on.
Hm. Just curious, how does this month's performance of Beatles Rock Band and GH5 across all platforms compare to the first month of release for Rock Band 2 and GH4 across all platforms?
I tried to look at the video game sales wiki, but that site gave me pop-ups insisting I needed to download some virus scanner I've never heard of. Bah.
GHWT: 534k combined first month.
GH5: 499k
RB2 is more difficult because the launches were spread out (360 in Sept, PS3 in Oct, Wii in Dec). Combining their first months: 631.5k
BRB: 595k
Thanks so much!
Hm. As I suspected, GH5 dropped a bit. Not bad, but with the free game giveaway it should have done much better. BRB actually did a little worse than I thought, at least compared to RB2.
I don't think it necessarily confirms it, but it kind of suggests that the RB concept has the better legs. Especially if you look at 'first month' RB2 sales compared to 'GH4 - the first full band game'.
And frankly, I never thought B:RB would be a massive success. That it's running at pretty much the same rate as RB2 seems to suggest that the rhythm game genre is still pretty niche, no matter what the name on the box says.
And also that the more expensive these packages get, the more they eat into their potential audience... Though I do agree with the thought that B:RB might have more 'legs' than RB2 did going into the holiday season.
Or it was just undershipped because retailers are conservative. Either way, it shows that it is at least putting up a fight if it was actually sent out to die.
I know everyone's in a rush to 'lol Pachter' but did anyone, you know, actually watch the Bonus Round episode in question?
1.) He uses "sent to die" because that is how Keighley asked the question
2.) Maybe it's just me but it seems clear he isn't talking about Borderland "bombing", just that releasing in a different window would be beneficial to escape all the other titles. The other panel members agree that a different release date would be better, for what it's worth.
toxk_02 on
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Brainiac 8Don't call me Shirley...Registered Userregular
First day downloads
16 Trials
1 Purchase
Conversion rate = 6.25%
Given that almost half of my trials were from non-English speaking countries (and my game is a text-based game in English), I can only hope that the game was put up right before the cut-off time for the day and not indicative of my true results. The fact that when I woke up this morning, about 35 people had rated it (average rating, a little over 3) gives me a little comfort.
Brainiac 8Don't call me Shirley...Registered Userregular
edited October 2009
What's more suicidal though...releasing a game now when most companies have jumped ship to the spring, or delaying your game until the now VERY packed spring season.
Couldn't both of these be considered as being 'sent to die?'
Actually, "sent to die" has been used by TV reporters and movie reviewers when a show/movie gets farted out in a horrible timeslot/month with little to no advertising, so it's not exactly forum-speak.
Gah, I've defended Pachter twice in one day. WHAT HAVE I BECOME??
cloudeagle on
Switch: 3947-4890-9293
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Brainiac 8Don't call me Shirley...Registered Userregular
Actually, "sent to die" has been used by TV reporters and movie reviewers when a show/movie gets farted out in a horrible timeslot/month with little to no advertising, so it's not exactly forum-speak.
Gah, I've defended Pachter twice in one day. WHAT HAVE I BECOME??
Hahaha....the only way to save your soul is to restore your Mojo Jojo avvy. :winky:
Actually, "sent to die" has been used by TV reporters and movie reviewers when a show/movie gets farted out in a horrible timeslot/month with little to no advertising, so it's not exactly forum-speak.
Gah, I've defended Pachter twice in one day. WHAT HAVE I BECOME??
A Pachifist.
Borderlands isn't doing very well selling itself here, the advert I've seen has terrible video quality and doesn't seem to convey what the hell its actually about.
I would think that releasing a game now would actually be very beneficial given how little competition there is. Games like Brutal Legend, Borderlands, and Boy and his Blob are games that I would never consider buying it at full price in a crowded Christmas season, but with most of the other big games I wanted delayed, I might actually pick them up.
I would think that releasing a game now would actually be very beneficial given how little competition there is. Games like Brutal Legend, Borderlands, and Boy and his Blob are games that I would never consider buying it at full price in a crowded Christmas season, but with most of the other big games I wanted delayed, I might actually pick them up.
Its silly anyway if they're doing it to avoid COD since only a certain audience is going to buy COD. I hate first person shooters and if it sucks my cock while Im playing Im still not going to buy it.
But I WOULD have bought Bioshock 2 or Alha Protocol or any number of things sent to next summer.
I don't see anything really wrong with Pixeljunk. I guess it gives me the wrong impression because it makes me think of pixel art. But it's no different from Nintendo's "Art Style" series on GBA, Wii and DS.
Eh, at least "art style" tells you something, i.e. "this game is arty!" All "Pixeljunk" tells me is that the lead designer couldn't be talked out of a stupid name.
So what you're saying is, it's okay to have a series of fairly unrelated small games when the name sort of makes sense but when it's irrelevant, it's terrible? Are you insane? The most important part of a name is that it's instantly recognisable, which Pixeljunk is. And the fact that it's the most popular series on the PSN seems to justify their decision to stick with it. I now actually wish Dylan Cuthbert had named Starfox Pixeljunk, just to spite you.
There's also a more than decent chance that a ton of these games being delayed to next spring or summer genuinely aren't ready and could use more work and more polish.
In-game 'shop' will bring microtransactions to Fable 3
Lionhead boss Peter Molyneux isn't just pushing the curve on Xbox 360 with now-confirmed Project Natal support in Fable 3; during his speech at the annual BAFTA gathering, the legendary designer revealed his intent to integrate a "in-game shop" within the game world, enabling players to purchase premium items without disrupting the game experience. In its report on the presentation, That VideoGame Blog noted that Molyneux had suggested special weapons, for example, could be sold for about £1 ($1.70).
Also mentioned were plans to offer "travel" to new areas of the game world (think Fable 2's DLC destinations) for a fee. Molyneux thankfully didn't suggest that such things as tattoos, hair dye and the like -- which were purchased using the in-game currency of Fable 2 -- would be for-pay in its sequel. We imagine that getting the town crier to announce you as "Supreme Ruler of the Universe Who's Better Than Anyone Else at Fable 3 Ever" will carry a modest fee.
There's also a more than decent chance that a ton of these games being delayed to next spring or summer genuinely aren't ready and could use more work and more polish.
Technically, all games could get better with more time for polish. There just comes a time of diminishing return where any extra development time wouldn't make enough of an impact versus the effort spent.
As time progresses, more and more I think about how Molyneux has attained the reputation of 'Legendary game designer' considering the last game bearing his name that I thought was actually remotely close to being legendary was motherfucking Dungeon Keeper twelve years ago. Everything since has been good but not great. Some has been downright terrible (Black and White 2)
A full price retail game taking on some of the worst characteristics of F2P MMO's? Awesome.
But if people defended horse armor, they'll defend this.
Considering how eager people are to jump on people doing anything but showering some companies with mindless adoration, no bet. I mean, look at how the moment you criticize FO3 people start yelling NMA, not to mention the latest furor over dedicated servers and mod support
Posts
I play a lot of Wii and no nintendo titles on it.
And again I ask... how do the first month's sales of Beatles Rock Band and GH5 across all platforms compare to the first month for Rock Band 2 and GH5? I suspect Beatles Rock Band isn't THAT much higher than the first month of RB2.
GH5: 499k
RB2 is more difficult because the launches were spread out (360 in Sept, PS3 in Oct, Wii in Dec). Combining their first months: 631.5k
BRB: 595k
Let's be a bit fair here: There is some credence to the meme when there are so many third-party titles that just seem to get released as a cash-in on the market size. If anything, Nintendo does know how to design for their own system...
But even in a case where RE4 sells because it's RE4 and not some well thought out design, there's still something to be learned about why.
I'd still rather first kill the idea that tossing a game onto the Wii will generate success due to market size. That's just terrible planning and harms the industry overall.
Thanks so much!
Hm. As I suspected, GH5 dropped a bit. Not bad, but with the free game giveaway it should have done much better. BRB actually did a little worse than I thought, at least compared to RB2.
To add to your first point, Nintendo has always been able to churn out quality software. It may not all be that great, but they put more care into their games than many companies do, especially companies putting out games on their systems.
As to the second, terrible planning indeed.
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Unless The Beatles has pretty good legs I'd have to say it's a bit of a failure.
(Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
EDIT: I would think that Beatles Rock Band would have respectable lasting sales power since it's, well, the Beatles. I know I'm planning on getting it later on and I know at least one person where the only reason why she hasn't bought it is because she's still saving up money for the console to play it on.
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I don't think it necessarily confirms it, but it kind of suggests that the RB concept has the better legs. Especially if you look at 'first month' RB2 sales compared to 'GH4 - the first full band game'.
And frankly, I never thought B:RB would be a massive success. That it's running at pretty much the same rate as RB2 seems to suggest that the rhythm game genre is still pretty niche, no matter what the name on the box says.
And also that the more expensive these packages get, the more they eat into their potential audience... Though I do agree with the thought that B:RB might have more 'legs' than RB2 did going into the holiday season.
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It's hard to tell if it's that or if demand was just extraordinarily high.
1.) He uses "sent to die" because that is how Keighley asked the question
2.) Maybe it's just me but it seems clear he isn't talking about Borderland "bombing", just that releasing in a different window would be beneficial to escape all the other titles. The other panel members agree that a different release date would be better, for what it's worth.
Nintendo Network ID - Brainiac_8
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Add me!
3DS Friend Code: 2165-6448-8348 www.Twitch.TV/cooljammer00
Battle.Net: JohnDarc#1203 Origin/UPlay: CoolJammer00
First day downloads
16 Trials
1 Purchase
Conversion rate = 6.25%
Given that almost half of my trials were from non-English speaking countries (and my game is a text-based game in English), I can only hope that the game was put up right before the cut-off time for the day and not indicative of my true results. The fact that when I woke up this morning, about 35 people had rated it (average rating, a little over 3) gives me a little comfort.
Zeboyd Games Development Blog
Steam ID : rwb36, Twitter : Werezompire, Facebook : Zeboyd Games
Couldn't both of these be considered as being 'sent to die?'
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Gah, I've defended Pachter twice in one day. WHAT HAVE I BECOME??
Hahaha....the only way to save your soul is to restore your Mojo Jojo avvy. :winky:
Nintendo Network ID - Brainiac_8
PSN - Brainiac_8
Steam - http://steamcommunity.com/id/BRAINIAC8/
Add me!
A Pachifist.
Borderlands isn't doing very well selling itself here, the advert I've seen has terrible video quality and doesn't seem to convey what the hell its actually about.
Zeboyd Games Development Blog
Steam ID : rwb36, Twitter : Werezompire, Facebook : Zeboyd Games
Its silly anyway if they're doing it to avoid COD since only a certain audience is going to buy COD. I hate first person shooters and if it sucks my cock while Im playing Im still not going to buy it.
But I WOULD have bought Bioshock 2 or Alha Protocol or any number of things sent to next summer.
you hate first person shooters
but bioshock 2 is an instant purchase
:?::?::?:
I'd give it a pass to see if the story was any good. Plus its not so much a straight=forward shooter as a first-person horror with RPG elements.
So what you're saying is, it's okay to have a series of fairly unrelated small games when the name sort of makes sense but when it's irrelevant, it's terrible? Are you insane? The most important part of a name is that it's instantly recognisable, which Pixeljunk is. And the fact that it's the most popular series on the PSN seems to justify their decision to stick with it. I now actually wish Dylan Cuthbert had named Starfox Pixeljunk, just to spite you.
Also, lolenglishmajor.
Bull. Shit.
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Technically, all games could get better with more time for polish. There just comes a time of diminishing return where any extra development time wouldn't make enough of an impact versus the effort spent.
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But if people defended horse armor, they'll defend this.
Considering how eager people are to jump on people doing anything but showering some companies with mindless adoration, no bet. I mean, look at how the moment you criticize FO3 people start yelling NMA, not to mention the latest furor over dedicated servers and mod support
Even Bethesda has admitted that the horse armor was stupid. They even made an April Fools joke out of it.