GameCube Resurgence Via RPGs?

Daetrin writes "GamesAreFun.com is reporting that Namco's Tales of Symphonia RPG for GameCube sold 200,000 copies in its first day of release in Japan. It also reports that Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles for GameCube has sold over 350,000 units since its Japanese release last month. Perhaps the influx of RPGs will help revitalize the low GameCube hardware sales in Japan?" IGN Cube has hands-on impressions of Tales Of Symphonia, and GamesAreFun also mention the "73,000 pre-orders in Japan" for GC farming RPG Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life, which comes complete with a plush cow if you pre-order Stateside.

Comments

Every single person

[ihatesco]

Every single person who commented on the low profile of Nintendo 64 (we can't say demise or total failure because N64 continued to bring a positive cash flow to Nintendo and had several hit games like Mario 64, Perfect Dark, the two Zeldas and an F-Zero, not talking about Pokemon Stadium) said that it was because they mainly scared Square and Enix off, and the other producers followed suit.

But the problem with N64, imho, and with Gamecube (which was instead going the Dreamcast way) was that there are no crappy games produced for the masses, no serial soccer/american football/whatever (like that ugly game series of FIFA and EA sports series).

Normal People love to be able to buy a simple game for a party, yet to be able to access to good games as well, like Gran Turismo.

Long Time Videogame Fandom (which is still an important market) instead likes to be able to buy great games, like Tales of Symphonia and FF: Crystal Cronicles, and sometimes to buy also a party game as well.

If Nintendo wants to be again the number one, they have to lower the prices of SDKs, and win back the hearts of the videogame publishers. But if they want to continue like they are now they can only count on a shrinking fanbase... not everyone wants to play the same game with the same "childish atmosphere" (albeit if they have a "really adult gameplay").

Re:Farming is fun. Who knew?

[Procyon101]

Aye, harvest moon is an all time favorite of mine. Don't really know why, but it's a very fun game.

If you have a GC you'll play with....

[imperator_mundi]

Hype about a console is at its high at the launch time, when the installed base is equal to 0, installed base is at its high when the last console is sold (I suppose that not so many consoles are "killed in action") when hype is gone and underground since a while.

Hype helps selling more consoles, more sold consoles help selling more games... there are maybe a couple of millions of japanese with a GC at home who don't have exactly what I would define as an infinite choice of titles, so say that one out of eight or ten want to play without buying a PS2 and the math is quickly done.

Re:PS2 has the titles...baby.

[PainKilleR-CE]

So you bought a game console because of 2 currently released titles and you're saying the GameCube doesn't have anything?

hmmm...

Granted, I bought my PS2 because of Tekken, GT3, and Final Fantasy, but those aren't even the games I currently play on it (well, Final Fantasy 2, but I could've played that on my PS1). I probably won't be buying FFXI (MMO, no thanks), and might wait for FFX-2 and FFXII to drop in price a bit (or maybe wait for a US release of FFIII, if that's ever going to happen), because I have a lot of other games to play at the moment and FFX was not a high point for the series.

As for the GBA needed for FF:CC, I already have a GBA and GBA-SP (actually bought the GBA after the SP, but that's a twisted story, and it was cheap), and plan to buy another SP next paycheck (the black ones are coming out on the 9th and I want to have one I don't have to compete with my girlfriend over playing, I'll probably trade in the non-SP towards it). Not to mention FF:Tactics Advance coming out on the 8th.

The Gamecube doesn't have the titles?

[Man In Black]

F-Zero GX, Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Super Mario Sunshine, Mario Kart Double Dash, Wario World, Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles, Metroid Prime, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Animal Crossing, Phantasy Star Online, Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, Sonic Adventure 2 Battle, Sonic Adventure DX, Soul Calibur II, Ikaruga, P.N. 03, Luigi's Mansion, Starfox Adventures, Mario Party 4, Super Monkey Ball 1 & 2, Viewtiful Joe, Pikmin, plus a horde of multi-platform titles like Tony Hawk and EA sports games.

I'd say that's enough incentive to buy a Gamecube. It certainly beats buying a system for two games like you did.