Top Japanese Sellers of 2005

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Posted by Zonk on Monday January 16, 2006 @10:28AM from the what-they-played dept.

Gamasutra reports on a partial list of the top-sellers in the Japanese market for last year. From the article: "With the Nintendo DS dominating hardware sales during the year, it was no surprise to find Oide yo Doubutsu no Mori (aka Animal Crossing: Wild World) at number one with approximately 1.17 million copies sold. The second ranked title, and one of the few games to feature prominently in the top tens from all three countries, was Sony's Gran Turismo 4 for the PlayStation 2, with 1.07 million units sold."

19 of 30 comments (clear)

Min score:

Reason:

Sort:

Nintendo is Doomed by Anonymous Coward · 2006-01-16 10:50 · Score: 2, Insightful

The 1,084 new releases in Japan during 2005 sold a combined 55.43 million units
Nintendo easily dominated the other publishers during 2005 with 13.32 million software units sold

Nintendo is Doomed, and no one wants their games, after all ONLY 1 IN 4 GAMES in Japan was published by Nintendo.

As noted, the Nintendo DS was the best selling hardware of the year, with more than 4 million units sold, compared to 2.23 million for the PSP, 2.13 million for the PlayStation 2, 831,221

And just look at how the Gimicky Nintendo DS only OUTSOLD THE PSP AND PS2 COMBINED; obviously people don't want new gameplay experiances, they want the same games repackaged with prettier graphics (oh yeah, and HD, got to have HD)
1. Re:Nintendo is Doomed by ClamIAm · 2006-01-16 16:26 · Score: 1
  
  I really fail to see how this could be modded down (especially Redundantly, as it's, um, not redundant, being the second post and bringing a new comment). Seriously, it pretty much counters all the points Nintendo-haters love to parrot.
Re:Stupid question... by Gulthek · 2006-01-16 11:57 · Score: 3, Informative

It's not comparable, GT is a simulator where PGR is an arcade racer.
Re:Stupid question... by fwitness · 2006-01-16 12:50 · Score: 1

My game-racing knowledge is a bit long in the tooth (still enjoying GT:A-spec) but I believe GT is billed as a *driving simulator" which it does well. PGR, from what I understand, could be billed as a *crashing simulator*, and still do well.

That said, I really wish we could have both. I don't even need that much damage modeling. I don't need to see the differential spinning away during a crash, but if I hit a wall at 140 or 150mph, throw some particle debris at me or something. Damn. Turn the textures black. Just something that doesn't make it look like my car (and all it's decals) are made of adamantium.

--
-- I have fans? Wow.
Re:Stupid question... by Guppy06 · 2006-01-16 13:27 · Score: 3, Insightful

"I was under the impression that the Japanese market wasn't a kind place to racing games."

Actually, driving games tend to do better in Japan than the United States, where people are far more likely to go out and drive a real car.
Animal Crossing in the US by idonthack · 2006-01-16 14:37 · Score: 3, Insightful

Animal Crossing is probably the best-seller for the DS in the States, too. When I went to buy a copy my local EB said they were sold out for three weeks.

Luckily, I can play Mario Kart online to heal my wounds :)

--
Why is it that when you believe something it's an opinion, but when I believe something it's a manifesto?
I don't understand Animal Crossing at all. by yuud · 2006-01-16 15:07 · Score: 2, Insightful

so I have a DS, and I play lots of mario kart on it. great fun etc etc.

been reading a lot about nintendo's "lets make fun games and not harp on about specs" party line and I dig it.

so I decide to try out animal crossing. after tinkering with it for about 3-4 hours, I still fail to see how this is fun or even a game at all.

I've never played the sims, but to me it seems that animal crossing is essentially goal-less, and there are a stack of mini-games like "fishing", "bug catching", or "collecting shells on the beach" that, to me at least, are about as fun as navel gazing.
1. Re:I don't understand Animal Crossing at all. by 77Punker · 2006-01-16 15:14 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  It's not about completing a goal. Sometimes I'm in the mood to play a video game but not in the mood for a challenge. When the mood strikes, I pick up Animal Crossing. The characters are entertaining and I find it satisfying to see what new characters wander through and what sorts of new items I can uncover.
  
  Bottom line is that it allows you to explore and have fun without having the pressure of a challenge. It certainly isn't for everyone, but the freedom and low pressure make it great for escaping the stresses of the real world. Just like the character we create in the game who is running away from home, so does the player run away into the same fantasy world when everything else is just tiresome.
  
  To make a long story short, it's just plain entertainment without the idea that you need to be skilled at anything. It's not really supposed to have a point, although there certainly are goals that can be achieved with patience.
2. Re:I don't understand Animal Crossing at all. by justchris · 2006-01-16 15:56 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  No, I think you understand it just fine.
  
  Animal Crossing is one of a "new" type of game called sandbox games.
  
  The definition, 'It's like playing in a sandbox. There's no goal, there's no pressure, you can pretty much do whatever you want.'
  
  This type of game appeals to a very different mindset than the "standard" video game. Some people, enjoy it, some do not. Much like Nintendogs (which also has no real goal) and the Sims (again, no real goal) it appeals very strongly to female gamers and older gamers, a market Nintendo targets because they also have money to spend.
  
  --
  just some guy
3. Re:I don't understand Animal Crossing at all. by ClamIAm · 2006-01-16 16:24 · Score: 1
  
  I guess I thought Animal Crossing was supposed to be sort of a cross between the Sims and something like a Massive RPG. So yeah, there isn't really a point to it. What would be really cool is if a company made a game like this and hosted a centralized repository where people could send in their own worlds, complete with minigames and collectible stuff.
4. Re:I don't understand Animal Crossing at all. by Senjutsu · 2006-01-16 16:27 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  The fishing and shells and so forth aren't games, they're too simplistic for that. They're means to a goal. The real game is in paying off your debts, expanding your house, collecting all the items in some set to decorate your house with, collecting all the fully playable NES games (although those are only in the 'Cube version), bettering your village so more people move in, filling the museum by catching one of everything, getting on the good side of everyone in town, getting all the rare items, etc, etc.
  
  There are all kinds of goals you can pursue, but the key is you have to set them for yourself.
5. Re:I don't understand Animal Crossing at all. by justchris · 2006-01-17 21:16 · Score: 1
  
  I meant older gamers & female gamers have money to spend. The subject was the market, not Nintendo, I may have expressed it with more cryptic grammar than usual.
  
  --
  just some guy
Re:Stupid question... by NotWorkSafe · 2006-01-16 18:48 · Score: 1

A better comparison would be GT4 to Forza Motorsport.

Forza ends up looking quite alot better too (especially considering that it actually has online play!)

--
There is no theory of evolution. Just a list of animals Chuck Norris allows to live.
Square-enix having a bad year? by Lifelike · 2006-01-16 19:22 · Score: 2, Insightful

Didn't FFXII come out in Japan already considering that it's due out in the US in a matter of weeks? Guess the fact that it didn't make any of the top 10 lists bodes poorly for the company. I swear, if they make an RPG that explores similar sci-fi themes to FF7 (evil corproration opressing the people) and throw in some dramatic twists and horriffic tragedies (the plate collapsing on the slum residents of midgar) they'll have another winner on their hands. It's a sorely underrepresented genre in videogames, and one of the reasons "Beyond good and evil" was so much fun (its just that noone played it because it wasn't an established franchise.. the FF series on the other hand...).
1. Re:Square-enix having a bad year? by paedobear · 2006-01-16 21:04 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  I suspect you'll find it's not out in Japan til March and not out in the US til late this year.
Re:Only new Games by dq5+studios · 2006-01-16 23:22 · Score: 1

Since in Japan it's technically illegal to resell used video games, yes, sales figures only track new sales nevermind the logistics in trying to track resell figures.
Re:Stupid question... by KDR_11k · 2006-01-17 00:21 · Score: 1

... in an equally reckless and suicidal way?

--
Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
Re:Stupid question... by apoc06 · 2006-01-17 03:21 · Score: 1

lol @ "Just something that doesn't make it look like my car (and all it's decals) are made of adamantium."

where are the mod points when you need em?
Re:Stupid question... by nb+caffeine · 2006-01-17 06:10 · Score: 1

If you have an Xbox, you could play Forza Motorsport. Its quite realistic in the driving physics, has damage modeling, etc. I was a huge Gran Turismo fan, but after playing Forza (with damage modeling and online play) I really cant go back to GT4 without really missing those things.

Plus, it has more american road racing tracks (wooooooo Road Atlanta!)

But then again, im an american road racing junkie :)

--

"Something's wrong with you...and I hope we never do meet again." - Deftones When Girls Telephone Boys