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[Aquamarine]

Is there anything dated on the horizon for Wii U in Japan outside of Bayonette 1/2?

9/4:

Zumba Fitness World Party (Hamster)


9/20:

Bayonetta 2 + Limited Edition (Nintendo)


9/27:

零 ～濡鴉ノ巫女～ (Fatal Frame V + Limited Edition) (Nintendo)


11/6:

The LEGO Movie Videogame (Warner Entertainment Japan / Warner Home Video)


11/20:

藤子・F・不二雄キャラクターズ 大集合！SFドタバタパーティー!! (Doraemon party game) (Bandai Namco)


Other, undated 2014 games:

Kamen Rider: SummonRide (Bandai Namco)

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (Nintendo)

Devil’s Third (Nintendo)

Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2 (Bandai Namco)

Sonic Boom (Sega + Nintendo)

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (Nintendo)

Watch_Dogs (Ubisoft)

 

[Kysen]

Hilarious spin on the poor musou numbers here, even going as far as to list it vs the handheld versions only(completely omitting ps3). Had this been a generic multiplat release (no Zelda branding) its sales would have been even lower.

 

[Darius]

Since we're talking about how "big" the Musou franchise was "back in the day" compared to now... how about these numbers?

I'm using Famitsu numbers from Garaph for this comparison because it's easier to pull the data:

2005 - Dynasty Warriors 5 (PS2) - 560,733 FW / 917,985 LTD
2006 - Samurai Warriors 2 (PS2) - 301,044 FW / 562,320 LTD
2007 - Dynasty Warriors Gundam (PS3) - 171,032 FW / 312,674 LTD

vs

2012 - One Piece Pirate Warriors (PS3) - 627,214 FW / 825,860 LTD
2013 - One Piece Pirate Warriors 2 (PS3) - 269,035 FW / 406,324 LTD
2014 - Hyrule Warriors (WiiU) - 78,773 FW / ????? LTD

Weren´t its big days actually pre 2005? 2005 is actually pretty late into the party.

 

[Nintendojitsu]

Is it really the case? Because back then (2007) I remember how DS was popular and how PS3 was treated like crap from Japanese market...

DS had the games they wanted. PS3 was priced too high and the PS2 was at the height of its popularity.

 

[crinale]

Since we're talking about how "big" the Musou franchise was "back in the day" compared to now... how about these numbers?

I'm using Famitsu numbers from Garaph for this comparison because it's easier to pull the data:

2005 - Dynasty Warriors 5 (PS2) - 560,733 FW / 917,985 LTD
2006 - Samurai Warriors 2 (PS2) - 301,044 FW / 562,320 LTD
2007 - Dynasty Warriors Gundam (PS3) - 171,032 FW / 312,674 LTD

vs

2012 - One Piece Pirate Warriors (PS3) - 627,214 FW / 825,860 LTD
2013 - One Piece Pirate Warriors 2 (PS3) - 269,035 FW / 406,324 LTD
2014 - Hyrule Warriors (WiiU) - 78,773 FW / ????? LTD

Also there's additional data
2007 - Dynasty Warriors 6 (PS3) - 176,180 FW / 371,443 LTD

Released a few months after DW: Gundam.

 

[metalslimer]

Hilarious spin on the poor musou numbers here, even going as far as to list it vs the handheld versions only(completely omitting ps3). Had this been a generic multiplat release (no Zelda branding) its sales would have been even lower.

Well yes that was kind of the point of throwing on the Zelda brand.

 

[BlackJace]

The new Fatal Frame is a rather strong title, no?

 

[duckroll]

Weren´t its big days actually pre 2005? 2005 is actually pretty late into the party.

Yes. I'm not denying at all there was a point where it was huge. I'm just pointing out that it is not really relevant to discounting the success of Gundam Musou on PS3, because by then the days were pretty much over. Comparing Hyrule Warriors to Dynasty Warriors Gundam is a pretty close comparison.

 

[phanphare]

Other, undated 2014 games:

Devil’s Third (Nintendo)

this did not have a year attached to it to my knowledge

 

[frankie_baby]

The new Fatal Frame is a rather strong title, no?

They normally sell pretty low, I think 4 on the Wii was the best selling at something like 70k

 

[Aquamarine]

this did not have a year attached to it to my knowledge

http://www.polygon.com/e3-2014/2014/6/10/5797124/devils-third-wii-u-exclusive-nintendo

"Itagaki, who previously led development on Ninja Gaiden with Team Ninja at Tecmo, was originally developing Devil's Third as a PlayStation 3, Windows PC and Xbox 360 action game to be published by THQ. After THQ went bankrupt at the end of 2012, the defunct company returned the game's rights to Valhalla. Earlier this year, Itagaki said Devil's Third was on track for a 2014 release."

 

[ZeroXZee]

They normally sell pretty low, I think 4 on the Wii was the best selling at something like 70k

But this game will launch close to the movie and manga, right? This should boost sales.

 

[frankie_baby]

this did not have a year attached to it to my knowledge

I'd be shocked if this appeared any time before summer next year, itagaki I believe was trying to suggest it was nearly finished and could hit this year but I believe it's reaction at e3 has pushed it back into the oven, it's non appearance at gamescom speaks volumes

 

[frankie_baby]

But this game will launch close to the movie and manga, right? This should boost sales.

That could definitely help

 

[BlackJace]

They normally sell pretty low, I think 4 on the Wii was the best selling at something like 70k

Yeesh.

 

[duckroll]

They should really give Devil's Third all the time it needs. Itagaki is a good action game director, the project itself clearly seems like a bit of a mess, and since Nintendo has already decided to invest in the title, it makes more sense to put out something good at the end rather than something everyone continues to call The Devil's Turd.

 

[The_lascar]

Some numbers are outdated now (like SW4), but I'm too busy to update it right now:

All SKUs counted.

 

[small44]

Monster Hunter Frontier G is doing well on Vitae since everybody already play it on pc and xbox and wii u and ps3

 

[frankie_baby]

They should really give Devil's Third all the time it needs. Itagaki is a good action game director, the project itself clearly seems like a bit of a mess, and since Nintendo has already decided to invest in the title, it makes more sense to put out something good at the end rather than something everyone continues to call The Devil's Turd.

With a good year or so more in the oven and a touch of Nintendo polish I think it has the potential to be one of the most fun shooters ever made

 

[mao2]

Someone doesn't know how big Musou was back then and what were the expectations for Gundam Musou in Japan.

I don't know what were the expectations back then but if Gundam Musou was considered a failure when compared to Musou titles on PS2, wouldn't that make Zelda Musou a failure too when compared to Musou titles on Wii/PS3?

 

[phanphare]

http://www.polygon.com/e3-2014/2014/6/10/5797124/devils-third-wii-u-exclusive-nintendo

"Itagaki, who previously led development on Ninja Gaiden with Team Ninja at Tecmo, was originally developing Devil's Third as a PlayStation 3, Windows PC and Xbox 360 action game to be published by THQ. After THQ went bankrupt at the end of 2012, the defunct company returned the game's rights to Valhalla. Earlier this year, Itagaki said Devil's Third was on track for a 2014 release."

well I did not know that

that's a pretty choice usage of the word "was", though. it "was" on track for a 2014 release implying that it is not anymore.

 

[crinale]

Some numbers are outdated now (like SW4), but I'm too busy to update it right now:

All SKUs counted.

Wow my DW6 number is quite outdated; I stand corrected.
It does say all SKU counted but I doubt Xbox360 version didn't sell that well.

 

[DR2K]

If WiiU needs a price cut, what does PS4 need?

A video game. Any. Someone release something.

 

[DaSorcerer7]

A video game. Any. Someone release something.

Compile hearts is coming don't worry.

 

[Darius]

Yes. I'm not denying at all there was a point where it was huge. I'm just pointing out that it is not really relevant to discounting the success of Gundam Musou on PS3, because by then the days were pretty much over. Comparing Hyrule Warriors to Dynasty Warriors Gundam is a pretty close comparison.

The only thing they have in common is that they are both Musou clones. Sure the gameplay to some extent is a selling point but basically you are comparing two or more different IPs. In this case Zelda and Gundam, sure the Musou titles share the same genre but there also end the IP specific similarities.

When talking about the decline in popularity of Dynasty Warriors in general, maybe we should focus on actual DW games instead of Gundam, Hokuto no Ken, OP and Zelda Musou games. There has been a decline in the main series and also very notable decline between the sequels of Gundam Musous, the same as between Hokuto no Ken 1 and 2 and a very big decline between OnePiece Musou 1 and 2.

 

[The_lascar]

Wow my DW6 number is quite outdated; I stand corrected.
It does say all SKU counted but I doubt Xbox360 version didn't sell that well.

There is a PS2 version too.

Edit: and PSP.

 

[maxcriden]

Japan loves Yoshi. I'm happy for that.

Game was so under-appreciated. I'm going to listen to the OST again today.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbjDnYfiEuQ

 

[duckroll]

The only thing they have in common is that they are both Musou clones. Sure the gameplay to some extent is a selling point but basically you are comparing spin-offs of two very different IPs. In this case Zelda and Gundam, sure the Musou titles are the same genre but there also end the similarities.

When talking about the decline in popularity of Dynasty Warriors in general, maybe we should focus on actualy DW games instead of Gundam, Hokuto no Ken, OP and Zelda. Ther has been a decline in the main series and also very notable decline between sequels of Gundam Musous, the same as between Hokuto no Ken 1 and 2 and decline between OnePiece Musou 1 and 2.

Musou itself is the actual brand here. These are not "clones" or "spin-offs". They are all games sharing the singular brand in Japan developed by a singular developer, offering a very specific type of game. Whatever comes before the "Musou" in the title of individual games indicates the theme. Obviously some themes are more popular than others.

The decline in popularity of one type of theme is not an indication of a decline in popularity for the actual brand anymore. When the series first started, it only offered a single theme - Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Later it added a second theme - Warring States. So for a long time at the peak of it's popularity those were the biggest titles simply because they were all that was offered.

Now they are offering more themes than ever in the series because of partnerships with other license holders, so it's not surprising that the original themes which have already seen half a dozen releases are not as popular.

It's a fair point that sequels have seen very significant decline in recent years though. That is indeed something that shows they having difficulty retaining the interest of audiences in the same theme across multiple releases. Something they had less of an issue with before.

 

[maxiell]

Thanks for the Wii U list, Aquamarine. I guess having Smash for the holiday season is pretty much a must then.

 

[AniHawk]

Hilarious spin on the poor musou numbers here, even going as far as to list it vs the handheld versions only(completely omitting ps3). Had this been a generic multiplat release (no Zelda branding) its sales would have been even lower.

if something was different then things would be different!

 

[crinale]

There is a PS2 version too.

Edit: and PSP.

I see. My number may be close enough after all then.
Well since HW won't be released to another console (3DS maybe?) so I don't think we can go anywhere from here.

 

[Darius]

Musou itself is the actual brand here. These are not "clones" or "spin-offs". They are all games sharing the singular brand in Japan developed by a singular developer, offering a very specific type of game. Whatever comes before the "Musou" in the title of individual games indicates the theme. Obviously some themes are more popular than others.

The decline in popularity of one type of theme is not an indication of a decline in popularity for the actual brand anymore. When the series first started, it only offered a single theme - Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Later it added a second theme - Warring States. So for a long time at the peak of it's popularity those were the biggest titles simply because they were all that was offered.

Now they are offering more themes than ever in the series because of partnerships with other license holders, so it's not surprising that the original themes which have already seen half a dozen releases are not as popular.

It's a fair point that sequels have seen very significant decline in recent years though. That is indeed something that shows they having difficulty retaining the interest of audiences in the same theme across multiple releases. Something they had less of an issue with before.

Of course these are spin-offs and clones with modifications when it comes to gameplay. The whole branding of Musou+franchise be it One Piece or Gundam is in fact a spin-off of the original series from Koei anyway. Besides that I was mainly refering to Zelda Musou which in the end is just a spin off to the Zelda franchise. The "Musou" brand may indicate the theme, but thats the point, its just the theme/genre, but in the end the actual IPs that are put in the frontline are Gundam, Hokuto no Ken and so on.

 

[KratosEnergyDrink]

Solid Hyrule Warriors numbers.

I don't get the comparison between first week sales. The "week" includes 3 days of HW sales. A weekly comparison to other Musō games would only be useful when all other weekly sales only count three days too.

 

[Hero of Legend]

Game was so under-appreciated. I'm going to listen to the OST again today.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbjDnYfiEuQ

I counter with:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAtd6NBvVA0

 

[Takao]

MHFG sold about 14k more than I expected a bad subscription MMO to sell on a handheld.

 

[DNAbro]

Game was so under-appreciated. I'm going to listen to the OST again today.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbjDnYfiEuQ

you forgot the best song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85AB1p6wpaY

EDIT: and beaten

 

[Nirolak]

I'll do the full write-up later, but this week's Famitsu is pretty empty:
- Earth Defense Force V2 (Vita)
- The Seven Deadly Sins: Unjust Sin (3DS, anime tie-in)
- Puyopuyo Tetris ports for PS4/XB1 (I think this is the mystery Sega PS4 SKU from their fiscal calendar)
- Mighty Gunvolt for 3DS eShop

Capcom also notably did not list Deep Down in their TGS line-up. Now, not having unannounced games in there is usual, but Deep Down is an announced game.

 

[duckroll]

Solid Hyrule Warriors numbers.

I don't get the comparison between first week sales. The "week" includes 3 days of HW sales. A weekly comparison to other Musō games would only be useful when all other weekly sales only count three days too.

4 days of sales. In Japan games are released on Thursdays, so yes pretty much all first week comparisons would be for 4 days of sales. There are some games which are only released on the weekends, so the first week for those would be 2 days of sales, but those are really rare, and none of them are Musou games.

 

[Nibel]

They should really give Devil's Third all the time it needs. Itagaki is a good action game director, the project itself clearly seems like a bit of a mess, and since Nintendo has already decided to invest in the title, it makes more sense to put out something good at the end rather than something everyone continues to call The Devil's Turd.

Well, let's be real here: they seem to be pretty deep in the development of that title. If Nintendo was on board from the start, the title might have looked differently, but now I can't see that the game will greatly change from its E3 presentation.

Personally, I would love to see Nintendo giving Itagaki another shot because the entire development of Devil's Third was a clusterfuck. He's great.

Spoiler

Just give us a spiritual successor to NG2.

 

[Mpl90]

I'll do the full write-up later, but this week's Famitsu is pretty empty:
- Earth Defense Force V2 (Vita)
- The Seven Deadly Sins: Unjust Sin (3DS, anime tie-in)
- Puyopuyo Tetris ports for PS4/XB1 (I think this is the mystery Sega PS4 SKU from their fiscal calendar)
- Mighty Gunvolt for 3DS eShop

Capcom also notably did not list Deep Down in their TGS line-up. Now, not having unannounced games in there is usual, but Deep Down is an announced game.

There's also the Touch Detective rhythm game in this week's Famitsu.

We also got a release date for Godzilla (PS3): December 18th, 8,208 Yen.

 

[Takao]

Sega better be preparing Puyo Puyo Tetris for a western release because the Xbox One version is going to sell 3 copies in Japan while the PS4 one does 15.

 

[iori9999]

Hyrule Warriors did decent.. Yo-kai Watch 2 still beasting.. Consoles are futile in Japan but still nice to see Wii U do decent.. Which is why I think they can keep a lead on Xbone for awhile..

 

[saichi]

I guess no one remembered there was a Saint Seiya Musou game

 

[vinnygambini]

Are all the skus included in Hyrule Warriors debut or is it simply the normal edition as there were 2 special edition as well?

A good debut nonetheless.

 

[mao2]

I'll do the full write-up later, but this week's Famitsu is pretty empty:
- Earth Defense Force V2 (Vita)
- The Seven Deadly Sins: Unjust Sin (3DS, anime tie-in)
- Puyopuyo Tetris ports for PS4/XB1 (I think this is the mystery Sega PS4 SKU from their fiscal calendar)
- Mighty Gunvolt for 3DS eShop

Capcom also notably did not list Deep Down in their TGS line-up. Now, not having unannounced games in there is usual, but Deep Down is an announced game.

Also, Shin Sangoku Musou 7 Empires (PS3/PS4/Xbone) has been delayed from September 25 to October 23.

 

[Yoshi]

Yay, Yoshi went up! With now 144k sold in Japan, 287k in the US (up to June) and a string chart presence in Europe, it probably is north of 500k now worldwide. Too bad it will probably not be able to break a million .

 

[AdanVC]

Good debut for Hyrule Warriors! It helped Wii U hardware a bit as well so that's nice to see. Hope it continues like that until Bayo 2 releases there wich is around in the middle of september I believe?? Youkai Watch 2 is unstoppable wow!

Edit: Oh I forgot Fatal Frame is coming to Wii U as well! Cool.

 

[Takao]

I guess no one remembered there was a Saint Seiya Musou game

That was made by Dimps, so it's not an official Warriors game. Same story for Bleach PS3 and the last Naruto on PSP.

 

[Mory Dunz]

France has a population of about 66 million.

The US has a population of 314 million.

Predicting 200K in France is like predicting a million in the US.

Hmmn. Sounds good to me.
All we need is a China release and it'll blow Mk8 out of gravity. India too.


People still seem mad about the whole Senran thing, though it looks to be a small franchise. Do that many people here play it or something? I only saw the boxart but...


HW won't reach 1 million. 600K tops is my guess.

 

[Effect]

I'd be shocked if this appeared any time before summer next year, itagaki I believe was trying to suggest it was nearly finished and could hit this year but I believe it's reaction at e3 has pushed it back into the oven, it's non appearance at gamescom speaks volumes

This. If this was at all coming out in 2014 it would be showing up in events either something like Gamescom or Nintendo held events for the press. Hell it would have been playable at E3 and it certainly wasn't I believe. No way Nintendo would push a game their publishing out the door without having it playable prior to that.

As interesting as the game ideas are for the game it looks very rough and does not look as good as many other Wii U games coming out.

The only way I see them fast tracking that game and going against the above, and this is a maybe, is if others are done and the Wii U for sure is not getting anything from Activision on the Call of Duty front. That's a gaping hole as Nintendo systems have been getting Call of Duty for a long time. They would need something to fill that hole or risk losing more of the Nintendo core audience that wants games like that over the holiday season when there will be deals on PS4s and XBOs. It might not matter for Japan but could be an issue outside of it.