I’ve wanted to cover the NPD Group report for quite some time, but the monthly reports are pretty matter-of-fact and there are a ton of qualified sites on the blogroll that can deliver that quick update every month. The report they issued today on the year’s top sellers, however, actually holds a few surprises and raises some interesting questions.
Xbox 360 – No real surprises here. GTA IV had a really big launch, and with the Xbox 360’s sizable installed base, you knew a lot of those copies went to Xbox owners. I don’t think it’s too much of a leap to say that this year’s Madden probably would’ve been in the #2 spot if the Xbox 360 version were a whole lot better than the one on PlayStation 3. Keep in mind, last year’s Madden ran at double the framrate on the 360 than on the PS3, and we saw a huge gulf in sales as a result. Army of Two was critically panned, but still moved enough units to scratch the top 5. So maybe we’re seeing a more casual gamer migration onto the 360? They’re the ones that don’t pay attention to reviews, after all.
PlayStation 3 – I love the Metal Gear series as much as anyone else, but even I’m a bit surprised to see just how many PS3 owners scooped up MGS4. Keep in mind, these charts aren’t tracking special editions or bundled SKUs – so ALL those copies that sold as part of the spring 80 gb PS3/Dual Shock 3 package don’t count. We’re seeing console exclusives go the way of the dodo, but if MGS4 is any indication, they still move hardware and plenty of standalone copies. Microsoft hasn’t been able to tee up many solid exclusives throughout the 360’s lifespan thus far, and Too Human is getting lackluster reviews all over the enthusiast press.
Wii – Believe it or not, there are a couple of bombshells here, or rather it’s what’s NOT here. Guitar Hero III is the only third party title to crack the top 5 on the Wii, and this is the first GH game available to many Wii-owning casual gamers. When a critical darling like Steven Spielberg’s Boom Blox can’t raise a flag on your system, something’s not quite right.
Don’t get me wrong – these are 4 terrific Nintendo-produced games, and every Wii owner should have them. But when you see them all stacked up like this, it makes it really easy to see where some of the more vocal third party developers are coming from when they complain about the not-quite-level playing field on the Wii. Couldn’t they space all these titles out a little bit more? Or maybe cede at least one quarter out of each year to their third party partners?
Wii Play launched a few months after the Wii, and it still outsold AAA titles like Madden on the Wii. What will all these casual gamers play when Nintendo can’t get another Mario game out?
Another big reveal here is the Wii audience’s appetite for peripherals. 4 out of these 5 come with a controller or accessory in the box, and Wii Fit and Guitar Hero III are both way outside of your average price point for a game.
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