[Commentary] GTA: Chinatown Wars sales figures

Around a year ago now (I won't bother checking), Geoff Keighley mentioned on his Facebook page that GTA Chinatown Wars would be coming to the PSP. There was much rejoicing and statements alluding to the idea(s) that it should have always been there in the first place or that the DS was poison to IP of an adult nature.

I simply wrote: "Bad idea".

Chinatown Wars was -and still is- one of the best games on the DS, both in terms of looks and gameplay. Many loved the classic, less story-laden action. My statement that it was a bad idea to port it to PSP was due to the fact I didn't think PSP owners would be that interested in it. Partially due to the graphics, but also because a lot of PSP owners at that point had grown bored of it and many pirated the lesser-known games. The fact many would consider this a "port" meant it didn't really have a chance of selling the millions its predecessors did. This move also ran the risk of alienating hardcore Nintendo fanboys who were intending to buy it, but felt "insulted" by it losing its exclusivity (yes, that does happen).

Going back to the DS, the other reason I felt it didn't sell well initially (apart from the "will this work? I'm on the fence" attitude) was due to the story. I just didn't find the whole Chinese gangs storyline or characters that compelling. And I imagine many others didn't either. You could see this from the ads, none of which compelled me to buy the game.

Anyway, I'll wrap this up, because -as usual- I've talked for way longer than I was intending to. 

A year ago I said "bad idea", I now get the opportunity to say "I told you so":

So, what should have Rockstar done instead? Released a sequel on the DS within the same 12 months, with a different setting and alternate "gimmick" to the drug collecting. This would have captured the interest of those indifferent to the Chinese gangs storyline and re-ignited sales of the original. I'm somewhat convinced (in the little world in my head where I'm always right) that this would have resulted in total sales for both titles of over 2.5mil.

Till next time (around a year from now if previous updates are anything to go by); adios.

Note: I'm aware VGChartz figures aren't always the most up-to-date or accurate, but I usually find they're missing numbers rather than overestimating them, so in terms of averages rather than exactness, these numbers still justify my point.

2010 belongs to the Nintendo Wii - [#NinTwentyTen hashtag explanation]

[Update] 
Unfortunately Twitter had a major #Fail around June when the World Cup and E3 were both taking place and since then it kind of lost all older tweets. This caused a problem for using the #NinTwentyTen hashtag as a way of keeping an updated list of games which were out and their trailers. So I stopped posting them. I may restart it at some point as blog posts here or elsewhere, or maybe just make another temporary hashtag for the Christmas period.

There are several reasons for the statement I made above. Partly, you could just argue that I'm a Nintendo fanboy. Which in some ways I am. However I have reason to be. I still find them to be both one of the most innovative and yet smartest businesses. They push boundaries; make some of the most memorable games ever created; and turn a good profit for their shareholders.

They deserve our respect.

Another reason 2010 is THE year for the Wii is that it's possibly at its maturest point. By this I mean it's the time for pulling out all the stops. At this point, the SD graphics are looking rather long in the tooth. Sony and Microsoft are both producing their own motion controls. Nintendo has to be ready for a fight.

In anticipation of this fight, I'm expecting big things of E3 [no this isn't my predictions post, that'll come later ;-) ].

However, I'm also fed up of everyone up till this point who utters the aggravating words "There's nothing to play on the Wii" or "Finally, a game that might make me dust off my Wii".

There's a word for such people: retarded.

There are plenty of great games on the Wii. It is just as deserving as any of the HD twins of being in a true gamer's arsenal.

Since listing all those great games would take far too long, I'm simply starting the list with 2010. As a celebration of the Wii and what I believe is already a phenomenal year for it, I'll be posting trailers daily with the hashtag #NinTwentyTen on my Twitter account.

Corny, I know, but I like it :-P.

P.S. The list will also include DS titles, and some games may have been released in 2009 in different regions. They still qualify. Because I'm running this list, not you!

Oi - Ubisoft - No!

Ubisoft is punishing PC Gamers after years of support. Their new DRM solution requires you to be online every single second you're playing (even SinglePlayer) otherwise you're kicked out. This is the latest in a long line of insults where piracy is the scapegoat when publishers are actually trying to stamp out second-hand sales.

Please follow this link for a way to fight back.

And if you feel as strongly as I do, don't buy any more Ubisoft games on ANY platform until they stop treating their best customers as criminals.

Thank You.