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Xbox360 looks strong in 2010, how will Sony fight back?

Ahmad Dajani — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 21:34:11 +0000

2010 is shaping up to be one of the biggest years in the history of videogames. The HD war is at its peak now, and I think that 2010 will be a very critical year for both of Microsoft and Sony. Sony did a great job in 2009 by releasing some of the best exclusives of this generation and the PS3 slim. But 2009 is gone forever, and we are now looking forward to what Sony have to offer in 2010. On the other hand, Xbox360 lineup in 2009 was lacking, but in 2010, it seems that Microsoft is pushing the Xbox360 as hard as they could.

X10 gave us a good look for what to expect of the Xbox360 this year. With games such as Halo: reach, Alan Wake, Splinter Cell: Conviction, and Fable 3, you can see that the Xbox360 lineup is much stronger in 2010 compared to last year’s. And if Microsoft’s Aaron Greenburg recent statement that X10 is “just a glimpse” of this year’s lineup is true, I think it will make things even harder for Sony’s PS3 to catch up with the Xbox360.

I’m not saying that PS3 doesn’t have great games in 2010. In the coming days, PS3 owners will play something unique called Heavy Rain and in March PS3 owners will finally have the opportunity to play one of the most anticipated games of this generation, God of War 3. Also, Gran Turismo 5 will be released this year as well. But where are the PS3 exclusives that will be released in the second half of this year?

Fumito Ueda’s upcoming title The Last Guardian might not be released this year (though I hope it will). Also, unannounced games such as Killzone 3, Infamous 2 and others which I think that they will get announced in the coming months or at E3 2010 will not make it this year. Killzone 2 and Infamous were just released last year and I don’t think that they can develop and release full blown sequels in this short period of time.

We all know that both of Sony and Microsoft are making games for their motion controllers, but recently, I’m noticing that third party developers such as Capcom and Ubisoft are leaning more towards Project Natal than to Sony’s motion controller. Which does concern me. Don’t also forget that the Xbox360 is still the cheapest HD console which will always be a major Obstacle for Sony to catch up with Microsoft’s Xbox360.

Xbox360 already looks strong in 2010. On the other hand, Sony looks good, but not as strong as they were in 2009. E3 2010 is just months away which means that Sony may surprise us all and turn the play field upside down. In my opinion, the company that is going to sell more consoles in 2010 might be the winner of the HD war. What do you think? Will Sony strike back? Tell us in the comment section.

NPD sales numbers for December 2009 revealed

Ahmad Dajani — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 23:34:54 +0000

As expected, Nintendo topped the charts for December with the Wii topping the hardware sales and New Super Mario Bros. taking the first spot in software sales. Also, the PS3 outperformed on Xbox360 in December by a small margin. NPD U.S. sales figures for December 2009:
( November 29-January 2):

* Hardware:

- PlayStation 2 333.2K
- PlayStation 3 1.36M
- PSP 654.7K
- Xbox 360 1.31M
- Wii 3.81M
- Nintendo DS 3.31M

* Software:

1. NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. WII WII NINTENDO OF AMERICA Nov-09 2.82M
2. WII FIT PLUS* WII NINTENDO OF AMERICA Oct-09 2.41M
3. WII SPORTS RESORT W/ WII MOTION PLUS* WII NINTENDO OF AMERICA Jul-09 1.79M
4. CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE 2* 360 ACTIVISION BLIZZARD Nov-09 1.63M
5. CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE 2* PS3 ACTIVISION BLIZZARD Nov-09 1.12M
6. WII PLAY W/ REMOTE WII NINTENDO OF AMERICA Feb-07 1.01M
7. MARIO KART W/ WHEEL WII NINTENDO OF AMERICA Apr-08 936.1K
8. ASSASSIN’S CREED II 360 UBISOFT Nov-09 783.1K
9. LEFT 4 DEAD 2 360 ELECTRONIC ARTS Nov-09 728.5K
10. MARIO & LUIGI: BOWSER’S INSIDE STORY NDS NINTENDO OF AMERICA Sep-09 656.7K

Forza 3 sells 1 million? maybe not

Ahmad Dajani — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 17:41:02 +0000

According to Microsoft, Turn 10 highly acclaimed sim driving game Forza 3 has surpassed 1 million copies sold. But if you consider that Forza 3 has sold 175.000 (NPD numbers) copies in October and the game wasn’t among the top 20 best sellers of November, you will understand that there is something wrong. Read on to understand more.

I know that NPD numbers are US numbers only -UK, JP, and the rest of the world are excluded- But for Forza 3 to achieve 1 million copies sold, the game has had to sell at least 300,000 copies in the US, and an equal or a better number in UK and in the rest of the world in November, isn’t that so?

Take a look at NPD top 20 best sellers of November, where is Forza 3? Have you seen Dragon Age: Origin PS3 version numbers? 177K, and still there is no Forza 3. Maybe the game had performed much better in UK and in the rest of the world?

1. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (360) 4.20m
2. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PS3) 1.87m
3. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii) 1.39m
4. Assassin’s Creed II (360) 795k
5. Left 4 Dead 2 (360) 744k
6. Wii Sports Resort (Wii) 720k
7. Wii Fit Plus (Wii) 679k
8. Assassin’s Creed II (PS3) 448k
9. Dragon Age: Origins (360) 362k
10. Mario Kart (Wii) 315k
11. Wii Play (Wii)
12. Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (Wii)
13. Value Game Bundle (Wii)
14. Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story (DS)
15. Dragon Age: Origins (PS3) 177K
16. Value Game Bundle (Wii)
17. God of War Collection (PS3)
18. Halo 3: ODST (360)
19. Borderlands (360)
20. Madden NFL 10 (360)

According to VGchartz, Forza 3 has passed 1.5 million copies sold with 700k in the US, 760K in Europe and the rest of the world, and 50K in Japan. But if these numbers are correct, then why Forza 3 wasn’t listed in NPD top 20 best sellers of November?

Sony: November NPD numbers exceeded our expectations

Ahmad Dajani — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:34:24 +0000

Now with NPD numbers for November are up, each of the console manufacturers will reply in accordance to these numbers sooner or later. Jack Tretton, the CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment of America has responded in accordance to November NPD numbers and expressed his excitement for the next year.

Tretton said regarding the growth of sales of the PS3 “In November, PS3 was the only hardware console to see any growth when compared to last November, experiencing an 88% lift and a 122% increase from the previous month. Metacritic also unveiled this week its 2009 Game Platform Power Rankings, in which PS3 titles topped the charts on overall game quality, tallying up five of the top ten best reviewed games in 2009 and with UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves taking best reviewed game of the year,”

Then he expressed his excitement for December and for the next year “The sheer appetite and interest in the PS3 this holiday has been overwhelming and is exceeding our expectations,” he continues “So much so, some retailers are expected to experience tight supply this December. There’s no question the holidays are looking very bright for PlayStation and we’re confident that the new year is on pace for the same with hugely anticipated titles hitting the platform, such as MAG, God of War III, BioShock 2, and Final Fantasy XIII.”

For the record, there were 710,400 PS3s sold in November compared to 819,500 Xbox 360s. Also, Uncharted 2 wasn’t one of the top ten sellers of November. Nevertheless, it was one of the best months for Sony’s PS3.

Forza 3 sells over 1 million

Ahmad Dajani — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:49:34 +0000

According to VGchartz, Turn 10 latest driving sim, Forza 3 has sold over 1 million copies since it was released on October 27th, 2009. The game has managed to shift 214,713 copies in the week ending 14th November, making a total of 1,114,597 copies sold until now.

October NPD sales says that Forza 3 has sold 175.000 copies. But since the game was released at the end of October, I think that NPD has covered only the first four days of the game sales. Anyway, if you are a fan of driving games, do yourself a favor by getting this game, you will not be disappointed.

Borderlands Xbox 360 version is on fire while PS3 version is struggling

Ahmad Dajani — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:52:58 +0000

This month has been very crowded with the release of some of the biggest hitters this year. Exclusive Games such as Uncharted 2 and Forza 3 are currently enjoying great success in all regions. But what had caught my attention when I saw the latest worldwide sales figures from VGchartz.com is the poor sales of the PS3 version of Borderlands.

The Xbox 360 version has managed to sell three times more copies than the PS3 version. In its first week, the Xbox 360 version did a very respectful number with (299,283) copies sold while the PS3 version has managed to sell a mere (93,905) copies.

The reason for the poor sales of the PS3 version of Bordrlands could be due to the Online issues, including broken Friends list functionality. If the first patch (and the upcoming patches) has been able in fixing these issues, it could help the PS3 version to regain better sales in the future.

‘UNCHARTED 2: Start the sales bashing!’ What a joke

Ahmad Dajani — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 11:59:45 +0000

In an article on N4g, SMGamers.com published an article about how some of the gaming media are bashing PS3 exclusives by bringing them down through mentioning sales figures for those games and comparing them with very popular Xbox 360 exclusives such as Halo 3 and Gears. The author of the article even mentioned our article ‘Will Uncharted 2 be the first PS3 exclusive to sell 5 million copies?’ as a bashing material for Uncharted 2, which is absolutely wrong. While his article does have some good points, the author bashed a couple of gaming website including ours just for hits. I will explain why by replying to one of the quotes from his article:

‘By all accounts, Uncharted 2 is a masterpiece.

So it’s time to cue the journalistic hate.

If certain sites can’t bash Uncharted 2 for what it accomplishes as a game, they’ll go after sales.’

You are saying that Uncharted 2 is a masterpiece? I said before in an article that Uncharted 2 will be hands down GOTY 09. Can you tell me how this is bashing Uncharted 2? If you are calling this bashing, then I agree with you.

If you are saying that I’m bashing Uncharted using sales numbers, for the second time you are wrong, I said in my article that the original game had sold 2.55M copies worldwide, which is a very respectful number for a new IP. I will explain one more time how Uncharted 2 will easily surpass the sales of the original game and maybe hit the 5 million mark; first of all, Uncharted 2 is more recognized than the original game was. Secondly, the original game had sold 2.55M when PS3 price tag was much higher than now, so with the help of PS3 slim (299$) and maybe the rumored Uncharted 2 bundle (250GB PlayStation 3 slim) the game will sell like hot cakes. Thirdly, the multiplayer portion of the game will give it longevity, which was missing in the original game. Last but not least, the PS3 user base exceeded 24 million owners and still increasing, which will make the possibility of purchasing Uncharted 2 higher.

I know that sales doesn’t always mean quality. Also, I know that some gamers don’t care about sales, but it’s very important for the game developers/publishers. If a certain game doesn’t sell well, the developers of the game will not think about making sequel for that game in the future or they could sacrifice quality because of lack of funding, which isn’t good for us, gamers. Is my message clear?

Will Uncharted 2 be the first PS3 exclusive to sell 5 million copies?

Ahmad Dajani — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:03:57 +0000

No one can argue with the fact that Uncharted 2 is going to be one of the best games this generation. I even wrote an article about this amazing game, and explained why Uncharted 2 could be the GOTY 09. But there is one fact you must know: there isn’t a single exclusive game on PS3 that has managed to sell 5 million copies.

If you take a look below at the best five selling games on PS3 since the console launch, you will find that the only game that has exceeded the 5 million mark is GTA 4, which is a multiplatform game:

1. Grand Theft Auto IV : 5.82M
2.Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare: 4.56M
3.Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots: 4.20M
4.Resistance: Fall of Man: 3.61M
5.Call of Duty: World at War: 3.53M

The original game, Uncharted has sold 2.55M copies worldwide, which is a very respectful number for a new IP.

Naughty Dog has put so much effort into Uncharted 2 and that shows from the thrilling gamepaly, crystal clear graphics and realistic physics, even they have gone far by saying that Uncharted 2 has maxed out the power of the PS3. Also, Naughty Dog has added a wonderful multiplayer experience this time around, by featuring a competitive mode and a co-op mode to form a complete package you can’t ignore. I will tell why it’s important for Uncharted 2 to sell more than 5 million, the PS3 need a game to define it regarding sales and if Uncharted 2 couldn’t do that, then I don’t know which game will achieve this for PS3.

Xbox 360 have three games that exceeded the 5 million mark and one of them exceeded the 10 million mark, take a look below:

1. Halo 3: 10.15M
2. Gears of War: 5.91M
3. Gears of War 2: 5.18M

People are saying that Xbox 360 exclusives are selling better than PS3 exclusives because the Xbox 360 has a bigger user base. No, that isn’t always the case. Just look at the original Gears of War sales numbers, the game was released when there were 10-12 million Xbox 360 owners and the game is approaching 6 million copies sold by now.

The PS3 slim and maybe the rumored Uncharted 2 bundle (250GB PlayStation 3 slim) could help Uncharted 2 to achieve the milestone of selling 5 million copies in less than 6 months.

So, will Uncharted 2 break the 5 million barrier?

Note: All sales numbers are taken from VGchartz.com.

Which upcoming exclusive will define the PS3?

Ahmad Dajani — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 19:54:22 +0000

No one can argue the fact that Sony console has produced some of the best games this generation. I have been watching the sales performance of every big exclusive game for the PS3, as there are a lot of exclusive games for the PS3 sold pretty well, but the problem is Sony console the PS3 still don’t have a game as powerful as Halo 3 or Gears Of Wars1/2 when it comes to sales.

Before MGS4 was set to be released last year, I was predicting it to be the game that will set the PS3 on fire. While the game helped in shifting more PS3 consoles around the world, my expectations was higher for a game that as well recognized as the MGS franchise. After that I has put my money on Little Big Planet to be the game that will define the PS3 as a gaming console, as it have all the features you need in a game to bring both of the hardcore and casual gamers to buy Sony console, but LBP failed to magnetize huge portion of casual gamers. As I think there are two main reasons why Little Big Planet wasn’t the system seller all gamers around the world were hoping for, first thing is Sony hasn’t advertised the game the way it should be, the second reason is they released the game in the same time frame as Fable 2, which was hyped by Peter Molyneux to the roof plus Microsoft advertised Fable 2 heavily.

After that the hype was hitting the roof before the release of Killzone 2, as there was a lot of articles discussing how Killzone 2 will give the PS3 the edge over Xbox360 regarding sales, I was expecting it to be the best selling HD game in 2009. I will be honest with you, after I have seen the sales for Killzone 2 I was very confused and I started to ask my self a question “is it too late for the PS3 to have a game as powerful as Halo/Gears when it comes to sales?”.

Sony must do a better job in marketing every upcoming PS3 exclusive because they need a game to define the PlayStation brand again. As the games that defined the PlayStation brand during last generations are no more exclusives and most of them are now available on Xbox360. Just look how good Microsoft handled the marketing for Halo/Gears of War games, Sony needs to do a better job in marketing its upcoming big hitters in the future.

I know there are a lot of PS3 exclusives coming in the future, but the big questions are, which game will define the PS3 console and increases its sales heavily? Will Sony do a better job in marketing its upcoming big hitters to turn the table on Microsoft head?

Fable 2 sales approaching 3 million

Ahmad Dajani — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 09:40:31 +0000

Fable II is an action role-playing game developed by Lionhead and published by Microsoft Game Studios for Xbox 360, when the game was released in october 2008 it was critically successful with a lot of gaming websites giving it excellent reviews scores.

Here is an example when a game is critically and financially successful as it needs to sell just 50k more copies to reach 3 million landmark, according to Vgchartz.com the total sales for Fable 2 at this point is 2.95M, so it seems gamers are enjoying Fable 2 and the world of Albion.

Congratulations for Lionhead and Peter Molyneux as they have did a very good job by delivering a very unique experience and refreshing gameplay elements in Fable 2.