The Top “Bombs” of the Current Generation
Here’s something I found interesting over on Bitmob (which is a predominantly user-driven video game site):
The Top Ten Bombs of the Current Generation
Essentially, by comparing game sales (taken from VGChartz) as a percentage of the console’s user base with that game’s review score (aggregated on gamerankings), the author has created a rough way of determining “bomb” games; i.e. games that are critically successful but sell poorly. While the system isn’t too accurate for determining a successful game (as it doesn’t take into account the cost of making the game, the game’s projected sales, marketing, the number of stores that stock it etc etc), it does provide an interesting insight into the game’s that are critically successful, but fail at market.
Listing and my thoughts after the jump.
Game Listing (Excluding Sport Games, though a list including them can be found on the Bitmob page):
(Keep in mind, the higher the score, the bigger the “bomb”)
TOP 25 CURRENT CONSOLE GENERATION CRITICAL HITS/RETAIL BOMBS
25. Unreal Tournament 3 – Xbox 360 – .51
24. Pure – Xbox 360 – .56
23. Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice – PS3 – .57
22. Trauma Center: Second Opinion – Wii – .60
21. No More Heroes – Wii – .65
20. Guitar Hero: Metallica – Wii – .71
19. Pinball Hall of Fame – The Williams Collection – Wii – .75
18. Virtua Fighter 5 Online – Xbox 360 – .82
17. Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection – Xbox 360 – .83
16. Okami – Wii – .87
15. Tales of Vesperia – Xbox 360 – .87
14. Eternal Sonata – PS3 – .98
13. Punch Out!! – Wii – 1.00
12. Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise – Xbox 360 – 1.18
11. Bully: Scholarship Edition – Wii – 1.25
10. The House of the Dead: Overkill – Wii – 1.26
9. The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena – Xbox 360 – 1.26
8. The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena – PS3 – 1.44
7. Zack & Wiki Quest for Barbaros’ Treasure – Wii – 1.46
6. Mad World – Wii – 1.47
5. FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage – Xbox 360 – 1.60
4. Geometry Wars: Galaxies – Wii – 1.70
3. Rune Factory Frontier – Wii – 3.91
2. Boom Blox Bash Party – Wii – 4.38
1. Klonoa – Wii – 5.35
Unsurprisingly, Wii games make up a large portion of the list (4 of the top 5, and 7 of the top 10) and just goes to put stock in the argument that the Wii really is attracting a radically different market and that some games that are considered to be quite good by more “hardcore” gaming fans, are struggling to find sales in this new market. Also, as I mentioned earlier, this doesn’t take into account the cost of making the game and Wii games especially are generally far cheaper to produce than on other consoles, so many of this Wii games may have been successful in the sense that they still made money.
There were also a couple of suprises on this list; namely Punch Out! for Wii, which I thought would appeal to the more casual audience of the Wii (though hasn’t been out long and could pick up sales going into the christmas season) and Eternal Sonata for PS3, which from all accounts is a great RPG and given that the scores take into account the console’s install base (meaning a million copies sold on a PS3 is gives a lower rating than a million sold on an Xbox360), one that I never expected to see on such a list. Another suprise was Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena, which appears twice (once for 360, once for PS3) though was reviewed very positively (which makes it harder to get a good score) and also hasn’t been on sale for very long yet. Likewise, the inclusion of Unreal Tournament 3 for Xbox360 isnt too suprising given a delayed release when compared to PS3 and PC and the generally positive reviews.
All things considered, the list does give an interesting insight to some critical darling’s that failed in the market place (looking at you Okami) and while it shouldn’t be considered an official form of measurement, the formula the author derives is quite well thought out. Besides which, it makes for a great discussion point.
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