Monster Hunter and Lego City Both Pretty Meh, What Happened?

Much was said about this spring's games with Monster Hunter and Lego City leading the pack.

The problem is that each one of these fizzled.

Monster Hunter's seen sales that have pushed over a quarter mil but that number becomes pretty sad when the sales in NA are right at 40k and the European markets have yet to hit 30k.

Lego City is another game that everyone was having high hopes for and that game has barely cracked 90k worldwide. Worse still is that the sales in the US for the game are 80k.

What hurt both of these games is that neither one was a system seller. Heck, even in the Wii U's software starved market Monster Hunter and Lego City aren't must haves if you already own the console.

Some will say that both games aren't that great, they have problems and are just good.

I think that neither game was made for Nintendo's core user, the casual.

Why do you think both games failed?

I think that neither game was made for Nintendo's core user, the casual.Jaysonguy

Where are you looking? VG chartz? It says 90k for Lego as of March 23 and the game only released in UK on March 28th and it's sitting 8th on the UK sales charts now. It's doing well for an infant install base.

For those commenting on Monster Hunter I would agree with you if the Wii U wasn't starved for good software.

After the initial launch of software that included some pretty bad ports of games there was nothing. Lego City and Monster Hunter were supposed to be top tier games on the console that would not only draw in new audiences but also would see some hits from the Wii U userbase.

Even after Nintendo spearheaded the advertising for each of these games they've both failed to gain any sort of traction.

Though I will say this. This was Monster Hunter's last hope on a Nintendo console. There was no software competing against it and it still failed to meet expectations. It'll never find the software landscape for the Wii U this barren again.

Lego City wasn't done but the top tier people in charge and it shows it, for all the game does right it fails in a lot of ways.I'm not sure that would have saved it but it sure kept a lot of people on the fence. Preorders were weak for the game as a whole, that spoke to the public's general disinterest.

plain and simple.. the install base is too low and both these games were not going to boost sales dramatically.

wiifit U and wii partU will.

then when it becomes popular and gamers see it selling they will jump in...

but even the wii with its install base had poor 3rd party sales..3rd part games rarely sell amazing on nintendo consoles...so this is nothing new jasonguy.

Your opinion is pretty meh, that happened...

People can't use the excuse that MH did bad because it's a remake+.. RE4 on Wii did really good and the most it did was alter the controls. Lego City may still do alright once the kiddies are out of school for the summer and their parents are more likely to get them games that won't distract from classwork. It doesn't have a very good ceiling though just because interest in the console is nonexistant right now..TxTech1923

OK Jayson, if the only people that bought a Wii U are little kids and casuals like you claim, wouldn't that make you a little kid and casual gamer since you claim to own a Wii U? There is no need for this thread to exist. You're just trying to make a negative thread to see how people respond, much like most of your posts.Toxic-Seahorse

That's so true. I've never seen him post anything positive. Even his blog entries are almost all negative.

I'm going to hold my thoughts until I see the official numbers, but if what is being said is accurate, it's rather unfortunate. Not that I expected Monster Hunter and Lego City to put up massive numbers, but it doesn't speak too well if the two biggest games on the system since the launch didn't manage to sell much software.

Still, not trying to assess this too deeply. I'll wait for the numbers later in the month to break it all down.

[QUOTE="Toxic-Seahorse"]OK Jayson, if the only people that bought a Wii U are little kids and casuals like you claim, wouldn't that make you a little kid and casual gamer since you claim to own a Wii U? There is no need for this thread to exist. You're just trying to make a negative thread to see how people respond, much like most of your posts.QuebecSuperstar

That's so true. I've never seen him post anything positive. Even his blog entries are almost all negative.

[QUOTE="TxTech1923"]People can't use the excuse that MH did bad because it's a remake+.. RE4 on Wii did really good and the most it did was alter the controls. Lego City may still do alright once the kiddies are out of school for the summer and their parents are more likely to get them games that won't distract from classwork. It doesn't have a very good ceiling though just because interest in the console is nonexistant right now..nini200

[QUOTE="nini200"][QUOTE="TxTech1923"]People can't use the excuse that MH did bad because it's a remake+.. RE4 on Wii did really good and the most it did was alter the controls. Lego City may still do alright once the kiddies are out of school for the summer and their parents are more likely to get them games that won't distract from classwork. It doesn't have a very good ceiling though just because interest in the console is nonexistant right now..TxTech1923

Holy! I haven't paid attention to these boards since the Wii came out. Jaysonguy is STILL going around trolling? You'd think that during 7 years he'd found something better to do.

Yeah, sub-100k sales are pretty bad.

That can be considered a sales flop.

If I were in charge of those games, I would port them to other systems. (for example Lego City to PS360 and MH3 to Vita/PS3)

Unless there are some exclusivity contracts with Nintendo preventing this, I don't see a sense in keeping these games exclusive to Nintendo. (considering the poor sales)

If I were in charge of those games, I would port them to other systems. (for example Lego City to PS360 and MH3 to Vita/PS3))

nameless12345

[QUOTE="nameless12345"]

If I were in charge of those games, I would port them to other systems. (for example Lego City to PS360 and MH3 to Vita/PS3))

OreoMilkshake

[QUOTE="nameless12345"]

If I were in charge of those games, I would port them to other systems. (for example Lego City to PS360 and MH3 to Vita/PS3))

OreoMilkshake

nameless seems pretty sadned and has given up on nintendo but i know deep down he wants everything to be nintendo exclusive. and ninty domination.

Monster Hunter's seen sales that have pushed over a quarter mil but that number becomes pretty sad when the sales in NA are right at 40k and the European markets have yet to hit 30k.

Jaysonguy

What's wrong with you?

[QUOTE="Jaysonguy"]

Monster Hunter's seen sales that have pushed over a quarter mil but that number becomes pretty sad when the sales in NA are right at 40k and the European markets have yet to hit 30k.

meetroid8

Successful?

Ehh

Sustainable?

Yes it has.

There's been Monster Hunter titles that have done around one million units in NA and Europe.

The Wii has no software, I mean Christ the console set a record for no games and Monster Hunter sold horribly.

[QUOTE="Jaysonguy"]

Monster Hunter's seen sales that have pushed over a quarter mil but that number becomes pretty sad when the sales in NA are right at 40k and the European markets have yet to hit 30k.

meetroid8

When you take into account the console's current install base, those numbers are not as terrible as you make them sound, especially considering the fact that those are two titles that came out not too long ago.

When you take into account the console's current install base, those numbers are not as terrible as you make them sound, especially considering the fact that those are two titles that came out not too long ago.

Pierst179

Except the fact that the Wii U is now in gaming history as having the longest time between retail releases.

It's starved for software, people who have the Wii U are desperate for software and these games sold horribly.

Also these games are relatively new but their launch week numbers are abysmal too, there's no signs at all saying that these games will see a spike later on.

[QUOTE="Pierst179"]

When you take into account the console's current install base, those numbers are not as terrible as you make them sound, especially considering the fact that those are two titles that came out not too long ago.

Jaysonguy

Except the fact that the Wii U is now in gaming history as having the longest time between retail releases.

It's starved for software, people who have the Wii U are desperate for software and these games sold horribly.

Also these games are relatively new but their launch week numbers are abysmal too, there's no signs at all saying that these games will see a spike later on.

I will agree with the long time between retails releases. Nintendo seems to have stacked the launch lineup too much - maybe in fear that it would be the 3DS all over again.

It gave the system a very interesting starting group of games, but it also left Nintendo with nothing too release during the past few months.

It is hard to judge the performance of software this early in a system's life because the install base is small, especially since the system is not selling very well, but I still see those numbers as very reasonable.

Monster Hunter Tri was on the Wii. I wouln't expect a remake to do all that well in the US on a system that already can play Tri. Even if it has a loyal following, I certainly wouldn't call it a system seller outside of Japan.

Undercover is a better game than most people give it credit for. The biggest knock against it is probably load times, which are not nearly as long as those for Skyrim. I have yet to see any TV ad for it, and really didn't see much advertising on the game sites either. So, I don't know how much hype there was to begin with. 

As for neither of these games targeting Nintendo's audience, I couldn't disagree more. Undercover is a game that oozes charm and is family friendly. How could you say it isn't for the Nintendo faithful?

[QUOTE="Jaysonguy"]

[QUOTE="Pierst179"]

When you take into account the console's current install base, those numbers are not as terrible as you make them sound, especially considering the fact that those are two titles that came out not too long ago.

Pierst179

Except the fact that the Wii U is now in gaming history as having the longest time between retail releases.

It's starved for software, people who have the Wii U are desperate for software and these games sold horribly.

Also these games are relatively new but their launch week numbers are abysmal too, there's no signs at all saying that these games will see a spike later on.

I will agree with the long time between retails releases. Nintendo seems to have stacked the launch lineup too much - maybe in fear that it would be the 3DS all over again.

It gave the system a very interesting starting group of games, but it also left Nintendo with nothing too release during the past few months.

It is hard to judge the performance of software this early in a system's life because the install base is small, especially since the system is not selling very well, but I still see those numbers as very reasonable.

We agree to disagree, no harm in that

Monster Hunter Tri was on the Wii. I wouln't expect a remake to do all that well in the US on a system that already can play Tri. Even if it has a loyal following, I certainly wouldn't call it a system seller outside of Japan.

Undercover is a better game than most people give it credit for. The biggest knock against it is probably load times, which are not nearly as long as those for Skyrim. I have yet to see any TV ad for it, and really didn't see much advertising on the game sites either. So, I don't know how much hype there was to begin with. 

As for neither of these games targeting Nintendo's audience, I couldn't disagree more. Undercover is a game that oozes charm and is family friendly. How could you say it isn't for the Nintendo faithful?

mrfokken

Monster Hunter is the same game on the Wii but remember Capcom's plan for severing the online ability for the Wii version to usher people towards the Wii U version.

As for Lego, the game doesn't look or play as well as other games in the Lego series. You can tell this wasn't done by the top tier people in the company, this wasn't a flagship title that the studio was hanging their hat on.

The advertising has been everywhere. It's in magazines, on the TV, and there's even a special Lego set featuring Chase.

As far as hitting the core casual/child user I'm not sure. The game is a dumbed down GTA for kids but ehhh, I don't know if kids want a dumbed down GTA. Adults can get the real GTA and kids either want GTA to look cool or they want Lego Harry Potter or Star Wars version.

If the game was done by the best team at the studio and was worth playing no matter it would be a different result in some cases, as it stands now it's a game that has no real market and is certainly not worth a 50 dollar price tag.

Much was said about this spring's games with Monster Hunter and Lego City leading the pack.

The problem is that each one of these fizzled.

Monster Hunter's seen sales that have pushed over a quarter mil but that number becomes pretty sad when the sales in NA are right at 40k and the European markets have yet to hit 30k.

Lego City is another game that everyone was having high hopes for and that game has barely cracked 90k worldwide. Worse still is that the sales in the US for the game are 80k.

What hurt both of these games is that neither one was a system seller. Heck, even in the Wii U's software starved market Monster Hunter and Lego City aren't must haves if you already own the console.

Some will say that both games aren't that great, they have problems and are just good.

I think that neither game was made for Nintendo's core user, the casual.

Why do you think both games failed?

Jaysonguy

Niche market and poor advertising, two versions, low install base (MH3U). and low install base again (Lego)

I'm enjoying MH3U a lot on my Wii U,  a great welcoming into a franchise I anticipate I will be very into in the future

certainly not worth a 50 dollar price tag.

Jaysonguy

I bought this console for MH3U. I don't know how it happend but somehow this is the only game my gf like to play too.

I would have bought the console later when there were more triple A games like Mario, Zelda, DK, Kirby etc but when I saw MHU at a friends house I just couldnt resist.

I only hope they will add more content over time then they did on the Wii (none).

All in all I'm not suprised people do not buy the console for this game. It's weird, kinda slow and has a high learning curve. Not something the typical casual/cod/fifa player likes to play.

[QUOTE="thetravman"]

New numbers for March 30th, which is 2 days after Lego City was released in the UK. So far it sold 160k. That's very good for a launch window game.

Jaysonguy

That's disgusting for a game released after literally months of no games.

The 30k for NA and 20k in Europe is troubling, overall sales are weak for a title that's main point is known to almost every person on the planet.

Hmmm, going over the Lego games Lego City underperforms even the worst selling Lego games of last gen.

Why do you keep comparing it to other iterations? Of course it's abysmal compared to them but consider the obvious circumstances. There is also the fact that this game doesn't latch on to other licenses like Batman or Lord of the Rings, so its niche is gone. With that said, it's still doing well.

New numbers for March 30th, which is 2 days after Lego City was released in the UK. So far it sold 160k. That's very good for a launch window game.

New numbers for March 30th, which is 2 days after Lego City was released in the UK. So far it sold 160k. That's very good for a launch window game.

thetravman

That's disgusting for a game released after literally months of no games.

The 30k for NA and 20k in Europe is troubling, overall sales are weak for a title that's main point is known to almost every person on the planet.

Hmmm, going over the Lego games Lego City underperforms even the worst selling Lego games of last gen.

[QUOTE="thetravman"]

New numbers for March 30th, which is 2 days after Lego City was released in the UK. So far it sold 160k. That's very good for a launch window game.

Jaysonguy

That's disgusting for a game released after literally months of no games.

The 30k for NA and 20k in Europe is troubling, overall sales are weak for a title that's main point is known to almost every person on the planet.

Hmmm, going over the Lego games Lego City underperforms even the worst selling Lego games of last gen.

When will the bashing end? I have all current systems and that includes the WiiU.I played the mh3t demo and thought, wow this looks sharp and bright and colorful but did'nt have any clue as to what I was doing other than getting my a$$ handed to me,lol.Lego City Undercover was a buy for me day 1 and I am 32 years old,love it and still playing it,so that being said its not all about the kids,I will play pretty much anything because a game is a game!As to the system not having much right now,well that will change,its still a baby,after 12-16 months have passed and we are in the same vote as now then I will say "Ohhhhhhh Crap",but for now I am happy with my peice of cake and not the whole damn thing.Just remember the 360 and PS3 were not any different at the beginning and the new xbox and ps will be in the same vote!

Almost forgot I love the WiiU,terrific system!

When will the bashing end?

st_anger10

When Nintendo starts releasing games. :P Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate is impressive? colourful yes, but impressive no, ugly texture - Wii game tweaked up, if Capcom make Monster Hunter 4 for Wii U from ground up with none of that cross connect 3DS crap then it will be impressive. Wii U is starting to get a few games (with release dates) - Splinter Cell Black List, Deus Ex, Injustice, RE: Revelations. ...but yea from Nintendo its zero.

I don't believe I used the word impressive.But I did think the picture was sharp looking and bright,anyways all in all I thought the game was cool even though I am not a fan.st_anger10