Why Do You Think It Didnt Sell Well?

[IHatedSega]

I think this is a good subject to start: Why do you think an awesome game didnt sell well or is forgotten now?


Ill get this started by pointing out a big one EARTHBOUND! I think this game didnt sell well because it was too expensive and it was targeted to kids. Japanese game developers more or less thought Americans were too dense to play games like Japanese could. Well, I think the real reason was because up until Final Fantasy came out on the PS1 game consoles were primarily played by children, 90's kids did not have the patience to just sit down and level grind for characters they werent super into, until Pokemon came out on the Gameboy. Yes, Im saying kids didnt have the attention skills to play an RPG unless they were super into the game already, which Pokemon had its success because of. I didnt even know what an RPG was, all I knew was I was playing a game that was EXACTLY like Pokemon the tv show. Now I look back and see its a cross between Shin Megami Tensei and Final Fantasy 1. Thats really why I think Console RPG's in general didnt become really successful here till the PS1 came out and targeted older teens to market to.

What other games do you have thoughts like this on? Or do you have other ideas why Earthbound didnt have success?

[Collector_Gaming]

American Mcgee's ALICE fits wonderfully here.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a9/American_McGee_Alice_cover.png/250px-American_McGee_Alice_cover.png

The game is top notch for its time. The graphics were mediocre not bad but not the best ever for 2000 when it came out. The story was amazing for a game of the time basically taking the beloved Alice in wonderland tale (more so the sequel "Through the Looking Glass") and made it as disturbingly twisted as they could get it while still making perfect sense. And they could not have done it better. The voice acting was also not bad the music was imo for its time (and still to this day) award winning. The composer did such an amazing job with it catching the Victorian era feel while adding a sense of chaos and confusion and darkness to it. But once again it didn't do well. I don't know if they didn't market it well (although I can remember adam sessler reviewing it on gamestop tv on ZDTV back when it came out and i am sure it made a few publications so who knows)

[IHatedSega]

American Mcgee is a stupid name.

[Emperor Megas]

American Mcgee is a stupid name.No arguments there. Well, not from me anyway.

[Bojay1997]

American Mcgee is a stupid name.

It's pretty hard to think that you're anything but a troll when you post things like that. His mother named him that and that's his name. As such, it doesn't matter if you think it's stupid or not and it's certainly not on topic of what I assumed was going to be an intelligent discussion thread.

[IHatedSega]

It's pretty hard to think that you're anything but a troll when you post things like that. His mother named him that and that's his name. As such, it doesn't matter if you think it's stupid or not and it's certainly not on topic of what I assumed was going to be an intelligent discussion thread.
Well, you think Alice in Wonderland, but then you see American. McGee right above it, what the hell is that? Who is this guy?(Yeah I know, he worked at id, but how many people who walk intoa computer games section really knew that?) Why is he so special his name is on it? Im just saying that its a weird title. Why not just a clever name if they couldnt do outright Alice In Wonderland? I dont know how the marketing was, but when I saw commercials for the second one, American Mcgee was never mentioned in it, and he made it again.

[MidnightRider]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EarthBound#Reception

Simply put, it just wasn't a popular genre those first few generations.

[ownerizer]

I want a name like "American". It would just announce to everyone in the room that I am a badass.

[SparTonberry]

EarthBound did sell because most people took its advertising "This game stinks" seriously. Or they were offended by the smelly advertising.
Also, when it was first released, GamePro panned it, saying the gameplay too mature for younger gamers, too immature for older gamers. "This game is bound to fall to earth soon."
I think gave it a 2/5 Fun Factor. (Though EarthBoundCentral has pointed out, it didn't look like the reviewer even finished the Onett segment (~ a couple hours of gameplay) before rating the game.)
But I recall they gave Tecmo Secret of the Stars a 4/5 on the next page. (even though I inexplicably like that game, I don't think it's another more than average.)

[InsaneDavid]

It's pretty hard to think that you're anything but a troll when you post things like that. His mother named him that and that's his name. As such, it doesn't matter if you think it's stupid or not and it's certainly not on topic of what I assumed was going to be an intelligent discussion thread.

Indeed.


Well, you think Alice in Wonderland, but then you see American. McGee right above it, what the hell is that? Who is this guy?(Yeah I know, he worked at id, but how many people who walk intoa computer games section really knew that?) Why is he so special his name is on it? Im just saying that its a weird title.

American McGee was known at the time and his involvement with the game was a selling point during development. Putting "American McGee's" before the title is no different from "Tom Clancy's" in front of the plethora of games based on his properties. It was his game, so he put his name before the title, far from an uncommon occurrence in books, film and games. Just the same, troll on.

[IHatedSega]

Youre the one comparing American McGee to Tom Clancy. How many years was Tom known before Rainbow Six came out?

If McGee was known very well to magazine readers, I doubt he was a big figure to casual buyers of computer games. Obviously his name wasnt good enough to move boxes off the shelves.