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2003 top-selling games

N

Neurofreeze

2[H]4U
Joined
Jan 11, 2002
Messages
2,523
http://npd.com/press/releases/press_040126a.htm

Top 10 Selling Console Games of 2003
1) PS2 - Madden NFL 2004 (EA)
2) GBA - Pokemon Ruby (Nintendo)
3) GBA - Pokemon Sapphire (Nintendo)
4) PS2 - Need for Speed Underground (EA)
5) NGC - The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (Nintendo)
6) PS2 - Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (Rockstar)
7) NGC - Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (Nintendo)
8) PS2 - Tony Hawk's Underground (Activision)
9) PS2 - Enter the Matrix (Atari)
10) PS2 - Medal of Honor: Rising Sun (EA)

It looks like it was MS' hype machine putting in second place in the console race, not its sales.

You could argue that MS sold more consoles, but you'd be wrong (GC and Xbox units are very close, world-wide), also to compound the fact that Nintendo is making money on each of those 14 million consoles sold while MS has lost money on each one (the figure is closer to 13.7M, to be more precise).

Hopefully Xbox will pick up some slack next year with Halo 2 and a few other titles. I'm personally hoping for another Panzer Dragoon.

PC top 20 is pretty lame. Sims Sims Sims.

Top 10 Selling PC Games of 2003
1) The Sims: Superstar (EA)
2) The Sims Deluxe (EA)
3) Command & Conquer Generals (EA)
4) Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne (Vivendi Universal)
5) The Sims: Makin' Magic (EA)
6) The Sims: Unleashed (EA)
7) Sim City 4 (EA)
8) Call of Duty (Activision)
9) Age of Mythology (Microsoft)
10) Battlefield 1942 (EA)

According to the article, the market overall went for a downturn in 2003. Consoles fell 2.7 percent to $10 billion in 2003 compared to $10.3 billion in 2002. PC games software fell 14 percent, topping $1.2 billion in sales in 2003 versus $1.4 billion in 2002.

Damn Sims.
 
I would have expected Call of Duty and Battlefield 1942 to be higher on that list. Don't really understand why it is filled with the Sims either. Shouldn't Max Payne 2 be in that list somewhere too?
 
Well on that console list, I don't have a single one of those games because I rarely buy multiplatform games.

On the PC, I have
Sim City 4 Deluxe
Call of Duty
BF1942

I just ordered Halo which I am surprised it is not on the list. It sold like hot cakes the final few months of the year.
 
There are ALOT of kids and adults that play the Sims games. They are really hyped up in the advertising world and people like to live out the lives they wish they had i guess lol. I really dont know what people see in them though. They are the girliest games i've ever seen. In fact i would suspect that a large percentage of those that play the Sims are girls. Getting my first kiss, getting married, and raising a family or whatever it is you do in most of those Sims games ins't my idea of fun from a guys point of view.

The only two in that list i actually think are worth being top sellers is BF1942, Frozen Throne, and Call of Duty. Age of Mythology was a descent game but not worthy of being a top seller.

Being a top seller is primarily all about advertiseing. Its the same thing with hardware. 90% of PC users dont know enough about computers or games to do any more then buy what everyone else is buying or what they see in an advertisement.

ATI has kicked in and started quite a few advertisements on web sites and magazines since last year and its helped them to compete well against nVidia.

People buy OCZ RAM because its one of the most advertised RAM manufacters on the market and yet its just about the worse crap you can buy.

I can definitely see why the market dropped last year though all around. There was very little worth mentioning released all year overall. Especially in the RPG and Strategy area.
 
Many games didn't make it on the list because they came out very late in the year. A notable exception are Mario Kart: Double Dash and Need for Speed Underground. They both came out in November and simply sold like hotcakes.

On the PC side it's more pronounced, where the majority of sales can be spread over the course of half a year.

Halo sold quite a few in the past months, but not nearly enough to compete against a triple-A title. I'd be willing to bet that Diablo II and its expansion almost made the list this year though. It hung around on the top 20 charts for five months last year, some months even beating out WC3: Frozen Throne.

Max Payne 2 had very good November sales but wasn't even in the top 20 in Dec. It's no wonder Blizzard decided to go console with SC:Ghost when Max Payne 2 gets the shaft and games like The Sims reign surpreme.
 
I find it amazing that people still buy this recycled shit called Pokemon over and over again. They package up the same game, add another furry little critter and pick a new color to call it and make millions of dollars off of it.
 
If I could go back in time and change anything in history I would blow up the Sims and its 8 million expansion packs from existence to create a better future, nuff said.
 
Originally posted by GriffiN
I find it amazing that people still buy this recycled shit called Pokemon over and over again. They package up the same game, add another furry little critter and pick a new color to call it and make millions of dollars off of it.
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seems to work well for madden and various other sports franchises. :)
 
pokemon is fine, but the Sims series released like 45 expansions in less than a month.
 
I have never played any of the sims games, and i don't plan to anytime soon either.
 
Originally posted by Neurofreeze
http://npd.com/press/releases/press_040126a.htm

Top 10 Selling Console Games of 2003
1) PS2 - Madden NFL 2004 (EA)
2) GBA - Pokemon Ruby (Nintendo)
3) GBA - Pokemon Sapphire (Nintendo)
4) PS2 - Need for Speed Underground (EA)
5) NGC - The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (Nintendo)
6) PS2 - Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (Rockstar)
7) NGC - Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (Nintendo)
8) PS2 - Tony Hawk's Underground (Activision)
9) PS2 - Enter the Matrix (Atari)
10) PS2 - Medal of Honor: Rising Sun (EA)

It looks like it was MS' hype machine putting in second place in the console race, not its sales.

You could argue that MS sold more consoles, but you'd be wrong (GC and Xbox units are very close, world-wide), also to compound the fact that Nintendo is making money on each of those 14 million consoles sold while MS has lost money on each one (the figure is closer to 13.7M, to be more precise).

Hopefully Xbox will pick up some slack next year with Halo 2 and a few other titles. I'm personally hoping for another Panzer Dragoon.

PC top 20 is pretty lame. Sims Sims Sims.

Top 10 Selling PC Games of 2003
1) The Sims: Superstar (EA)
2) The Sims Deluxe (EA)
3) Command & Conquer Generals (EA)
4) Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne (Vivendi Universal)
5) The Sims: Makin' Magic (EA)
6) The Sims: Unleashed (EA)
7) Sim City 4 (EA)
8) Call of Duty (Activision)
9) Age of Mythology (Microsoft)
10) Battlefield 1942 (EA)

According to the article, the market overall went for a downturn in 2003. Consoles fell 2.7 percent to $10 billion in 2003 compared to $10.3 billion in 2002. PC games software fell 14 percent, topping $1.2 billion in sales in 2003 versus $1.4 billion in 2002.

Damn Sims.
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Sits child on lap, reads the kid this info, says to kid, "& that's why daddy drinks!"
 
dammit, EA rapes their customers over and over, and they keep coming back for more.
 
Nothing like Sim-hate to unite gamers.

I bet even when Sims 2 comes out (which actually sounds like it'll have some innovation and creativity put into it), the Sims expanions will continue to be on the charts because:

A) Weak-ass 400MHz Pentium II machines won't be able to handle it.
B) It'll be too complex for most Sims fans (ie. it'll require rudimentary thought).
C) Advertising one game is extra advertising for the others (like how Diablo II stayed in the 20 top charts for many months in 2003 because of WC3:FT).

I wouldn't even be surprised if some of the Sims expansions outsold Sims 2 occassionally.
 
Hopefully Xbox will pick up some slack next year with Halo 2 and a few other titles. I'm personally hoping for another Panzer Dragoon.
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Sorry, but sales don't equal quality chief. Look at the list. The first spot is owned by a game that receives marginal enhancements every year. It's an excellent game, but you're paying $50 for last year's model with a few extra tidbits.

Now, for two and three. Rehashes of the older versions. They added next to nothing.

Four through seven are almost , I suppose. Wind Waker grows stale/tedious after a while though (Even after you learn to control the typhoons). Vice City was excellent, but it's old news. NFSU had good mechanics but is weighted down by the fact that it revolves around a single city. Double Dash is fun with friends; otherwise, it grows old too.

Tony Hawk is similar to Madden in terms of updates, IMO. They both receive a few concept additions and get a new name. Other than that, they're almost identical to their counterparts.

Enter the Matrix is complete shit. This is the easiest way to disprove the notion that top-sales are relevant.

Rising Sun is yet another cookie-cutter FPS with clunky graphics, poor textures, and ridiculously stupid AI.

Shall I list the great Xbox titles released this year or do you get the picture?
 
Originally posted by Vagrant Zero
Sims are teh pooh. I don't understand what people find attractive about those games.
Click to expand...

No kidding, it is just a bunch of old lazy ppl that play them, or, teenage virgins that need to get out and try a real game...
 
Originally posted by sc0tty8
No kidding, it is just a bunch of old lazy ppl that play them, or, teenage virgins that need to get out and try a real game...
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Theres nothing wrong with teenage virgins. Just like my girlfriend we all used to be one :). And if Sims keeps girls as virgins longer im all for it lol.
 
Originally posted by WickedAngel
Sorry, but sales don't equal quality chief. Look at the list. The first spot is owned by a game that receives marginal enhancements every year. It's an excellent game, but you're paying $50 for last year's model with a few extra tidbits.

Now, for two and three. Rehashes of the older versions. They added next to nothing.

Four through seven are almost , I suppose. Wind Waker grows stale/tedious after a while though (Even after you learn to control the typhoons). Vice City was excellent, but it's old news. NFSU had good mechanics but is weighted down by the fact that it revolves around a single city. Double Dash is fun with friends; otherwise, it grows old too.

Tony Hawk is similar to Madden in terms of updates, IMO. They both receive a few concept additions and get a new name. Other than that, they're almost identical to their counterparts.

Enter the Matrix is complete shit. This is the easiest way to disprove the notion that top-sales are relevant.

Rising Sun is yet another cookie-cutter FPS with clunky graphics, poor textures, and ridiculously stupid AI.

Shall I list the great Xbox titles released this year or do you get the picture?
Click to expand...

Did I say that the list is full of excellent titles? Did I say all those were my favorite games? I didn't make this thread for any kind of biased fanaticism (with exception for anti-sim Fantatics); this thread was made to look at the economic standpoint of sales. But if you want, go ahead and list quality Xbox titles last year or upcoming, I'll shoot any game, because you can dumb down any game from any system if you want in the same manner you did as an obvious Xbox fanatic.

The fact of the matter is PS2 and GCN is outselling Xbox in profits and units moved while Microsoft would have you believe otherwise, and last I checked, my personal collection of Xbox titles is far dwarfed by the number of even GCN games. While yes, I do really like those few games, in 2003, the Xbox was hardly as good as an investment as either the PS2 or GCN.

Now, for two and three. Rehashes of the older versions. They added next to nothing.
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Right, sequels are bad. Okay folks! Pack up, no more HL2, Doom 3, Halo 2, Starcraft 2 for you! I'm sure HL2, Doom 3, and Halo 2 are going to revolutionize how we run around and shoot other people in FPS.

Vice City was excellent, but old news
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I'm sure that changes the fact that it's on the top 20 and is outselling any Xbox game, even the almighty Halo which came out well before it yet is still consistently the #1 selling Xbox game, not that it's very original or innovative. Ooh wow, a slower pace FPS with vehicles and pretty graphics.

Double Dash is fun with friends; otherwise, it grows old too.
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Right, because multiplayer is dead and a game that revolves around it sucks, because ya know, Xbox doesn't spout multiplayer and online play every other second, and again, the almighty Halo is just so fun without friends.

Tony Hawk is similar to Madden in terms of updates, IMO.
Click to expand...

Right... your opinion, no shit? I'm sure everything else you've said is a fact, not opinion. Thanks for pointing out something you said without empirical backing is an opinion. Tony Hawk is, at the very least, a game that was pretty innovating in its original form. Before Hawk, it was pretty hard to imagine skateboarding transitioning into a game, let alone a fun game, while a football game is a no brainer. If the fans want more Tony Hawk, what are they going to do? Just say, "Oh well, we want to risk triple-A development costs and attempt to make something else instead of giving you want you want, so no more WWII FPSs, Blizzard expansions, or Tony Hawks."

Enter the Matrix is complete shit. This is the easiest way to disprove the notion that top-sales are relevant.
Click to expand...

Right, because millions of dollars that decide where the industry is heading by way of development funding doesn't matter.

Rising Sun is yet another cookie-cutter FPS with clunky graphics, poor textures, and ridiculously stupid AI.
Click to expand...

Oh, so Halo ISN'T a cookie-cutter FPS? What exactly is revolutionary and original about it? Vehicles? Team-based play? Slower-paced strategy FPS? All been done. What? It looks prettier?

Shall I go on or do you get the picture that you're trolling in my thread?
 
Okay folks! Pack up, no more HL2, Doom 3, Halo 2, Starcraft 2 for you! I'm sure HL2, Doom 3, and Halo 2 are going to revolutionize how we run around and shoot other people in FPS.
Click to expand...

And to prove your idiocy yet again;

Half-Life, Doom, and Halo haven't received sequels every year after the release of the original. In fact, the least amount of time between any of them will be two years. For Half-Life and Doom, that expanse is much larger.

But if you want, go ahead and list quality Xbox titles last year or upcoming, I'll shoot any game, because you can dumb down any game from any system if you want in the same manner you did as an obvious Xbox fanatic.
Click to expand...

Xbox fanatic? Right kid. The system I've played the most this year is the Gamecube, though I've bought more games for the Xbox and Playstation 2. The Gamecube games I played just happened to have more longevity, but that doesn't take away from the fact that the other games were excellent. Please, try again.

The fact of the matter is PS2 and GCN is outselling Xbox in profits and units moved while Microsoft would have you believe otherwise, and last I checked, my personal collection of Xbox titles is far dwarfed by the number of even GCN games.
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One word; uninformed.

The PS2 is undeniably moving more units, but Sony has lost more on their consoles because of that. They launched the PS2 at a significant loss and sold millions at that price. The Gamecube might have outsold the Xbox at the end of last year, but the significance of that price cut is dwindling.

Last time I checked, the collection of one person is insignificant.

Ooh wow, a slower pace FPS with vehicles and pretty graphics.
Click to expand...

The selling point of Halo was the AI. It has and always will be. Try to keep up.

Right, because multiplayer is dead and a game that revolves around it sucks, because ya know, Xbox doesn't spout multiplayer and online play every other second, and again, the almighty Halo is just so fun without friends.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, that's not what I said at all. Misinterpreting things seems to be a gift of yours.

Oh, so Halo ISN'T a cookie-cutter FPS? What exactly is revolutionary and original about it? Vehicles? Team-based play? Slower-paced strategy FPS? All been done. What? It looks prettier?
Click to expand...

Wow. I didn't know anyone could be stupid enough to compare Rising Sun to Halo. Yet again, the selling point of Halo was always the AI and the combination of genres supporting it. If you do ever happen to play Rising Sun, perhaps you'll enjoy the enemies who always seem to charge you (Or, better yet, stutter-step and run in circles).
 
none of those figures surprise me.

when you figure the amount of ps2 sold and gba sold and the history with the games sold on gamecube....i dont understand what the point is.
 
Halo's AI wasn't anything special, relatively speaking. Without the compromised control scheme of a gamepad, the AI crumbles.
 
Originally posted by Neurofreeze
Did I say that the list is full of excellent titles? Did I say all those were my favorite games? I didn't make this thread for any kind of biased fanaticism (with exception for anti-sim Fantatics); this thread was made to look at the economic standpoint of sales.
Click to expand...
Sales don't always tell the full side of the story. There are other things to consider like price point, sale numbers and bundles. The NPD press release is just half the story. (You need to subscribe to NPD to get the actual meat.) That list is just of the top selling titles in terms of units sold. That means that a $10 expansion pack can sell 500,000 units and be on the list and a $49.99 title sell 200,000 and not even show up. The latter title makes twice as much money as the first.

You can also see that the list is dominated by GBA titles. Handhelds have dominated the list for years by simple economics that they are the cheapest platform, have cheaper games and a larger player base. Does that mean that the GBA is crushing the GC or canabalizing their sales? Hardly.

NPD makes these reports weekly and they are spun endlessly. The full report is actually a lot better to look at and gives you real dollar amounts. You have to be careful in reading too much into their press releases with their general reports. Overall, the state of gaming is fairly healthy, especially considering that it's currently sustaining three console platforms and about to take one two major handhelds this year.
 
Man, I hate to admit it but I really like the Sims and Simcity.

Simcity 4 is SLOW... Even on a P4 3.2Ghz overclocked to 3.584, when you get a large city with about a million sims and a few thousand cars jamming the roads it really starts to chug.
 
simcity = ownage. always has. always will. having a bad day, just come home and let some aliens wreck havok on the world. always made me feel better.

as for sims, not much for it. have it, its unique. i'm just not for it. but to say that it is impossible to understand why people would play, but then argue perfusely about fps and how wonderful they are. don't get me wrong. i'm not knocking fps. i'm just sayinh the fact that games have intended audiences. Certain game types appeal to some people more than others. i doubt seriously that they expected to sell the game to everyone. you said that sims appeals to old people and teenage virgins that need to get out more, and the same could be said about fps. its nothing but a testosterone pumping game with no point except to run around the field and shoot things. any game can be cut down to a basic premise, its still fun.
now back to cod.
 
I bought Simcity 4 Deluxe about 6 months ago but I have only played it a few hours. I grew up playing the original on SNES for months on end. Maybe I will be able to get into SC4 that way like I had hoped but it is just too slow now compared to FPS so of couse I always opt for the FPS.
 
One more post to defend The Sims. As a hardcore gamer, I agree that The Sims is a Mr. Roger's Neighborhood version of Doom, but the hardcore gamer isn't the target audience. The Sims fills a much needed segment of video games, the casual gamer. Once you have captured a casual gamer, it's just another step to get that person to become a hardcore gamer.

Sometimes it takes a Sims game to grow the segment as a whole. The top selling game has usually been games like Myst, Deer Hunter, The Sims or Flight Simulator. The industry needs games like the above to continue to grow and survive.
 
Playstation 2 games will be on the top list always for now because there is just so many playstation 2s out there. If only half of the playstation 2 owners bought a certain game that is still probably more then all of xbox's owned by people. Playstation was for awhile the only (well one that had normal discs and could play dvd) new generation out for awhile. So alot of people picked it up. Then like wildfire TONS of games came out. I would have to say PS2 will probably end up with more titles available then the old ps1 before its over with. Just as many will be junk too. They deal in mass imo. The only true test ps2 will get will be the next gen. Most of the manufactuers should release about the same time and all of them should have a decent amount of publishers making games for them as well. It started out lopsided and is still that way although less. I think next gen we will see what the general public wants. Quality or quantity. (opinions only :) )
 
Originally posted by burningrave101
And if Sims keeps girls as virgins longer im all for it lol.
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Big Daddy!!!!!

But I agree...The sales charts for 2003 looked weak. I think as an [H] community we should vow to put Paintbrawl Extreme 45 at the number one spot fro 2004.
 
Originally posted by Northern
Playstation 2 games will be on the top list always for now because there is just so many playstation 2s out there. If only half of the playstation 2 owners bought a certain game that is still probably more then all of xbox's owned by people. Playstation was for awhile the only (well one that had normal discs and could play dvd) new generation out for awhile. So alot of people picked it up. Then like wildfire TONS of games came out. I would have to say PS2 will probably end up with more titles available then the old ps1 before its over with. Just as many will be junk too. They deal in mass imo. The only true test ps2 will get will be the next gen. Most of the manufactuers should release about the same time and all of them should have a decent amount of publishers making games for them as well. It started out lopsided and is still that way although less. I think next gen we will see what the general public wants. Quality or quantity. (opinions only :) )
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Just because you have a large install base doesn't mean that translates automatically to sales. Nintendo had a great selling console in the N64, but because they kept the cartridge format so they could control the games being made through production and licensing fees developers didn't flock to it.

When developers and publishers look at making a game for a console, they look at install base, cost of production on that platform (which includes licensing costs to develop on that platform, difficulty, etc) and potential incentives. Just so happens that Sony has excelled in all three areas for the Playstation series of consoles. Nintendo has neglected third-party developers (Square being the most notorious) and suffered because of it and Microsoft has used a strategy of using in-house developers to build a stable of games.
 
Out of the top 10 console and top 20 PC games on that list, I have Zelda for GC, and Simcity 4 and BF1942 for PC.

I played the Sims original (expansion free) for a few days, I kind of liked it, but it got old fast (wake up, eat, sleep, do crap, etc.). The whole phenomenon boggles the mind though.

Now Simcity 4, I gotta say, that game is the toughest Simcity I've played. My favorite is probably 3000, followed by 2000 (never played the original...), but if I could actually get good at Simcity 4 (making instead of losing money) I'd like it a lot more.

BF1942, I like it a lot more now that I have a comp that can actually run it and load levels in less than 4 minutes.

Zelda: Wind Waker: was my favorite game of 2003.
 
True torgo but I would bet on a large install base over a smaller one for total sales. Reason being you hit a broader scale and your more likely to strike that BIG HIT out of 1000 rather then 100 (example numbers only dont read in too much :rolleyes: ). Even though you may produce 100s of bombs with that 1000 your still more likely to get a few more big hits out of those 1000 then with the 100. Just my OPINION ;) .
 
Originally posted by BillLeeLee
Now Simcity 4, I gotta say, that game is the toughest Simcity I've played. My favorite is probably 3000, followed by 2000 (never played the original...), but if I could actually get good at Simcity 4 (making instead of losing money) I'd like it a lot more.
[/B]
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Do you have Rush Hour with that? I bought the Deluxe edition which comes with Rush Hour. You get to take bribes and catch burglers for money. Other then that, the only password I know of only gives you $1000 and you have to type it each time, it isn't a nice console where you can just push up.
 
Originally posted by Northern
True torgo but I would bet on a large install base over a smaller one for total sales. Reason being you hit a broader scale and your more likely to strike that BIG HIT out of 1000 rather then 100 (example numbers only dont read in too much :rolleyes: ). Even though you may produce 100s of bombs with that 1000 your still more likely to get a few more big hits out of those 1000 then with the 100. Just my OPINION ;) .
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True dat, but you also run the risk of being lost in the crowd. For what it's worth, I'd also go with a larger installation base. :p
 
It would be interesting to know if a person who bought the Games played it for more than a few hours....or in some cases gave it away because it was so bad.

I have played several of those Games listed and after a few hours became bored with them and gave them to relatives/friends.
 
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