@Kyle81: So if my name is Kyle and I have 28 followers and a connectedness level of 75! I can get away with this?

skrame ☆

I would point out the fact that I highly doubt Wii Fit and sales thereof are taking away from the sales of say GTA4. Casual gamers aren't usually the type that would buy GTA4 in any case. The only thing hurting here is the pride of those anticipating GTA4 to be on top...sounds kinda like a fanboy actually. (perhaps that analogy is a bit strong)

Uchikoma

The down-fall of eastern (Japanese) videogame design, pt.1.

purplehanz

@Derigor: and i feel like a dumbass for plopping down the extra $10 yesterday as well. Oh well, I'll just superglue it to my desk and put a big "oh shit" button in the middle

FatalisticDread

This makes me smile... I'd love to see either Wii Fit or Mario Kart outsell something like GTA IV over their lifespan. And I couldn't care less about Wii Fit, I just think it's great that different types of games can be very successful without the endless hype and marketing. Oh, and I like seeing the people who seem to have an emotional investment in GTA's sales figures get upset.

@n2Depth: I'm pretty sure GTA IV has extensive multiplayer modes.

@teh_joe: Yeah, sure... as someone else already suggested, people buy games like these because they are the "only games" out there worthwhile. Such nonsense.

Mezodon

@edgarhuntly:

No sir, you may have been a hardcore gamer some 20 years ago. Now you're old, balding, playing kiddie games, trying to lose weight and feeling the need to justify it. :P Go Hardcore!

hollowfreak

@D Mitsuki: back in the day after san andreas came out, i read a letter to the editor in a magazine. (don't recall which one) The writer said how they enjoyed playing the other GTA games like GTA 3 and Vice City. But something about San Andreas was different. the people in the game seemed like people they knew and not some italian people. it was too "real" for them. take that for what you want.

teh_joe

@n2Depth: GTA IV doesn't have multiplayer

Do you mean split-screen multiplayer? It does have online multiplayer.

beeporama (brian.j.parker)

As someone who hasn't played any of these games, I feel like I have the ability to comment on the situation...

Solofire

@n2Depth: GTAIV has multiplayer. That's kinda one of the big deals this time around.

megaStryke

Well, I'm glad all you people *know* that GTA4 is better then Mario Kart, especially since it isn't out...

Sorry but GTA4 won't be the success that people make it out to be.

redrabbit

I think you called it yourself: anybody who wants GTA4 for launch probably ordered it a while ago; at this point they're more likely to go to a brick & mortar.

@ego531 raises a good point, too, that putting Wii Fit on the video games sales chart is kind of apples-and-oranges. Like pointing out that iPods are outselling bicycles.

That said, I'd be curious to see real sales figures. Doubly curious to see them correlated against the hardware install base.

beeporama (brian.j.parker)

this can't be. i thought nobody bought games for wii. i thought they bought it for wii sports and then let it collect dust.

/end sarcasm

teh_joe

To be fair, Nintendo software takes a very long time to hit budget prices, if at all. SSBM and Mario Kart: DD are still $30, while GTA: San Andreas dropped to $20 a year after its release. To me, I'd buy the games that are cheaper now and don't depreciate in value as quickly.

Also, GTA IV doesn't have multiplayer, despite having an incredible one-player mode. Both Rockstar and Nintendo put a lot of effort in their games and it shows, so why the heck would people complain if both companies succeed? Something like 50 Cent: Bulletproof selling millions of copies is a tragedy.

n2Depth

Did anyone here, coming into this console generation, think that we'd be debating whether or not a Nintendo game would outsell Grand Theft Auto IV? And not just any game, but a fitness game?

Welcome to market expansion 101.

megaStryke

@D Mitsuki: I never got 15 mins into the game, myself. Controlled terribly, and beating on people till the cops came got old after a few times. Mario Kart controls beautifully and really never gets old. GTA is overrated and Rainbow Road wins, imo. :)

mizzle

Just to add a bit more antecdotel fuel to the fire;

My local Game Crazy had over a dozen people signed up for the midnight release of Mario Kart Wii and ONE (that's numero uno) person signed up for the GTA IV midnight release.

There's nothing wrong with it, simple that every family in America will be seriously considering picking up Mario Kart, especially younger families (like mine) that grew up playing Mario Kart in school, and then throughout college.

GTA IV isn't so much a family game, and as much as I would LOVE to play it (after playing the first 3 to death!), I'm not going to buy it because I don't want that stuff in my house with my daughter on my TV.

Antilochus

@ph15h needs followers:
I do wonder what you'll do if it should outsell gta4. Start an online petition? :p

I'm just kidding, no worries. I am quite eager to see how gta4 works out. I should try it over at a mate's house one of these days I guess.

marlblank

BOOOOO I HATE THE NU-NINTENDERS...

Keepin it old school.
I'll still buy them to complete my collection, but no way in hell will I stand for it outselling GTAIV.

ph15h needs followers

And the award for least comprehensible explanation of a reasoned argument goes to...

ego531

I honestly won't be surprised to see Wii Fit end up the top selling game this generation.

Mr. Fap☆Fap!

@D Mitsuki: That's like calling "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" a racist novel.. You're missing the whole point, the satire, how Rockstar is making fun of society, etc..

Katorok

NEW GAMERS BAD! BAAAAAD!

hegemonyhog

The question is, do the sales of one affect the sales of the other? Although it may encompass some of the same people, each market is quite different. I may buy Mario Kart, and my wife is interested in the Wii Fit board, but I have absolutely no interest in GTA (although the recent reviews here and on Destructoid do make it sound more appealing than I originally thought).

As a side note, I am really tired of people equating violence, sex and drugs with "reality." People race go-karts in reality as well. Just because something exists in our world, does not make its depiction necessarily realistic. In fact, the GTA world is so cartoonish and over-the-top that it distorts reality. Mario doesn't do that (we're unlikely to come away with an altered view of the everyday world when fully immersed in an obviously imaginary world), so in a sense, GTA is less real (being negative, distorted reality) than mario (something we can immediately recognize as pure fantasy). I hope that makes some sense. I guess I just think that equating drugs, guns and hookers with realism actually embeds gamers firmly in a pre-pubescent vision of the real world, with boobies and explosions. Nothing wrong with that (well there is, but no worse than when it appears in movies), but that doesn't make it more mature. A Midsummer Night's dream is less based in our reality but more mature than the A Team (as awesome as Mr. T may be).

Drink milk!

ego531

My local software etc. also had more preoders for Mario Kart. I thought it was strange.

JenovasWitness

I'm a hardcore gamer who has been gaming for 21 years, and I am a lot more excited about Mario Kart and Wii Fit than GTA IV. GTA IV has always seemed to me like a collection of games that aren't quite as polished as an individual shooter, racer, etc.

Not to mention their juvenile tastes stopped interesting me back in high school. If I wanted to have sex with hookers to gain health then I would just do it in real life.

edgarhuntly

They're all good. ^_^

TempestOblivion

I chose to pre-order GTAIV Special Edition from Amazon due to the following:
I have an Amazon Card 3x Rewards
I have Amazon coupon codes
Free Shipping
No Tax
But the most important to me was: Exclusive GTA IV License Plate (for the cubicle at work)

Seventh

So Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft are ALL making god killing amounts of money? What's not to like?

gaggle64

@xgenius: Remember, it's not about sales. If it was all about sales, the Wii would be the best system of the current three, right? That IS how sales work, right?

megaStryke

@D Mitsuki: Thats funny I was never sure while people liked Mario Kart so much.

greeble

GTA will still out sell them in the long run.

xgenius

When will people start to realize that the more "casual gamers" who enter the market is a good thing because those "casual gamers" can eventually become "hardcore gamers" and then I guess they'll officially be in the club?

I don't understand why everyone feels the need to crap on someone because of what particular video games they play. How exactly is that any better than the whole PS3 vs. Xbox 360 fanboy crap? It's not. Why don't you play what you like to play, and let others play what they like to play?

One of these days, seriously ONE of these days, people will actually care more about their own lives than they do everyone else's.

And you people need to stop acting like it's IMPOSSIBLE for the same person to enjoy Mario Kart, Wii Fit, Grand Theft Auto IV, Madden, and Metal Gear Solid.

Seriously, grow up.

mva5580

Well, I'll be buying Wii Fit online, just because I don't want to look like a jackass getting it at a store. I dress metrosexual enough, I don't need more reasons to drive women away...

dry-roasted-peanuts

There are multiple versions of GTA, and only one version of Wii Fit and Mario Kart. Add to that the fact that Wii Fit and Mario Kart are virtually the *only* titles of any real import coming to the Wii in the near future (yes, I have a Wii), and there's your explanation.

nonpareil

Alright! Mario Kart Wii!! I'm probably gonna go pick up GTA4 later though..

Chissu

So, has casual gaming destroyed hardcore gaming yet, or is the jury still out on that one?

megaStryke

@D Mitsuki: I think you answered your own question...

Not everyone can handle cartoon games all the time. People want stuff that is more real. Like it or not streotypes are real, racism is real, and beating down hookers with a bat to get your money back is real.... so I have seen on Dateline or some other 60 Minutes type show.... I certainly wouldn't know myself..... I am totaly against that sort of thing....

QUIT STARING AT ME!!! I WAS NEVER CHARGED WITH ANYTHING!!!

Mr.SithNinja

@Mark Wilson: True - it's more a reaction to seeing all four editions on the top 10. Add all four of them up, and it seems like GTA would be an easy #1.

PopSchiller

I'm not waiting for it to ship, and especially not paying $15 for 1 day shipping when I can just drive to Gamestop and pick it up.

Seabass

Yoga and Pilates apparently attract more people to Amazon than guns and hookers. It's not exactly the strongest metric to use in terms of measuring sales, but it is interesting to see the games stacking up like that.

Lezard

I'm getting Wii Fit and GTA 4, therefore I win on all fronts.

Casual_Hardcore

@SeedyROM: After GTA4 stories end the MGS4 ones begin.

UmeShoryu

@Fyren:

Unless you're like me, someone who'll just use GameFly, keep it until I beat it, and return it, never paying that $60 in the first place... :P

Ignatius

@D Mitsuki: And thats why people like it. Kind of funny huh?

autob0n

I guess a lot of people don't want to wait for delivery, would rather get it a.s.a.p.?

duckmouth

@D Mitsuki: Hahah, good luck with that opinion on this comment board.

Garrison Dean, King Awesome

Well, it's good to see GTA IV appear four times in the top ten. Which is also why it probably isn't number one (in addition to the "it comes out tonight" factor).

Hopefully we won't see something like this come June, and MGS 4 goes to and stays at the top.

SageofAnacostia

@shilmafone: Good point, though I'm not sure the Collector's Edition market is anywhere near the size of another console.

Mark Wilson

also the 360 version is selling better on amazon

kommanderk

Okay, now we're just reaching for GTA stories. 11 more hours and the madness ends...or begins?

SeedyROM

@greyhoundbus:
"Why do people like GTA so much? It just seems like a really big racist/sterotypical story driven game to me... "

Because it is good...

DigitalHero

Also note that GTA IV is divided into regular editions and collector's editions. This means that their sales are actually cut into *four* pieces, rather than the two implied by Mark's post. There's only one platform and one way to buy Mario Kart and Wii Fit. GTA's doing just fine, I think.

PopSchiller

I avoid getting any games shipped. I just find it annoying that extra S&H is tagged as well as dealing with fedex and UPS.

I would imagine with the caliber of GTA's stature, most people would rather prefer to get it during the midnight lunch or be guaranteed at a lock brick and mortar.

Fyren

I've been saying to my friends for a while now:

Wii market != PS3/360 market.

There's just no use comparing them in this way.

greyhoundbus

@D Mitsuki: Because it's not. It's a clever, fun story driven game that allows a lot of freedom.

Vincent060

I work at blockbuster and we had a midnight launch for mariokart with almost 30 preorders (which is unheard of for our store)and gta IV only got 3, myslef included.

Kadugen

A good thing to think about is that most people want GTA IV day one and don't want to wait around for the package to arrive (hardcore gamers). Thw Wii gamers are very casual gamers so why not just put the order in and get it online as to not miss out on the real game GTA4. lol

JorgieX

Casual gamers strike again! =P

Tiberian

Slow news day

Kyle81

It makes sense due to the amount of soccer moms purchasing WiiFit and Mario Kart out number the hardcore gamers purchasing GTAIV. In my opinion, GTA is a better buy than those two.

DigitalHero

The wii wheel??? why?
clearly someone (or some thousands) didnt read the kotaku post on Kart controls before hitting up the Amazon!

Derigor

Why do people like GTA so much? It just seems like a really big racist/sterotypical story driven game to me...

D Mitsuki

Eugh.

Rage. Rising.

Ryumeka

in a perfect world it would go like this on that site
1. gta 4
2. metal gear solid 4
3.ninja gaiden 2

kotordeusexfan

Did anyone expect Wii Fit not to perform well? Two years ago, sure, everybody would have laughed at the prospect of a fitness game on the Wii (teh kiddiez console) becoming an instant million seller, but by now, it should be pretty obvious to everyone that Nintendo has won their gamble big time.
And no, this doesn't spell doom for the videogame industry of yore.

If there's one thing that GTA IV's launch, reviews and preorders have taught us, it's that "hardcore" gamers needn't worry about the evil casual cancer destroying their sacred pastime. Since we're always so keen on comparing videogames to movies: if Transformers and No Country For Old Men (or Lost and The Wire on the small screen) can play nice, so can Wii Fit and GTA IV.

So let's not be overly dramatic, don't go stocking up on factory sealed copies of Chrono Trigger and Contra 3.

@skrame ☆: Clearly... Go click on anything and everything, and you should be able to "First!" every thread in no time.

Antiterra

@TOWER_JUNKIE: After I killed my first hooker it was all downhill from there. Sorry, just wasnt into it.

Dont get me wrong, I understand the appeal. Guns and swearing and whatever- too cool! I guess. Anyways, dont get mad cuz I like MK better. IMO it is a better game.

mizzle

@JenovasWitness:
you don't find it strange that a game were you can have sex, drive drunk,beat hookers, kill innocent people for now reason, steal cars, etc is one of the most popular games on the market today?

unit

@n2Depth: 'GTA IV doesn't have multiplayer,'

Um, have you actually been paying attention these last few months?

Nosignalinput

@redrabbit:
"Sorry but GTA4 won't be the success that people make it out to be."

Lay off the pipe, dammit. That shit will mess up your head. You are already talking gibberish.

Anybody that thinks GTA isn't going to sell like hotcakes just because something is selling better than it on Amazon is a fucking moron.

I'm sorry, but that's just asinine.

heretrix

I'll say this about Amazon, They rock as far as deliveries go. I've bought a shitload of stuff from them over the past month (Upgrading the home theater) and everything I've gotten directly from them arrived a day earlier than expected..They don't fuck around. I'm sitting here right now with my GTA special edition because I decided to pre order from them instead of just picking it up from BB or Gamestop..

heretrix

@mizzle: "Controlled terribly, and beating on people till the cops came got old after a few times."

Way to not play the game correctly. You know that there's a plot and actual missions? Crazy, I know!

TOWER_JUNKIE

@Uchikoma: GTA has fanboys? Say it ain't so!

Fonic

Seriously, Amazon charts? OK, but wait for the monthly sales data - I'm sure Mario Kart will be a big success, but I bet GTA4 will come out ahead, even on just the 360 version.

I've got Mario Kart and not GTA4, but you can bet I'll be picking up the latter just as soon as I get a PS3. It looks awesome. Of course there's not really much to compare between the two games since they're completely different - if you like fun, and you have the systems, you'll be getting both for sure.

@Derigor: You've played with the Wii Wheel, then? It's great. I'm sure you can control more accurately with a GC controller or the remote+nunchuk, but the wheel works well enough and is fun - and that's what counts. (Unless your entire life revolves around self-validation by beating n00bs in online play, I guess.)

quen

@kotordeusexfan: Why would that be perfect? The audiences for Wii Fit and GTAIV are largely two different groups, but one isn't necessarily any better than the other.

Lezard

@kotordeusexfan: More like in a planet full of nerds.

BrotherNick

To everyone mentioning GTA4 multi:

Sorry, I meant split screen multiplayer.

n2Depth

"(Unless your entire life revolves around self-validation by beating n00bs in online play, I guess.)"

Not really possible since all the skill developed in the first two has been removed in favor of simple luck. Is it fun? Slightly. But it feels like a empty shell to what the N64 and Gamecube iterations had to offer... I can understand Nintendo wanting to appeal to the casual gamer crowd, but in doing so they've put their hardcore fanbase in a bad spot.

B33

Why do people get so upset when a game they think they'll like (GTA4 isn't out yet) sells less than a game they think they won't like (someone bashing Wii probably wouldn't buy one)? It doesn't really personally affect you. I'm sure the other kids at school will still think you're awesome for owning a game with swearing and guns.

kidnicky

Of course GTA will sell - but Wii fit is in a completely different league - it's genre breaking and appeals to the family - it's already no.1 in the UK. While gamers relish GTA - I know of no-one who doesn't understand and get the appeal of Wii fit. That's going to be reflected in long term sales and family entertainment rather than the 18+ GTA crowd.

irontrousers

@kidnicky:

Yes it does effect us because it shows developers more and more that they don't have to make an amazing game like GTA IV, they could just remake an old classic or sell something such as the wii fit or wii wheel. :\ Hopefully amazon sales don't represent real world wild sales...

jitty9

@Ignatius:

How long will gamefly let you keep your game? I'll be playing my purchased copy of GTA for months. And plus, if other people try to do this, good luck trying to get a copy or good luck being on the waiting list for months...

jitty9

@mizzle: The appeal isn't that it's violent and that it has sex and drugs. It's the story and gameplay. No other game before has had this much freedom and stuff to do other then the main mission. It has variety and it's fresh. And it gets better and better with each iteration, unlike other series.

Vincent060

@Vincent060:

Yes,the story in the GTA series has always reminded me of the Bard's earlier works. Real heady stuff.

kidnicky

Can Mario Kart Wii beat out the sales of GTA IV?

We may as well ask how many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop.

Eiger

@Eiger: Three, if you're an owl. But I don't see how that applies.

peAr_nectAr

@megaStryke: So, has casual gaming destroyed hardcore gaming yet, or is the jury still out on that one?"

Well, GTA games and Mario Kart games are still being made, so i'd say it was 50/50.

Although I sometimes get the weird feeling (like with this comment) that some people think GTA is the hardcore title... Mario Kart is one of the most hardcore games you will ever find :). You can win money playing that shit.

Lov3

LOLZ at everyone that said Nintendo was retarded for releasing MK Wii the same week as GTA4. Even the wheel is outselling it!!!

RickyTV

@mva5580: Very well said. I personally look forward to playing all three.

While I don't think a large fraction of the new gamers buying up Wii Fit and Mario Kart (if they are new casual, gamers at all) are going to be turning into "teh hardcorez" I do see one major benefit to the addition of more casual-oriented gamers. It dilutes the fanboy virus among the gaming population. Eventually they will become a very small, if vocal, fraction of gamers.

Well, one can dream anyway.

StrikerGold

@irontrousers: Good point, but I think that much of GTA's audience is under 18. They may not be able to buy it, but I'm sure they're playing it.

Mezodon

So what hardcore gamer buys from Amazon over a gamestop of a in store pre order?

Oh yeah Amazon is the mums gaming store :P

Kum0

No casual gaming hasn't destroyed hardcore gaming aslong as casual games stay on the Pos wii >.< who buys a console with the same engine that a console in 2002-03 had...

vig0r

@Kum0:
Really? I just like to save a couple of bucks on taxes by ordering through Amazon. And, since I have a job, I can wait for it to be shipped. Buying from Gamestop does not make you a hardcore gamer.

crucifix99

It looks like GTA IV has moved up to number 2 on that list.

heretrix

@Kum0: I pre ordered my special edition from Amazon and got the game a day earlier than the "hardcore" pre-order gamers at Gamestop.

Actually buying from a Gamestop pretty much makes you a noob, seeing that you can buy the game from anyplace else and not have to deal with their bullshit like trying to sell you an open game as new. Fuck Gamestop.

heretrix