Geometry Wars' unprecedented success

by Vladimir Cole { Mar 27th 2006 at 5:00AM }

Microsoft has released more information on the performance of Xbox Live. One figure that really leapt off the page (if we're interpreting the rather vague language correctly) was the fact that Xbox Live Arcade title Geometry Wars by the makers of Project Gotham Racing 3 has achieved a conversion rate of 39%. That means that nearly 40% of the people who have tried the Geometry Wars demo have gone on to purchase the full version of the game.

That is a fantastic figure, as conversion rates for demo games tend to be much, much lower (around 1% to 2% on game portals like Pogo.com, games.msn.com, and games.yahoo.com, according to TrayGames).

Basically, the figures validate further what we've been saying all along. Geometry Wars is the single best title of the Xbox 360 launch and remains the best fun-per-dollar value on any console platform. It's hot.

Tags: bizarre, geometry wars, GeometryWars

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

vc @ Mar 26th 2006 4:36PM

Before anybody links to it, I'll save them the trouble:

http://www.incitti.com/Blitz/

That's a PC knockoff of Geometry Wars. It doesn't even come close.

Fan @ Mar 27th 2006 5:48AM

Oh please...

If this is the way gaming is going count me out... I hope there will still be room for big budget titles breaking new grounds of what we all thought possible with the hardware.

This indie game crap sucks. Its for people who think tetris is god. Back to basics is a good way to get inspiration for new games but this advanced snake game is just lame.

Thanks.

petecchia @ Mar 27th 2006 5:56AM

And it is also one of the cheaper games, if I remember right only 400 points.

Shame on the lesser games which want us to shell out 800 points or more to buy them. If they charge less I am sure more people would end up buying them.

Hope XBL Street Fighter will cost 400 points too, almost everybody would buy it then.

Sloopydrew @ Mar 27th 2006 7:26AM

Oblivion has a better "fun-per-dollar" value. Even at $60.00, the game is huge. Could anyone play Geometry Wars for a couple hundred hours? I'm 21 hours into Oblivion and I feel like the game is just starting.

vrf @ Mar 27th 2006 7:40AM

Vlad, I'd be interested in hearing what you think makes Geometry Wars so much better than Grid Wars. I've not tried Geometry Wars yet (no 360), but I am hooked on Grid Wars. What am I missing out on?

Oh, and "Fan," grow up. Clever game design that is actually fun trumps big-budget eye-candy with hours of boring FMV any day of the week.

BONESTOCK @ Mar 27th 2006 7:41AM

#2 Fan,
Obviously you haven't played this game. It's nothing like and advanced versoin of snake. haha....

Go try it before you speak ignorantly.

AckAck @ Mar 27th 2006 7:44AM

Actually, I would say that Geometry wars is the best bang for the buck on the 360.

GRAW looks good, and I use it to impress friends that drop by, but after a few hours it completely lost my interest.

Oblivion's framerate often takes a dive when you're outside and honestly I find the game to be tedious.

Geometry wars just has me coming back for more though!
I just wish I was better at it!

Lee @ Mar 27th 2006 8:05AM

Sloopydrew, Oblivion has nowhere near the lowest-common-denominator appeal of games like tetris and geometry wars. The target audience is immensely smaller than that of GW, and whilst one might argue that you get so many more hours (I could easily imagine people spending equally as many on GW, it's a game they'll probably play at the end of this generation's cycle, few are picking up Oblivion after they've done everything), "fun per dollar" has nothing to do with hours. And considering how many hours are spent in tedium, arguably more than the average RPG, I doubt many games have the same "fun per dollar".

Though I still think it's grossly over-rated, games with equally fun/cheap premises have been around (and abundant) for ages, just the advent of the 360 and marketplace has brought it to the attention of the ignorant masses, and therefore all publications addressed to said masses.

Don't hype the game to be something astounding and unparalleled, just because the distribution method has made it popular.

Arachneya @ Mar 27th 2006 8:51AM

Lee, calling Geo Wars overated? Have you actually PLAYED the game?

And note - fans are the one that are leaping accolades on the arcade game. Bizarre has never advertised the title, no does it try to.

It's more then the distribution model. Play the retro version of Geo Wars, and then compare that to the evolved version (what is now know as Geo Wars). Whether or not you are good at the game, you can not deny its the epitome of addicting gameplay, simple and effective presentation, and gorgeous graphics.

Folks running around in the hatemobile because a $5 game is popular. What a world.

LaughingMan @ Mar 27th 2006 9:13AM

Setting aside Geometry Wars for a moment - let's look at the linked press release. Why is it that it's entirely composed of bizzare statistics instead of straightforward numbers? Why don't they just say how many people are using Xbox Live instead of dodging real numbers and using values like hours played and percentages of upturns. Sony and Nintendo have no qualms stating how many people use their online services. Why doesn't Microsoft, especially when it's obvious they have the best online gaming service? And then I see every week how Halo 2 is still the number on game on Xbox Live and not a 360 title. What does this mean "over half of all 360 owners are already connected to Xbox Live"? Are they playing games on it? Do they continue to be subscribers? What in samhain is this bullshit "The 18-34 male audience is comparable in size to the same audience tuning in to see the most popular network TV shows like CSI or The Office." Do you know there's a difference of millions of people who watch CSI and the Office?

Yoshi Likes Boys @ Mar 27th 2006 9:18AM

Fun per dollar....in theory, yes, but that $400 entrance fee kind of skews the math there, doesn't it? Especially for those of us who are totally dulled on just about everything the 360 has to offer in terms of regular games, and too demanding for its half-ass media center abilities. That was a significant problem I identified with XBL Arcade, that you need an expensive enthusiast console to use it.

I'll be the first person to pimp digital distribution, but you goofballs have been offering a pretty closed-minded view of this stuff pretty much since y'all picked up your boxes, so until further notice, I'll consider your price paid for Geometry Wars....as good as it may be, $410, not $10, until you can find another truly worthwhile application.

Lee @ Mar 27th 2006 9:19AM

Arachneya, don't put me in the hatemobile because I think it's over-rated. I spent the first half of my post explaining why it is the best "fun per dollar" on the 360. All I'm saying is that it's nothing phenomenal, I've played Geo Wars and other similar such clones, and whilst 360 version is good I just don't think it's worthy of the excessive praise it's received.

I spend more hours playing the simpler cheap games than I do the full-priced ones, it's why I have a PSP. The retail games are piss-poor but unlike DS I can put as many oldschool arcade games on there as I like. Just don't pretend that GeoWars is much different from other addictive arcade games beyond presentation.

Anyone play the minigame on the original Ape Escape, Monkey Galaxy? Probably spent more hours on that game the actual title. (friend got addicted to the monkey boxing, that was not as good... =/ )

vc @ Mar 27th 2006 9:23AM

Good questions, LaughingMan. I don't think those stats are clearly or openly presented.

However, I have a hunch why not:

(1) Raw numbers alone are still prone to misinterpretation. They'd rather provide the interpretations themselves, and obscure the raw numbers, so that the spin is controlled. It's hard to make anything bad out of the info they've provided, and that's a deliberate communications strategy.

(2) Until Sony and Nintendo start releasing more detailed stats, MSFT has little reason to do so. Competition might force them into into fuller disclosure.

(3) That quote on 18-34 year-old males made me think that they're trying to position the console to capture advertising dollars. The stat is crafted to pique interest from ad buyers, methinks.

(4) Halo 2 is just that popular.

(5) "over half of all 360 owners are already connected to Xbox Live" is a statistic that measures how many Xbox 360 owners have simply signed in to Xbox Live in one form (silver) or another (gold).

oz @ Mar 27th 2006 10:15AM

Why don't they make GEOMETRY WARS available to everybody? Not all Xbox/360 owners are into XBL.

JOn @ Mar 27th 2006 10:26AM

Love the game....I'm still trying to make it past 500,000 points. Reached 473,000 the other day...close...so close.

PsionStorm @ Mar 27th 2006 10:42AM

Arachneya is right - Bizarre has done little to no advertising on this game. Every bit of praise comes from players, fans, and reviewers. I have never seen Microsoft or Bizarre try to sell this game.

Not having a broadband connection at home, I hooked up to Live at my friend's house the other night with the interest of downloading GW. Was it worth the time and $5? Absolutely.

I suck at the game, but the combination of the Achievements and high scores give me a reason to get better, to keep trying. I'm having a hell of a time getting the Pacifism achievement. I still haven't broken 100k either.

The game is a blast, but I think what really drives it home for me is it brings back a feeling that is missing from games of old. There are no secrets to unlock, there are no cheats to use. It's just you and your high score, and bragging rights across the world.

I know that when my friends get their 360s, GW will become competitive amongst us. We sat and just played for an hour the other night, trying to best each other. The "Holy sh*t" moments were frequent and loud as we fought off wave after wave of enemies.

Isn't that what gaming is all about?

Darth Pixel @ Mar 27th 2006 11:49AM

I think they dance around the numbers because the numbers aren't that good. That's all.

Adoption in the Xbox era was 10%. In the Xbox 360 era, I think adoption could reach 20%, but that won't be enough to justify the enormous expense Microsoft has committed to. So, they dance around the numbers.

It's probably better that way, however, seeing how Xbox Live has become laggy and unreliable since they upgraded their software for Xbox 360.

Darth Pixel @ Mar 27th 2006 11:57AM

I am not sure about GW. I played it many times, but 5 minutes at a time only. After 5 minutes, it gets too repetitive for me.
I guess I don't like games where you have to start from scratch every time you play.

ill trooper @ Mar 27th 2006 12:32PM

First off, I love the LIVE service, and this is only an observation I've occasionally mulled over for a few months...

I often wonder about how big Xbox live really is... It's huge and it's quality, we all know that, but when Major Nelson posts the week's top 10 LIVE games, it's led by Halo2, then lately, it drops to some game that is 360 only, and we all know that there are what... 700,000 sold? Nelson posts that 'over half' of those are online, but that's not really that many (yet.)

Here's the list from March 18th:

1 Halo 2
2 Ghost Recon 3
3 Call of Duty 2
4 EA SPORTS� Fight Night Round 3
5 Perfect Dark Zero
6 DEAD OR ALIVE 4
7 PGR3
8 Battlefield 2: MC
9 The Outfit Demo
10 Need for Speed� Most Wanted

...The majority are 360 titles - so this tells us LIVE is two things: Halo2 Zone, and people with new 360s wanting to play games over LIVE. If you're somewhere in between, it's possible you've gotten over Xbox LIVE, at least until you get your 360 or something.

When a 360 demo download like 'The Outfit' for the 360 cracks the top ten, it hints to me that the percentage of people using LIVE for anything other than Halo2 is lower than they like, and this tells to me why Microsoft 'dances around' exact numbers all the time...

Tony @ Mar 27th 2006 12:46PM

"Why don't they make GEOMETRY WARS available to everybody? Not all Xbox/360 owners are into XBL."

Oz, what do you mean? It is available to everybody. You don't need a Gold XBL account to download arcade games, just the (free) Silver account.

If you're connected to the Internet, there's no reason not to sign up for at least a free Silver account. If you're not connected to the Internet, then how could you download the game at all?

Or are you suggesting they should distribute it on DVD? What price would you suggest they charge for it in that format, given the cost of manufacturing, distributing and retailing physical goods?

squirrel @ Mar 27th 2006 2:32PM

So geometry wars isn't the most graphically stunning or 3d game on the market. The reason it is so popular is because it's a return to the golden days of gaming; sidescrollers, top down, simple games you can pick up at a whim, get some infectiously entertaining gameplay in, and put it down. Furthermore, the game, even in its simplicity, challenges you each time you play it to become better...creating a desire to play it again. This is how a simple game is blowing everyone's expectations out of the water.