Wii Zelda reaches one million in US sales
by James Ransom-Wiley 
{ Feb 9th 2007 at 2:05PM }
1.1 million Wii units were sold through December. Sales data for January (and a week or so of February) has yet to be released. Still, we can assume that a few-hundred-thousand more units have been sold. The point is there are literally hundreds of thousands of Wii owners who have yet to pick up a copy of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. What's wrong with these people?!We only hope that these so-called "gamers" either (A) went purist, and copped the GameCube version or (B) spent every last penny in their piggy banks acquiring the hardware. If you answered "B," then you best be digging through some couches and amassing the needed funds. What's a Wii owner without Twilight Princess?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Slaziman @ Feb 9th 2007 2:08PM
A casual gamer that really only wanted Wii Sports
shivr @ Feb 9th 2007 2:10PM
I recon a sizeable number of people bought the wii as 'casual' gamers, as my parents want to, and are thus uninterested in zelda anyway....
Hey if you told me this in september I wouldn't have believed it either :/
Sol.. @ Feb 9th 2007 2:14PM
I'm going to go with #1's comment.
The local relatives got maybe 4 between my 4 aunts and 6 cousins for the little ones and casually for themselves. None of em bought any extra games except myself which i got Red Steel for myself if i were to have the urge to play my mother's wii (which has been like 4 times in the last two months).
Intentless @ Feb 9th 2007 2:16PM
So you play with your mom's Wii....... Sorry... Thought it would be out of my system last year.... Guess it wasn't... Anyway main reason I got the Wii is for Twilight Princess.
Ed @ Feb 9th 2007 2:28PM
C) Zelda is lame.
SynikaL @ Feb 9th 2007 2:25PM
"What's a Wii owner without Twilight Princess?"
An intelligent one. The franchise ain't what it used to be, IMO.
-Kimosabae
Pete @ Feb 9th 2007 2:27PM
I bought a Wii and was morally bound to purchase Twighlight Princess. Link needed me.
JodyAnthony @ Feb 9th 2007 2:29PM
I'm with Pete.
Jack @ Feb 9th 2007 2:29PM
Man, I miss the stars. At least give us the Engadget ranking system, so #5 can be put in his shameful place.
SynikaL @ Feb 9th 2007 2:33PM
Jack:
Listen to you. How pathetic is that response?
Jesus Christ, gamers are such a sad bunch.
-Kimosabae
Slaziman @ Feb 9th 2007 2:32PM
Even if the franchise isn't "what it used to be", that would mean that playing something that used to be FUCKING AMAZING, but now is merely "great", is somehow not worth it? Best Zelda in the series or not, it's still a great game.
Jesse @ Feb 9th 2007 2:34PM
I've loved the Zelda games for years. I never played MM, because I didn't like the 64 version of Zelda as much as I thought I would. I liked Wind Waker, but not nearly as much as LttP.
I just finished Twilight Princess. I played this game every opportunity I got and found it to be the best Zelda game I've played. This is truly an amazing game and anyone who considers themselves a gamer should have played through it.
Field Anony-mouse @ Feb 9th 2007 2:34PM
"What's a Wii owner without Twilight Princess?"
Someone not all that interested in it. I borrowed it from my friend. Played it until the Water temple. Lost interest. Personally I've never really been interested in the series. It's not for everyone.
bootsielon @ Feb 9th 2007 2:35PM
Exactly, what the hell are those people doing without Zelda? I'm not saing Zelda is the end all, be all of gaming... I'm saying it's the only thing the Wii has for it! Oh wait... It's on gamecube too, hahaha.
Losers, I saved 250 bucks, I can play it on gamecube. But I guess the marginally "better" experience is worth 250 bucks to ninty fanboys and to casuals that fell for the hype.
Neal @ Feb 9th 2007 2:36PM
I havn't really enjoyed Zelda games since they Went 3D.
Link to the Past FTW.
Crono @ Feb 9th 2007 2:35PM
Best Zelda Ever.
Period.
No one can argue, unless you're a 2D zelda purist, in which case the best Zelda ever is LttP.
SynikaL @ Feb 9th 2007 2:39PM
In your opinions, it's great. I honestly think TP is a slightly above average game. In fact, the series has been average to me since Ocarina (a game that I don't look so fondly on today. The 2D games I still love).
Commence with the head explosions.
-Kimosabae
ck @ Feb 9th 2007 2:36PM
Yeah, I see tons of parents buying the Wii for the kids, not realizing that there's more than just Wii Sports and Barnyard the Game for them. If they're 6 or older, they probably could enjoy Zelda. Oh well.
And Synikal (or kemosabe), I don't know if you're being sarcastic, but if you loved Ocarina, you're probably going to love Twilight. And if you loved Link to the Past, I'm sure you'll love Ocarina. So if A=B and B=C, then suffice to say, A=C, right? I think the series ain't what it used to be back when they released those god-awful CD-i games. But then again, sarcasm hardly ever works on the internet, so I may be judging you the wrong way.
dantebk @ Feb 9th 2007 2:36PM
I've never played another Zelda game (except the original NES one) and even *I* got Twilight Princess.
Though, to be fair, I only played as far as the first temple-dungeon thing and then I got distracted by some 360 games. I'll get back to it soon, I promise!
Virtua Fanboy @ Feb 9th 2007 2:36PM
Thank God there is no star system on this site. You could make an intelligent post and people would hit the little minus button simply because they disagree w/you or own a different system than you. As sad as it is, there are just to many immature people that come to this site to post and EVERONE on the fucking site would have a negative number of stars, for example, because they don't like the Zelda Series anymore.
Covenant @ Feb 9th 2007 2:38PM
A Wii without Zelda is like a 360 w/o Gears, or an N64 w/o Mario, or an NES w/o Metroid or Zelda, or a PS1 w/o FFVII, etc. I think it's against the law or something to not have Zelda with a Wii. Of course, if someone doesn't like the Zelda franchise, that's their decision. But they don't know what they're missing out on.
Ed @ Feb 9th 2007 2:38PM
Seriously. The entire franchise is lame.
All RPGs are lame, but Zelda is the worst because of the fanboys.
Crono @ Feb 9th 2007 2:39PM
Too bad Zelda isn't an RPG.
You lose.
bootsielon @ Feb 9th 2007 2:40PM
Wait, my bad... metacritic ranks the gamecube version higher. LOL, poor bastards.
shivr @ Feb 9th 2007 2:41PM
Well I liked zelda:TP ;_;
Slaziman @ Feb 9th 2007 2:43PM
Still, by calling everyone that didn't buy it smart, you are somehow insinuating that it's really a shitty game that only dumb people buy, even in your opinion it's a "slightly above average" game, I don't mind that you think that, but don't shove your opinion down everyone's throat, the big majority of us still thinks it's a great game, at least, if not amazing.
Drake @ Feb 9th 2007 3:06PM
haha all this after less than an hour. I love Joystiq fanboys. And SynkiaL.
jake @ Feb 9th 2007 2:46PM
well, i just beat okami, and about a month ago finished shadows of the colossus. I've had enough mythical wolf and horse-back action for now, and I've really yet to play anything single player for my Wii.
that and you know, ff12
RaDd @ Feb 9th 2007 2:47PM
i actually preordered twilight princess a LOOONGGG time ago, but hadn't been able to get a wii until this week. WAY awesome game, totally fun to play, but i'm pretty disappointed in the graphics :-(
ck @ Feb 9th 2007 2:46PM
To be quite honest, I'm actually looking forward to Zelda on the DS - I think that game might actually be the best Zelda in years. I will admit that the series has stayed the same since the SNES days - but if it isn't broken, why try to fix it? You could say the same about MGS, GTA, Metroid, Mario, Resident Evil, etc. etc. - it's more of the same, but I'm down with that - who cares if they're sequels, right? Just as long as they deliver some enjoyment. We could argue about which one's the best in the franchise, but it's opinions, you're right. But I'm definitely looking forward to more of the same with all those games.
Ed @ Feb 9th 2007 2:48PM
RPG, dungeon adventure, lemonparty. All lame.
Mrfreezie @ Feb 9th 2007 2:49PM
I don't have TP.. I don't have enough money.. :(
SynikaL @ Feb 9th 2007 2:50PM
Slaziman:
Please STFU. The post only boiled you because you're a pathetic Nintendo fanboy. A sarcastic one liner is hardly "shoving my opinion down someone's throat"; only over-zealous Nintendo freaks would percieve it as such.
The tone of your post still suggests that the fire you have for Nintendo blinds you from respecting others opinions:
"the big majority of us still thinks it's a great game, at least, if not amazing."
I don't give to fucks what the majority thinks and how big it is. I'll state my opinion more polemically this time:
ZELDA: THE TWILIGHT PRINCESS IS FUCKING GARBAGE.
That's for you. I hope you die in a fucking hous fire trying to save your SNES, you freak.
-Kimosabae
Crono @ Feb 9th 2007 2:51PM
Somebody needs a hug.
By a bear.
Neal @ Feb 9th 2007 2:52PM
Zelda is an RPG in a sense. Its an Adventure Game, but has many qualities of an RPG, to say its an RPG isn't totally wrong at all.
You get Weapons/armor that you can upgrade, you can roam the land freely, there are many characters you interact with, and the game flows similar to an RPG. The only difference is that there is no "Leveling up" which can be argues there is with the Heart System.
Silver @ Feb 9th 2007 2:53PM
How can I digg down these Zelda-hating lamers?
TP is truly a spectacular game. I'm only halfway through because I'm taking it in small doses. I want the experience to last as long as possible.
Slaziman @ Feb 9th 2007 2:56PM
Great, I don't mind if you think Zelda is fucking garbage, but why are you saying people who don't buy it are smart? Because YOU think it's fucking garbage?
I don't like FF games, but I won't call everyone that buys it a dumbass, but then again, you are retarded and I am not.
Crono @ Feb 9th 2007 2:59PM
If you really want to get technical about things, all games are RPG.
In gears, you play the role of guy with a gun killing aliens. In oblivion, you play the role of well, a guy.
However, traditionally, RPG's have been classified as such because the gameplay is less skill based (as in skill of the player) and more stat based.
The only Zelda game I'd classify as Action/RPG is Zelda II. Its not even a true RPG, as all combat is skill based, but you do have levels related to defense, offense, and magic. TP has none of these. You get more heart containers, but that amounts to only more life. Your sword doesn't power up, until you get a new sword. You don't level up your sword ability, you get new "Special Moves".
TP isn't an RPG. Its a story based Action Adventure dungeon crawler.
Mikey @ Feb 9th 2007 3:38PM
All the GB \ GBC \ GBA Zeldas are premium as well.
KaneRobot @ Feb 9th 2007 6:02PM
I own a Wii and don't have any urge to get it. If I want to play it, I'll buy the Gamecube version. I didn't buy a Wii to play games that had motion control shoehorned into them after development was already underway.
Zelda doesn't thrill me to begin with, but I may get it once it's down into the "Player's Choice" pricerange.
religiousjedi @ Feb 9th 2007 3:49PM
Ed's comments reek of stupidity...
...In any case, I can see why some people didn't buy it. However, I don't fall under that category. Zelda God loves TP, and is glad it reached the milestone.
JodyAnthony @ Feb 9th 2007 3:03PM
Hello, my name is ed. I made a flamebait comment about zelda being lame, but noone responded to it so I just HAD to post a second comment saying zelda was lame to rile up the fanboys, but expanded it a bit by saying all RPGs are lame, thinking that if I don't get the zelda fanboys riled up, at least I can get the RPG fanboys riled up. Cast a larger net and catch more fish, you know?
Scott @ Feb 9th 2007 3:05PM
Best Zelda ever? After playing it front to back, I'd strongly argue that it's the worst, and with good reasoning.
It was nothing but slip shod version of Ocarina of Time fan service to make up for Wind Waker and it did a very bad job of so many things Wind Waker did right with the series. It added redundancy(now with bug killing!), nothing made sense, it took away exploring, was insanely linear, was too drawn out (now with bug killing!... again!), took away music in enemy encounters, had a very badly told story (flash back flash back flash back flash back flash back flash back flash back), ruined the awesome characters like Zant by turning him in to some ranting myspace child, Ganon was a putz compared to the N64 version even, it might have had a worse ending than Halo 2 (spoiler alert: nothing happens)and the graphics ranged from great to average even as far as the GameCube is concerned (you only need to look at flawless graphics of RE4, Crystal Chronicles and Wind Waker to see that there's no reason for that). Just a big step backwards for the series.
It did a bunch right though, and I have to acknowledge that. Midna is easily the greatest character to ever appear in the series (what I wouldn't do for a plushie), when it had good music (rare as it may be) it was beutifully done and added to the mood signifigantly, the river rafting mini game was drop dead gorgeous, and Epona was amazingly brought to life.
That said, the worst really doesn't mean much when the rest were so great. That'd be like saying a B+ student is worse in a class of straight A kids. TP was B+.
Ardy @ Feb 9th 2007 3:07PM
Tools.
Jonny @ Feb 9th 2007 3:11PM
Synikal,
"I don't give to fucks..."
Here's my opinion: Anybody that spells the word "two" as "to" doesn't deserve an opinion since they're obviously too fucking dumb to express it properly.
Since you're such a defender of everyone's right to an opinion, you can't disagree with me.
Here's another opinion:
ANY POST BY SYNIKAL IS FUCKING GARBAGE.
Neal @ Feb 9th 2007 3:11PM
Do you consider Secret of Mana an RPG? I do. Link to the Past is just ike that game, only it has heart containers instead of Levels. Leveling up in a game is essentially the same since all the enemies level up at pretty much the same rate.
Sonic or Mario are adventure games, Zelda is an RPG/Adventure.
corn_fest @ Feb 9th 2007 3:38PM
Stop.
People are allowed to hate Twilight Princess.
People are allowed to hate any game.
Just because every review site ever gave it a 10 because they believed the hype and didn't want to be attacked by a bunch of fanboys doesn't mean it was a perfect game.
Some people like Gears of War.
Some people hate Gears of War.
Some people like Kingdom Hearts.
Some people hate kingdom Hearts.
Hating a game is not a CRIME, and I's not any different because "OMGZ! ITS ZLDA! ITS PRFECT!!1!"
Ed @ Feb 9th 2007 3:17PM
#38: Shh!
Even if I'm trolling a little bit, Zelda still sucks. Most overrated franchise ever.
Duscrom @ Feb 9th 2007 3:17PM
Wow, this is funny, Joystiq's spin on this article is less neutral then Wii Fanboy's version. In fact, they point out that there is not distinction of weather this is the Wii or Gamecube editions of the game. Even still, i know I'd almost wouldn't mind tradeing the tacked on Wii additions for a functional camera control like the gamecube. I've been working my way through the game though, and it's pretty swanky.. no Link to the Past.. but what is? But i will say that i don't have a 60 hour attention span for doing the same thing over and over again. According to that calculator thing, im only 16% through the game.
Jake @ Feb 9th 2007 3:18PM
Not everyone is going to like every game. Zelda certainly isn't for everybody. But to say or even imply that it "sucks" is the same as saying one or more of the following statements:
1) I'm a Fanboy
2) I don't know very much about video games
3) I don't like that type of game, and am stupid for making comments on it
4) I just like messing with people
5) I'm really, really stupid
So Nintendo fanboys, please don't feed the trolls. And anyone who wants to say Zelda blows, please be honest and give the number of what catergory you belong to. I will demonstrate in my next post how to do it.