Rez, Ikaruga hold record for best XBLA launches

by Ross Miller { May 27th 2008 at 3:30PM }

In news post yesterday, Penny Arcade's Gabe revealed the top four best launches ever for Xbox Live Arcade, with the launch window being the first three days of availability. The list is as follows:

Rez HD, 25k units
Ikaruga, 22.5k units
Penny Arcade Adventures Episode 1, 16.5k units
N+, 13k units

Honestly, we're a bit surprised by the initial success of Rez and Ikaruga. Not that we didn't want them to succeed (they really are awesome games), but we didn't expect to see Xbox Live community rally so quickly around years-old re-releases. Now, if we could only see data for worst XBLA launches, or even total Rez playtime using multiple controllers as trance vibrators.

Gallery: Rez HD (XBLA)

[Via X3F]

Tags: BreakingNews, gabe, ikaruga, n, n-plus, penny-arcade, penny-arcade-adventures, rez, xbla, xbox-live-arcade

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

voodoo_craig @ May 27th 2008 3:36PM

I'm sure Frogger and Root Beer Tapper are just outside the top 5!

It's actually really good to see some quality games get the sales they deserve for once, I expected all the top titles to be shoddy re-releases.

Knight Marquise @ May 27th 2008 3:45PM

I would love to see where Space Giraffe sits on that list. ;/

Kizzle @ May 27th 2008 4:01PM

This is a list of best launches, not highest sellers overall. The highest overall seller list may look quite different.

Anticrawl @ May 27th 2008 4:57PM

Space Giraffe wasn't very good, and what makes it worse is the creator called gamers morons and said they don't understand what a good game is. I hope it sold poorly, what a jackass.

Rez and Ikaruga on the top of the list though? Who'd have thought great games sold the best.. strange concept.

Tiptup300 @ May 27th 2008 8:38PM

I like how he boasted about how game developers would use the [terrible] visualization system he made for the 360 in their games to enhance them. Funny how he was the only one.

Cyro @ May 27th 2008 3:39PM

Well at least I know Rez HD deserves it. Short game but extremely sweet. I had lots of fun with it. It was a good purchase for me.

SoulBlade @ May 27th 2008 3:42PM

That would be because Rez is fuckin awesome.

copa @ May 27th 2008 5:01PM

I don't disagree, but these numbers are not correct.

SF2:HF was redonkulously overhyped when it was released, and there is no way that thing sold less than 13K units in its first three days.

I'm guessing that what Gabe is posting is the top sellers of 2008.

dark_inchworm @ May 28th 2008 9:10AM

stats or gtfo

Vegeta (aka Ska Oreo) @ May 27th 2008 3:42PM

You know, I enjoyed Ikaruga. Even though it consistantly raped my ass in the first level. This was my attitude towards Ninja Gaiden.

I think I'm a masochist.

BananaBoat @ May 27th 2008 3:48PM

Atleast Ninja Gaiden gets easier the more you play it (because you get better). Ikaruga continues to just give it to you....and give it to you...until you are sore and bleeding.

JerJer @ May 27th 2008 5:53PM

i dunno...your mom seemed to like it....

anyway, level 4 on ikaruga has haunted me for 7 years and now it's all begun again!

dark_inchworm @ May 28th 2008 9:17AM

FRIEND, IT HAS BEEN SOME TIME SINCE I HAVE HEARD A "YOUR MOM" JOKE. THANK YOU FOR THAT.

NATO_Duke @ May 27th 2008 3:43PM

I would expect some puzzle type games to be high on the list. These kinda shock me.

Vidikron (FU) @ May 27th 2008 4:08PM

As Kizzle noted, I think the best selling overall list may look entirely different. The people that buy up the puzzle games may not be the type that pull the trigger the instant the game is released.

PojoMofo @ May 27th 2008 3:46PM

better download them now while you still can, never know when MS will pull the plug on them

Bloo @ May 27th 2008 3:52PM

Wow. Your most worthless comment yet. Congrats!

PojoMofo @ May 27th 2008 3:58PM

WOW, my most worthless comment yet? now THAT is saying something.

CTC XBL-supapaypamawio PSN-ctclaw @ May 27th 2008 3:46PM

Rez deserves the top spot, that was a really good game.

CTC XBL-supapaypamawio PSN-ctclaw @ May 27th 2008 4:27PM

I haven't played N+ yet, is it worth picking up?

Courtney @ May 27th 2008 4:34PM

It's gets pretty brutally difficult. I'm still stuck about two-thirds of the way through on single and about half way on multiplayer (my wife is now refusing to play it with me, gotta try to talk her back into it). That said, I've had an absolute blast playing it and considered it worth the purchase even if I can't finish it.

Oh, on multiplayer, we've only done two person co-op, but you can have 3 or 4. I think the mission we're stuck on would be achievable with a third person.

Delgado @ May 27th 2008 10:53PM

N+ is totally worth it, it will be the most time you have ever put into an XBLA game.

KiraXD @ May 27th 2008 3:53PM

yeah no surprise here. I have Rez for PS2, and Rez HD was one of my most anticipated 360 games (above actual disc based games)

Deck @ May 27th 2008 3:53PM

Well, proves that PA's price point was just right.

I think its a great game and well deserving my the 20 bucks I spent on it...but this just proves that beside all the naysayers and those hesitant about the price..it still did well.

Kizzle @ May 27th 2008 3:55PM

"Well, proves that PA's price point was just right."

...how so? For all you know it could have been #1 without the exorbitant price.

NATO_Duke @ May 27th 2008 4:08PM

It goes without saying that it wouldn't be lower ranked by letting people buy it for less.

I gotta agree with him, it appears the price point was right as people were willing to pay it in such large numbers.

Kizzle @ May 27th 2008 3:54PM

Didn't care about Rez or Ikaruga (or Penny Arcade or N+, for that matter) but I'm all for more recent console games showing up like the top two. I have a feeling Soul Calibur will sell pretty well also.

Hope they don't totally write off old arcade ports though, there are still some I'd like to see (TMNT II, most notably)

Saxon @ May 27th 2008 3:57PM

All the Penny-Arcade zealots will have bought the game on the first day regardless of the price. The real test is whether anyone else will buy it. They keep saying that 5-8 hours is so worth $20 whereas a real RPG is typically 50+ hours and only costs $60. By the time they're done you'll have a $80, 25-hour game.

I saw someone else say this a while ago, but I agree with them: If this wasn't their own game they would be ripping this thing a new one.

Dr. Gross @ May 27th 2008 4:01PM

Indeed. Of course, you'll get their drooling, moronic fans screaming about how it is SO worth it, but if you don't care about the comic, this game is absolutely forgettable. The only memorable thing I took from the demo was someone saying "fuck." Whoop-de-doo.

This one appeals to the lowest common denominator...and there are certainly plenty of gamers that fall into that category.

Jomolungma @ May 27th 2008 4:32PM

Not that this is a justification or anything, but the idea is to make money. You make money by bringing in more money than you spend. If it costs you less money to appeal to a smaller audience, but you know that your saturation rate with that audience will be very high, you'll probably end up making more money that way. For example, see every piece of crap game that has come out using a movie license in the last XX years.

Given that, PA delivered what, for them, was probably the best money-making ratio of game quality to target audience. Nobody is alleging they've made the greatest game of all time (I don't even think they are claiming this), but it will probably make a lot of fans happy and a lot of money. What else can you realistically ask for?

dark_inchworm @ May 28th 2008 9:22AM

You could ask for Penny Arcade to be funny.

Zing!

PojoMofo @ May 27th 2008 3:59PM

I have a feeling SSF2THDR will crush them all

CTC XBL-supapaypamawio PSN-ctclaw @ May 27th 2008 4:06PM

I still can't get over how long that name is.

PojoMofo @ May 27th 2008 4:30PM

you know your name is too long when the abberviation is 8 characters long

Thief @ May 27th 2008 4:18PM

Hmmm... Bomberman Live has to be close to the top.

Cian @ May 27th 2008 4:27PM

This is very good news. Rez deserves to be purchased. Having said that I haven't gotten it yet since I don't have the money/ want Bionic Commando too much. But I will get it.

>.

PeacefulOutrage @ May 27th 2008 4:36PM

Target has a sale on MS points this weekso you can save $5 and buy 1600 points for $15. I want Rez, Triggerheart, as well as Bionic Commando.

I liked the demo of Penny Arcade, but my list of wanted games is long.. I even want the Rocky and Bullwinkle table for Pinball FZ and some more PDA games for Alien Homonid.