MGS4 runs 12 circles around closest competitor first week in Japan

by Ross Miller on Jun 19th 2008 2:00PM

We already knew sales of Metal Gear Solid 4 were good for Japan, with Famitsu reporting earlier that 476,000 copies had been sold in the first few days of release. According to Media Create, that figure sneaks in an extra 11,000, as they're only tracking 465,000 in sales for the first week (via Gamasutra).

Despite the missing units, the launch provides some interesting statistics. MGS4 moved over 12 times as many units as its closest competitor, Mario Kart Wii (38,000), and more than double that of the non-Metal Gear top 10 combined. Sorry, Snake, there's no place to hide in Japan.

Snake? Snaaaake? SNAAAAAAKE! Check out our Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots page for all things Metal Gear. While you're at it, enter for your chance to win a copy of MGS4 signed by Hideo Kojima!

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Tags: japan, japanese-software-sales, mario-kart-wii, media-create, metal-gear-solid-4, Metal-Gear-Solid-4-Guns-of-the-Patriots, mgs4, PS3, Wii

Reader Comments (74)

Game of the Year.

I think so, it's more deserving than 90% of the shovelware out there...

this game is going to have its detractors. but about halfway through, i have to say it is, for me, the best game i have ever played. now that's easy to say as a sony fanboy or something, but i genuinely am not that. so far, my favorite game of this generation has probably been COD4 (on 360) and loved Metroid Prime 3, and my favorite game ever is Landstalker back for the Genesis days. I've got a 360 and PS3 as well and had a Wii for about 8 months before ditching it. i'm just rambling this in hopes that people will see this isn't a super biased view.
anyways, the cutscenes have reached new standards of long, the online seems really weak (haven't given it much of a shake yet though). but the story is emotional and compelling, and the gameplay itself is great. The audio and visual components are the best I've ever seen, hands down. Honestly, hyperbole aside, this is, for me, the best game I've played in years.

agreed as well. I don't see anything else coming out this year that can legitimately challenge it. Gears 2 will not be a huge change from the first and doesn't have enough depth and complexity to it that can stand it up to mgs 4. Same with resistance 2.

Only thing that will compete with it is GTA 4, and a lot of people will probably give the award to GTA so they can justify all their 10/10s and not make themselves look stupid.

also, to Fernando, or whoever else is so obsessed with sales figs...who cares???!!! You act like whether or not your family eats is based on if the system you like outsells everything else. as long as MGS4 sells fairly well (and it seems like it will), Konami will be happy with keeping it on the PS3. I'm glad Mario Kart Wii is selling well, but I wasn't impressed and still would stick with the original given the choice. The Wii isn't for me, but it definitely has it's place, but dude, get over it. you don't have to defend ever single even slightly negative comment about a game on your system.

tmac's probably right. If you based it on review scores alone, GTA would probably take the game of the decade (with only the original Metroid Prime coming close to that), but who actually gets game of the year is going to be weird, seeing as how MGS4 got much more honest reviews, but is the more classical game

The only other possible contender at this stage is Brawl, despite it's broken online mode, it's created enough of a splash, especially with user-gen content to be in the running

@pkpk: MGO is damn good if you give it a chance. A little slower than the Halos of the world, but can get tense in a small game.

Game of the Year contender, I'll agree with, but declaring it GotY uncontested when only half the year is over is just asinine. I'm sure hype alone will win it some awards from some sites, just like every big title before it.

antec747 --
Even though I'd *love* for it to be voted GOTY for content alone; I have my doubts that the media will feel the same, especially after the FPS filled Q3 & Q4 coming up.

I think the game is great, but I wouldn't dub game of the year yet. We have no idea what quality the coming titles are and its still only June. So far though, I think its the best of the year.

I think it's safe to say MGS4 belongs in the conversation of GotY come award time, but it's a bit asinine to write off the other big titles yet to come.

God the cut scenes are boring... Zzzzz!

That image is getting a tad fuzzy... what the? Hideo 2?!?

Just out of curiosity are you (or indeed any or 'stiquers) attempting to get the 'Big Boss' rank?

@Fid: Lolz

Fiddy do you have a DS3? If so, how is MGS4 with it? I wanna get it with the game too.

Get a DS3 if you're going to get the game. That's all I have to say.

I don't have a DS3 (remember? I hated rumble) but was considering picking up a white one during the next Play-Asia sale. It'll also give me an excuse (if I needed one) to playthrough again.

its actually funny because the game knows when you are using one...by all means, get a DS3, right now for MGS4 but also for all the other games that will implement it

Yeah, I wondered what.. 'that bit'.. would be like with a Dualshock 3.

I'm moving at a snail's pace so far, but it's an incredible game.

The game starts out moderately slow to get you used to the action. Give it some time and the story goes into overdrive all the way to the end. Tons of fan-service moments if you have a strong memory of MG1-2, MGS1-3. Definitely game of the year, probably one of the best games I've ever played.

I haven't enjoyed a game-story this much since Final Fantasy IV (more than 15 years ago!).

Re-read my comment. "I" am moving at a snail's pace (meaning that I haven't had a lot of time to play the game). I don't feel like the game starts slow at all. It throws you right in the action and the storyline. It's fantastic.

Those stats are somewhat misleading, as MK has been out what..2 months now? The sales gotta stop sometime.

Don't get me wrong the MGS sales in japan are fantastic considering the somewhat small amount of ps3s over there.

it doesn't matter...its still listening the top 10.
Would it be misleading if a recording artist sold 12x more at the number 1 spot then an artist at the #2 spot? It just shows the currently weekly sales, thats all. Anyone who thinks otherwise is reading more into it than they're supposed to

"... MGS4 moved over 12 times as many units as its closest competitor, Mario Kart Wii (38,000)... "

Mario Kart Wii was released months ago, and in the first week it sold 580,000 in Japan.

i knew you were going to come up with something. anyways correct me if i'm wrong but i think that there is over 5 million wiis in japan and less than 3 million ps3s in japan right so 465,000 is pretty good compared to mario kart wii launch right

Must you always be the party pooper?

We knew that...so?

Yeah we all know that nintendo is eating japan alive..but this post is about THIS week :P

How many Wii's are there compared to PS3's in Japan and how uncomfortable it makes you feel that a "hardcore game for fans only" got so close?

Damn... I wasn't even bashin the PS3...

You guys feel atacked for every little thing I say.

I wasn't even bashing the PS3 or MGS4...

It was just a clarification. The description sounds like if Mario Kart Wii was not selling good.

*Comments system is acting weird.

Everyone responding is correct. It's not often nowadays that good news happens for hardcore gamers so when it does, we have to embrace it. It's ok to cry fernando, as zoesch said one of the most hardcore games out there sold as well as a casual wii exclusive even if it's only one week, on the system with the fewest total units too!

Maybe there is still hope for this industry.

This is kind of silly. If they would have come out at the same time then yes compare.

Nothing wrong with stating the facts Fernando...

Let the haters hate...

No. There is no hope. The Shovelware gods are here, and they are now your gods also

You should just stay out of this one Fernando. With all your garbage about how MGS4 would flop and wasn't mainstream and no way it would sell 1 million copies day one. You were wrong about everything. 1.3 million day one. So just stay out of it.

RC

It sold 1.3 million in one week, not one day. Besides, I never said that it wont sell a million in one week. I never said that.

Actually, Fernando, those numbers ARE primarily first day sales.

Also, I couldn't help but notice Heavenly Sword crept past the million seller mark recently...

Ugh. How can you even compare Mario Kart Wii to MGS4?!

Seriously, don't even mention those two in the same sentence.

Hrm, all the rash Fernando hate is insane. There wasn't even a fanboy spin or negative remark in his first post.

Sure MGS4 was pretty decent, if not one of the best games on the PS3 so far (though I honestly felt Ratchet & Clank was a great deal better, partly because you actually /played/ it). I personally found plenty to fault with the game; then again I'm like that with every game. We shouldn't hand out this god-like praise for any game or console. If we are verbal enough about our /reasonable/ cynicism perhaps one day the developers will listen and get their shit together. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy gaming a lot even though there can be fault found in all of the games. Some of which is severe enough to not have been passed up in the “professional” reviews.

You guys will have to excuse Fernando, he's still a little hurt that MGS4 got great reviews and is selling very well.

While I agree that he said nothing wrong now, everyone is just getting back at him for previous comments like how it wouldn't sell well etc. Don't be so quick to jump into his corner because make no mistake about it he does the exact same thing when stuff like this happens but on the other side.

@Anticrawl

"Hrm, all the rash Fernando hate is insane. There wasn't even a fanboy spin or negative remark in his first post."

Why did he feel the need to pop in and defend MK Wii? The comment he quoted wasn't evena knock against MKW, it just happened to be the second place game that week. Had it been a different game in second place last week then that game would have been mentioend instead. We're all aware MKW has been out a while. Face it, it may not have been overtly fanboyish, but if it has been anything other than a PS3 game in first place and/or a Wii game in second place he likely wouldn't have commented at all.

@Vidikron (FU)

Hell if I know, why do you feel the need to ask me? Unrelated posts happen all the time on Joystiq, just look at this reply thread. But you don't see people lashing out to attack those people.

Yes, but other people don't have a long history of troll posts. He's been trolling PS3 posts for as long as he's been here. Sometimes you have to sleep in the bed you made for yourself.

Point being here. Fernando may be a fanboy, but he's a happy and relatively positive fanboy. Whereas you could look to name123 or el serpentine and see angry stupid mutant forum scum. I can handle people entusiastic about their console of choice. I think they all suck pretty bad this time around, and then PC is dying hahaha. My Wii and PS3 sit and gather dust while my 360 dies every 3-4 months. My PSP and DS don't get playtime either because I just don't travel anymore being in school again.

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MGS4 runs 12 circles around closest competitor first week in Japan

Reader Comments (74)

Posted: Jun 19th 2008 2:04PM TONX said

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