Sorry Konami, this game is as forgettable as the one for the original Xbox

This thread is awful.

monsterlunchbox | Posted 10/25/2010 1:25:53 PM
There's no disputing that Konami blew it big time.

475,000 units so far, give or take. That's pretty much genre norm, barring blockbuster titles.

I asked someone at Gamestop how it was selling. He laughed and told me after the first few days, no one even picked up the box to look at it, let alone actually buy it.

I'm not going to say this didn't happen, as it's obviously within the realm of possibility, but it sounds fabricated. Particularly the laughing part. Employees who care about their jobs would likely have spun even low sales another way rather than actively discouraging you from buying something.

monsterlunchbox | Posted 10/25/2010 2:55:53 PM
I called a few other Gamestops, they basically gave me the same answer.

No you didn't. Rational human beings don't do that. You've got such an axe to grind that you called up other stores on a lark to see if you'd get evidence to support your claim? No. By the way, I work for GameStop. We are all but contractually obligated to NEVER divulge a game's sales numbers, even by way of guesstimating. To do so in person is one thing, where the boss won't overhear. To do so on the phone would be pretty damning, particularly since turnover is so high around the holidays.

So what you're trying to be is a troll. You start a pretty inflammatory, baseless topic on a board dedicated to specific discussion. You get a lot of replies. Congrats, you are spending time trying to artificially inflate your power level on a message board. I have plenty of problems with Lords of Shadow, but calling it cheap, a cash-in, or effortless made me have a tiny brain aneurysm, and my eyelids fluttered between closed and half-closed for nearly ten whole seconds.

You have possibly damaged my mental faculties with how obscenely stupid this thread is. The only good thing to come of this: I wasted enough time shaking my head and sighing (and writing this post!) that my next class starts soon, which works out because I was getting really tired of reading about LeBron alienating another coach.
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XBL: frostyfree (SSF4: IJDK)
When it's all over we can barely discuss [it], for one minute only...

monsterlunchbox | Posted 12/1/2010 1:24:11 PM
*stuff about trolling and sales.*

Not sure if you're still trolling, but I've got a little time to kill again and hey, here we are. First of all, nobody cares about your specific opinion. It's fine that you don't like Lords of Shadow. I could probably agree with some of the criticisms you have about it. Ultimately, the reason people call you a troll is because you posted an inflammatory opinion in an inflammatory way on a discussion board based around that which you are calling subpar. And 475,000 is genre norm in the States, barring mega-titles like God of War and Devil May Cry. Even DMC4 only broke I think 2.3 million in total sales, and it's been out for years and has (had?) much more brand recognition than Castlevania does. Ninja Gaiden 2 actually had worse sales than Castlevania has had thus far - I think at this point NG2 was at like 380k? So in point of fact you're totally wrong, here. Sorry.

*stuff about being friends with gamestop crew.*

That's cool. I'm friends with a huge number of the people who come into the GameStop where I work. If they want honest answers, I tend to give them. I'm still not allowed to do things like break street date, divulge sales numbers, or tell them how many of <insert product here> we'll have on <insert date here>. Managers want to push numbers, and employees want to sell things because that's how they get hours allocated to them. If your numbers are poor, you get fewer hours. As such, it's in my best interest to never call attention to game as bad or underselling, because that discourages sales and frankly I want to make money. I might recommend a different game if I feel like something really sucks, but the last time we had an employee out-and-out bash a game and offer no alternative, he stuck around for maybe a week and a half after that.

*stuff about draconian rules.*

Again, the difference here is that you can be friendly and honest without discouraging sales. One, I still don't believe your insane story. It makes no sense for you to go around to various stores and inquire about sales numbers, be friends with everybody involved, and get direct answers to the tune of "Nope, that game sucks, it's not selling at all." That is obviously a lie. Two, if I - as a gamer - have a crisis of conscience, where somebody is buying something I think really sucks (for instance, you come up with copies of Too Human and Two Worlds), I will just recommend them other stuff. Hey, man, try Fable instead if that's your cup of tea. Maybe one of the Marvel Ultimate Alliance games is more your speed, with co-op and all. If somebody asks questions about sales numbers, be vague unless it's common knowledge. Besides, your small store and geographic area don't account for a good sample size. If somebody asks if a game sucks, be vague. Talk about stuff you like and what you think is good, don't discourage people from buying stuff. Unless you absolutely have to.

It's a business, man. I live in the city. GameStop isn't, like, let's-all-pal-around-and-talk-video-games land. It's my job, it's how I make money. If somebody like you showed up and asked me if Castlevania was selling or not, I'd say "Yeah, among fans of action platformers and stuff. It's kind of a niche title. Did you play the old Castlevanias?" Or we'd talk about DMC or related ****. Laughing and saying "LOL NOBODY'S PICKED IT UP IN WEEKS HUEHUEHUEHUEHUEHUEHUEH" is just facepalm worthy.
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XBL: frostyfree (SSF4: IJDK)
When it's all over we can barely discuss [it], for one minute only...