No Right Answer: Worst Instance When Fans Didn't Show Up

[Firefilm]

Worst Instance When Fans Didn't Show Up

Fans are a strange breed. They sign petitions, stage rallies and basically go all weird until they get what they want, and once they get it...they don't want it any more. At least that's what the finance books show. So this week, our fearless debaters delve into the worst instance of fans not showing up for the very thing that they demanded not months earlier. Are you guilty of these atrocities?



And don't forget, if you don't understand our decisions or want to have more of our material to complete your shrines to us, Mondays feature a new written companion piece titled No Right Explanation. We dare you to make less sense!



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[Falcon123]

Yeah, I hate when things like that happen. Scott Pilgrim, in my opinion, deserved to be far bigger of a success than it was. It was a movie dedicated to everything I love, and I loved every minute of it (though I get why many don't). It's a shame, but I'll keep signing those petitions to keep the shows I love on the air or bring the few good Wii games over from Japan (if Project Rainfall games flop in the U.S., I will never forgive my fellow gamers who complained about them for so long) in hopes they'll work out.

 

[Redem]

Well while I'm not that big fan of J-RPG I think in the long run Earthbound was more harmful in the long run.

Scott Pilgrim was O.K, but not that good, it was just too niche to succeed

 

[KoDOmega]

When Earthbound came out, we were naive.

When Scott Pilgrim came out, we should have known better.

Scott Pilgrim. DONE.

 

[orangeapples]

I'll be honest, I have 0 interest in Xenoblade Chronicles, but I have it pre-ordered anyway. Why? because if this game fails, there is going to be an entire subgenre of games that will disappear from NA. It doesn't matter what you think of the genre, that is going to be a sad day. All that will happen to nintendo if the game fails is that people will resort to piracy which is not the solution we want.

 

[vxicepickxv]

I remember the Earthbound advertising campaign. It stank(literally). Scratch and sniff bad guys in foldouts.

I wanted Earthbound when I was younger. I put it on my birthday and Christmas wishlist for 3 years running.

My chore money wasn't enough over time to allow me to buy it, because I rented it every other weekend.

 

[Azuaron]

I almost certainly will not be playing Xenoblade. Why? Well, firstly, I'm a PC gamer, for the most part (even though I do have a Wii).

Secondly, I haven't been a big fan of JRPGs since Final Fantasy broke my heart.

 

[Dastardly]

Worst Instance When Fans Didn't Show Up

Fans are a strange breed. They sign petitions, stage rallies and basically go all weird until they get what they want, and once they get it...they don't want it any more. At least that's what the finance books show. So this week, our fearless debaters delve into the worst instance of fans not showing up for the very thing that they demanded not months earlier. Are you guilty of these atrocities?



And don't forget, if you don't understand our decisions or want to have more of our material to complete your shrines to us, Mondays feature a new written companion piece titled No Right Explanation. We dare you to make less sense!



Watch Video

Really, you know what I think it is? Sometimes the group making all the noise just isn't as large as they think they are. The internet has allowed a group's voice to be far, far larger than the group's roster.

And if you're standing in the middle of a herd of buffalo, stretching across your field of vision, you could be forgiven for thinking, "Jesus! The world is full of buffalo!" But then the herd moves on, and you see it really wasn't as big as it looked from the middle. Fans like to think their groups represent a majority... but they just represent a majority of the people those fans hang out with.

As a result, the amplitude of the outcry doesn't always feed into the magnitude of units sold.

(Also, a bunch of fans or semi-fans all yelling to each other about this upcoming thing... it makes them believe "everyone" knows about it, because they're surrounded by it. But the news is just bouncing around inside that little circle. Sometimes if you're surrounded by it, it's because you're surrounding yourself with it.)

 

[artanis_neravar]

Worst Instance When Fans Didn't Show Up

Fans are a strange breed. They sign petitions, stage rallies and basically go all weird until they get what they want, and once they get it...they don't want it any more. At least that's what the finance books show. So this week, our fearless debaters delve into the worst instance of fans not showing up for the very thing that they demanded not months earlier. Are you guilty of these atrocities?



And don't forget, if you don't understand our decisions or want to have more of our material to complete your shrines to us, Mondays feature a new written companion piece titled No Right Explanation. We dare you to make less sense!



Watch Video

Really, you know what I think it is? Sometimes the group making all the noise just isn't as large as they think they are. The internet has allowed a group's voice to be far, far larger than the group's roster.

And if you're standing in the middle of a herd of buffalo, stretching across your field of vision, you could be forgiven for thinking, "Jesus! The world is full of buffalo!" But then the herd moves on, and you see it really wasn't as big as it looked from the middle. Fans like to think their groups represent a majority... but they just represent a majority of the people those fans hang out with.

As a result, the amplitude of the outcry doesn't always feed into the magnitude of units sold.

Exactly, there is a difference between the Vocal minority and a true majority

 

[Mr. Omega]

1: Yay Madworld in the background at the end!

2:Scott Pilgrim's argument can be made for a few other things as well. The effects of Scott Pilgrim's failure is practically universal: "Original movies failing stop studios from taking risks."

Earthbound had effects that happened specifically because Earthbound failed: Mother 3 was never released in the US. And while it's not directly link to it, Nintendo is/was hesitant to bring some of its IPs to the west. We only very recently got Fire Emblem, we didn't get the first Animal Crossing game for the N64, and Super Smash Bros was almost Japanese exclusive.

3: Operation Rainfall: unfortunately, I do think that in a couple months, that will replace Earthbound as the "worst failure to show up".

 

[BonGookKumBop]

I know it's been a long time since Earthbound came out, but I remember buying a Nintendo Power magazine that had details of a scratch and sniff monster compendium that came with the game. Does anyone else remember anything like this, or am I just crazy?

Although the game looked fun and I was tempted to buy it, I didn't. I don't remember why, but it might have had something to do with not seeing it in stores for very long, or waiting for the price to drop, or just not wanting to spend my paper route money on it.

 

[BonGookKumBop]

I remember the Earthbound advertising campaign. It stank(literally). Scratch and sniff bad guys in foldouts.

I wanted Earthbound when I was younger. I put it on my birthday and Christmas wishlist for 3 years running.

My chore money wasn't enough over time to allow me to buy it, because I rented it every other weekend.

Oh good, I'm not crazy; someone else remembers the scratch and sniff stuff. To me it all smelled like old bath salts.

 

[SirCannonFodder]

On Earthbound, maybe if A) They'd released it outside North America, and B) Hadn't run a totally counter-productive marketing campaign, it might have done a bit better.

 

[crimsonshrouds]

ummm... how is earthbound the fans fault? Im a fan of earthbound but i didnt play it till 2000.

 

[esperandote]

I didn't like Scott Pilgrim, I thought it wasn't much more than gamers fan services. Dan, I like Horrible Bosses too, still I don't see the point for a sequel other than money grabbing.

 

[Aureliano]

I like both sides of the argument here, and I think both Kyle and Chris did a good job at it. Earthbound was pretty literally insane and an interesting departure from the usual J-RPG deal, and Scott Pilgrim was a surprisingly well made nerdy kung fu romantic comedy.

Even though I actually liked Scott Pilgrim a whole lot better, I'm still putting my eggs in the Earthbound basket. Reason? Because much as we might not like to admit it, that movie made $47 million. Earthbound, on the other hand, sold half as well in the entire US as it did in Japan. The problem with Scott Pilgrim is that the studio made the budget for that project huge and, while the movie is epic and brilliant, there just aren't enough geeks who want that sort of thing to justify that much funding.

 

[ritchards]

Amazing how much Edgar Wright looks like Simon Pegg there...

 

[K_Dub]

I was too young to know about Earthbound (or games in general), but I still should've known better! Scott Pilgrim on the other hand, loved it! Saw it twice(?) in theaters, bought the game and DVD when they came out. Still need to buy the books though.

I thought Horrible Bosses was pretty good, but is there really gonna be a sequel?

*Runs to check IMDB*

...Shit...