Hail Great Naruto!
See? Making a video game about punching the snot out of your friends can sell well enough to knock the price down to $20.
Published: February 22, 2007
Bandai's CyberConnect 2 development studio may be best known for their .hack series, but in the middle of last year, they kicked out a fighter that wasn't half bad. Apparently two things happened: 1) so many people read that review linked in that last sentence that they single-handedly fueled the sales of the game to the point where it sold enough copies to qualify for Greatest Hits status, or 2) our review had nothing to do with it, and anything with the Naruto name on it will sell like crazy regardless.
Since the first one won't ever happen, ever, we're going to have to assume that the complete mindless zombie-like buying power of you crazy Naruto fans probably had something to do with it. Now ordinarily to qualify for Greatest Hits status, a game must be out for nine months and sell at least 400,000 copies. Since both of those conditions were probably satisfied, there was no reason to use the "ordinarily" qualifier, but it makes this news story more interesting.
“We are very pleased with the overwhelming success Naruto: Ultimate Ninja has received and thrilled it has qualified for PlayStation 2 system’s Greatest Hits program as it is a testament to the anime’s dedicated fan base and the game’s broad consumer appeal,” said Makoto Iwai, Executive Vice President and COO, NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. “The new price point will introduce a whole new audience to the undeniably exciting ninjutsu action at a great value.”
That new price point is a mere $20, so if you've been fighting the urge to run out and buy the game, just stop. It's not worth it, man. Eventually you'll just break down and end up picking up a copy of Barbie Race 'n Ride or something instead. Trust us, no good can come of that. No, not even when you're that drunk.
Since the first one won't ever happen, ever, we're going to have to assume that the complete mindless zombie-like buying power of you crazy Naruto fans probably had something to do with it. Now ordinarily to qualify for Greatest Hits status, a game must be out for nine months and sell at least 400,000 copies. Since both of those conditions were probably satisfied, there was no reason to use the "ordinarily" qualifier, but it makes this news story more interesting.
“We are very pleased with the overwhelming success Naruto: Ultimate Ninja has received and thrilled it has qualified for PlayStation 2 system’s Greatest Hits program as it is a testament to the anime’s dedicated fan base and the game’s broad consumer appeal,” said Makoto Iwai, Executive Vice President and COO, NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. “The new price point will introduce a whole new audience to the undeniably exciting ninjutsu action at a great value.”
That new price point is a mere $20, so if you've been fighting the urge to run out and buy the game, just stop. It's not worth it, man. Eventually you'll just break down and end up picking up a copy of Barbie Race 'n Ride or something instead. Trust us, no good can come of that. No, not even when you're that drunk.