Call of Duty: World Fails at Buying It
by Chris Greenhough 
{ Dec 18th 2008 at 12:47PM }
Or the United States does, at least. Arguably due to a lack of minigames, GameDaily noted that Call of Duty: World at War sold miserably on the Wii (and DS). The latest NPD numbers saw the Xbox 360 (1.41 million units) and PS3 (597,000) versions in second and sixth place respectively, but the Wii iteration was nowhere to be found -- something you guys also picked up on.
In fact, the Wii game lagged embarrassingly far behind its high-definition cousins: according to GameDaily, the PS2, PC, DS and Wii editions sold around 200,000 units combined. This makes us genuinely fear for games like The Conduit. Call of Duty is pretty much the biggest name in the console shooter business, so if that can't shift copies on Wii, what chance a brand-new IP?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
The Fatass of Kickassness @ Dec 18th 2008 12:52PM
The Wii version is so feature-stripped it's not funny.
esposch @ Dec 18th 2008 8:14PM
Your avatar is just stripped!
bukizzle715 @ Dec 18th 2008 1:00PM
I can't believe people even play Call of Duty games anymore. How many times can they re-skin the same boring game with a different war theme? I'm glad it's not selling.
TWOO DEE @ Dec 18th 2008 1:04PM
you obviously haven't played COD3 or Modern Warfare
ZaxCG2 @ Dec 18th 2008 1:34PM
COD3 was a great game, but I believe you are speaking of COD4...
Yeah play it on PC/Xbox/PS3 and you'll be hooked... its easily one of the best FPS's in the last 5 years. Yes- better than Halo.
And yeah, I feel like COD5 was kinda the quick re-skin fix of COD4... which doesn't make it bad, just unoriginal maybe.
And uh- since when have Wii/DS ports like that ever been good? You think they really put care into it?
Jtcp @ Dec 18th 2008 1:05PM
Part of the problem here is that its a Treyarch call of duty game and everyone knows that their cod games are inferior to infinity wards cod's. My guess if the next iteration of cod hits the wii (modern warfare 2) it will easily outsell this version. Also since modern warfare came out, who the hell want to fire these old ass, inaccurate weapons from a war of many decades past? Let the past die and lets move on already!!!
TWOO DEE @ Dec 18th 2008 1:49PM
i dunno man, the gewer rifle will always have a special place in my heart (return to castle wolfenstein on the pc was my first multiplayer game
badbrain @ Dec 18th 2008 3:58PM
You're bad mouthing treyarch when they are one of the few companies who actually bothered to make a decent port onto the Wii? And don't expect to see any Infinity ward games on the Wii. Sorry but its just not going to happen.
TWOO DEE @ Dec 18th 2008 1:06PM
the game is fine - i was just completely disappointed with the lack of multiplayer modes (no search and destroy, really?)
Metal_Link @ Dec 18th 2008 1:06PM
I'm actually surprised the PC version didn't sell more than the PS3.
Phizzy @ Dec 18th 2008 3:14PM
Don't be silly; PC games don't sell.
nastysquar3d @ Dec 18th 2008 1:08PM
I think what The Conduit has going for it is the fact that it will be a Wii exclusive. Anyone who owns a Wii and a PS3 or 360 most likely bought COD:WOW for the 360 or PS3.
I now own a Wii and a PS3 and if I would buy this game (which I won't because WW2 shooters just don't do it for me) I would most certainly buy it on the PS3. That being said I am definitely picking up The Conduit when it's released.
The sad thing is I owned ONLY a Wii up until about 3 months ago and it would have stayed that way except for the lack of deep, compelling games for the Wii. So I bought a PS3 and now most of the multi-platform releases will be bought for the PS3 instead of the Wii.
il_duce620 @ Dec 18th 2008 1:16PM
Agreed, nastysquar3d... I owned only a Wii for quite awhile and picked up a PS3 in October, and I'd likely get this game for PS3 before getting it for the Wii...it's worth the extra $10 game price to get more people to play with, better graphics, and more online options.
I'll definitely also pick up The Conduit, if anything just to support the effort that High Voltage is putting into the game, and Sega for publishing it and (hopefully) making sure people know it exists.
@tomic @ Dec 18th 2008 4:22PM
Not to mention The Conduit is also getting a shitton of fanboy hype and has largely positive hands-on previews to back it up.
I recall hearing that at PAX there were CoD 5 and Conduit demo booths right next to each other. The Conduit was absolutely packed while CoD 5 demo had only a handful.
I don't know that The Conduit will sell incredibly well, but it should sell decently at least. Certainly better than CoD sold on the Wii.
water.and.sand @ Dec 19th 2008 1:23AM
agreed. Personally, I just don't feel like shooting people. That's not the happy, fun, innovative experience I was looking for. I think I can let my anti-gun feelings slide for some aliens though, as I'm far more interested in The Conduit or the Metroid Prime remakes than CoD. It's just too grim.
(alright, so I was willing to shoot people in RedSteel... maybe it's just the realistic military aspect that has me so turned off)
iMeh @ Dec 18th 2008 1:17PM
The game won't sell if people can't find it in the stores.
Marcellis @ Dec 18th 2008 1:41PM
Yeah, I've been meaning to pick this up as a Christmas present to myself, but I can't find it anywhere.
Evan @ Dec 18th 2008 1:17PM
No surprise. Hardcore shooter fans tend to own a 360 or PS3 (either instead of or in addition to a Wii).
Just to be clear, though, I don't think that reflects badly on the Wii. Although games like Call of Duty and The Conduit are destined to fail on the Wii, games of almost every other genre like LittleBigPlanet, Valkyria Chronicles, and Hot Shots Golf are underperforming on the shooter-obsessed 360 and PS3.
caturtle @ Dec 18th 2008 1:24PM
It's a lame franchise to being with!
I don't play these types of political war monger coupled with war nostalgia games.
lame!
Conduit is going to rule.
kavorka @ Dec 18th 2008 2:21PM
A shooter is a shooter, regardless of the "Skin" it wears. Clearly you've never even played CoD, as there's really nothing 'political' about it. Warmongering is defined the same whether your killing Nazis, Terrorists, or Aliens. Fool.
Axel @ Dec 18th 2008 1:27PM
Wii owners don't dissapoint COD:WAW, I'm sure the title will sell almost 1 million copies, but the Wii software sales take time, wait for six months and see what happens.
The other problem is the retailers refuse to stock the game for Wii, in november was hard to find the title and I reach the last one on Best Buy. The other thing, Nintendo needs to convice the Wii360/WiiPs3 owners that the Wii version is better, but this didn't happen becose the Wii version has less features than the HD counterparts.
sydscrib @ Dec 18th 2008 1:30PM
Eh, I'm still playing MoH:H2. Better online multiplayer in my opinion. So I have no interest in CoD:WaW.
TWOO DEE @ Dec 18th 2008 1:56PM
plus MOH controls WAYYYY better
Maxguy2099 @ Dec 18th 2008 1:46PM
This is my first cod game. The controls are just amazing, perfect for this kind of game. I haven't played the Story mode the multiplayer mode is Awesome!
I think that this game is not selling well because of the lack of features. It's impossible to have all the features? Isn't the GH:WT have the same features as the other consoles?
I think that its not impossible...
TWOO DEE @ Dec 18th 2008 1:57PM
if you think the controls are amazing, i'd suggest you try out Medal of Honor 2 or Metroid Prime 3 :P
Ghaleon @ Dec 18th 2008 1:45PM
Maybe Wii owners are just smart enough not to pay $50 for a game they've played a dozen times already.
Phizzy @ Dec 18th 2008 7:10PM
"Maybe Wii owners are just smart enough..."
Sorry, you lost me there. Wii owners are smart now?
Ham @ Dec 19th 2008 7:18AM
Mario Party
Zelda
Super Mario
Mario Kart
Super Smash Bros
..Do i need to go on or are you going to shut up? People get so pissy over sales.
eugaet @ Dec 18th 2008 2:02PM
Well, it seems to have gotten good reviews according to Metacritic. And WWII shooters are about the only ones I'll play anymore. So maybe I'll pick this up when it gets cheaper. I just wish it wasn't stripped of some of the cool PS3/360 modes.
BabyFaceBatman @ Dec 18th 2008 8:56PM
I didn't buy it because it looked like to me that it was a shitty port of an xbox game. I'm definitely going to buy The Conduit because it's a game developed specifically for the Wii.
kavorka @ Dec 18th 2008 2:21PM
It's because Nintendo has split their market! All the hardcore gamers went out and bought PS3s while Nintendo was busy with crap like Wii Fit and Wii Music. If only they'd released some decent games during the drought, I might have waited to try CoD on the Wii instead of ALREADY HAVING PLAYED THE SNOT OUT OF IT on PS3. I believe the phrase goes: "What goes around, comes around".
Besides, games like that are sooo much better in HD.
ChromeAlchemist @ Dec 18th 2008 2:46PM
you're retarded, and everyone here knows you are.
Don't bring that hardcore v Casual crap in here.
kavorka @ Dec 18th 2008 3:59PM
Sorry, didn't know I was a man among boys. I'll make sure to dumb it down next time.
I'll bring what I want, when I want. Or you'll do what, exactly?
kavorka @ Dec 18th 2008 4:08PM
It was a completely relevant comment. I think a lot of people who would have otherwise bought a copy of Call of Duty for Wii already own it for another system.
The REASON why I bought that OTHER SYSTEM was because of a lack of offerings on behalf of Nintendo. So, to complete the logic (I'm dumbing it down, see?) if Nintendo would have offered better games in the interim, I, and others, probably would still be buying games exclusively for Wii, instead of that OTHER SYSTEM.
Clearly my argument is valid, whether or not you agree with it is a problem you'll have to deal with on your own. Anybody else care to put forth something intelligent, or are we just going to dick around with slander and misguided value judgements?
LeChuck @ Dec 18th 2008 5:23PM
If all the gamers bought PS3s then why is it still in distant 3rd place in market share?
But other than that I don't disagree with what you've said.
Ty @ Dec 18th 2008 2:29PM
I plan to pick up the conduit in a few months hence no reason to pick up COD:Rehash. I would have only had slightly more of an inclination to buy it if it even was COD: Modern Warfare 2. but even then only slightly. I have too high of hope for the conduit and that's a very very bad thing.
Kenology18 @ Dec 18th 2008 2:44PM
Not that the Wii version isn't awesome, but no one was going to buy the (gimped) Wii version of World at War when they could buy the PS360 version. Sales of this game are in no way indicative to how The Conduit might do, as it is exclusive, and there's no superior sku on competing consoles.
Paul @ Dec 18th 2008 3:51PM
Most reviews say Medal of Honor: Heroes 2 has better controls anyway. I play that game all the time and love it. When this Call of Duty Wii game came out, I just didn't see a reason to buy another WWII shooter with inferior controls, even if the graphics are marginally better.
Danny @ Dec 18th 2008 3:29PM
Your surprised?
Medal of honor: heroes 2 has 32 player online matches, and I believe conduit has like 30. Wii is perfectly capable of amazing online, so when call of duty gives us this 8 player BS nobody cares.
guttertalk @ Dec 18th 2008 6:20PM
The problem is that MOH:2 hasn't sold that great either: 250,000 copies according to vgchartz. So, CoD:WaW's selling problem isn't due to it limited modes . . . it's a problem shared wth MoH:2.
We've used "core" and "casual" so much when talking about the Wii that it might be covering up the fact that there are different types of core gamers. Some, like myself, are done with FPSs.
There have been so few FPSs for the Wii that, if you are hardcore for that genre, you haven't sat here waiting for 2 years for these to release. You've gone and bought a 360 or a PS3.
I think the same is going to be true of RPGs: There no really A-level, deep RPGs for the Wii, so those fans have gone elsewhere.
At this point, I think the only way to recover those fans is to have not a single good RPG or FPS, but probably 2-3 Wii-only releases that rate at least an 83 or higher on metacritic.
Phil @ Dec 18th 2008 3:29PM
Please don't say things like that. I don't want to have to buy CoD just so that The Conduit will still come out. Are there others out there that are just not interested in CoD, but are excited by the possibility of The Conduit?
jose torres @ Dec 18th 2008 8:50PM
The wii version is amazing. The problem is that the game was released on multiple consoles and gamers tend to buy the one that looks pretier, thats why the next gen version sold. If the delevopers would have done a stand alone version or at least an original game for the wii it could be different. They should not call call of duty a failure because the idea was to sell as many copies as they can despise the console version so no matter what, they don't loose.
Matt @ Dec 18th 2008 4:21PM
Potential of using the WiiZapper as a gun... totally unrealized.
I tried every different way to calibrate the zapper to work with COD5... and it never worked right. You can't aim, but you have a referenced crosshair on the screen. It is much easier to play with a Mouse. I may hook up my TV to my MBP and play that way...
Hell, the light gun was better than the zapper...
LV426 @ Dec 19th 2008 8:20PM
For me, Im not a WW2 shooter fan. In fact as close as I get is Wolfenstien on my PC.... so I wouldnt bother with this at all. HOWEVER, I have noticed that I have never seen the Wii version in ANY store period... and in fact only saw the ad for the Wii version this week. Was it released later? If so, that explains everything since everyone who wanted it bough the 360/PS3/PC version before this one was even out! Talk about sabotaging yourself.
wii80gamer @ May 24th 2009 2:36PM
MoH H2 kinda lacks some things like jumping and knifes, melee atacks dont do anything online and it takes like a 7 shots to the stomach to kill someone.did u ever notice a pistol only takes like 4 shots to kill someone.but u canclip a person with a shotgun like 8 or 9 times before they die and by that time your dead.how cares about medal of honors 32 players when it doesnt seem real and makes u mad. the only thing bad about cod waw is no zombie killer and lack of co op and online options.the weapons are good for a ww2 game and unlike moh h2 u can actualy pick your custom classes instead of haveing the same pistol as everyone else on your team and the same grenade and only 6 weapons to choose from for either team.
Matias @ Dec 18th 2008 5:05PM
I'm not rerally into first-personshooters (If I was I would buy a xbox360 (no, not that ps3 bs)) but I preffer the wii version of CoD5 over the others I played ( in my PC and xbox360 in a store lol) because of the controls, , even without the extra modes (wich I'm sure could fit into the wii version),the wii have the controls to make any FPS fun, but it seems not many companies realize this, and preffer graphics over gameplay, wich sucks.
grp110nyr @ Dec 18th 2008 7:20PM
I too think they could have added the extra modes save the maps with tanks. I played COD 3 for the Wii and thought it was underrated for a 1st gen Wii Game. MOH H2 on the other hand I thought was overrated granted the controls were "fine" but the single player was horrible in my opinion. As for the MOH Heroes multiplayer I thought it was bad and highly overrated. Maybe I am the only one but every players avatar looked like it had hip problems as they gimped around the battlefield. Hit detection was absolutely brutal. I would blame lag but every game was like this. COD W@W on the other hand I thought had a good single player game with a well done multiplayer game. Yes some features are missing but the online play was just fun. It would have been great if matches had more than 8 players but they are still adequate. I think those who don't try it are missing out on a great online Wii experience. Just my opinion.
Danny @ Dec 18th 2008 9:49PM
Well I know that nintendo has forsaken us on hardcore games, but the point I'm making is you can have great online play on wii, but I hardly knew about MOH until looking on gamestop.com. They need to advertise things like that.
Now here's an example, remember the gamestop preview where if you reserve it for Xbox or PS3 you get a sweet gun? Totally excluded Wii, because they think that Wii is inferior and is incapable of DLC. But if you saw gutar hero: world tour on wii, you can buy songs! But even they cheapened out, I can't get Hendrix packs! My point is if Wii game developers could work harder like on conduit (with 30 online), it could compare to Ps3 or Xbox 360.
esposch @ Dec 18th 2008 8:24PM
Why is everyone talking about the PS360 versions when every single person on this site has a PC. Why not just install a 4670 for AU $125 (PS3's here are AU$700) and play a version with superior graphics, controls and online play?
~Esposch
sp2vwj @ Dec 22nd 2008 1:39PM
There is 2 major difference between the conduit and call of duty: world at war. My first point being that the conduit will be Wii only, there by eliminating the "I bought the Xbox 360 or ps3 or pc version because it had better graphics", "there isn't a stigma attached to the system so much as the wii", and "all my friends on are live or the ps network or pc" excuses on why not to buy the conduit. Secondly, Call of Duty has sadly become the madden of first person shooters, which isn't a good thing and on top of that it wasn't actually made by the people who made call of duty really call of duty, no matter how you try to spin it, it's not made by infinite ward, period. I don't care, if it was made by another company in the same umbrella corporation, in which infinite ward is also apart of, it's not the same as being made by infinite ward.