Analysis: Killzone 3's February 2011 Sales Ranks with Chart

Coffee Beans:
     Killzone 3 was released on February 22, 2011 in North America on the PS3.  The game released with a "Standard" edition with a MSRP of $59.99, as well as a "Collector's" edition with a MSRP of $129.99.
     Killzone 3 was developed by Guerrilla Games, and published by Sony.  The ESRB gave Killzone 3 a "M for Mature" rating, with "Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language" listed as content for buyers to be aware of.

     Killzone 3 was Sony's biggest PS3 release in February, but how did that translate into online sales ranks?  Let's take a look!

Click chart to enlarge

Chart Information:
     The chart above shows the sales ranks for Killzone 3's Standard edition on the PS3, with ranks recorded from February 1 through February 28, 2011.  The sales ranks are reflective of pre-order sales ranks and release/post-release sales ranks for February.  All times shown on the chart were recorded as Pacific Standard Times.
     I recorded the date/time and sale rank of Killzone 3, as well as the price Amazon.com had listed, but the prices aren't listed in the chart, though I will make a few notes regarding sales ranks and prices below.
     The chart above is not designed to replace the NPD sales numbers for February, but is designed to be a supplement for the NPD February 2011 numbers, and perhaps give us an idea of what affected sales for Killzone 3 during the month, such as reviews and prices.

Highs & Lows:
     The highest recorded sale rank for Killzone 3 was #1, on February 19, February 20, February 21, and February 22; around 4:30PM, 8:10PM, 9:30PM, 7:35PM and 10:50PM respectively.  Killzone 3 was selling for $59.99 with a $20 Amazon.com Credit and Pre-Order Bonus(image below) on February 19, February 20, and February 21.  On February 22 it was selling for $59.49 with the $20 Amazon.com Credit, both times I recorded the sale rank that day.

$20 Credit and Exclusive Killzone 3 Pre-Order Bonus as recorded on 2-19-11

     The lowest recorded sale rank for Killzone 3 was #18, on February 1 around 10:50PM, and it was selling for $57.99 when the sale rank was recorded.

Monthly Averages:
     Pre-Order Average - Killzone 3's average sale rank before it released was #8, from February 1 through February 21.
     Release/Post-Release Average - Killzone 3's average Amazon.com sale rank after it released was #4, from February 22 through February 28.
     Overall Monthly Average - Killzone 3 had an overall monthly sale rank of #7, when I averaged all the Amazon.com sales ranks from February 1 through February 28.


Critical Reception:
     Killzone 3's first "professional" review scores started being published on the internet on February 3.  GameRankings.com had 13 reviews posted for Killzone 3 on February 3, and the average review score for just the internet reviews posted on February 3 for Killzone 3 was 87.91%.

     Killzone 3's current "professional" review score average is 86.94%, based on 49 reviews on GameRankings.com.
     Killzone 3's current customer review score average is 87.88%, based on 109 customer reviews on Amazon.com.
     (Current review scores recorded around 3:00PM on 3-10-11)

Agree, or disagree?

Filtered Thoughts:
     Killzone 3 saw the biggest jump in sale rank from February 2 to February 3, moving up eight spots and into Amazon.com's "Top 10" in video games.  On February 2, Killzone 3's sale rank was #14 around 9:10PM; on February 3 around 8:25PM, Killzone 3 had a sale rank of #6.
     The first reviews for Killzone 3 started being published on the internet in the 23 hours between sale rank recordings on February 2 and February 3.  I think it's pretty evident that the reviews are what caused the increase in sale rank, because the listed price for Killzone 3 was $57.99 on both February 2 and February 3; so a change in price wouldn't have been a contributing factor for either day.

     I didn't record Killzone 3 at the #1 sale rank in February, until February 19, which was also the first day I recorded Amazon.com offering the $20 Credit and Pre-Order Bonus with the game.
     February 22 was the last day I recorded Amazon.com offering the $20 Credit with Killzone 3, and February 22 was also the last day in February that I recorded Killzone 3 with the #1 Amazon Bestsellers Rank in video games.
      I find it interesting that it seems like a $20 Credit is what it took to get Killzone 3 to the #1 spot on Amazon.com in February, and as soon as the $20 Credit was removed from the orders, the game's sale rank decreased, and never reached the #1 spot again in February.
     Perhaps Killzone 3 commercials airing for the game also helped, though I don't know how many commercials Sony had, or when they started airing them.  I know THIS commercial was uploaded February 18 to Kevin Butler's YouTube account, so if it was airing on February 19, it probably helped the sale rank as well.

     While I haven't purchased Killzone 3 myself, I know a few readers here have played the game, either through the Open Multi-Player Beta a few weeks back(like myself) or the retail version they purchased.  If you missed my FPS Friday post in February on Killzone 3, here's the video I included with the post showing an online multi-player match:


Questions:
     Do you think the Amazon.com sales ranks for Killzone 3 will be reflective of the February NPD data, with Killzone 3 being in the "Top 10" of the NPD software sold, but perhaps not in the "Top 5" for the month?
     Also, if you purchased Killzone 3, how did you purchase it: online, or in a retail store?


If anybody is interested in Killzone 3, you can see prices for both the Standard and Collector's versions on Amazon.com linked below:
  

PS3 vs. Xbox 360: Marvel vs. Capcom 3's February Sales Ranks Per System - Analysis with Chart

Coffee Beans:
     Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds was released on February 15, 2011 in North America, for both the PS3 and Xbox 360.  The game released with a "Standard" edition with a MSRP for $59.99, as well as a "Special" edition which quickly sold-out upon release.
     The game was developed and published by Capcom, and the ESRB gave Marvel vs. Capcom 3 a "T for Teen" rating, and has "Mild Language, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Violence" listed as content for parents to be aware of.

     With Marvel vs. Capcom 3 being the first new game released for the series in more than 10 years, did more PS3 owners or more Xbox 360 owners apparently purchase Marvel vs. Capcom 3 during February?  Let's take a look!

Click chart to enlarge

Chart Info:
     The chart above shows the sales ranks for Marvel vs. Capcom 3's Standard edition on the PS3 and Xbox 360, with ranks recorded February 1 through February 28, 2011.  The sales ranks are reflective of pre-order sales ranks and release/post-release sales ranks in February.  All times were recorded as Pacific Standard Times.
     Not only did I record the date/time and sale rank of each version, but I also recorded the price of each game version as Amazon.com had it listed, but the price is not listed in the chart, mainly because both games were priced nearly the same each time I was recording the data.
     The chart above is not supposed to replace the NPD sales numbers for February, but is designed to be a supplement for the NPD numbers, and perhaps give us idea of what the sales breakdown was for each version of the game during February.

Highs & Lows:
     The highest recorded sale rank for Marvel vs. Capcom 3 on the PS3 was #5, on February 14 and February 15 around 7:10PM and 9:25AM, respectively.  The game was selling for $59.99 both days/times the sales ranks were recorded.
     The lowest recorded sale rank for Marvel vs. Capcom 3 on the PS3 was #62, on February 27 around 8:15PM, and it was selling for $56.99 when the sale rank was recorded.

     The highest recorded sale rank for Marvel vs. Capcom 3 on the Xbox 360 was #6, on February 15 and February 16, around 7:10PM and 9:25AM, respectively.
     The lowest recorded sale rank for Marvel vs. Capcom 3 on the Xbox 360 was #84, on February 27 around 8:15PM.  The game was selling for $56.99 when the sale rank was recorded.

Overall Monthly Average:
     The PS3 version of Marvel vs. Capcom 3 had an overall monthly sales rank of #23 when I averaged all the Amazon.com sales ranks together.

     The Xbox 360 version of Marvel vs. Capcom 3 had an overall monthly sales rank of #33 when I averaged all the Amazon.com sales ranks together for it.

Critical Reception:
     Marvel vs. Capcom 3's "professional" review scores started being published on the internet on February 14, the day before the game released.  Several sites that posted reviews on February 14 are: IGN, 1UP, Game Informer, and Game Spot.

     Marvel vs. Capcom 3's current review score average on the PS3 is 86.35%, based on 33 reviews on GameRankings.com.
     Marvel vs. Capcom 3's current review score average on the Xbox 360 is 87.10%, based on 43 reviews on GameRankings.com.

Agree, or disagree?

Filtered Thoughts:
     I don't own and haven't played Marvel vs. Capcom 3, but I know a few of the regular readers here picked up the game, and you can read Chalgyr's review for Marvel vs. Capcom 3, HERE.
     Again, while we don't know the official NPD numbers for February, I hope the recorded sales ranks can give us an idea of perhaps how Marvel vs. Capcom 3 was selling on the PS3 and Xbox 360 throughout the month.
    I really think it's interesting that neither the PS3 version, nor the Xbox 360 version, remained in the Amazon.com "Top 10" video games more than 5 days in any of my recorded sales ranks, and considering it had been a while since the last Marvel vs. Capcom game, I really expected at least one version to be in the "Top 10" for at least one full week of the month.
     Not only did neither version remain in the "Top 10" for a full week, but both versions fell out of the "Top 20" video game rankings by February 20, and neither entered the "Top 20", or "Top 10", for the rest of the month.  I think seeing the overall monthly average for both versions being below the #20 spot is interesting, but not necessarily meaning the games together wouldn't be in the NPD "Top 20" for February if they release the "total" sales numbers for the month.

Questions:
     Do you think the Amazon.com sales ranks for Marvel vs. Capcom 3 will be reflective of the February NPD data, and perhaps the PS3 version did outsell the Xbox 360 version for the month of February?
     If you purchased Marvel vs. Capcom 3, which version did you purchase, and is it a fighting game you would recommend to other PS3 and Xbox 360 owners perhaps looking for a good fighting game?

If anybody is interested in Marvel vs. Capcom 3, you can see prices for both the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions on Amazon.com linked below:
  

February Brewed, March Brewing - Coffees Consumed, Games Played

Coffee Beans:
     Well, February is over.  For those of you that are following the Reader Points each month, I have January's calculated, but I've made a few adjustments to the algorithm I use to calculate the points, so January and February Reader Points should be posted in the next 2 weeks.

     While I did get sick with the flu in the middle of February, I was able to play quite a few games, and drink some good coffees as well.
     I'm feeling better now, and hopefully with a new month upon us, there won't be anymore sickness!  So, before March takes over, let's take a look at the coffees I consumed and the video games I played during February!

Coffees Consumed in February:

• Caribou Coffee Reindeer Blend(Medium Dark Roast) - This has been a slowly consumed coffee in our house.  I received it as a Christmas gift from Mrs. Coffee, and it's a 16 oz. whole bean bag.  I still have about half the bag left, so depending on how many tests I have this March, it may/may not last the month depending on that.  I enjoy this coffee blend, and our son has fun grinding the coffee beans in our coffee grinder with me at night sometimes, so that's probably why I'm consuming it slower than the regular big tubs of coffee we normally have.
• Maxwell House Custom Roasted Dark Roast Ground Coffee - This was a 270 cup coffee tub, and we finished it during the last week of February.  It was kind of funny, because I knew we were running low, and I kept rationing my pots of coffee thinking, "Hmmm, I need this to last a few more days until Mrs. Coffee goes to the grocery store again."  Well, I was Mr. Unobservant and didn't notice the other 270 cup coffee tub Mrs. Coffee had already purchased and had sitting in the pantry!
• Maxwell House French Roast Ground Coffee - This was the 270 cup coffee container my wife purchased us in February, that I didn't notice for a few days.  I believe this is a newer blend of the Maxwell House coffees we have tried, and it has a pretty solid flavor.

Video Games Played in February:

• Donkey Kong Country Returns - Mrs. Coffee and I completed Donkey Kong Country Returns with all the KONG letters found, and all the puzzle pieces found, on February 8.  We had an absolute blast playing through the game, and if I hadn't of gotten the flu, I would have finished my write-up about our play-through of the game.  Hopefully the write-up will be finished, and with more game-play footage, in the next 2 weeks.
• GoldenEye 007 - I played some more of GoldenEye's single-player campaign, finishing another mission on the "Agent" difficulty setting.  I also hopped online early in February, and played some online multi-player matches: Golden Gun, Black Box, and Team Conflict.  I think I'll be playing GoldenEye less, until I finish(or give up) on my New Year's Video Game Resolution.
• Greg Hastings Paintball 2 - I'm still working my way through the campaign in Greg Hastings Paintball 2 for the Wii.  The game becomes more challenging the further you get, and you have to make sure to trade players out, and/or train your team, to make sure they can compete against the higher ranked teams.  I honestly don't know how any "reviewer" of this game put up a review within a week of receiving the game.  I have put probably 15+ hours just into the campaign, and I'm only about 50% through it now.
• Killzone 3 Demo - If you didn't see my FPS Friday that was on my time with the Killzone 3 multi-player beta, you can read my thoughts, and even watch a video I put together of an online multi-player match HERE.
• Fluidity WiiWare Demo - I downloaded and played through the WiiWare demo for Fluidity, and think it's an interesting idea.  If you missed my data report, you can see how many game-play hours Fluidity debuted on the Nintendo Channel with in February, HERE.  The game only costs $12, and from the game-play hours reported, it appears most Wii owners are getting almost 9 hours of game-play from the game.  I think 9 hours of game-play for $12, is an awesome deal.
• Dementium II - After finding where I "lost" my DS Lite, I started playing some more Dementium II.  I have put a little more than four hours into the game, and a little more than half of those hours were in February.  The game does keep to its atmosphere pretty well, and I'm enjoying it, though it does make me wish the DS(and soon the 3DS) had dual analogs.
• Call of Duty: Black Ops - So, I finally beat Call of Duty: Black Ops on the PS3.  I completed the game's campaign this past Friday night, and I thought the campaign improved the further along it went.  The storyline was interesting, and it would make for an interesting second play-through knowing certain things now, but I don't think that will happen.
• ExciteBots: Trick Racing - If you missed my post on Monday, "An Exciting Wii Racer - Ignored by Nintendo, Not Known by Wii Owners", I talked about how I think ExciteBots: Trick Racing is a game that has flown under the radar of many Wii owners since it released, simply because there was little, or no, advertising for the game.  I started playing ExciteBots again when a fellow blogger, Dustin from MyLittleGamer.Blogspot.com, said his son was going to be reviewing the game.  I was able to hop online one day and play a few races against against his son, Daemion, and Dustin as well.  You can see a video of two of our races in the post from Monday.  You can read Daemion's review for ExciteBots HERE.
• Resistance: Fall of Man - This game is one of the many on my backlog, that I had not touched in months/years.  This was one of my first PS3 games I purchased, when it was on sale on Amazon.com for like $15 one day and I had a gift card to use.  I started playing Resistance: Fall of Man again, after completing Black Ops last Friday.  I'm actually enjoying the game's setting/story, and the game is turning out to be longer than I expected.  I don't know how many hours it will take to finish, but I've already played it more than Call of Duty: Black Ops, and still haven't finished it yet.
• Rage of the Gladiator WiiWare Demo - Okay, this is probably the game on the list.  I own the full WiiWare version of Rage of the Gladiator.  I purchased the WiiWare version of Rage of the Gladiator the day it released on the service last year, yet when I saw the WiiWare demo for Rage of the Gladiator had been released last week, I went and downloaded it.  Why?  Well, I played through the demo to see what you will experience, and it's a pretty solid demo.  I think it offers you enough game-play, to give you a good idea of what to expect from the full version.  I highly suggest you all go and download the Rage of the Gladiator WiiWare demo for FREE, and give it a try.  Rage of the Gladiator is my most played WiiWare game so far, and if you enjoyed the old Punch-Out games, or even the new Wii Punch-Out!! I hear, you should enjoy Rage of the Gladiator.

Thoughts/Questions:

     From my original list of ten games on my New Year's resolution list, I completed just Call of Duty: Black Ops in February, but played three others on the list.  Hopefully in March I can complete several more off the list, and perhaps even provide coverage/thoughts on the games that I complete.

     I really wasn't sure how February was going to go, but I ended up playing more games and game demos than I thought I was at the beginning of the month, with ten total for the month.

     So, what video games did you end up playing in February, and did any of you perhaps try a new coffee blend in February, that you perhaps hadn't tried before?