PixlBit

Wow, late comment.

I was curious of this game as well. I've never played a game like this before, so it could be an interesting experience.

Nice job on this one guys, it was great seeing everyone come together to make this.

Nick: As someone who owns more than 1,500 games, are you sure that you're qualified to make such statements? :P

The American and European markets are actually very similar, which is one reason why Nintendo of America wanted to first see how the game sold there before making the final decision here.

I think no one was talking about the game much because it hadn't been released in an English-speaking country. I believe that the near universal praise the game received did far more to raise awareness of the game than Operation Rainfall could dream of. If Operation Rainfall did anything, it was convincing GameStop to strike a deal with Nintendo to release the game, something which is rumoured to be true from anonymous sources.

I also disagree with the notion that hardcore Wii owners are starved for quality titles; the only Wii owners who are deprived of quality titles are those who do not seek them out. I also don't think this game will sell to people who own other systems or anyone outside of RPG fans, but we'll just have to wait and see what happens on that one.

Do you have any evidence that no one cared about the game before, or is it all baseless conjecture?

How did Nintendo know that Operation Rainfall would come into existence before deciding to withhold the release for the time, especially considering the game was on the schedule for quite a while?

The game seemed to sell fine in Europe without needing publicity from something like Operation Rainfall, so why can the game not sell on its own merits? And look, Europe got a special red Classic Controller edition of this game that apparently no one has heard of.

What group are you thinking now knows about XenoBlade who didn't before? If you think the mainstream now cares about it, then why is it being sold in the two places catering to "hardcore"/informed gamers? Places where the average gamer won't find it?

Well, the DS didn't have any analogue devices, so Nintendo probably figured that adding one was enough. Anyone who wanted a second could just use the touchscreen, and Nintendo themselves had no plans that would benefit from a second slide pad. I'm not saying it was the best idea, just that this is why I think Nintendo didn't add one.

Myself, I personally don't care. I've never been a fan of dual analogue and can't think of a game I'd want it in.

I think you're giving Nintendo way too much credit if you honestly believe that they planned this whole thing.

For one thing, Nintendo didn't leave it at "no plans," they said that they would be watching how the game sold in Europe before making the final decision. I'm certain that the game selling better than expected in Europe is a large part of why the game is being released here, not to try and build hype. I'm still not convinced that anyone who will buy this game didn't already want it back when it was on the NA release list as Monado: Beginning of the World. I see no evidence of that.

With the weak dollar compared to the yen, and Nintendo looking at potential losses due to slow sales of the 3DS and being forced to drop the price, Nintendo of America wasn't willing to take a chance on a game that would bring little profit at best. In fact, this limited release shows that they're still concerned about losing money on the game, and that it's a GameStop exclusive probably means that GameStop is helping to foot the bill for localization and/or distribution.

If Nintendo really were trying to build hype, then why not make it a regular release? If they really did want to make it seem special by making it limited, then why not make a "Special Edition" or "Limited Edition" that's sold in most stores? What you're saying just doesn't add up.

There aren't any games that require this accessory (not even Monster Hunter) so I don't think Nintendo is worried much about it. We still haven't heard of a Nintendo-published title that will use it, so it would seem the device was created due to the whining of third-parties. Though I think that once more games come out that support it, it'll get a wider release.

Well there's your problem. Who plays Mario Kart for time trials? :P

By what criteria is Mario Kart DS considered the "fan favourite"? It isn't sales, because Mario Kart Wii has sold more than any other game in the series. In fact, Mario Kart Wii is the best selling Mario game period, and one of the best selling games of all time. Considering that, I'm not surprised that Mario Kart 7 has debuted well.