I think the idea of Critical Mass for the X360 in Japan is a very, very, relative term.
The issue we face is this: the Xbox 360 had the WORST launch ever in the history of gaming, relative to what it brought to the table. This was on the heels of the worst-selling console in Japan, even toppling such favorites as the Sega Master System and Turbo Grafix.
The first 6 months were pitiful - even sure-fire DOA4 underwhelmed, and the poor-selling Xbox was outpacing the Xbox 360's sales for a very, very long time. By the end of the first 3 months, the X360 had slouched in sales to a 2:1 ratio vs. the Xbox at the same time (or even more than 2:1, possibly even 3:1).
Fast forward to today: If true, the Xbox 360 this week alone has sold 50% of the YTD sales of the Xbox's entire 2004 season! And it's not even Christmas! Isn't that something actually noteworthy? Yes, 16k is absolutely nothing, and I'm glad to admit that, but in the shadow of previous X360 and Xbox sales, it's huge.
Not only this, Ace Combat 6, in it's first 3 days has outsold the top-selling game of the Xbox's second year, Ninja Gaiden, by over 10,000 units.
To me, that's pretty huge and noteworth. Add in the fact the PS3 is also preforming bad, and it's something that I take interest in. No one on these forums, even the most deluded Xbox fanboy thinks that the "critical mass" we talk about is even remotely close to rivaling the Playstation 3, which alone is bad. We're merely excited about the fact the Xbox 360 is trending to sell 1.5m, to even 2.5m or more units - 3 to 5x the Xbox's total sales.
And for the reason I care: it means more JRPGs. JRPGs are my favorite genre. Add in the WRPGs the X360 has, and it's why I take note. I bought my X360 in the hope and faith that Microsoft was going to moneyhat JRPGs, and bring them to America. This was before Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey were even publically talked about in the US. Guess what? I was 100% right and then some. If the X360 had a 2.5m userbase at the end of it's run, the next system could manage 5m or even 7m units. At that point, I'd be getting every Playstation exclusive game I'd want, on the system I choose to own.
Back from the dead, I'm afraid.
