gamrconnect Most Wanted: March 2014 - Results!

Publishers

Platforms

Top 22 Skus

Top 23 Games

Nintendo

Sony

Square Enix

360

3DS

One

PC

PS3

PS4

Vita

Wii U

As is often the case, March is the biggest month yet this year for game releases, at least in the eyes of this feature. The following games are releasing in March.

This includes:

• Over 250 points worth of games, over a fifth of the point total.
• 28% of the PS4 point total, including its #1 game (Infamous: SS).
• 39% of the PS3 point total, including three of its top 5 games.
• 31% of the Xbone point total, including its top game (Titanfall).
• 36% of the Vita point total, including its top game.(Final Fantasy X HD).
• 33% of the PC point total, including its #2 and #3 games.
• Possibly the last 360 game to ever grace this feature.

"Fortunately" for Nintendo, it doesn't have a very impressive lineup for March 2014. You have Yoshi's New Island and a couple of Shovel Knight versions, which all combined equal to a mere 15 points, or less than 5% of its point total. This means that, barring major announcements and/or trailers in March, Nintendo's share of the point total will likely go up in the April 2014 edition. In all honesty, Nintendo platforms probably won't lose a lot of points until May, when Mario Kart 8, Kirby Triple Deluxe, and Mario Golf: World Tour, with their combined 112 points (9% of this month's total alone!) are released.

Meanwhile, we can wonder what games will get a boost now that so many non-Nintendo games are coming out. On the Vita, where support from Sony, developers, and the VGChartz base is fairly inconsistent, this could be the beginning of a lull. The One, likewise, has little enough support so that its share might decline significantly, though Halo is likely to do well. The PlayStation 3, despite its declining support from game developers, probably will have much of its slack picked up by loyal owners, who may vote for other JRPG's like Persona 5, the multiple Tales games, or even multiplatform games like MGS5.

The PC will also probably do well next month. Its flagship title, The Witcher 3, remains undisturbed, and there are plenty of other less notable games to pick up the slack. I for one am hoping for a wave of Hearts of Iron 4 votes. I can't be the only person who loved HoI3 and am excited for the fourth entry. But the PS4 is best-positioned non-Nintendo console going into next month. A major PlayStation 4 game has been rumored by the PlayStation Official Magazine, which could be a new title that boosts sales. If the game is something like Titanfall, an already known title for other platforms, the PS4 might "steal" points. Otherwise, it can still provide a boost. And of course, the PS4 has 20 games that charted this month which are not getting released. Perhaps with Infamous and several PS3 JRPG's out of the way, the PS4 sku of Final Fantasy 15 and/or Kingdom Hearts 3 will shoot upwards. Uncharted might do the same, but like Zelda for the Wii U, I doubt that will gain one of the top couple of spots without some actual info being revealed other than the platform.

In short, April 2014 will likely be a high point for Nintendo as a hardware maker, at least in comparison to Sony and Microsoft. However, Sony has little reason to worry about the PS4, even though it is unlikely to overtake the Wii U until Spring. Once Mario Kart 8 is out and new games are announced at E3, the PS4 will likely become the lead console for ages to come.

Notes:

• Nintendo is in a strangely strong position on this feature. In total, as a publisher of games, it has over a third of the point total, crushing Sony and Square Enix and embarassing Microsoft. These points are largely due to games that won't release for a while to come. X, most obviously, isn't even convfirmed for 2014, while Super Smash Bros 4 may come out as late as this Holiday season, though I personally doubt it will be released December 31st or anything like that. Nintendo fans appear to be patient when it comes to waiting for a few huge games, meaning that it will take some time for the Wii U in particular to lose its point base.
• This means that if Sony wants to overtake the Wii U with the PS4 in our little feature, it is up to them. The PS4 is currently about 90 points behind the Wii U, but by absorbing the PS3's roughly 200 or so points as the last round of PS3 games are released, the PS4 can easily overtake the Wii U eventually, especially if the latter continues to rely almost solely on Nintendo-published games. 
• The handhelds are currently not looking too hot. Even combined, the VIta and 3DS would still be behind the PS3, PS4, and Wii U. This is in contrast to some high points where the 3DS alone scored over 190 points in a month. In 2013, the chief 3DS point-earner was Pokemon X/Y. What Nintendo needs to increase 3DS hype is some major new exclusives. This can be something as simple as Pokemon Z, Super Mario 3D Land 2, or Majora's Mask 3D. The Vita, meanwhile, suffers from a relative lack of Sony's support. Recently, Sony has been emphasizing indie games on the VIta, but the top games on the platform remain retail-based titles like Final Fantasy X HD, Soul Sacrifice Delta, and Gravity Rush 2. Either Sony or a major developer/publisher needs to support the Vita in order for it to do better. Remember Sony, the iOS has more games than the Vita will ever have, and its had a grand total of ONE game in the history of this feature!
• Microsoft should be worried about the Xbox brand. The 360 is pretty much dead, and the One remains well below other similar platforms, especially now that Titanfall is being released. The likely announcement of Halo 2 HD alongside Halo 5 will probably improve matters, but if Microsoft wants to keep its VGChartz voting base happy, it needs more exclusives. Perhaps a next-gen Gears of War game will help? Even if all the stars align for Microsoft though, the fact remains that VGChartz is a predominatly Nintendo and PlayStation-oriented website. If the Xbone reaches over 100 points at any point this year, it should be considered a victory, if only because the entire Xbox brand was under 15 points one month last year.
• This is probably the biggest month we'll have in 2014 until E3 rolls around. Expect lots of points to be lost as the months roll on, with few announcements picking up the slack.
• Sorry this went up late. Yesterday was my birthday and things got a bit weird.

Feel free to start posting!

Today and yesterday were long days, so it might be a little while before this month's vote is up.

Everything will be back to normal by March 2nd.

Not much different this month. Persona 5 seems to have gained a good bit of traction is all.

Okay, everything is up. Post away for realz!