eShop Sales-Ratings: February 2012

The Nintendo eShop is Nintendo's online shop through the 3DS where people can download games from old Nintendo hardware, DSiWare games, and new download software specific for the 3DS. Because Nintendo does not disclose sales numbers, and developers are most likely barred from revealing them, we do not know how games are doing on the service.

But we might have at least a small hint.

After playing a game on the 3DS for over a hour, players are capable of rating these games via the eShop, and the totals are shown on each game page, showing up to five stars based on what the population thinks. At the very least, we now have minimum sales figures for the games, but with a very large disclaimer: these numbers represent the users who have done the following:

1) Purchased the game
2) Played the game for over an hour on the 3DS, and
3) Chose to rate the game on the eShop.

People who play the games on their DSi systems cannot rate games, nor can people who have not played the games for less than one hour. Since rating cannot be done outside of the eShop, some might have forgotten to or chosen not to rate said games. Also note that a rating does not necessarily correspond with a sale in the month in which it appears, only emphasizing the number of additional people who completed the above steps.

With that disclaimer in mind, check after the jump to see how everything did.


 Free Apps

1	1	Swapnote	11489	30766
2	2	Nintendo Video	11125	59938
3	3	Pokedex 3D	11012	69953
4	4	Netflix	5843	36384

It is interesting to note just how the applications are doing this month.  The difference between the top and third applications is less than five hundred.  The gap has swiftly shrunk between Nintendo Video and Pokedex 3D monthly ratings, and I have a feeling the streams will cross in the following months.  Swapnote is still the least-rated application, but it is looking close to pass Netflix without a problem in March.  Pokedex 3D is the most-rated product on the eShop, hinting that there is a userbase of at least 70,000 people in the US; hopefully there are many more actually downloading.

One note to make is that from here, I can see that ratings were down for the month (46k to 39k), so one can anticipate the other rating totals to be lower as well.

Hulu Plus released on the Wii, but the 3DS version remains unreleased.  Perhaps March or April will better suit it.

Video Downloads

1	1	Thriller	108	463
2	2	Night of the Living Carrots	91	365
3	3	The Pig Who Cried Werewolf	28	108

No difference here, and there is really no commentary to make, except that The Pig Who Cried Werewolf passed 100 ratings.  It surprises me that they continue to get the ratings they do months after Halloween.

Pre-eShop DSiWare*

1	1	Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again! [CN]	1169	7356
2	3	Photo Dojo	934	6042
3	2	Plants vs. Zombies	853	7577
4	7	Inchworm Animation	426	3702
5	5	Mario Clock	397	2432
6	6	Dr. Mario Express [CN]	360	1573
7	8	Anonymous Notes Chapter 1 - From the Abyss	348	2707
8	4	Cave Story	324	4495
9	9	Zenonia	264	2359
10	10	GO Series: 10 Second Run	259	1885
11	15	Crystal Monsters	232	1439
12	11	Tetris Party Live	219	1956
13	16	Pop Island - Paperfield	214	1539
14	13	Bomberman Blitz	201	1929
15	14	Nintendo Countdown Calender	199	1165
16	12	Shantae: Risky's Revenge	158	2868
17	18	Army Defender	155	1237
18	17	Mario Calculator	129	675
19	23	My Farm	112	586
20	21	Gangstar 2: Kings of L.A.	84	474
21	20	JellyCar 2	81	1017
22	28	Glory Days: Tactical Defense	81	578
23	19	Soul of Darkness	65	1011
24	27	Anonymous Notes Chapter 2 - From the Abyss	62	589
25	24	Earthworm Jim	58	427
26	31	Pop Island	58	579
27	22	Dark Void Zero	55	905
28	30	Extreme Hangman	46	626
29	33	Arcade Bowling	44	465
30		Music on: Retro Keyboard	38	179
31	29	Blazybloo: Super Melee Action Battle Royale	35	417
32	25	Touch Solitaire	35	530
33	36	Paper Airplane Chase	34	408
34	26	5 in 1 Solitaire	32	345
35	42	Faceez Monsters!	31	231
36	41	GO Series: Defense Wars	30	250
37	32	My Exotic Farm	27	307
38	34	AiRace	26	291
39	40	Escapee GO!	26	198
40	37	MySims Camera	24	92
41	38	Castle Conqueror	20	303
42	35	Petz Dogz Family	13	127
43	39	WarioWare: Snapped!	10	285
44	43	Petz Kittens	10	88
45	44	A Topsy Turvy Life: The Turvys Strike Back	4	100

[CN] Game was made free for download via Club Nintendo
*Note: This list does not contain every pre-eShop release but is periodically updated to include more.

No surprise that the Club Nintendo game Mario vs. Donkey Kong got first place, followed by the usual affair of Plants vs. Zombies and Photo Dojo.  Another Club Nintendo release, Dr. Mario Express, seems to be decelerating faster than MvDK, but as it was a lower game naturally on the charts, it should not be a surprise.

For landmarks, Nintendo Countdown Calender, JellyCar 2, and Soul of Darkness all surpassed a thousand ratings, and Turvys Strike Back, a regular bottom-placed game, has just hit the hundred mark.  Last month's debut Music On has appeared at 30; not great but not bad either.

This month's Club Nintendo product was Art Academy: First Semester, so I chose to add it, its sequel, and a number more of Legacy DSiWare titles to the listing; we will see how they perform for March.

Art Academy: First Semester [CN]	909	909
Art Academy: Second Semester	119	119
GO Series: Picdun	306	306
Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords	571	571
Ivy the Kiwi? Mini	141	141
Absolute Chess	869	869
Aura-Aura Climber	547	547
UNO	906	906
Rayman	636	636
Dragon Quest WARS	621	621

Post-eShop DSiWare

1	1	The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition*	12101	59930
2	2	Bloons TD	583	1934
3		GO Series: Undead Storm	444	444
4	3	Cut the Rope	434	1247
5	5	Cake Ninja	102	225
6	11	Extreme Hangman 2	97	564
7	8	Afterzoom	75	739
8	9	Castle Conqueror: Against	69	173
9	6	Rytnik Retrobits	68	212
10	4	Come On! Heroes	64	249
11	28	Crazy Hamster	63	170
12	7	Doodle Fit	61	193
13	10	Elite Forces: Unit 77	52	128
14	19	Magical Whip	45	253
15	22	My Asian Farm	40	177
16	15	My Australian Farm	38	221
17	16	Let's Create! Pottery	37	370
18	12	1001 BlockBusters	36	240
19	17	GO Series: Fishing Resort	35	269
20	23	Calculator	32	161
21	40	Hip Hop King: Rytmik Edition	30	40
22	24	Moto eXtreme	28	202
23	20	The Lost Town: The Dust	27	324
24	13	Escape Trick: Convenience Store	27	113
25	80	Lola's Alphabet Train	27	28
26	48	Gaia's Moon	25	33
27	42	Kung Fu Dragon	23	81
28	14	Chronicles of Vampires: Origins	23	84
29	18	Word Searcher 4	20	67
30	21	Slingo Supreme	20	51
31	25	Stratego: Next Edition	18	188
32	29	Go! Go! Kokopolo	18	216
33	31	Academy Checkers	15	57
34		40-in-1 Explosive Megamix	15	15
35	27	Make-Up & Style	14	167
36	26	Build-a-lot	13	125
37	64	Flipper 2: Flush the Goldfish	13	17
38	35	3 Heroes: Crystal Soul	12	23
39	49	Roller Angels	11	57
40	59	Jewel Keepers: Easter Island	11	79
41	32	Antipole	11	174
42	33	GO Series: Portable Shrine Wars	11	98
43	55	Blockado - Puzzle Island	11	72
44	45	Zoonies - Escape from Makatu	10	77
45	61	Escape Trick: Ninja Castle	10	49
46	43	Simply Minesweeper	10	69
47	56	1950s Lawn Mower Kids	10	29
48	57	Quick Fill Q	10	16
49	47	Castle Conqueror: Heroes	9	41
50	50	Trollboarder	8	59
51	34	Defense of the Middle Kingdom	8	63
52	46	Break Tactics	8	74
53	53	Halloween: Trick or Treat	8	62
54	63	House M.D. - Crashed	8	25
55	39	WordJong Arcade	8	22
56	30	Christmas Wonderland	8	41
57		iSpot Japan	8	8
58	36	Pro Jumper! Guilty Gear Tangent!?	7	107
59	37	Furry Legends	7	37
60	58	Hidden Photo	6	60
61	71	Delbo	6	40
62	41	Farm Frenzy	6	76
63	83	Go Fetch! 2	6	31
64	67	House M.D. - Blue Meanie	6	57
65	73	101 Pinball World	6	8
66	77	Play & Learn Spanish	5	27
67	68	DotMan	5	31
68	52	House M.D. - Skull and Bones	5	28
69	38	Castle Conqueror: Revolution	5	81
70	44	Anne's Doll Studio: Gothic Collection	5	14
71		Box Pusher	5	5
72	54	Heart Spaces Euchre	4	58
73	51	Bugs 'N' Balls	4	37
74	62	Play & Learn Chinese	3	18
75	70	Just SING! Christmas Vol. 3	3	7
76	75	Just SING! 80s Collection	2	12
77	60	Puzzle Rocks	2	17
78	78	Crystal Caves of Amen-Ra	2	27
79	79	Battle of the Elements	2	5
80	69	House M.D. - Under the Big Top	2	13
81	65	Gold Fever	1	26
82	74	Zimo: Mahjong Fanatic	1	32
83	81	Beach Party Craze	1	26
84	72	Boardwalk Ball Toss	1	26
85	66	Puzzle Fever	1	40
86	76	Oscar's World Tour	1	18
87	85	Double Bloob	1	1
88	82	B-Team - Episode 2: Ice & Venom	0	7
89	84	Bridge	0	5

* Game was a free download until February 2012, now no longer available.

As stated in the above disclaimer, this month marked the end of Four Swords Anniversary Edition's availability for download.  This does not end the potential for ratings, as it can be reached via Download History.  No surprise, it was the most-rated game in the DSiWare segment (and as a free game I occasionally ask myself why I put it here, although it is a little late to rethink it).  Equally unsurprising, both Bloons TD and Cut the Rope appeared just below it, and Cake Ninja from December continues to get a high number of ratings.

A surprise in the form of zombies arose this past month; GO Series: Undead Storm cut between the two November releases with 444 ratings, a solid if not magnificent debut for a new DSiWare release.  Other DSiWare releases were not so well-received; 40-in-1 Explosive Megamix, the second-most rated debut, only got 15 ratings.  The highest previous-month debut this month is Hip Hop King: Rytmik Edition with 30 ratings (triple the ratings it got last month).

Cut the Rope has become the second new DSiWare release to hit over a thousand ratings, and some games passed the hundred-rating mark: Escape Trick: Convenient Store and Elite Forces: Unit 77.  Also, after two months of having no rating, Double Bloob finally received its first rating.  B-Team Episode 2 and Bridge both received no rating this month.

One other note that came as a bit of a concern: only four DSiWare games released this month, the lowest number of debuts since tracking began in July by quite a margin.  Is the DSiWare service finally ebbing away for 3DS software, or has the App Store taken away smaller games on the muddled DSiWare service?

Classic Games

1		Super Mario Bros. (A)	13332	13332
2	1	Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX	1032	19800
3	2	Kirby's Dream Land [CN]	955	5901
4	3	Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins	872	5606
5	4	Super Mario Land	610	11505
6	5	Metroid II: Return of Samus	352	1514
7	7	Donkey Kong	254	4573
8	6	Tetris	191	464
9	8	Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge	141	1121
10	9	Game & Watch Gallery	121	1346
11	13	Pac-Man	68	312
12	10	Mario's Picross	64	1306
13	11	Gargoyle's Quest	56	741
14	15	Blaster Master: Enemy Below	45	127
15	12	Bionic Commando	44	112
16	14	Catrap	34	244
17	16	Double Dragon	27	173
18	18	Lock'N Chase	27	48
19	20	Alleyway	19	732
20		Maru's Mission	19	19
21	21	Avenging Spirit	16	240
22	23	Qix	15	245
23	24	Golf	15	55
24	22	Burger Time Deluxe	15	107
25	17	Adventure Island	14	89
26	19	Radar Mission	13	273
27	28	Baseball	9	201
28	25	Balloon Kid	9	98
29	26	Tennis	6	182
30	29	Side Pocket	4	30
31	27	Fortified Zone	2	117

(A) Game was given freely to Ambassadors - 3DS owners before August 2011
[CN] Game was made free for download via Club Nintendo

This month might appear a little unfair, particularly because of one addition: the first Ambassador NES game to be released for download (Super Mario Bros.).  That game sits at the top as it debuts with over 13k votes already made to it, when it most likely did not get all those ratings in one month.  On that note, it is still lower in ratings than Link's Awakening DX, which is on the verge to becoming the most-rated purchasable product on the eShop within a month, surpassing 3D Classics: Excitebike.  Either way, below you will see the remaining Ambassador games with their ratings as of Super Mario Bros.'s debut on the eShop.

1		The Legend of Zelda (A)		8103
2		Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (A)		5383
3		The Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap (A)		5273
4		WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$ (A)		4512
5		Metroid (A)		4474
6		Metroid Fusion (A)		3793
7		Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones (A)		3548
8		Kirby & The Amazing Mirror (A)		3318
9		Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 (A)		2962
10		Yoshi (A)		2591
11		Mario vs Donkey Kong (A)		2287
12		Mario Kart: Super Circuit (A)		1871
13		Wario Land 4 (A)		1853
14		Wrecking Crew (A)		1797
15		NES Open Tournament Golf (A)		1729
16		Donkey Kong Jr. (A)		1571
17		Balloon Fight (A)		1520
18		Ice Climber (A)		1087
19		F-Zero: Maximum Velocity (A)		394

The Virtual Console only got one more release, the oddity Maru's Mission with 19 votes this month.  Last month's Lock 'n Chase did better than that debut, but not by much.  Both Kirby's Dream Land and Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins passed the 5k mark, and Mega Man: Wily's Revenge became the first third-party Virtual Console title to surpass a thousand ratings.  Gargoyle's Quest is close to meeting that same milestone, but it will take time to pass.

In March, both Mario's Picross and Radar Mission are Club Nintendo items, so both will most likely grow in monthly ratings for the next couple months, and more Ambassador games are expected to emerge as well (Metroid is already out as of this post).

3DS Download Software

1	1	Pushmo	2532	8404
2		Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword	1969	1969
3	2	FreakyForms: Your Creations, Alive!	1236	5938
4	3	3D Classics: Kirby's Adventure	1216	4521
5	9	Mutant Mudds	1073	1455
6	4	VVVVVV	693	2093
7	5	Mighty Switch Force!	665	2176
8		Dillon's Rolling Western	665	665
9	6	Zen Pinball 3D	582	1231
10	8	3D Classics: Excitebike*	359	20492
11	7	3D Classics: Xevious [CN]	353	2711
12	11	Let's Golf! 3D	197	2560
13	10	Samurai Sword Destiny	178	468
14	12	3D Classics: Urban Champion	120	956
15	13	Pyramids	78	459
16	14	3D Classics: Twinbee	57	556

* Game was made freely available throughout the month of June 2011
[CN] Game was made free for download via Club Nintendo

Whereas January focused on third-party releases, February only had two Nintendo-published games.  Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword, which debuted at the beginning of the month, did very well at approaching two thousand, while week-old Dillon's Rolling Western almost passed the thousand-rating mark.  Mutant Mudds  more than doubled its ratings in February, and along with fellow January-release Zen Pinball 3D, it surpassed a thousand ratings easy.  Both VVVVVV and Mighty Switch Force! surpassed two thousand this month, even if their ratings were slowing down a little.  No doubt, 3D Classics: Urban Champion will pass the grand mark in March.

I am still stoked at Pushmo's performance months later.  The game is keeping pace to surpass 3D Classics: Excitebike if ratings continue, but even if it does not, it has made a great stride on the eShop, both saleswise and critically.  Will any game be able to get it off first place in the near future?

Overall 

1		Super Mario Bros. (A)	13332	13332
2	1	The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition*	12101	59930
3	2	Pushmo	2532	8404
4		Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword	1969	1969
5	4	FreakyForms: Your Creations, Alive!	1236	5938
6	5	3D Classics: Kirby's Adventure	1216	4521
7	3	Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again! [CN]	1169	7356
8	24	Mutant Mudds	1073	1455
9	6	Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX	1032	19800
10	8	Kirby's Dream Land [CN]	955	5901
11	12	Photo Dojo	934	6042
12	9	Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins	872	5606
13	11	Plants vs. Zombies	853	7577
14	7	VVVVVV	693	2093
15	10	Mighty Switch Force!	665	2176
16		Dillon's Rolling Western	665	665
17	15	Super Mario Land	610	11505
18	16	Bloons TD	583	1934
19	13	Zen Pinball 3D	582	1231
20		GO Series: Undead Storm	444	444

*Game was available for free until February 2012.
(A) Game was given freely to Ambassadors - 3DS owners before August 2011
[CN] Game was made free for download via Club Nintendo

I have to say, this is one varied Top 20, having all but one category on the list (video downloads).  The debut of Super Mario Bros. and Four Swords AE's continued ratings top the charts, but from here on, the latter should start dwindling in ratings without new downloads to vote.  In terms of non-free downloads, Pushmo remains at the top, and both of Nintendo's debut 3DS eShop titles appeared on the list.  Mutant Mudds makes its first Top 20 appearance, and Zen Pinball 3D is able to stay on, even if it looks on the verge of disappearing in March.  New DSiWare title GO Series: Undead Storm ends the Top 20, continuing the small surprises this month.

Ratings seem to be tied mostly to 3DS Download Software; nine of them occupy the Top 20.  The rest of the contents seem quite varied, too: 5 Classic Games (3 GameBoy, 1 GameBoy Color, and 1 Nintendo), 3 Legacy DSiWare titles, and 3 new DSiWare titles.  Will the variety continue into March?  We'll have to wait and see.