NPD May 2013: Plus two bait and switches

Folks, before I go talking about the May 2013 NPD, which I am more than a month late on, I wanna discuss two issues that appeared before us.

Issue one: Nintendo demanding Smash Bros Melee to be taken down on EVO, then reversing their course. 

I've actually questioned Nintendo lately.  Questioned if they have any backbone what so ever.  Last night, I thought they did have a backbone.

Competitive Smash Bros. fans have been working for years to gain acceptance from the greater fighting game community. Smash Bros. is very different from Street Fighter, Tekken, and Virtua Fighter, but as many have said, it still is a fighting game, despite what some of the more exclusionary members of the FGC may tell you. 

These years of effort have more or less paid off. After raising nearly $100K for Breast Cancer research, Smash Bros. Melee was set to be a marquee title at Evo 2013 this weekend. As the live stream phenomena has grown in prominence and popularity over the years, so has Evo's online presence. Evo 2011 was streamed by over 2.2 million viewers (still working on digging up numbers for 2012). That's more than Bayonetta sold in the US. 

You'd think that Nintendo would jump at the chance to use Evo to appeal to this passionate, influential cross section of videogame culture, but it looks like they have other plans. Nintendo has prevented Evo from streaming Smash Bros. Melee in any way. As a result, Evo has pulled Melee from the streaming aspects of the event, swapping it out for Persona 4: Arena and King of Fighters XIII.

Finally.  It seems Nintendo did grow a backbone.  But then they had to go and shrink said backbone when this was reported

Nintendo has reversed its decision! They're now allowing Melee to stream at Evo this year. Though Nintendo has its share of old codgers that don't know how to internet, maybe this proves that their younger colleagues have the capacity to shake them into reality, and in just a few hours no less.

Nintendo.  What are you doing?  You're just letting a bunch of kids take over.   No wonder you're doomed to go into 3rd party.  You have no backbone at all.

But then again, they have a better backbone compared to what I will discuss next

Issue 2: Demands for the original XBox One.

Sometime after E3, Microsoft announced that the X-Box One would remove a number of DRM features that left many fans angry.  Well, those fans have had enough and want to tell the world that they want to be restricted.

Fans are petitioning Microsoft to bring back the restrictive DRM policies previously planned for the Xbox One, asking for a return to online check-ins and demolished ownership rights. Elsewhere, dogs around the world are asking owners to buy them tighter collars.

"This was to be the future of entertainment," writes campaign leader Dave Fontenot. "A new wave of gaming where you could buy games digitally, then trade, share or sell those digital licenses. Essentially, it was Steam for Xbox. But consumers were uninformed, and railed against it, and it was taken away because Sony took advantage of consumers uncertainty.

"We want this back. It can't be all or nothing, there must be a compromise."

The sudden pushback against Microsoft's shocking policy reversal has been interesting, with people suddenly swarming from the woodwork to defend the original Xbox One. Weird how, as soon as something goes away, there magically appears an army of those who loved the thing. Human nature, I suppose. 

In any case, I'd find it hilarious if this thing gained ground. Not that Microsoft would appear so publicly weak as to re-reverse its decision, but I'm amused by so people declaring the Xbox One was the "future" when platform holders have continually struggled to handle the "present."

Where did Microsoft get all this sudden blind trust from people?

This isn't a  Blind Trust, Jim Sterling.  These are honest to goodness fans who wouldn't mind having their rights taken away all for pure gaming bliss.  You don't know what they want, you need to bow before gamer guys, and I wouldn't mind a future where I have no gaming rights what so ever.

And now with those two issues out of the way,  time to make this NPD a fast one.

At number 10: Lego Batman 2: DC Superheroes from Warner Bros Interactive for the 360, Wii, DS, 3DS, PS3, Wii U, PSVita and PC.  The beginning of a DC Sandwich.

At number 09: Battlefield 3 from Electronic Arts for the 360, PS3 and PC.  Tastes like Miracle Whip

At number 08: Bioshock Infinite by 2K Games for the 360, PS3 and PC.  This ain't no mystery meat

At number 07: NBA 2K13 by 2K Games for the 360, PS3 and PC.  Just don't ask Dennis Rodman to slice the tomato

At number 06: Metro: Last Light by Deep Silver for the 360, PS3 and PC.  Purely leftovers from THQ's buyout.

At number 05: Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon by Nintendo for the 3DS.  Luigi's serving up some ghoulish grilled chicken.

AT number 04: Dead Island: Riptide by Deep Silver for the 360, PS3 and PC.  You want some onions with that?

At number 03: Donkey Kong Country Returns by Nintendo for the 3DS and Wii.  Are you sure bananas go great on a Sandwich?

At number 02: Call of Duty: Black Ops II by ActivisionBlizzard for the 360, PS3, PC and Wii U.  Tastes like Best Foods Mayonaise

And finally, at number 01: Injustice: Gods Among Us by Warner Bros Interactive for the 360, PS3 and Wii U.  And that tops the tasty sandwich

But what about the hardware fries and chips?  Well there is good news and bad news.  The good news is, the best systems this month are the 3DS and X-Box 360.  The bad news?  Both sit at around 114K and a bit at 115K.  A horrible month for hardware, but decent for software.

I wonder if NPD June's NPD numbers will serve up hot dogs or Hamburgers?

Works Cited:
Destructoid Article 1
Destructoid Article 2