VG Chartz has published the Xbox Live Arcade sales charts for the week ending March 8, 2008. The charts track these data: Weekly Units Sold, Price, Total Revenue, Total Units Sold, and Weekly Revenue.
Highlights for the week:
• The critcally-maligned Rocketmen: Axis of Evil has one of the worst starts in sales in quite some time. Its poor control scheme has earned the game one of the worst ratings for an Arcade game (i.e., 51% from GameRankings.)
• N+ sees it's third number-one week in a row - its sales only dropped about 10% from last week.
• Triggerheart Excelica has a poor first week. Its user base is dominated by Japanese users (i.e., 45% of the user base that's just below 10,000.) Globally and outside Japan, there is a lack of interest in the game.
• Poker Smash ends its first month with 43,000 units sold and $430,000 in revenue - not too shabby for a game that was supposedly made by 3 people in a garage.
WhatIfGaming writes: "Top down shooters seem all the rage nowadays. With the Xbox Live and the Playstation Network bringing the action to you, it's much easier to get them in your hands. Developed by A.C.R.O.N.Y.M, Rocketman: Axis of Evil will land right in the palm of your hands and is supposed to have all the workings of a great game: space, half naked aliens with big knockers, and huge explosions. Axis of Evil has a lot going on for itself but takes a dive into the axis of the unbearable through a variety of flaws that makes it less than likeable."
Console Monster writes: "Rocketmen: Axis of Evil looks to be a promising title from the offset, thanks to an appealing and fitting presentation throughout and clean cell shaded graphics, giving the hope of a high quality arcade experience. Jumping through the interfaces at light speed in a rush to progress through space, you will find a fairly deep character customisation with several different player classes and ten levels in which you can progress. The low number of levels is nothing to worry about as each span a good length and prove a good challenge to complete.
Initially when you have crash landed onto your first stage you will instantly recognise the game style and control scheme used, as literally 80% of the XBL catalogue is now plagued with top down shooters, most of which take advantage of the dual analogue controls set in place by Geometry Wars. Rocketmen is no exception. The difference with Rocketmen (and women for that matter) is the added RPG elements, the constantly progressing camera and the added lifeless storyline cutscenes. Unfortunately two of the three main issues that spoil the experience happen to be second two of the said features, with the added nuisance that is poor artificial intelligence..."
Rocketmen: It Came from Your Uranus comes on the PSN on may, 15th, and XBL on may, 14th.
Discover new screens for this add-on to Rocketmen: Axis of Evil.
MS does not release this sales data and no retail tracking group tracks this data. Unless they are getting it from the publishers or MS themeselves which I HIGHLY doubt.. I don't know if they are pulling these numbers out of their azz or what?