New Super Mario Bros. Wii Tops 10 Million Sales

According to a report from Japanese publication Nikkei Net, Nintendo's New Super Mario Bros. Wii has now sold 10 million copies worldwide. The game needed only 45 days to pass the already impressive sales numbers of Super Mario Galaxy. Quoting Gamasutra: "NSMB Wii has sold 3 million units in Japan, where it launched on December 3; 3 million copies in Europe, where it launched November 20, and 4.5 million units in North America, where it launched November 15. Super Mario Galaxy has sold 4.1 million units in North America since 2007. The game's design hearkens back to the two-dimensional, side-scrolling style of earlier Mario titles ... The numbers would seem to suggest that these traits successfully generated more mass appeal for NSMB Wii than for the three-dimensional and far less familiar Super Mario Galaxy, which sent the plumber navigating more innovative spherical space environments."

I have to give props to Nintendo for

[anss123]

Not overly milking the core Mario franchise like Sega did with a certain hedgehog. In four or so years Sega puked out 7 similar Sonic games while Nintendo now have 8 since 1985 (Mario 1,2,3, World, Land, Land 2, New SMB and new SMB Wii)

There has been a few misses (like Mario is missing) but overall Mario is a quality stamp and I think that's the reason why Mario Wii can see this well now.

Re:One of the few games I bought

[piltdownman84]

Really? I have found the multiplayer is next to impossible. You just end killing each other. The more players you have the harder the game becomes, even when your not trying to do each other in. If you try t kill each other, its hard to get anything done.

The Appeal of Mass Market Gaming

[sonicmerlin]

While I applaud Nintendo for their financial success, I can't help but worry that this will simply encourage developers to skimp on innovation in future games. After all, if you can make an inexpensive game that sells millions to casual gamers, why bother spending time and money to create an innovative new experience? Still, I must admit 2D Mario has always had great appeal to me. It really is a fun game.

All the focus on 3d was for the wrong reason

[joeflies]

The reason that developers stopped making side scrollers wasn't because that 3d games were better. In some cases (sony) they pushed the 3d gaming capabilities of the PSX so hard that if I remember correctly, they forbid the publication of 2d games on it. The fact is that 2d games are still fun and can still be fun. Just because a particular console has a feature doesn't mean it's needed, and that goes for wii too, with too many games adding motion sensor to it even though it's not necessary. It's good to see some good old arcade action come back full circle.

Re:One of the few games I bought

[Starayo]

It's a matter of teamwork. When you work together it can be brilliant, but it's planned stuff, not spontaneous play.

For example, I managed to pull off jumping off one player onto another player who themselves had jumped off another player to let me reach a high altitude secret without a helicopter helmet dealie.

Re:The Appeal of Mass Market Gaming

[secretcurse]

Wait, are you saying that the game isn't innovative? Coin battle and 4 player co-op are two of the best innovations in the Mario franchise since 1985. Rather than just throwing the best textures and shaders their artists could make on top of the flavor of the month physics engine, Nintendo sat down and figured out how to take the classic side scrolling adventure game and make it fresh and fun again. It's not the most original game to ever hit the market, but it's sure as hell a lot more innovative than something like Modern Warfare 2. In an era when most game studios simply shit out an incremental improvement over whatever worked last year with slightly better graphics, NSMB Wii was a breath of fresh air to me. ***Disclaimer: I love MW2 even though it's not original. I also don't think NSMB Wii is the greatest game ever, but saying it's not innovative is ridiculous.

Funny

[smd75]

This came out the day after I 100% completed NSMBW, It was worth the money, totally.

Definition of game

[AlpineR]

I shouldn't be punished because I suck.

Your concept of "game" is foreign to me. A game is a contest with rules. You play by discovering/learning/developing the ability to win the contest within the rules. An activity that lets you progress without challenge or accomplishment isn't a game.

I am playing through New Super Mario Bros myself and while I appreciate the ease with which I can advance without ever losing, it does detract from the sense of accomplishment.

On the other hand, I do respect your definition of fun. As an amateur game designer (Starcraft maps, mostly) I've learned that players bring a wide variety of goals to each game. Some want to win by the intended rules. Some want to win by breaking rules. Some want to spend time socializing. Some want to give other players grief.

So I accept that NSMB is not a hardcore game. But I'd be sad if all games were as easy and forgiving as NSMB.