NPD: New Super Mario Bros. Wii sales have surpassed Super Mario Galaxy

by Alexander Sliwinski on Jan 21st 2010 12:15PM

New Old Mario is stomping all over the mark left by his globetrotting counterpart, with sales of New Super Mario Bros. Wii having already surpassed Super Mario Galaxy in the US. According to the NPD, Galaxy has sold approximately 4.1 million units in the two years since its November 2007 release, while NSMBW has amassed 4.2 million sales in about 45 days.

As IGN notes, the Wii's install base is much higher now (26 million in the US), but that still doesn't explain why Galaxy, which has had far more time on retail shelves, was passed by so quickly. We'd posit that there's something nostalgic about NSMBW, which makes it stand apart from Galaxy and speak to the Wii's demographic. Of course, Super Mario Galaxy 2 will have the benefit of being quite familiar too ...

Source

Tags: mario, new-super-mario-bros-wii, Nintendo, npd, sales, super-mario-galaxy, super-mario-galaxy-2, Wii

Reader Comments (78)

Its a me! Again... and again...

"there's something nostalgic about NSMBW, which makes it stand apart from Galaxy and speak to the Wii's demographic"

Exactly. Which is why I find the false node that the Wii's demograph is all soccer moms and grand parents (sure those type of stories make great articles and whatnot, but it's a light shinning on a small percentage) even more baffling.

The majority of Wii owners are die hard Nintendo heads, sure, but also the guy (and gal) that grew up 7, 8, 9 years old addicted to their NES and maybe even SNES, but fell out of gaming altogether after that time.

NSMBWii brings that large Wii audience back to that time.

@Cody: Yeah, and it's a better, tighter, IMHO more beautiful game. I played it with family throughout the holiday break. Although we killed each other (in the game), and came close to killing each other (in real life), we had an absolute blast.

And I hate to use this term, but it is totally apt here: the end-boss fight was just . . . epic.

@ Cody and petey:

I was one of those NES fans back in the day. I'm 23 now, but I grew up with the NES and, later, Sony's machines.
I played Galaxy and had a blast, but I think I'm favoring NSMBW more because I played the side-scrolling ones more as a child. It's definitely the best side-scroller in the series.

And the final boss fight was indeed epic. One of the best (and frustrating) boss fights I've ever come across.

My goodness that last boss fight....

Easily the hardest Bowser fight I've had in any Mario game, save for **maybe** Super Mario World.

Mario's 3D offerings have never sold as well as the 2D ones.

well Sushine was shit...and Galaxy is pretty damn slept on.....

I LOVED SUNSHINE!

The tropical scenario and atmosphere made it one of the best mario games! :)

I know the point is debatable, but Sunshine was great! I never would have gotten Galaxy if I didn't enjoy Sunshine. For some reason it's Mario64 that I never enjoyed.

Here's another one for Sunshine. In some aspects it's even better than Galaxy IMO.

I never understood the hate Sunshine got. I guess people hated it because it wasn't a sequel to Mario 64.

Why did this get down-voted? He's right...

You of all people shouldn't have to ask, Khan.

Get the hint Sega, gamers prefer their games the way they have known them or years.

NO!

new things should be brought to the table, but actually... nevermind, you're right devs shouldn't mess with franchises.

The best part is that even after NSMBW's sales and previous Sonic game sales, Sega (97% probably) isn't bringing Project Needlemouse to the Wii.

OH SEGA!

I agree, but I disagree.

I imagine this is the same sort of logic compelling Nintendo's Pokemon department to continue ignoring diagonal movement technology.

And development of a console RPG.

Sure, developers should bring something new every once in a while, while trying to keep the spirit of the franchise alive...the problem is that Sega does it once, sees it doesn't work, and what's their solution? Add a new sidekick! or maybe a turn Sonic into a werewolf?

My conclusion is, if it didn't work the first time, go back...don't repeat your same mistake 5 more times!

I guess I'm ok with this, as I had much more fun with nsmb than I did dragging myself through Galaxy. That being said, I'm hoping this news doesn't surprise anyone.

You seem to "drag", "pain", "antagonize","force" yourself through alot of games.

Why put yourself through such troubled efforts?

Because people on here continue to assure me that it gets better. I play some more, still disappointed, and all I hear is "it gets better!".

Pretty soon I'm watching the end credits wondering why it didn't get better.

Oh, that's hilarious.

To even think there is someone here that could get you to play through a game you didn't want to...

When it comes to buying games I don't already have, no there's no one who could get me to buy a game I don't want. But all these Wii games I already had when I got the system, and I bought them on my own interest.

Main reason I kept with them is because I own them. If they were gamefly games I would have had no problem sending them back the moment I was disappointed with it.

But I do have Twilight Princess, Super Paper Mario, and Metroid Trilogy rotting on my shelf because I just can't force myself to go back and finish them, and with Mass Effect 2 and Bioshock 2 and Heavy Rain coming so soon I won't have the time to play those Wii games for a while.

I'll agree with this. For such a picky gamer, you seem to put yourself through a lot of unnecessary misery.

Well the whole reason I got the wii and the games is to try new things, and all it really did was confirm how much I don't like the system, or what Nintendo's doing with it.

Out of the 12 games I got, I only really liked 3 of them and one of those 3 is a port of a last gen game. It's easily the most disappointing system I've ever had.

He keeps posting but all I'm reading is: "BLAH BLAH BLAH I'M NOT SMART BLAH."

Gee, that's kind of shocking. Galaxy has not only been out for longer but it's also a much better and more interesting game. Though I guess the 2D has more casual appeal... Can we somehow twist this news into a call for a New Duck Hunt Wii?

It wouldn't be as much fun. The Wii Zapper is lame compared to the NES one.

You don't NEED to use the Zapper. Have either of you played the shooting game on Wii Play? It pretty much is Duck Hunt.

That said, using what is basically a tommy gun to shoot ducks could be fun...

NSMB Wii may have had more casual appeal than Galaxy, but I'd argue that it was the more "hardcore" - and maybe even harder (particularly when played with others) - game.

@samfish

I did play Wii Play, but I don't think it was Duck Hunt-y enough. No laughing dog = Not Duck Hunt. There are certain fundamentals in a franchise that have to be there for it to be considered a continuation, and with Duck Hunt the dog is almost as important as the ducks.

Well, I personally enjoyed it more than Super Mario Galaxy...

and I'm awesome, so this really comes with little surprise.

Well it IS a better game....not to mention it has that "party" factor....something that you can play with friends...can't do that with Galaxy....I mean sure the 2nd player can control the pointer on there but who gives a shit?

I agree. The multiplayer aspect (simultaneously at that) is a HUGE factor contributing to the ridiculous sales.

There's just something magic about New Super Mario Wii, I think. Even my freakin' PARENTS have a copy of the game now after they saw my brother and I playing it. Getting my mom, furthermore my dad, to even play (and enjoy!) a game even remotely 'core' in nature is akin to Hell freezing over while unicorns rain down from the sky for me.

Color me intrigued... How exactly can unicorns rain from the sky?

And see that story right there samfish is what puzzles me about so many other joystiq commenters. That story right there drives these kids mad around here with anger towards Wii and Nintendo in general.

Isn't that story right there what life is all about as a gamer?? Maybe it's because I'm 26, but stories like that, of which I have many similair, are the highlights of my gaming time over these last 4 years.

I don't understand why it's so popular. This game was basically already on DS. I suppose it's the power of multiplayer and a strong advertising campaign.

The level design is significantly different than the DS game; it's far more wide open to accommodate more players. It's also harder.

That said, multiplayer is a huge draw. It also doesn't hurt that the multiplayer in NSMBWii is a blast.

Having played both games, the only similarity I found (aside from the obvious "Is a 2D Mario game") were the graphics. I found the DS game too easy, and NSMB Wii's levels are much much much better that the DS ones.

"This game was basically already on DS."

Ugh, what an idiot.

"I don't understand why it's so popular. This game was basically already on DS"

Quite simply, NSMB Wii is to NSMB (DS), what SMB3 was to SMB.

They scaled back the graphics to accomodate the multiplayer engine in the game and have it run smoothly. Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures was the first test of the co-op/competitive engine in play here. And that was SNES graphics on the Gamecube. I'm glad they took that idea and ran with it to create NSMB Wii.

NSMBWii is so superior to NSMBDS that they shouldn't even share the same name.

"They scaled back the graphics to accomodate the multiplayer engine in the game and have it run smoothly."

Oh god, will the fucking idiocy never stop.

See that sega? If you want fanboys to run back to your franchise, make sonic, tails and 2 Knuckles run through a 4player 2d side scroller and you will make millions.

Who is the person buying all these copies, why not just buy 1?

I bought two: one for me and for my cousin for his birthday. Since his own brother sold his Wii without his approval, he's getting a new one and I figured what better way to get re-immersed in the Wii than by getting NSMBW.

lol, for Christmas, I bought my bro NSMBW and he got me the same thing! So, I just returned mine and got New SMB for the DS.

Seriously, you can never have too much SMB.

Reggie predicted it would outsell MW2 on at least one platform. It outsold both the PS3 version and almost certainly the PC version.

Makes sense. Wii's casual audience can relate to 2D Mario games like the old days, but crazy flippy 3D Mario running on 360 degree spherical planets with gravity puzzles... Not as much. My wife said as much. Galaxy "made her carsick to watch" but NSMBWii made her eyes light up. "It's exactly like the old one! I'll play that!"

Still, Galaxy is a hell of an awesome game that sold like gangbusters to the Wii "gamer" crowd, and no sales figures can change that.

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NPD: New Super Mario Bros. Wii sales have surpassed Super Mario Galaxy

Reader Comments (78)

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