Popularity: Mario 2D vastly surpasses Mario 3D

[Julius Seeker]

This is perhaps the first time that we'll be able to see how 3D and 2D Mario games fare against each other. That is with Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Bros Wii. Looking at the latest 3D and 2D Mario games, both on Wii, the sales so far favour the 2D series:

New Super Mario Brothers:

Week 1 - 1.25 million
Week 2 - 940 thousand
Week 3 - 1.69 million

Super Mario Galaxy in comparison:

Week 1 - 840K
Week 2 - 600K
Week 3 - 350K


Whether Super Mario Galaxy 2 will do better than part 1, I can't say.

Super Mario Galaxy had a lot more going for it marketingwise than Super Mario Brothers Wii. Reviewers gave Super Mario Galaxy the nod as the second beest in history. Getting many many perfect scores. It also had a lot more hype building into it.

Yet all the same, when 2D Super Mario Brothers hit the stage, it is obvious which game will be the better received. Super Mario Galaxy sales carried through at a smaller level, and the game eventually exceeded 8 million, and may hit 10 million before the end of the generation; but 10 million isn't even the question for New Super Mario Brothers, 20 million is the question. If the game follows a similar path to the previous New Super Mario Brothers on DS, then 20 million is a very likely goal.


For a comparison of New Super Mario Brothers DS:

Week 1 - 1 million
Week 2 - 420K
Week 3 - 372K

Yet the game managed to top 20 million sales in three years, the reason why was that it managed to hold onto weekly sales of 100-250K for a long time, and it slowly climbed to being one of the most successful games in history; an effect that has been seen on with many Wii games, doubtless that it will be repeated with Wii's New Super Mario Bros.

The 2D Mario series, is doubtless the more greatly loved series. Even in an age where 3D gaming has dominated for a decade and a half.

[ManaMan]

A lot of people have difficulty with the 3D games still--makes their heads hurt.

[Julius Seeker]

A lot of people have difficulty with the 3D games still--makes their heads hurt.

Speaking as someone who definitely prefers the 2D games. There is a bit of truth to that, but it's not completely that wrapping a head around 3D is the reason, but rather that control over 3D creates a situation where inadvertant error is much more likely. Though I could only guess that others who remember the 2D games against the 3D ones will consider this.

My greatest estimation is that people see 2D Mario is the main series. That 3D Mario was just a sub-series. Not something heard much since the N64 days when the transition occurred. The only real fact is that this 2D Mario game is the most successful title (given a 1 month period) in many years; I'm only assuming Mario 3 did better.

[Julius Seeker]

At this rate it should catch and surpass Super Mario Galaxy very soon according to vgchartz.

Super Mario Bros Wii:
Week 4 - 1.31 million

Total for New Super Mario Brothers = 5.2 million.

That's fairly incredible legs, even for around Christmas time. ~1 million for 4 weeks in a row. I anticipate that this title will sell very well for a long time yet. I am guessing another 15 million sales the next 2.5 years