One of the biggest misconceptions about the Wii U that is still repeated on a near daily basis by those who are not acquainted with Nintendo’s hardware is that it “has no games.” That’s becoming less true over time as Nintendo finally gets its act together and begins debuting quality titles that even gamers who are not hardcore Nintendo fans want to play. If you’ve ever seen a Sony or Microsoft fanboy screaming about Bayonetta 2 being a Wii U exclusive, then you’ve run into that lot already.
Nintendo games always do exceedingly well due to the level of attention paid to both gameplay and aesthetics. Mario Kart 8 recently became the second Wii U game to pass 1 million sales in the US alone, with the first being New Super Mario Bros. U. But what about Nintendo’s other games? What about its stellar Nintendo 3DS catalogue? It turns out, Nintendo-published games tend to sell very well if they’re part of a previously established franchise.
While the Wii U is still sitting at around 7 million units sold worldwide, the Nintendo 3DS has managed to sell 40 million units in the United States alone. In speaking of games that have released on that platform, 41 titles have a Metacritic score of 80 or above. 9 of those games have broken the 1 million sold barrier in the United States as well.
- Mario Kart 7: 3.48 million
- Super Mario 3D Land: 3.09 million
- New Super Mario Bros. 2: 2.28 million
- Pokémon X: 2.10 million
- Pokémon Y: 2.01 million
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D: 1.39 million
- Animal Crossing: New Leaf: 1.36 million
- Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon: 1.33 million
- The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds: 1.09 million
Given that Nintendo has paid special attention to the Nintendo 3DS to turn it from what would be considered a flop of a launch to a startling success, it’s not hard to see the same working out for the Wii U. When Super Smash Bros. U releases this fall, it will likely be the third Nintendo Wii U title that crosses the 1 million sold line in North America. From there, we could see a huge increase in the amount of Wii U consoles being sold, as many gamers have stated they’re waiting for something big like Super Smash Bros. U before buying a Wii U.
Either way, it’s hard to argue with hardcore statistics, which show that not only does Nintendo make great games, but that tons of people want to play them, too.
What games are you looking forward to seeing this holiday season and beyond?
