Super Mario 3D Land sales outpacing Super Mario Galaxy

by **robometal cowboy** » 02 Feb 2013 18:52

Super Mario 3D Land sales outpacing Super Mario Galaxy
Click Here to View Story

Super Mario 3D Land – 8 million copies sold

(Released Nov. 2011 for 3DS)

Super Mario Galaxy – 7.66 million copies sold

(Released Nov. 2007 for Wii)

I guess Nintendo really did find the sweet spot for marrying 2D and 3D Mario games. Either that, or people just like playing 3D Mario games on portables better.

Link

by **Jirachi** » 02 Feb 2013 18:58

It's kinda weird honestly because galaxy is far easier then 3d land imo(that's why japanese players don't like 3d mario is 3d mario controls are confusing to them at least*)

*me as well

by **mattdog1000000** » 02 Feb 2013 18:58

I found Super Mario 3D land to be a worse experience in every respect... other than portable convenience.
I hope they return to the smoother 3D control in the future.

http://www.youtube.com/user/Turner459O · by **Turner4590** » 02 Feb 2013 19:01

I really wasn't into 3D Land at the beginning but as the game went on it got better and better (especially the finale)

Still doesn't hold a candle to Galaxy though. I look forward to seeing what the Wii U 3D Mario will be like.

by **Mirr0rR3flection** » 02 Feb 2013 19:20

robometal cowboy wrote:I guess Nintendo really did find the sweet spot for marrying 2D and 3D Mario games.

I OBJECT! to this marriage.

by **SecondGearLuffy** » 02 Feb 2013 19:25

I didnt like Super Mario 3D Land too much. The game was over in a blink of the eye with short levels with level design that was as simple as can be. Could never compare to the Galaxy games. All I remember was the final world being really fun and being impressed with the final level against bowser. Thats how all future bowser battles should be fought.

by **Light_Wolf** » 02 Feb 2013 19:30

3D Land was very fun but it didn't leave me with the lasting impression that the Galaxies did. I hope that Wii U 3D Mario is closer to the Galaxies than to 3D Land.

by **Hinph** » 02 Feb 2013 20:23

Wow... and on a system with a fraction of the userbase.

This is all good news in my opinion. I really love the addition of the 2D elements into the 3D games, and I would love to see another entry sometime in the lifespan of the 3DS.

I'm sure that we will be seeing some of these 2D elements creep into Super Mario U... in fact, I remember them essentially confirming such a thing in an old Iwata Asks.

3D Land definitely didn't have the same level of polish and development time/resources poured into it as the Galaxy games did, so I wouldn't worry too much about being underwhelmed by the Wii U game.

by **Rm88** » 02 Feb 2013 20:24

Well, I for one enjoyed 3D Land more than the Galaxies. It was more condensed and classic-Mario-like, I loved it.

by **CM30** » 02 Feb 2013 20:24

I'm kind of surprised to be honest. After all, Galaxy got the better reviews and tends to be the game Mario fans see as better, so how can a 'worse' game on a far less decent selling system being doing better than it?

by **Pichu2010** » 02 Feb 2013 20:41

That's nice and all, but I'm worried this will affect Mario U's quality, despite consoles being different from handhelds by having more space for grander levels. 3D Land didn't resonate with me that much.

by **metalpants** » 02 Feb 2013 20:57

Well, games are more accessible when you can download them. It's possible that when Nintendo put the game on the eShop, some people found it more convenient. I personally would've downloaded it but that option came about too late.

That said, it does seem really odd that it's clearly out-pacing SMG...

by **Zeldana** » 02 Feb 2013 21:32

SecondGearLuffy wrote:I didnt like Super Mario 3D Land too much. The game was over in a blink of the eye with short levels with level design that was as simple as can be. Could never compare to the Galaxy games. All I remember was the final world being really fun and being impressed with the final level against bowser. Thats how all future bowser battles should be fought.

Yeah, that final level was fantastic. It was the only one I had no qualms about going back and replaying later in the game.

Galaxy was a lot more varied but 3DL had its moments, too, even with all the repetition in the second half. Just wish the levels were longer and they came up with more legitimate challenges other than

Spoiler:

It's still pretty baffling. Do portable Marios generally sell better than console iterations?
S'been a while since I checked sales data for GCN and N64 games.

by **Triforce of the Gods** » 02 Feb 2013 21:38

Zeldana wrote:
SecondGearLuffy wrote:I didnt like Super Mario 3D Land too much. The game was over in a blink of the eye with short levels with level design that was as simple as can be. Could never compare to the Galaxy games. All I remember was the final world being really fun and being impressed with the final level against bowser. Thats how all future bowser battles should be fought.

Yeah, that final level was fantastic. It was the only one I had no qualms about going back and replaying later in the game.

Galaxy was a lot more varied but 3DL had its moments, too, even with all the repetition in the second half. Just wish the levels were longer and they came up with more legitimate challenges other than
Spoiler:
being chased under pressure (limited time) ~~in darkness while traversing the level upside down~~.

It's still pretty baffling. Do portable Marios generally sell better than console iterations?
S'been a while since I checked sales data for GCN and N64 games.

What about Level 8-Crown? That was a ridiculous amount of platforming.

by **Tendonin** » 02 Feb 2013 21:52

Well I'll be damned. I guess the "get to the end of the stage" gameplay really did make it more accessible.

by **intro94** » 02 Feb 2013 22:04

CM30 wrote:I'm kind of surprised to be honest. After all, Galaxy got the better reviews and tends to be the game Mario fans see as better, so how can a 'worse' game on a far less decent selling system being doing better than it?

thats what patcher means with the nintendo vocal but small fanbase on the internet. Most people who clearly preffer Mario 3d over galaxy arent bothered to shout their preference on internet forums and speak with their vallets. Yes im sure digital sales might help a bit, but then again digital purchases arent hot on nintendo platforms so it can only help in a meager portion.

by **Rm88** » 02 Feb 2013 22:15

It's true that Internet minorities are incredibly vocal. According to the Internet no one likes NSMB games, and those are always incredibly successful. Sticker Star is also on its way to become the best selling Paper Mario in Japan, in just a few months and also on a system with a smaller user base than Wii.

by **Adanac** » 02 Feb 2013 22:31

Don't forget that SM3dL are comming bundled with 3DS systems.

by **mmxforever** » 03 Feb 2013 00:01

3D Land is really just the end result of something the Galaxy games did, and that was get rid of some of that exploration element of 64 and Sunshine (which I hated) and got back to the linear "end goal" stages. Granted the Galaxy games had some oddball "go throw bombs at trash" moments, but really, they are all to me more of what 3D Mario should have been from the begining. 3D Land was just the last piece in the puzzle where they FINALLY went back to the old/2D power up system and a lot of the old mechanics. Was it a bit too easy at first? Yes. But the later stages made up for it and without question, the best game on the 3DS so far.

Now uh Nintendo, isn't it about time Cape Mario came back? Make it happen!

by **stoopeed** » 03 Feb 2013 01:23

I'm fine with 3D Land selling well, it was a real good game. Still, I agree with most others here - Galaxy was something else, an overwhelming experience. Especially the first one, imo.

by **MetroidMan5000** » 03 Feb 2013 02:06

3D Land was a stroke of genius. Fantastic game.

by **Hadrian** » 03 Feb 2013 04:09

Or maybe it was because when it came out, we who owned a 3DS didn't really have much else to play so we totally jumped onto it.

I can't say I love the game, it's very good but I'm not bothered if I ever play it again. Normally after a few months I get the urge to go back to a Mario platformer and this and NSMB2 are the only ones I haven't want to so far, also I wanted 3D Land to have the same kinda style and worlds of Mario Land 2 and what we got was the usual retread.

I'm hoping the next Wii U game does something new.

by **internet** » 03 Feb 2013 05:25

or maybe once you reached those levels so sales it doesn't really matter which one is ahead . In the shooter area doing those numbers is just so fantastic

by **delpiero** » 03 Feb 2013 09:16

Yeah, the sales for Nintendo games are amazing. Except for Call of Duty, and a couple of other exceptions, most of the sales on the HD consoles was abysmal. Hardly ever surpassing even 5 million. The envy towards the sale of Nintendo games fueled their wrath and criticism.

by **Jerome** » 03 Feb 2013 14:35

Interesting that it would be doing (slightly) better than Galaxy, though still nothing special compared to NSMB or NSMBWii.

Personally, I think 3D Land is kind of mediocre. I liked that the game doesn't focus much on collecting and isn't as jumbled as Galaxy, but as the title and box art suggest, there's no real "land" to speak of, just 3D. The game is bland and almost sterile-feeling with next to no context or personality, and not much in the way of fresh or exciting content, just constant 3D gimmicks. Also, the platforming still doesn't feel as good or precise as the 2D games. To be fair, though, it doesn't feel as half-hearted and rehashed as NSMB2, but that's to be expected with a 3D Mario game.