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Nintendo Reveals Best-Selling Wii Games
Amid news that the Wii has hit 30 million in US sales, Nintendo just revealed the best-selling first-party and third-party software for the console. Any guesses?
Nintendo now claims that the Wii is the fastest selling console in video game history, having reached 30 million units sold in 45 months. It's hard to know how accurate those numbers are, as they are self-reported by Nintendo, but there's little doubt that the casual-friendly Wii has carved out a huge chunk of the video game market this generation.
Along with the release, Nintendo included NPD numbers on the best selling games on their system, splitting out first party published titles from their self-published games. Both lists included some surprises, and some disappointing absences.
Top 10 Best-Selling Nintendo-published Wii games in the US
1. Wii Play
2. Mario Kart Wii
3. Wii Fit (with Wii Balance Board accessory)
4. New Super Mario Bros. Wii
5. Wii Sports Resort
6. Super Smash Bros. Brawl
7. Super Mario Galaxy
8. Wii Fit Plus (with Wii Balance Board accessory)
9. Mario Party 8
10. Link's Crossbow Training
It should come as little surprise that Wii Play snags the top of the charts; that game was one of the primary ways to get a new controller, as a single remote is usually packed in with the game. Mario Kart Wii remains a success no matter the console. Prominent placement of Wii Fit reveals that more than kids are taking up time on living room Wiis. And the adventures of Mario remain a standby for gamers across the country, though it's interesting to note that the 2D version far outpaces the best of the 3D games, even though Super Mario Galaxy had a 2-year headstart on New Super Mario Bros Wii. Perhaps the strangest inclusion is Link's Crossbow Training, a low-price shooting gallery game that came packed with the essentially useless Wii zapper. Alas, the far better and more expansive Twilight Princess is nowhere to be found on this list.
Top 10 Best-Selling Third-Party Published Wii Games in the US
1. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock from Activision
2. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games from SEGA
3. LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga from LucasArts
4. Carnival Games from Take-Two Interactive
5. Game Party from Midway
6. EA Sports Active from Electronic Arts
7. Just Dance from Ubisoft
8. Rayman Raving Rabbids from Ubisoft
9. DECA Sports from Hudson Entertainment
10. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games from SEGA
The list serves as a potent reminder of how big the Guitar Hero brand was only a few years ago -- more recent sales across the music industry remain decent, but nowhere near the levels that put Guitar Hero III (released in 2007) at the top of the list. LEGO Star Wars gets a totally reasonable spot at number three -- a worthwhile commercial success for one of the best kids games we've played. The team up of Mario and Sonic prove their worth -- the biggest surprise on our minds is how we haven't seen more cooperative ventures yet for the two kid-friendly properties. Casual minigame collections seem to be a portal to success on the console, as exhibited by Carnival Games, Game Party, and DECA Sports, and even Rayman Raving Rabbids in its own way. And yes, Just Dance inexplicably makes its way into the top 10, selling positively huge numbers for a game that is pretty focused on wildly flinging the remote about your body. Who knew? Well, apparently, Ubisoft -- and they're cashing in on the knowledge.
What do you think? Are there any titles on the horizon that are likely to shake up either of these lists? Potential candidates include Metroid: Other M, Wii Party, Kirby's Epic Yarn, Donkey Kong Country Returns, GoldenEye 007, and Epic Mickey, among many others.
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