Wii's third-party million-sellers revealed
by Chris Greenhough 
{ Mar 21st 2008 at 9:00PM }
Ah, how we all knowingly chuckled when Sega predicted it would sell four million copies of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games across the Wii and DS. Like a drunken, rowdy friend boasting of sexual conquests that never actually occurred, Sega's strutting came across as the stuff of fantasy.
And then the news came through. They'd sold five million. D'oh!
We were reminded of our misplaced Mario & Sonic cynicism again today, after That Videogame Blog listed the third-party games that have shifted one million units on the Wii. Sure enough, the plumber and the hedgehog taunted us from the top of the pile (with 3.4 million sales), while Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (1.8 million), Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition (1.6 million), Rayman Raving Rabbids, Sonic and the Secret Rings, Carnival Games (all 1.2 million), and Red Steel (1 million) sat beneath it.
Helpfully, author Ashutosh Chhibbar has also listed those titles that are nearing the magical seven-digit landmark, with Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, MySims, or LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga just needing one last push.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
ArmorForVictor @ Mar 21st 2008 10:00PM
i think i'm one of those people who only buy nintendo first party titles. looking through my games i see only one third party game which is resident evil 4, but i'll be getting house of the dead soon. i just don't see the appeal of some of the third party titles available for the wii. i guess i just like nintendo titles and zombie shooters :)
Sonic_13 @ Mar 21st 2008 10:02PM
Glad to see so many great third party games (and Carnival Games) selling over 1 million.
I too was skeptical when SEGA first stated its sales expectations for Mario and Sonic. Last week I got the game and I have to say that it is a really fun game. Single player is a blast as you try to beat your records and the records of other people from around the world. Multi-player is fun because it can get really competitive.
In retrospect, why did we not believe it would sell so many copies. The two biggest gaming icons together in a game, coupled with the Olympic license and fun Wii Sports-like gameplay. What part of that equation doesn't equal millions and millions sold?
D. @ Mar 21st 2008 11:05PM
I can't believe this....As much as I love Sonic and Mario, I really wanted this game to...."not do so well". I want an epic game with a real story. Not a more advanced version of Wii Sports with Sonic and Mario characters.
SoshiKitai @ Mar 22nd 2008 11:17AM
What real story?
What other real story other than every flash movie out there, would you want?
Sonic and Mario have no real gump against each other, they were just two icons that had fan-based rivalries. Two of the greatest game characters having a storyline together??? Try looking at Sonic's scripts nowadays and Mario's scripts nowadays, only thing that'd make them work together is something that's already out there: fanfiction.
If you want a real storyline, just wait a bit longer... it's obvious Nintendo and SEGA are going to cook more things up for these two.
Nar57981 @ Mar 21st 2008 11:24PM
Sad not seeing Zack and Wiki on that list. It's one of the two third party games I have, and is second only to Super Smash Bros. on the system (IMHO).
Ghen @ Mar 22nd 2008 8:29AM
heck, I loved sonic and the secret rings... It was a good rental. Not sure who's crazy enough to buy it though.
Mike D @ Mar 24th 2008 12:53PM
Best Buy had it for $20 on black friday. I saw people going nuts over it.
Ghen @ Mar 27th 2008 7:34AM
People go nuts over postal stamps and poop on a stick on black friday.
Hughesmar @ Mar 22nd 2008 8:44AM
Man, who's been buying this game? It was pretty terrible A good indicator of its' suckiness was when my four year old son, who likes pretty much any game, turned to me after playing it for ten minutes and said "Daddy, this game isn't fun."
3G58 @ Mar 22nd 2008 10:36AM
how the #$%@ did mario and sonic sell FIVE million?
http://www.expotv.com/videos/reviews/22/201/Mario26SonicattheOlympicGames/203699
watch that review and you will see the controls for some of the games are retarded.
i thought only kids would buy carnival games but look at this elderly lady reviewing it, lololol http://www.expotv.com/Carnival-Games-Wii/35-19zU
SoshiKitai @ Mar 22nd 2008 11:22AM
How about those of us who actually have the game just look at the controls ourselves?
The controls weren't bad at all, most people who complained at it just didn't have the motion-coordination as others did. I've mastered the controls, and they're pretty d*mn good. It's supposed to be simple and fun, what more do you want?
You don't like it, then don't get it. That simple.
How about you waste your brea-.... waitaminute, you're a kid, aren't you?
Only kids say "i thought only kids would buy carnival games but look at this elderly lady reviewing it,"... unless you just didn't grow up.
Grow up kid.
Ghen @ Mar 22nd 2008 12:52PM
makes me want to sign up for expotv just to give that lady a thumbs down, that was the worst review ever in format and quality.
Haohmaru @ Mar 22nd 2008 3:37PM
Mario & Sonic was pretty good for what it was; I think of it as a sequel (or at least a spiritual successor) to Wii Sports. The controls in M&S are slightly more complicated than that game, though, especially for a new Wii user. Still, they are by no means broken unless you happen to be very uncoordinated.
3G58 @ Mar 22nd 2008 4:49PM
Ghen, that expotv site pays you to make the reviews too ;) $5 for a review of a video game
Tom @ Mar 22nd 2008 10:38AM
I rented Mario And sonic, and I can honestly say I got bored. It really wasn't that diferent, and seemed like another piece of shovelware, except they slapped Mario and sonic's faces on it.
I'm glad that RE4 sold well, GHIII was a no-brainer....BWii was actually really fun. Other than that, I haven't bought any third party games for my Wii. Most of them blow.
SoshiKitai @ Mar 22nd 2008 11:25AM
You didn't even like the dream table tennis?
When I played that with friends, the rounds were INTENSE!
The first few games were a bore, but once you had everything and challenged your friends to multiple modes, it certainly was fun! ...but you're right, they did just slap Mario and Sonic's face on them and added different stats...
It's called good advertising. :P
HellsHammer @ Mar 22nd 2008 1:25PM
Awesome.
Now maybe we can finally get some Player's Choice titles!
Huh, Nintendo? Wii's been hurting my wallet since 06. Wanna give us a small break?
Haohmaru @ Mar 22nd 2008 3:47PM
I like Sonic and the Secret Rings a lot. It's not a very long game, but I'm the type of gamer who likes to keep a pretty diverse library of games to play on a whim. If it's fun, I'm likely to pull it out months later and play it again - just like the NES days, where every game was extremely short. I've just never gained this modern "beat it then trade/sell it" mentality that a lot of gamers seem to have these days.
Mr Khan @ Mar 22nd 2008 4:22PM
You sir are a kindred spirit
I replay all kinds of games all the time, just with the release atmosphere being what it is now, i haven't found the time
I've only ever re-sold two games