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Super Mario 3D Land Exceeds Super Mario Galaxy In First-Year Sales

super_mario_3d_land_wallpaperAccording to sales figures provided in Nintendo’s latest earnings report, Super Mario 3D Land outsold Super Mario Galaxy in its first 13 months of being on the market. Super Mario 3D Land, for Nintendo 3DS, sold eight million copies since it was released in November 2011. For comparison’s sake, Wii title Super Mario Galaxy, which launched in November 2007, sold 7.66 million copies after 13 months of being available for purchase from retailers. Both are excellent games, but which of the two 3D platformers do you enjoy playing more?

151 thoughts on “Super Mario 3D Land Exceeds Super Mario Galaxy In First-Year Sales”

    1. You can’t really expect Handheld games to Match Consoles in Quality. A wii disc holds more data then a 3DS cartridge for one.

      Mario 3D land is designed with Portable gaming in mind , after all that’s the whole point of the Portable consoles. And it absoloutly succeeds at ”pick up and play” gameplay. Mario galaxy is more sit down and enjoy for a few hours with more epicness.

      But I loved Mario 3D land. I loved the beautful 3D and I loved collecting all them Starcoins. I loved finishing the game trying to not Die at all. There is a death counter , So I challenged my self to finish the game without dying. Couldn’t do it and died 14 times.

      Bottom line is you have to think of 3DS games as portable games , not a Home console Galaxy type experience.

        1. Do you always have to be a negative ? Did I say something that upset you Jelly ? I thought I just wrote a quick explanation why I liked Mario 3D land.

      1. LOL dude you’re a nintendo drone suck it.
        i know understand jellybean for once when he said that he liked nintendo games but you were just a fucking drone.

        you make us, real nintendo fans look bad.. i bet you’re a fucking ten year old who never played pokemon blue or red during his childhood and doesn’t know what the fuck he is talking about portable experience..

          1. before you reply take this in your little mind, i never played 64 games IN the nintendo 64, i would still buy it right now if i find a cheap one with mario 64, ocarina of time, pokémon snap, pokémon stadium,smash bros,star fox 64 etcetcetcetcetc.

            i even wanted to buy the wii for xenoblade, last story, ssbb and skyward sword.

            however non of the wii u games yet seem to make me want to buy the console, and the truth is unless new smash bros and zelda games are revolutioning (i can’t see how zelda will make a better game than the skyward sword with the stupid wii u gamepad.

            i gotta say it, I HATE TABLETS they are just fucking stupid for fucking retarded girls who never used a touch screen before, and nintendo decides to add it to the wii u.. as the main controller.. the fuck..

            1. You never played N64 games ? and you’re saying I’m not a ”real Nintendo fan” ? You little cock. The N64 is arguably Nintendo’s best console with all their greatest games. I own every single Nintendo console apart from the Virtual boy.

              You are a bitter little kid made obvious by the stupidity that you have rambled.

                1. Exactly. And you’re saying I’m not a ”real Nintendo fan”. Well where the fuck were you when I was playing my N64 in the late 90’s ?

                    1. I was born in 91. I was a kid and played out everyday , I still found time for my Gameboy color , N64 and Ps1. You fail for not having an N64. I was nailing people on Goldeneye as a wee boy.

                      Anyway take the stick out of your ass and chill the fuck out.

                1. Implying that some of the greatest games ever made were on N64. And the N64 had hardly any shovelware. It had a small amount of MOSTLY great games. PS1 had loads more ”shovelware” than N64

        1. Fuck you. You hate filled little maggot. I still have the same copies of Pokemon Blue and Yellow that I owned as a child.

          Whats’s with writing three essays ? did I say something wrong ? no , you’re just a little cunt called ASASASASASASAd . Prick.

      2. Super Mario 3D Land has the better 3D depth in my opinion, until today, there is no game that surpass it on depth of 3D.

        1. It does indeed. It’s the best game ever made that utilizes 3D. No other game has used 3D so meaningfully. Other games are just 3D for the sake of it. But it actually makes 3D land better playing in 3D. If you put it in 2D , it goes poop.

      3. The only complaint I had with 3D Land was that it was pretty easy
        But I would rather have an easy but fun game than a hard but boring game

          1. Agreed
            This game took me about 2 weeks to 100% it
            I have yet to 100% Super Mario 64 and Galaxy 2 lol
            I’ve 100% Super Mario Sunshine a couple of times and I’ve played Galaxy so much I can do it with my eyes closed

      4. I like your writing, Nintendward. They are light and easy to read, focusing on the most important aspects that you accounted of in a game.

        Strictly they are not essays, since you put too much of your self into it, but I think that this is the purpose of a Forum, i.e., a place where people are able to talk about and share their own experiences without excessive and useless lucubration. A kind of useless lucubration that we can usually notice in some posts here which tries to convince us of how pitiful is anything that Nintendo does or does not.

    2. I somewhat agree. 3D Land is definitely a good game (and I definitely need to finish it somebody god…) but I loved both Galaxy games… A LOT. So original.

      1. Yeah. The only thing I didn’t like about 3D Land was the fact that some levels pretty much required you to use the 3D in order to see certain things. But it was a minor inconvenience that could be switched off right after you pass that spot or get that item.

        Loved the game otherwise.

        1. I’m the opposite, what I like on 3D Land was the fact that you have to use the 3D in some places, I loved it. I just feel bad by whom can’t see 3D, but, it’s great, best 3D on 3DS.

    3. You took the words right out of my mouth.

      Galaxy was a fantastic ride, and I also had a blast with 3D Land.

    4. Mario Galaxies is the best game ever created, THAT is NOT an opinion it’s a FACT, the amount of imagination put into these games in terms of level designs is astounding, no other games has come close to achieving what these games have done, haters can argue all they want but the fact that these games are on top of the highest rank games in history of video games proves otherwise..

    5. personally, i like galaxy 2 better than 1 partially because i got 2 first(mistake).for me, its like choosing a fav. child!

          1. The main point is, Lee’s diligence sulohd deserve a gold metal. Taufik and Lin Dan are both genius that they can spend little to gain the best. They got the Gold metal, in Olymics, however Chong Wei not. I really hope he can win Lin Dan in 2012 in London, though I am fans of Taufik. He is in twilight year, and enough honour for him, save all england.

            1. oh dammit i only meant to post once. sorry for all the repeats but it wasn’t appearing so i thought it didn’t post

            2. Obviously you haven’t been on this site that long or are just blind. I’ve adarazz defend the crap out of Nintendo. He just hates fanboys & trolls (In other words, he hates stupidity) that’s why he seems negative.

  1. A. It was 10 dollars cheaper than SMG on the first weak
    B. Its a handheld mario game
    C. (Put obvious answer here)

  2. Galaxy was better game but 3ds still hasn’t been hacked and wii was hacked like in a year. 3dland is better in control scheme but galaxy is far better in level design and other stuff.

  3. Nintendo is doomed!!!!! *Sells 8Million copies of a game on a handheld that has only just reached 30Million in sales*….

    1. *7.66 million

      Software sales alone cannot support a console manufacturer. Get out of from your little fantasy land in your closet and check out something called REALITY.

      1. You can not deny that the 3DS is doing well, doing that is just plain stupid. Same goes for Wii U. Both systems are doing well considering where they are on their lifetime. You can simply not expect WIi U games to sell more than PS360 games when there are so few who have one at the moment.

      2. I’m not sure that I see your point.

        The software in question is only available on the same company’s hardware machines. So they’ve sold just under 8 million of this particular software title, meaning they’ve sold at least the same number of hardware systems.

        I mean, you’re technically correct. If Nintendo sold its games, but nobody bought their hardware, they wouldn’t be doing so well. It would also be pretty stupid for people to buy games they couldn’t play.

        But the mere fact that they are selling their software in such high numbers, means they’ve sold at least that number in hardware too. In reality they’ve sold a ton more hardware systems than these particular software titles.

        I don’t know if I’m missing your point, or if your point just didn’t make any sense…

  4. My calculator says 39.99×8,000,000 = 319,920,000 $ …why would nintendo ever go bankrupt? Why would you thier president have to retire? Dont include the pokemon franchise in thier income…. THIS IS WHY SONY STEALS THIER IDEAS…”SONY, WE WILL WAIT TO SEE WHAT THE COMPETITION DOES SO WE CAN STEAL THERE JUTSU”””” I BET THE PS4 HAS A TOUCHSCREEN controller
    .the vita was a weak(but powerful )to attempt to copy the DualScreen(DS for idiots) .. come on people. A touchscreen on back??!?! Drop that runnin down the stairs by mistake HA HA!!! Nintendo is doin the damn thang. … YES I JUST TROLLED. Rant over. It 2:17 am i just got off a 50 episode Naruto binge. Im going to sleep. Believe it. Ill be back in the am to see the hate. NUMBERS DONT LIE.

          1. I know about shipping and all that shit.. out of 319the million nintendo only sees about 190million of it. But thats still more than you seein. Bum.

            1. “But thats still more than you seein. Bum.”

              So according to you, unless someone earns 190 million dollars, they’re a bum? You have a lot to learn about life.

  5. marios next game needs to be different like sunshine or 64 another galaxy game would be annoying make it different and make the next side scroller game more different, like bros 3

      1. more like it, nsmb feel all the same, bros 3 is different make it more different like that game, they need a completely new thing like mario world was, you know change what nsmb is end it, make a different feeling one, im sick of it and since its nintendo they really need to get rid of it, it is starting to be like cod but not as bad yet

        1. The next one wont be until Nintendo’s next console. I believe it was Iwata or Miyamoto who said they were only making one NSMB per console.

      1. Hell yeah! But if anything had to be remade, even though Mario is kinda meh to me now, Mari Sunshine was pretty darn good.

        1. i hate how mario now, its just not exiting anymore, you know its coming and what its most likely going to be, maybe its because ive gotten older, but 10 years ago mario was not what it is today, a fat piece of shit that never stops following you

          1. All those thoughts have come from the “New Super Mario Bros” series. They created the series to have one in the series on each console. Before New Super Mario Bros on the DS, there wasn’t a 2D Mario platformer in about 10 years.

  6. I love Super Mario 3D Land, but dang, Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 are without a doubt, the most magnificent Mario games ever created. I have no idea how they will out do themselves in Mario’s next console outing. Seriously, they have a lot to live up to.

        1. ohh, the nostalgia glasses. i remember well, how every fanboy was shitting on sunshine cause it was different, same with wind waker. now you all love it? ………roflfuckingmao

          1. ‘How every fanboy’….over generalisation much? Many people loved Sunshine then, and still like it now. Sure, it might not be the best 3D Mario (imo) but it’s a great game nonetheless….

          2. I loved Sunshine and Wind Waker when I first played them
            Hell, Sunshine and Wind Waker were my first Mario/Zelda games

  7. I thought both were good.
    And I promise to buy the next Mario Game if Nintendo promises to close the book on the NSMB formula.

    I know it’s made a fuck-ton of money, but it’s time for it to be over. No more NSMB

    I’m totally shunning Mario, and plan on hanging out with his brother Luigi. Word on the street is, he is hunting Ghosts and has some real multi-player going down!

    1. The New Super Mario Bros series is great and it was just made to take the series back to its roots for one game per console, so you won’t see another until at least 2016. Multiple came out in quick succession because it’s the start of a generation. Stop making a big deal over it. The first in the series was the first 2D Mario platformer in about 10 years.

      1. I’m just ready for something “New.” If people are still loving these games, and I’m the minority, then I’ll survive.

        1. While we’re probably the minority, New Super Mario Bros is getting ‘old’. We wont be seeing one until Nintendo’s next console thankfully, and by then it will be received much more like NSMB on DS was and it will actually seem much more new.

  8. 3D land was a little short and easy but I liked it over Galaxy 1. Galaxy 2 is probably my favorite 3D mario yet it sold the least, I think. May have sold slightly more or less than Sunshine, not sure about that.

  9. Super Mario Galaxy is probably my second favourite Mario game after Super Mario 64, which I grew up with. I was never really all that fond of Super Mario 3D Land.

  10. I love Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 more (Liked 1 more). Super Mario 3D Land was pretty good, but I fear the next Mario game for Wii U will be like 3D land especially if there putting this game with Super Mario Galaxies. And since they said this game out sold Mario Galaxy games while comparing. I hope I’m wrong. :P

    I personally think they shouldn’t compare this game with the wii games. As 3D land is too different and a bit more closer to linear NSMB series. Of course, I don’t hate the games and I like them, I just want another 3D exploration Mario game, since those are more rare. :P

  11. Hi, my first post here. Mario Galaxy is in my opinion better than 3DLand. I really love the Mario games amd think NSMBU is a great game, well worth the money – but it´s definetely time for the 2D-platformers to show something new, why are there always the same worlds in every game?!

  12. I didn’t like 3d… It was okay… But not a must get… Galaxy… I don’t like that one either… Sunshine… That is what I like… New Super Mario bros. U was great

    1. I’m not sure why you didn’t like Galaxy? I myself didn’t like it at first, because the anti-gravity effect (being able to run all around planets without falling off) made me feel motion sick. I also felt like there was no challenge in getting the stars. But after like 1/3 of the way through the game, I got used to the way it was and started to really enjoy it. I liked part 1 better than part 2 in some ways. Mainly because I liked the hub-world where you could walk around to the different domes. The main thing that bugs me is that Rosalina never was fully explained. Not entirely. I thought part 2 would take care of that, but it didn’t.

      I also LOVE Super Mario Sunshine. It’s one of my favorite Mario games. I’ve always wished for a sequel. I wanna see another tropical, sun-soaked adventure.

      1. But if a sequel to Super Mario Sunshine is ever made, it better not be a 3DS game. I HATE when Nintendo does that!

  13. Well Galaxy is one of, if not the best games ive ever played, but obviously the 3DS has a larger core gamer ratio plus the lack of stand out titles mean nearly everyone bought it xD

  14. Super Mario 3D Land just reminded me of Super Mario Galaxy with a bunch of Super Mario Bros. 3 references. But not nearly as fun (or challenging) as either of them.

  15. Super Mario Galaxy was pretty good in my opinion (2 was better in gameplay, though), but 3D land was also good too. I especially liked the 8 secret worlds, which added more to the game’s length.

  16. well” i love the Super Mario Galaxy Series, also i would love a Super Mario Galaxy 3″ but the 1 thing i would love more, would be a remake of Super Mario World for Wii U’ or a 4th Super Mario World, cuz there technicley there were already 3 “Super Mario World”, “Super Mario World 2 Yoshi’s Island”, “Yoshi’s Island DS” which is basicly a sequle to Super Mario World 2 Yoshi’s Island, so yeah, i’d either like to see a remake of Super Mario World or a 4th installment. :)

        1. I dont mean a exact copy more like a bowser army trying to conquer the mushrom kingdom in actualy more pc kind rts.

  17. I can’t be the only one who really dislikes Mario 3D Land, right ?
    And Mario Galaxy was nice, but it’s hella overrated in my opinion. There are other Mario games that are by far better than Mario Galaxy. Well, again my opinion.
    But honestly, sales don’t say much about the quality.

  18. Super Mario Galaxy >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Super Mario 3D Land.
    Super Mario Galaxy was one of the highlights of the Wii, while 3D land was a painfully easy and slow game that marked the start Mario’s decline.

  19. I love them both, they different and it isn’t to compare, plus they cost different amounts so it isn’t fair comparison. But if I had to choose, Super Mario Galaxy.

  20. Wow. I’d be pretty thrilled if SML outsold ANY of the New Super Mario Bros. titles, though. It’d be nice to show Nintendo we aren’t content buying that same game over and over again. At SML had the balls to try something different and didn’t just recycle character sprites and background music from earlier entries in its carbon copy series.

    New Super Mario Bros. (neat!)
    New Super Mario Bros. Wii (kinda similar but… on the Wii)
    New Super Mario Bros 2 (the same thing but with gold power-ups. See, it’s different! Ignore the recycled sprites and music)
    New Super Mario Bros U (the beating of a dead horse continues in HD)

    And I’ve bought all of them because I am a fool.

    1. Nsmbu easily is the best nsmb game but you can’t really do much in a 2d Mario game aside from new stages and powerups. The challenges are a great addition also.

    2. NSMBW was forgivable…at least it added multiplayer (and a great way to make your friends hate you)
      Then we get 2 games that are more or less the exact same thing announced at the same time…Nintendo is officially milking Mario.

  21. Mario 3d land to me was the first must own 3ds game so i can see why it sold so well. Now I personally like galaxy better and then galaxy 2 was even better than the first. So much fun those 3 games are

  22. The Nintendo Reviewer

    I like both but I prefer Galaxy. Galaxy levels are more open so you can explore to find the star. Similar to Mario 64 and Mario Sunshine. Mario 3D Land is great but the levels feel too linear. That may be partly due to the levels being timed like the 2D Mario games are. But in general the levels feel too linear for my liking. I hope the new Wii U 3D Mario game has more open levels.

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  24. Hmm I liked Galaxy more because 3d land was TOO easy, at least up until the special world. Still a good game though. The boomerang flower was a good alternative to the fire flower and it was good to see the tanooki suit return.

  25. To me, super Mario 3d land was a fun distraction while traveling or in between classes. Super Mario galaxy however, was a gorgeous platformer that I could melt into my couch and play for hours. Super Mario galaxy is one of my favorite games of all time

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