While I'm on the sales figures page....

[Steerforth]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best_selling_video_games

Super Mario World (20 million)^[23]

Super Mario Bros. (40.23 million)^{[16(Pack in)}

Super Mario Bros. 3 (18 million)^[17]

Super Mario Bros. 2 (10 million)^[17]  (Underachiever, but you are underated. They just don't UNDERSTAND you!)

New Super Mario Bros. (9.5 million)^[39] (I know, your still working on it.)

Super Mario 64 (11 million,^{[17](Almost half the sales of World, despite being the greatest 3-d game ever!)}

Super Mario Sunshine (5.5 million)^[33] (Mario gets hosed! Still the #2 game on GC)

Here are several million reasons to make 2-d Mario's Nintendo!

And don't talk to me about larger user bases. Super Mario World was #1 on the list for SNES, the next game was DKC at about 8.5 million, not  dramaticly larger than the top selling GC game, Smash Bros at 6 million. (Smash Bros would come in a respectable 5th on the SNES list)  In fact 2-d Mario Platformers stand out just as much on the NES as well. The first non Mario game on the NES is Zelda at #4, "just" 6.51 million. People love them so Mario 2-d platforming! It don't take no genius!

You can cry uncle now, I'll let you up.

Someone email this to Regie, he has a restraining order on me.....

[Alienblue]

I see you pointed out the original SMB was a pack in- but neglegected to point that SMW was also, as well as SM3 for a short time. So a lot of those are console sale numbers. Not to dispute you, I agree 2D kicks 3Ds butt in platform world, but that's like saying Combat / Pac-man /Air sea battle on the 2600 sold more than BERZERK, not counting the fact that all were pack-ins at one point or another!

[Astrosmasher1]

[QUOTE=Alienblue]I see you pointed out the original SMB was a pack in- but neglegected to point that SMW was also, as well as SM3 for a short time. So a lot of those are console sale numbers. Not to dispute you, I agree 2D kicks 3Ds butt in platform world, but that's like saying Combat / Pac-man /Air sea battle on the 2600 sold more than BERZERK, not counting the fact that all were pack-ins at one point or another![/QUOTE]

Have to agree with AB here and if you look down the list you will find that pokemon is the worlds best selling game.... wow......

My fave games, Doom, gorf, farcry dont even get a look in but Oblivion does so at least I am playing the same games as everyone else at some point...

[Sterforth]

True, I missed that. My bad.

But considering that the N64 launched with 2 games, SM64 and Pilotwings, that was essentialy a pack in as well.

[The RPG Critic]

These are the top 10 best-selling franchises ever.

1. Mario (more than 193 million)
2. Pokémon (155 million)
3. The Sims (85 million)
4. Final Fantasy (75 million)
5. Madden NFL (60 million)
6. The Legend of Zelda (52 million)
7. Grand Theft Auto (50 million)
8. Donkey Kong (48 million)
9. Gran Turismo (47 million)
10. Sonic the Hedgehog (44 million)

Look at that list.  Nintendo has 4 of them, accounting for 55%.  I think EA ranks a second with 2 franchises, but admittedly, they bought Maxis which did The Sims.  Square, Rockstar, Sega, and Sony/Polyphony each have 1.  Pretty impressive.

[Alienblue]

In truth,though, the two most COPIED games ever are unquestionably PAC-MAN and SPACE INVADERS. Zillions of unliscened "eat the dot" maze games and "shoot the alien columns" games have saturated the Vidgame market since the originals!

[Gentlegamer1]

[QUOTE=Alienblue]In truth,though, the two most COPIED games ever are unquestionably PAC-MAN and SPACE INVADERS. Zillions of unliscened "eat the dot" maze games and "shoot the alien columns" games have saturated the Vidgame market since the originals![/QUOTE]How many of those have come out since 1983?

[Alienblue]

"How many of those have come out since 1983?"

I would NOT want to even try to count them. No one could. Like most people a Pac-Man type game was one of the first games I programmed in Basic (the very first was a car race game). No computer exists without at least several versions of each. The Pc must have over a MILLION. I recall playing on a text-based computer with NO graphics, and yup, it still had those games for it (in "text invaders" you shot down "%,*, &" and other figures, in the maze game you were a @ that picked up periods avoiding # signs. Exciting stuff!

[Steerforth]

Hhmmm, Mario plus Pokemon equals retail gold.....
 
New game, at the end of the Galaxy, Mario crashes on an Alien Planet, with only his mad hops and a wimote flamethrower (advanced fireflower) on a planet infested with evil, evolving, and extremely aggressive Pokemon! Think Skull Island on King Kong, with a touch of Mushroom Kindom! DO YOU HAVE whatititakes! TO SURVIVE!?!?!

[Anayo1]

[QUOTE=Steerforth]Hhmmm, Mario plus Pokemon equals retail gold.....
 
New game, at the end of the Galaxy, Mario crashes on an Alien Planet, with only his mad hops and a wimote flamethrower (advanced fireflower) on a planet infested with evil, evolving, and extremely aggressive Pokemon! Think Skull Island on King Kong, with a touch of Mushroom Kindom! DO YOU HAVE whatititakes! TO SURVIVE!?!?!
[/QUOTE]

Dude. I would so buy that.