US: NSMB Wii outsells Galaxy

Almost two decades on from when Sony’s first PlayStation ushered in a bright new 3D era and many predicted the slow demise of 2D gaming, Nintendo has proved once again that it’s capable of disproving everything we thought we knew about gaming.

NPD data, as spotted by IGN, has shown that sales of 2009’s New Super Mario Bros Wii have now hit 4.2m in North America – surpassing the 4.1m sales of 2007’s Super Mario Galaxy.

And this comes despite Super Mario galaxy being widely regarded as the one of the finest 3D platformers ever made.

Even more astonishing is the fact that NSMB Wii has hit the milestone in just 45 days on the market. It even managed to outsell the mighty Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 in the US through December.

Whether Super Mario Galaxy 2, which is currently due for release later this year, can regain Mario’s 3D crown remains to be seen.