It's a start, Mario

It may be tempting to read the headline that Wii U titles are just in the top 20 of the UK software charts and wheel out the "Nintendo is doomed" line, as anything other than number one is a disaster of epic proportions. Of course, that's not how the real retail world operates, and the early results for Wii U titles in the UK actually represent a solid beginning.

The main story is that three Wii U exclusives have made it into the top 20: Nintendo Land is the highest in 11th place (also bundled with the Premium Set, of course), New Super Mario Bros. U is in 14th and Ubisoft's ZombiU scares its way into 17th place. It should be considered that, if reports are accurate, the number of Wii U systems in the UK for its launch weekend led to a sell-out of 40,000 units. With its exclusives up against established multi-platform releases these results seem reasonable, while Wii U versions of non-exclusive titles are now contributing towards 10 entries in the top 40.

It's more of the same for 3DS, though considering the relatively quiet state of affairs before the arrival of Paper Mario: Sticker Star that's not surprising. New Super Mario Bros. 2 is showing decent legs in 19th, while Mario Kart 7 and Super Mario 3D Land are still hanging on in 30th and 38th place, respectively.

Overall, the Wii U results are as expected, as limited stock — many pre-order allocations were sold out — and barely any time on the market limited the potential sales figures. Presumably stock of Wii U will be replenished ahead of the Holidays, so it'll be interesting to see how these titles perform in the coming weeks; we'll also learn more about the UK's enthusiasm for Mario's latest portable adventure.

[source ukie.org.uk]