It may have reviewed well but Super Mario Galaxy has had a relatively slow start in the UK charts. Straight in at, er number 5, the Nintendo icon's new game was outsold by the mediocre likes of The Simpsons Game and WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2008. Assassin's Creed - which took the top slot - is the fastest selling new IP since The Getaway in 2002 and apparently sold over three times as many copies as Mario.
There are some obvious points to note. All the games above Mario in the chart are multi-format, and Assassin's Creed in particular has been heavily hyped to the core gaming audience. And you can't discount those Wii stock shortages. But could it be an issue with game itself?
20 and 30-something gamers are happy to relive those halcyon days when Mario was *the* gaming icon. But is Super Mario Galaxy too hardcore for the average Wii user? Finely judged jumps and tricky platforming are a long way from the bowling in Wii Sports. Super Mario Galaxy requires old fashioned gaming skills like practice and patience - granny won't be clamouring for a go come Christmas Day.
Nintendo has consistently reiterated their support for their "core" market with the likes of Zelda, Metroid and now Mario. But could that change in the future if Big Brain Academy and the like start outselling the gaming veterans?
