Mario games are 12 for 12 this gen -- All million-sellers

[LordTheNightKnight]

Famine said:

Kasz216 said:

I don't think it matters. Reused characters don't matter unless the gameplay is overly reused like Street Fighter 2. If it's a good game who cares if it's Mario, Crash Bandicoot or those two guys from Urban Fight... so long as the gameplay stays fresh.

Well that's the thing, if it's a good game then why plaster Mario into it? Even last generation, Dance Dane Revolution for the Gamecube had Mario in it. Mario has become a "safety-net" for Nintendo.

@Zucas:

Can't they be both: Playing it smart and putting Mario onto a lot of games?

Take a look at most of the games with Mario. How many could have stood on their own? Furthermore, of the few that did, how many could be sure hits? Fire Emblem is one of the oldest, and still one of the most hardcore, RPG series,* but the sad thing is if Mario was somehow made the star of one game, it would likely sell a lot more.

In other words, it's the CONSUMERS FAULT for BUYING all those Mario games.

*And I mean the whole RPG genre, not just strategy RPGs.