| padib said:
I would have to dig up the numbers, but if I remember correctly Smash has been an important system seller in the past 3 iterations despite being a fanservice type game. The reason is that it's a game that gets people to play with their friends, at least it did in the past. It's hard to tell if that effect was felt with the 3DS due to the new 3DS model and the holidays, but I will go and fetch the numbers for Brawl and Melee. Also, Mario Kart 8 could also be considered a fan-service game. We know it sold lots of U's. |
I'd imagine it was a big system seller for Gamecube, but it also released so early in the console's life that pretty much any high profile game would've shifted systems.
It looks like it wasn't a particularly big system mover for Wii during launch week in Japan. Might've been a long term thing, but I'm not sure:
http://www.vgchartz.com/weekly/39481/Japan/
| Wii | 97,334 | (+27%) | 5,198,993 |
As for Mario Kart being a fanservice game... not really in the way that I'm describing, at least. I can see where you're coming from (digging up old zones to race through), but I don't think it has the same pull for nostalgia that Smash has. But that's just my opinion.
