I can't buy that, because it was in decline up until they revived it, after starving the consumerbase.

You can't use that as an argument the cycle's been reset. Maybe in 5 years you may have a point, but not today, not after 4 releases in the span of 6 years.

Super Mario 3 - 17.28 Million

Super Mario World - 20.61 Milion - on a muchsmaller user base.

Those were the last two Main line 2D Mario games.   What decline?  They just didn't make any new games.

Decline? 2D Mario games weren't made because Nintendo thought that everyone would move on to 3D Mario and have no interest in the 2D games but as NSMB proved that was an incorrect assumption. The was no decline in the series because the was no new 2D game until NSMB.

The main thing, fo me, is Nintendo's naive refusal to advertise in Europe.

Surely they have now learnt that reputation alone does not sell consoles or games

Before Mario 3, SMB sold 40m units globally. In japan, SMW had lower sales than SMB3, so in Japan it was a decline. Globally it was barely higher relatively speaking. It was also bundled whereas SMB3 wasn't.

@Wyrdness. The boost from NSMB as compared to 3D Mario is not a fair measure because the consumer base was basically starved, leading to the reverse effect of fatigue, e.g. pent up demand. That is apples to oranges.

Yet when people try to prove that NSMB is still alive, they never mention Europe.

By your own logic, SMB was bundled with almost every NES and SMB3 wasn't.  Going back to something you understand, you know what series was in a real decline that you can get actual sales data to back up?  Street Fighter.  Look at SF3.  Sold horrible, until the retro revivial.  Guess what?  2D Cacpcom fighters are also in decline.  Look at SF X Tekken.  Should they be budget titles?

You're grasping for straws.  

Apples to apples: Globally, SMB was bundled, it sold 40m. SMW was bundled, it sold 20m.

Explain the SF sales decline with numbers I can't follow.

If I'm wrong, I will admit. Until then until all my questions are answered I won't give up.

Do you not know how to read Dolphin try again, the was no comparison to 3D Mario Nintendo thought 3D Mario was going to replace 2D and they were wrong that's why no 2D Mario was made until NSMB not because of any decline.

I don't feel ripped off paying full price for New Super Mario Bros U. Have you played it? The game is awesome and some of the challenges are borderline impossible. I could see putting many hours into that game.

I'm at work and don't have time to compile all the SF numbers becuase of all the platforms and versions of the games, but I'll do it later unless someone beats me to it.  A Series isn't in decline if it sells more versions then the pervious instlallment, it just means one game in the series (SMB) is an outlier, since The Lost Levels < SMB2 < SMB3 < SMW.  You also have to take the userbase into consideration when looking at those numbers.

You're analogies are all really weak.  You compared over pricing NSMB games to over pricing the PS3.  The PS3 actually had a lot of value for the price (Blue Ray player) but still sold horribley.  In addition it wasn't the stigma of the price that hurt it as much as the price itslef.

It would be better to compare it to the 3DS launch.  Still a stretch, but the similiarity is that both could afford the price cut.  If it doesn't cost much for Nintendo to make the game, and it doesn't sell, they can drop the price and people will start buying it.  Like the 3DS.

Anyway, I have to work.