New Super Mario Breaks Half a Million

You didn't think the Mario franchise had lost its magic, did you? Not only has Nintendo reinvigorated the famous plumber siblings with the critically adored New Super Mario Bros., but now the company has sales numbers showing that Mario love never faltered: in the United States alone, New Super Mario Bros. has surpassed half a million units sold in its first 35 days.

As Nintendo puts it, that's the equivalent of 20 copies of the game being sold every minute since the title's launch on May 15.

No doubt Mario's hopping success also boosted the impressive sales of the DS Lite, which sold more than 136,500 units in its first two days. What better match for a slick portable system than one of gaming's most revered icons?

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