In the real world the facts are that each iteration of Mario is more unique when compared to its predecessors than each iteration of say something like HALO.
Name:
Anonymous2011-11-18 10:06
Halo has somewhat of a plot. Half-Life 2 has a plot.
Mario doesn't.
Nintendo can't afford to do that. They just push out Mario shit year after year. If it gets old, create a spinoff series. Paper Mario is a popular one.
I can't even tell you where the fuck Zelda fits in. At least Zelda is entertaining though while Mario is getting old. Zelda is released in an appropriate time (except for Majora's Mask) and there's 1 or 2 games per generation spread out as far as possible.
The people who own a Wii or 3DS don't need third party support. Nintendo fans expect it by now. All they play is Mario, somehow don't get sick of it and just eat that shit up.