Mario Kart 8 Raises Wii U Sales 666%

Despite being the number of the Beast, 666 is looking like Nintendo's lucky number as it saw Wii U weekly sales soar with the release of Mario Kart 8.

After the gaming giant posted huge losses earlier this year, due in large part to weak Wii U sales, the Mario Kart spike is a welcome boon for the console, potentially saving it from the fires of historical mediocrity. This spike has been in part engineered by Nintendo, who've put a lot of effort into making sure Mario Kart 8 had more success than your average Wii U release, going so far as to roll out a web app and giving away free Wii U games when players register their copy of Mario Kart on the Club Nintendo website by July 31. 

Mario Kart 8 hit No. 2 across all platforms with its debut this week, ranking just behind Ubisoft's Watch_Dogs, and was praised by reviewers almost universally. The game was applauded for dodging the repetitiveness of sequel-itis and building on the series' addictive foundations; plus, players can still hit their friends with a blue shell just before the finish line.