“New Play Control!” promises to add motion controls, wide screen support, and a maybe some new content to classic Gamecube titles.  It’s been done before, with Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition, the idea definitely has merit – but western audiences will have to wait unil March to see if these “Wii-Makes” are worth revisiting.  Still, looking at Japanese sales can give us some idea how the New Play Control series will fare stateside.

Last week Mario Power Tennis for Wii topped Japanese sales charts, boasting a sales total of 56,509 according to Media Create.  This beat out first week sales of New Play Control! Pikmin by about 12,000 units.  What makes Mario Power Tennis more successful than Pikmin, or any of the other games released this week? It could be multiple things – for one, the Mario franchise is highly recognizable – sales could be driven by the inclusion of Nintendo’s popular characters.  In contrast, Pikmin is a little more obscure, and lacks the brand recognition to grab those extra sales.  And don’t discount the play style – Sold separately in Japan, Wii Sports still makes the top 20 on sales charts – motion controlled tennis could be a driving force in and of itself.

New Play Control! Mario Power Tennis and New Play Control! Pikmin hit American shores on March 09, 2009.

Which of these titles do you think will do better in the US market? Let us know in the comments!