Skyward Sword, Super Mario 3D Land post record Black Fridays

The US retail sector received a much-needed boost over the Black Friday shopping weekend, with the National Retail Federation announcing record sales of $52.4 billion between November 24-27. Nintendo was among the companies that benefited, as both The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword and Super Mario 3D Land posted record performances.

Speaking to USA Today, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime said that Skyward Sword has sold 535,000 units in the US following its November 20 launch on the Wii. Fils-Aime went on to say that Skyward Sword is now the company's fastest-selling installment in the Zelda franchise.

A similar claim can be made by Super Mario 3D Land, which launched for the 3DS on November 13. According to Fils-Aime, the game has sold more than 500,000 units to date, earning it the title of fastest-selling portable Mario game in company history.

3DS sales, while initially anemic, have rebounded since Nintendo enacted a 32 percent discount in August. Black Friday also proved to be a boon for the 3DS, as Fils-Aime said sales for the portable were up 49 percent compared to the week of November 13, when Super Mario 3D Land debuted. 3DS sales were up 325 percent compared to the week of November 6.

Fils-Aime expects the 3DS to continue its momentum through the holiday season, due in part to the upcoming release of Mario Kart 7 on December 4. The company will also launch a pink 3DS bundle that includes either Nintendogs + cats: French Bulldog and New Friends or Nintendogs + cats: Toy Poodle and New Friends.

The Nintendogs + cats bundles will carry a $170 price tag. They will go on sale December 4, joining the already-available black-and-gold Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3DS and flame-red Super Mario 3D Land bundles.

Nintendo also saw a strong performance from its five-year-old Wii, which sold more than 500,000 units on Thursday and Friday alone. That's a Black Friday best for the Wii, Fils-Aime said.