Mint condition Super Mario 64 game sells for record $1.5m

A sealed, mint condition copy of the video game Super Mario 64 has sold at auction for more than $1.5m (£1.1m), making it the most expensive video game ever sold. The game cartridge, dating from 1996, was in high demand at US auction house Heritage Auctions for its "historical significance, rarity and condition" since there are "fewer than five copies" in such good condition. Super Mario 64 remains one of most critically acclaimed video games of all time, with its three-dimensional platforming helping to sell millions of Nintendo 64 consoles upon its launch. "It seems impossible to overstate the importance of this title, not only to the history of Mario and Nintendo, but to video games as a whole," said Valarie McLeckie, a video games specialist for Heritage Auctions, which handled the sale. The cartridge sold on Sunday had received a 9.8 A rating by the video game collectible firm Wata, which means it is "like new", in near-perfect condition and with an intact seal.