GameSpot may receive revenue from affiliate and advertising partnerships for sharing this content and from purchases through links.

ChartSpot: January 2010

New Super Mario Bros. Wii is king, with MAG and Bayonetta landing in bottom half of top 20; Sims 3 staves off Mass Effect 2 on PC charts.

47 Comments

After a depressing 2009, January's US retail sales figures were far from the beacon of light that many within the industry had hoped for. As assessed by the NPD Group last week, software sales for the first month of the decade were down 12 percent year-over-year to $597.9 million, with New Super Mario Bros. Wii (656,700 units), Mass Effect 2 (572,100 units), and Wii Fit Plus (555,700 units) scoring gold, silver, and bronze, respectively.

Being a critical darling doesn't always pay the bills.
Being a critical darling doesn't always pay the bills.

NPD has subsequently released its lists for January's top 20 non-PC and PC games at retail. Easily the highest-profile debut during January to not chart in the top 10 was Sega and PlatinumGames' critically lauded Bayonetta. The Xbox 360 edition of the game did manage to slip into the top 20 non-PC chart, however, landing in the 17th slot. (NPD does not provide units for the bottom half of the top 20.)

The PlayStation 3 editions of a number of other debuts also appeared in the top 20. Army of Two: The 40th Day on the PS3 finished 11th, three slots behind its Xbox 360 counterpart. The PS3 installment of Darksiders also trailed its Xbox 360 companion, finishing in 14th place. Other PS3 titles to chart were MAG, which Sony has said sold 500,000 units worldwide, as well as the God of War Collection, which landed in 20th.

Nintendo's platforms dominated the remainder of the top 20, as Wii Play landed in 12th and the EA Sports Active bundle for the Wii finished 15. On Nintendo's handheld, Mario Kart DS, New Super Mario Bros. DS, and Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story all charted.

Save for the arrival of Mass Effect 2, the PC charts reflected far less volatility. Mass Effect 2 found itself flanked by The Sims 3 and The Sims 3: World Adventures to make up the top three, while Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 dropped one slot to fourth. In addition to the perennially chart-topping World of Warcraft and Sims installments, the PC charts also saw Dragon Age: Origins retain its top 10 status, slipping to seventh and edging out the collector's edition of BioWare's other new RPG, Mass Effect 2.

Rank / Last Month / Title / Platform / Publisher / Release Date / Sales (top 10)
1 / 1 / New Super Mario Bros. Wii / Wii / Nintendo / Nov-09 / 656,700
2 / ** / Mass Effect 2 / 360 / Electronic Arts / Jan-10 / 572,100
3 / 2 / Wii Fit Plus w/ Balance Board / Wii / Nintendo / Oct-09 / 555,700
4 / 4 / Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 / 360 / Activision Blizzard / Nov-09 / 326,700
5 / 7 / Mario Kart Wii with wheel / Wii / Nintendo / Apr-08 / 310,900
6 / 3 / Wii Sports Resort with Wii Motion Plus / Wii / Nintendo / Jul-09 / 297,600
7 / 5 / Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 / PS3 / Activision Blizzard / Nov-09 / 259,000
8 / ** / Army of Two: The 40th Day / 360 / Electronic Arts / Jan-10 / 246,500
9 / 20 / Just Dance / Wii / Ubisoft / Nov-09 / 191,900
10 / ** / Darksiders / 360 / THQ / Jan-10 / 171,200
11 / ** / Army of Two: The 40th Day / PS3 / Electronic Arts / Jan-10
12 / 6 / Wii Play w/ Remote / Wii / Nintendo / Feb-07
13 / ** / MAG / PS3 / Sony / Jan-10
14 / ** / Darksiders / PS3 / THQ / Jan-10
15 / ** / EA Sports Active Bundle / Wii / Electronic Arts / May-09
16 / 17 / Mario Kart DS / DS / Nintendo / Nov-05
17 / ** / Bayonetta / 360 / Sega / Jan-10
18 / 12 / New Super Mario Bros. / DS / Nintendo / May-06
19 / 10 / Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story / DS / Nintendo / Sep-09
20 / ** / God of War Collection / PS3 / Sony / Nov-09

Rank / Last Month / Title / Platform / Publisher / Avg. Price
1 / 1 / The Sims 3 / Electronic Arts / $41
2 / **/ Mass Effect 2 / Electronic Arts / $49
3 / 2 / The Sims 3: World Adventures / Electronic Arts / $40
4 / 3 / Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 / Activision / $58
5 / 6 / The Sims 2 Double Deluxe / Electronic Arts / $20
6 / 7 / World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King / Blizzard Entertainment / $40
7 / 4 / Dragon Age: Origins / Electronic Arts / $49
8 / **/ Mass Effect 2: Collector's Edition / Electronic Arts / $60
9 / 10 / World of Warcraft / Blizzard Entertainment / $20
10 / 11 / IGT Slots: Texas Tea / Masque / $20
11 / 9 / World of Warcraft: Battle Chest / Blizzard Entertainment / $40
12 / 13 / The Sims 3 Collector's Edition / Electronic Arts / $42
13 / 12 / Mumbo Jumbo Assortment / Mumbo Jumbo / $3
14 / **/ World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade / Blizzard Entertainment / $26
15 / 5 / Left 4 Dead 2 / Electronic Arts / $44
16 / 15 / Hoyle Card Games 2010 / Encore / $20
17 / 18 / Sim City Box / Electronic Arts / $20
18 / **/ Starcraft: Battle Chest / Blizzard Entertainment / $20
19 / **/ Aion / NCsoft / $44
20 / 14 / Spore / Electronic Arts / $40

Please use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos.
This video has an invalid file format.
00:00:00
Sorry, but you can't access this content!
Please enter your date of birth to view this video

By clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot's
Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com

Join the conversation
There are 47 comments about this story