Monday, October 19, 2009

September 2009 NPD Results

It's always fun to check out the sales of given hardware and software-- to see new trends and old favorites battling it out for revenue supremacy. Let's check out how things unraveled this past September where the PS3 and Wii both dropped in price.

PlayStation 2 146.0K
PlayStation 3 491.8K
PSP 190.4K
Xbox 360 352.6K
Wii 462.8K
Nintendo DS 524.2K


HALO 3: ODST 360 MICROSOFT (CORP) Sep-09 1.52M
WII SPORTS RESORT W/ WII MOTION PLUS WII NINTENDO OF AMERICA Jul-09 442.9K
MADDEN NFL 10 360 ELECTRONIC ARTS Aug-09 289.6K
MARIO & LUIGI:BOWSER'S INSIDE STORY NDS NINTENDO OF AMERICA Sep-09 258.1K
THE BEATLES:ROCK BAND* 360 MTV GAMES/ELECTRONIC ARTS Sep-09 254.0K
MADDEN NFL 10 PS3 ELECTRONIC ARTS Aug-09 246.5K
MARVEL:ULTIMATE ALLIANCE 2 360 ACTIVISION BLIZZARD (CORP) Sep-09 236.0K
BATMAN:ARKHAM ASYLUM* PS3 SQUARE ENIX INC (CORP) Aug-09 212.5K
GUITAR HERO 5* 360 ACTIVISION BLIZZARD (CORP) Sep-09 210.8K
THE BEATLES:ROCK BAND* WII MTV GAMES/ELECTRONIC ARTS Sep-09 208.6K

I think the big story this month is that, with the PS3 slim and price cut, Sony's system topped the charts this month. I think the bigger story this month is that even with the lowered price and redesigned console, the PS3 barely beat the Wii. It really shows that damned console's dominance this generation. Halo 3 ODST claims the gold medal moving more than a million-and-a-half units in less than a month's span. Much like most 360 titles, you can expect Halo 3 ODST to be severely front-loaded sales-wise.

While Sony won the hardware war this month, Microsoft seems to have won the software war charting the most games. Kudos to Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story for charting so high! All in all, an intriguing month which begs the question: can Sony outperform the Wii in October? We'll find out.

SuperPhillip's Favorite VGMs - Ain't That Funny Edition

Welcome to another week of new VGMs that I have to share. We've done several themed weeks this past month, but now we're just mixing things up completely. This week we're taking a listen to Star Fox Assault, Castlevania Judgment, MadWorld, Perfect Dark, and Resident Evil 5.

v421. Star Fox Assault - Fortuna

This theme sets off the opening mission in Star Fox Assault, a game that I truly enjoyed. I just wish there were more flight missions as well as just missions in general. Regardless, the soundtrack is one of the Gamecube's best full of rearranged and orchestrated Star Fox 64 tracks including several new musical creations.



v422. Castlevania Judgment - Bloody Tears

One of the earliest Castlevania themes, Bloody Tears has appeared in a ton of past and present Castlevania games. There's nothing like whipping down zombies and skeletons as you make your way towards Dracula's Castle.



v423. MadWorld - Ain't That Funny?

Played during MadWorld's AsianTown level, Ain't That Funny is a rap song with a suitably Asian twist. MadWorld is known for its over-the-top graphic violence and juvenile humor.



v424. Perfect Dark - Crash Site - Confrontation

Perfect Dark is gunning its way towards an Xbox Live Arcade release this fall. It's easily one of my most anticipated games this year and for good reason. The original Perfect Dark is my favorite FPS bar-none. Forget Halo. Forget Half-Life. Perfect Dark is where it's at for me. This theme plays during the search for the president in the snowy dunes of Victoria Island.



v425. Resident Evil 5 - Rust into Summer 2008

What was your opinion of Resident Evil 5? Did the cooperative-based gameplay make you like the title any less? This theme is called Rust in Summer, and it's the perfect song to pump you into pumping your shotgun and blasting away hordes of the infected.