October 2010 NPDs: A slam dunk for Microsoft
Microsoft's Xbox 360 comes out on top in the software and hardware charts.
The NPD Group reports that for the US sales period of October 3 through October 30, Take Two's NBA 2K11 moved the most units, beating a reported 1.12 million copies of Fallout: New Vegas.
EA's Medal of Honor came in at third place, followed by Fable III in fourth with a reported 580,000 copies sold - the second highest performing single SKU of the month behind Fallout: New Vegas on Xbox 360. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II is at No.5, Halo Reach is down to No.6, Just Dance 2 is at No.7, FIFA 11 at No.8, Madden's latest at No.9 and THQ's Smackdown vs Raw 2011 is new at No.10 with a reported 225,000 units sold.
Rock Band 3 failed to make the Top 10, charting at No.15. Other notable absentees include Castlevania, Enslaved, Vanquish, Kirby's Epic Yarn and Wii Party.
According to Microsoft, the Xbox 360 is now the best-selling home console year-to-date, with a further 325,000 units during the October tracking period bringing its total to 3.5 million.
Via NeoGAF
VideoGamer.com Analysis
Microsoft has said the Xbox 360 was responsible for six of the top 10 console game titles in October, including the four best-sellers, a feat never before accomplished in this console generation. It's a stat which shows just how dominant the platform was during the month.
It's also worth noting that of the Top 10 titles, Fable III, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II and WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2011 were released in the US on October 26, meaning only five days of sales have been recorded by NPD.
The same can be said of Rock Band 3, a game which NPD analyst Anita Frazier believes could pick up over the coming months.
Frazier commented: "Based on solid reviews, this game has the potential to perform well over the holidays."
There's no such reprieve for Namco Bandai's Enslaved and Konami's Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, both titles hitting stores at the beginning of the sales tracking period.
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