NPD: Top 20 Reveals April's Hits, FFXIII's Chart Miss

Author: by Leigh Alexander, Matt Matthews

April 2010 may have been a disappointing month for video game industry numbers, but new top 20 U.S. console retail game from the NPD Group reveals that 14 titles sold more than 100,000 units -- above analyst expectations, and more than the 9 that were sold in April of last year. Overall in the top 20, according to data provided to Gamasutra by NPD, there were six titles for Wii and PlayStation 3 apiece and five Xbox 360 games, and three Nintendo DS games that placed. This is the second month in a row that the PS3 has moved more titles than its rival from Microsoft. Splinter Cell Conviction sold 486,100 units, and the second-place contender, Pokemon SoulSilver version, was far behind with 242,900. It's apparently the preferred edition of the game; Pokemon HeartGold charted fourth, with 192,600 units after third-placer New Super Mario Bros. Wii's 200,300 units. Notably, global sales charts often track separate editions of a Pokemon game together, as despite subtle differences they are effectively the same product. Had the NPD chosen to group the two editions together, they still would not have unseated Conviction. Finally, although it came in third on March's charts, Square Enix's Final Fantasy XIII failed to chart in the top 20 for April, something of an unexpected lull for a title in the franchise with one of the most fervent fanbases in the gamer community. The complete top 20, as provided by the NPD Group, is as follows: