NEWS - Monday, September 13, 2004
NPD Top Games For August
And so we’ve come to the end of the calm before the storm. Not only is the fall and holiday period typically the craziest time of year for the gaming world, but this season in particular is amazingly jam-packed. Halo 2. San Andreas. Half-Life 2 (so we hear). Just to name three of more than a dozen big-hitter, must-grab games for the remainder of 2004. It’s going to be a wild ride, and it’s starting right now. Comparatively, August was downright sleepy. Sure, PC gamers saw DOOM 3 hit at last, to much rejoicing. We did see the latest Madden hit stores, also to much rejoicing, though in this case ESPN NFL 2K5 provided undeniable competition at a very attractive price. The Top 20 best-selling console games for August, listed below, show how it all played out, including the battle of the two worthy NFL contenders. True, EA’s franchise eeked out the top three spots -- but the ESPN series is hot on its heels. How many of you just bought both? When it wasn’t football, August was a month of Spider-Man 2 and assorted GameCube goodies, here holding their own despite Nintendo’s console receiving decidedly less publisher attention than the PS2 and Xbox. Also, lookie there: Halo at number 11, going strong after all these years. Excellence really doesn’t age. Here’s the complete list, as provided by The NPD Group. Check it: 1. Madden NFL 2005 (PS2) Electronic Arts 2. Madden NFL 2005 (Xbox) Electronic Arts 3. Madden NFL 2005 Collector’s Edition (PS2) Electronic Arts 4. ESPN NFL 2K5 (PS2) Take 2 Interactive 5. ESPN NFL 2K5 (Xbox) Take 2 Interactive 6. Rainbow Six 3 Black Arrow (Xbox) Ubisoft 7. Spider-Man 2 (PS2) Activision 8. NCAA Football 2005 (PS2) Electronic Arts 9. Madden NFL 2005 (Cube) Electronic Arts 10. Tales of Symphonia (Cube) Namco 11. Halo (Xbox) Microsoft 12. Spider-Man 2 (Xbox) Activision 13. Hot Shots Golf Fore! (PS2) Sony 14. DRIV3R (PS2) Atari 15. Spider-Man 2 (Cube) Activision 16. NCAA Football 2005 (Xbox) Electronic Arts 17. The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures (Cube) Nintendo 18. Athens 2004 (PS2) Sony 19. Mario Kart: Double Dash (Cube) Nintendo 20. DDRMAX2 (PS2) KonamiSource: http://www.ign.com
