Call of Duty: Black Ops: Still At Top Of Charts In January; Beats Dead Space 2, LittleBigPlanet 2

The NPD Group's video game sales numbers for January are in, and Call of Duty: Black Ops was the top selling game of the month. Activision's shooter beat out Just Dance 2, Dead Space 2 and LittleBigPlanet 2 (as well as every other video game on earth) in terms of cross-platform worldwide sales.

The top ten list is below the "Read More" tag.

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops* (360, PS3, WII, NDS, PC)
2. Just Dance 2 (WII)
3. Dead Space 2* (360, PS3, PC)  
4. Little Big Planet 2* (PS3)  
5. Zumba Fitness: Join the Party (WII, 360, PS3)
6. NBA 2K11 (360, PS3, PSP, WII, PS2, PC)
7. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood* (360, PS3) 
8. Dance Central (360)
9. Michael Jackson The Experience* (WII, DS, PSP)
10. DC Universe Online: The Next Legend Is You* (PS3, PC)

Here's some analysis: The most interesting games on the list, to us, are Dead Space 2, LittleBigPlanet 2 and DC Universe Online. It looks like Dead Space 2 is a success. The game came out in the last week of the month, so its positioning as number three on the chart is a little misleading. I'd guess that if we had numbers on the month after its release, it'd be number one. (I'd love to be able to provide exact sales numbers, but they are a sort of NPD secret, so we'll have to go through a little more circuitous route for analysis.) We learned back on February 1 that Dead Space 2 had shipped more than 2 million units, but that "shipped" number represents games sent to stores as opposed to sold. We have no way of knowing how many of those copies are still on shelves, but enough copies were sold to put it high on the charts. In other words: It looks like a hit. Good news, considering that the first Dead Space was considered an artistic success, but a sales failure.

• RATING: Dead Space 2 review

LittleBigPlanet 2 was released on January 18, so there is another week of sales for that game represented on the chart. Unlike Black Ops and Dead Space 2, LBP 2 is a single console release, so you have to figure the third place on the charts represents a successful release as well.

DC Universe Online, as an MMO, has a bit of a lower bar, in terms of initial sales, than the rest of the games on this list. Because players are ponying up $14.99 a month for a subscription, its profits are based as much on the subscription fees than the initial purchase price. Ultimately, the "success" of the game depends more on how many people continue to play it over time than in how many people initially purchase the title. How well this game is doing won't really be known for awhile.

• RATING: LittleBigPlanet 2 review

Also: It's nice that Majesco has an unqualified hit on its hands in Zumba Fitness.

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