Top 10 video games of December and full year 2010

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Video game players heard the call and snapped up more than 12 million copies of Activision Blizzard’s Call of Duty: Black Ops in 2010, making the title the best-selling game of the year, according to a report released Thursday by NPD Group.

Though sales of video games played on consoles such as the Wii, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 fell 6% to $9.36 billion in 2010, total game software sales were about $15.5 billion last year, roughly flat compared with 2009. That’s because sales generated by PC games, smart phone games and online virtual goods grew last year, making up for much of the lag in console games, according to NPD analyst Anita Frazier.

That means spending has shifted from traditional disc-based games to online and digital titles distributed online via venues such as iTunes, Xbox Live, OnLive, Steam and, increasingly, Facebook.

‘For some consumers, spending a few dollars here and there on social games is psychologically easier than spending $60 at Best Buy for one game,’ said Paul Verna, an analyst with eMarketer in New York. ‘For others, it’s about the convenience and instant gratification of being able to download something immediately. The more content that becomes available digitally, the more the revenue will shift.’

For now, disc-based games continue to rule, accounting for the majority of dollars spent on games.

To see the top 10 PC and console titles for December and for the full year, continue reading.

Top 10 games for December 2010

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops (Activision Blizzard)
2. Just Dance 2 (Ubisoft)
3. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm (Activision Blizzard)
4. Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (Ubisoft)
5. Donkey Kong Country Returns (Nintendo)
6. Epic Mickey (Disney)
7. Madden NFL 11 (Electronic Arts)
8. Michael Jackson the Experience (Ubisoft)
9. NBA 2K11 (Take-Two Interactive)
10. Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (Electronic Arts)

Top 10 games for 2010

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops (Activision Blizzard)
2. Madden NFL 11 (Electronic Arts)
3. Halo: Reach (Microsoft)
4. New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo)
5. Red Dead Redemption (Take-Two Interactive)
6. Wii Fit Plus (Nintendo)
7. Just Dance 2 (Ubisoft)
8. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Activision Blizzard)
9. Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (Ubisoft)
10. NBA 2K11 (Take-Two Interactive)

Source: NPD Group

-- Alex Pham