On a related matter Sony also revealed that the PSP has sold 60 million units worldwide.

Alpha Mission 2
The lunar nightmare of a bloody 200-year space war was thought to be over in the “original” ALPHA MISSION. But now with the advent of more technically sophisticated weapons, the evil “Fulvar” and his “Seven Star Alliance” have returned to destroy all planets that stand in their way of the ultimate target… Earth! Now in the year of 2525, Your mission as pilot of the new SYD-FX fighter is to use every weapon at your disposal to rid the galaxy once and for all of the evil that now dominates and threatens Earth. So suit up, hold your breath, and stand ready for unbelievable graphics and stereo sound that’ll suck you into the far reaches of deep, dark inner space. Be prepared… you may never come back!

League Bowling
The lanes are crowded every night with Big Time Pin Slammin’ action! You call the shots selecting a right or left handed bowler. Determine ball weight, and develop the skills of the pro’s as you skillfully throw a variety of shots that you control. Choose from 3 separate modes of play: Regulation, Flash!, or Strike 90. Bowl with 1 to 4 players, or for really fast-paced action, use the exclusive Neo Geo Multi Link cable for twice the view of these polished lanes. The real voice stereo sound of Mr. Bowl and the Pin Brothers will have you laughing all night long with more fun than the real lanes! So pop some refreshments and settle into 26-Megs of indoor sport like you’ve never seen before!

Baseball Stars Professional
Player, manager, owner… You can do it all in Baseball Stars! Make your own teams and leagues; hire, fire, and trade players; develop your players from inexperienced rookies into veteran pitchers and hitters. Play against a friend or challenge the computer - you’ll never have to worry about being rained out again!

Super Sidekicks
Experience the roar of the crowd and the thrills of the stadium. SNK’s live-action soccer game is here! Along with your Ace Striker and his array of sliding, overhead, and diving shots, lead your team to victory and seize the prized SNK Cup. Watch players perform miraculous overhead and diving shots, dazzle your opponent with gravity-defying dribbling. Avoid sliding defense players and bone-crushing blocks. Be overwhelmed with in-your-face action so real, you’ll be washing the grass stains off your clothing when you’re finished!

On the software front, Resident Evil 5 Gold Edition topped the charts with 143,000 units in its first week. In Japan, Gold Edition, known as Alternative Edition, is PS3-only. Xbox 360 owners, however, have access to the extra content in download form.

God Eater was pushed out of first place, but still remained in second, beating out long sellers like New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Friend Collection.

Heavy Rain debuted in sixth with 27,000 units sold. It actually had a high sell-through, suggesting sell-outs. If word of mouth is strong amongst Japanese players, it could end up being successful as far as foreign games go.

Here’s the full software chart. Wherever available, life to date sales are provided in parentheses.

* Resident Evil 5 Gold Edition (Capcom, PS3): 143,000
* God Eater (Namco Bandai, PSP): 64,000 (470,000)
* New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Nintendo, Wii): 44,000 (3,366,000)
* Dragon Quest VI (Square Enix, DS): 41,000 (1,217,000)
* Friend Collection (Nintendo, DS): 31,000 (2,849,000)
* Heavy Rain (Sony, PS3): 27,000
* Wii Fit Plus (Nintendo, Wii): 26,000 (1,664,000)
* Yu-Gi-Oh 5D’s World Championship 2010 Reverse of Arcadia (Konami, DS): 24,000
* Star Ocean 4 The Last Hope International (Square Enix, PS3): 15,000 (113,000)
* Wii Sports Resort (Nintendo, Wii): 11,000 (1,760,000)

In the hardware race, PSP edged out PS3 for the top spot. Most hardware saw a drop from last week, the exception being the PS3.

Here’s the full hardware chart. Last week’s sales are in parenthesis.

* PSP: 32,796 (39,293)
* PS3: 32,130 (24,811)
* Wii: 31,652 (37,501)
* DSi LL: 24,388 (27,586)
* DSi: 15,380 (18,082)
* DS Lite: 5,053 (5,659)
* Xbox 360: 2,453(3,428)
* PS2: 1,883 (1,869)
* PSP go: 1,371 (1,394)

In February 2010, celebrate minis month with PlayStation. Snackable, fun and addictive, minis are downloadable games available for PS3 and PSP systems.

Lots of you have been enjoying the diverse range of minis titles now available, so we are offering a whole month of minis-based entertainment.

The 28-day event will offer special minis goodies, competitions, and minis titles at discounted prices. A wide range of minis games will be on offer to download cheaper than usual, from sporting challenges to intricate mind puzzles. As an extra treat, minis month will also be giving away free minis wallpaper.

From the very beginning of the month, you can get involved with various activities, starting from 1 February 2010 with an exciting minis picture quiz. You could pick up a PSPgo along with other fantastic PlayStation prizes.

You can keep up to date and check out the latest minis videos on the PSP YouTube Channel, youtube.com/yourwholeworld

All of the details about minis month can be found on the PlayStation Blog, which will feature news, offers and reviews regularly throughout February.

With fantastic prizes, competitions, and great discounts, minis month is going to be big.

Silent Line Portable Features:

- Build and customize mechs with essential and secondary parts - modify existing designs or start from scratch.

- Over 450 mecha parts to build your own AC unit, including popular parts from past AC titles.

- Ad Hoc multiplayer mode lets up to four players battle their hulking creations.

- New AC opponents from the Japanese Armored Core novel.

- A.I. training system helps new players get up to speed.

- Weapon Destruction - change tactics on-the-fly as opponents are disabled.

- Use Armored Core 3 Portable game save - upload to Silent Line Portable!

- Customizable Control Settings.

Over the week of 1/25 to 1/31, the DS remake of DQVI outsold all other games in the top ten combined, with over 900,000 sales. In comparison, the remakes of IV and V sold, respectively, 597,000 and 644,000 units in their first weeks. This is the first time VI has been ported or remade since the Super NES original hit back in 1995, so there was presumably pent up demand.

It was a week full of new releases, including Resonance of Fate (End of Eternity in Japan) and Ar Tonelico 3. Both placed in the top 10, joined by MAG, which appears to be selling well for a foreign title. MAG actually sold out of 96% of its stock, explaining the sell outs that have been observed at retail.

Here’s the full top 10 covering 1/25 to 1/31.

* Dragon Quest VI (Square Enix, DS): 906,000
* Resonance of Fate (Sega, PS3): 118,000
* New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Nintendo, Wii): 84,000 (3,201,000)
* Ar Tonelico 3 (Namco Bandai, PS3): 82,000
* Friend Collection (Nintendo, DS): 45,000 (2,742,000)
* Wii Fit Plus (Nintendo, Wii): 33,000 (1,583,000)
* Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep (Square Enix, PSP): 30,000 (713,000)
* End of Eternity (Sega, X360): 27,000
* Valkyria Chronicles 2 (Sega, PSP): 24,000 (118,000)
* Massive Action Game (Sony, PS3): 19,000

Debuting outside of the top 10 this week were Mystery Dungeon 3 Shiren the Wanderer Portable (Spike, PSP) in 18, and Tatsunoko VS Capcom Ultimate All-Stars (Capcom, Wii) at 20. For Japan, this version of Tatsunoko VS Capcom is just an updated version of the game that was released in late 2008. Capcom offered it at a lower price point.

Despite DS’s Dragon Quest dominance, it looks like the game sold mostly to current system owners, as the system did not see a major spike. PSP topped the hardware charts (the standard version — PSP go was once again at the bottom) . It’s unclear if there’s a specific reason for this, or if the system has just settled into a standard sales trend.

Here’s the full hardware chart:

* PSP: 47,875
* Wii: 42,309
* DSi LL :34,863
* PS3: 34,431
* DSi: 24,783
* DS Lite: 6,811
* Xbox 360: 4,089
* PS2: 2,182
* PSP go: 1,645

That’s the question PS3 owners will be asking themselves this weekend. That and “why are so many people shooting at me?” now that MAG is available on PS3.

For the first time, 256 online players can take to the battlefield in a persistent Shadow War, where three Private Military Companies fight over lucrative contracts. Team up with your friends and join the ongoing conflict today - 128 PMCs are locked, loaded and waiting for you.

The good, the bad and Zeke

Another PS3 blockbuster, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, welcomes a few special guests this week with the PlayStation Heroes Skin Pack. This means you can jump into the game’s multiplayer modes as good Cole, evil Cole or Zeke from inFamous; Sgt Nathan Hale or a Chimera Hybrid soldier from the Resistance series; and a Helghast Trooper or Tomas ‘Sev’ Sevchenko from Killzone 2.

If you still not tried Uncharted 2: Among Thieves then give yourself a slap on the wrist and report directly to PlayStation Store, where a new demo is waiting to give you a taste of the single player mode, absolutely free.

This week in PlayStation Store

On PlayStation Store, PS3 owners can now download Thexder Neo, an updated version of the 1985 shoot ‘em up featuring slick graphics and new gameplay additions.

On PSP, you can pick up The Gardens Theme Pack and The Gardens Theme - Costume for LittleBigPlanet and kit your Sackperson out for their very own garden party.

Be a winner

At eu.playstation.com/competitions there’s always something up for grabs and this week is no exception. You can win yourself an HD TV, a PS3 and a Dark Void goodie back by answering three questions on the rocket-powered shooter.

In the minis competition, one lucky winner will get a PSPgo and a £50 voucher so you can fill it with the latest games, movies, comics and much more from PlayStation Store.

Also, be sure to check out the first impressions article on Red Dead Redemption - Rockstar Games’ take on the spaghetti western - at eu.playstation.com. It’s one not to be missed!

Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. today announced that the METAL GEAR SOLID PSP Bundle is now available for download at the PlayStation Store and on the PlayStation Network. Created by legendary video game developer and head of Kojima Productions, Hideo Kojima, this bundle features three of the highly praised METAL GEAR titles for the PSP: METAL GEAR SOLID: PORTABLE OPS, METAL GEAR SOLID: PORTABLE OPS PLUS and METAL GEAR SOLID: DIGITAL GRAPHIC NOVEL for the low price of $29.99.

“The METAL GEAR SOLID series created a unique stealth action genre within videogames, and subsequently became one of the most popular game franchises in the world,” said David Daniels, Director of Marketing for Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. “By combining these titles into one bundle, we are giving fans of the series and newcomers alike an amazing value.”

METAL GEAR SOLID: PORTABLE OPS
METAL GEAR SOLID: PORTABLE OPS is the action game from Hideo Kojima’s legendary METAL GEAR SOLID series that redefined the stealth action genre on the PSP. With an original storyline that follows the events of METAL GEAR SOLID 3: SNAKE EATER and innovative online gameplay that lets gamers recruit their own comrades, METAL GEAR SOLID: PORTABLE OPS offers players a METAL GEAR experience unlike any other.

METAL GEAR SOLID: PORTABLE OPS PLUS
METAL GEAR SOLID: PORTABLE OPS PLUS takes the series in an exciting new direction, focusing on a deep multiplayer experience and introducing new stages, playable characters, and gameplay modes. Players will be able to enjoy more maps, missions, and recruit a talented crew of war heroes for battling real opponents in online arenas.

METAL GEAR SOLID:DIGITAL GRAPHIC NOVEL
METAL GEAR SOLID: DIGITAL GRAPHIC NOVEL brings the legendary METAL GEAR IDW comic book series to life on the PSP system. The game features breathtaking artwork by Ashley Wood along with a Memory Building Simulation mode that highlights different items, characters and plot points during comic viewing and allows players to unlock a history and library of all things METAL GEAR SOLID.

METAL GEAR SOLID: PORTABLE OPS and METAL GEAR SOLID: DIGITAL GRAPHIC NOVEL are rated “M” for Mature by the ESRB and METAL GEAR SOLID: PORTABLE OPS PLUS is rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB and the METAL GEAR SOLID PSP Bundle is available for an SRP of $29.99. For more information, please visit www.konami.com.

“December marks just the fourth month of the year where the industry saw an increase over last year,” said NPD analyst Anita Frazier. “January and February were both up, and since the decline that began in March, only September experienced growth.

“The big sales this month, particularly on the hardware front, is a positive move for the industry headed into what will hopefully be a recovery year in 2010.”

Wii took the #1 spot, selling 3.81 million consoles for the month, overtaking even the DS handheld. Meanwhile, the PlayStation 3 won a hard fought battle for #2, selling 1.36 to Xbox 360’s 1.31 million.

Here’s the hardware sales breakdown for the month:

PlayStation 2 333.2K
PlayStation 3 1.36M
PSP 654.7K
Xbox 360 1.31M
Wii 3.81M
Nintendo DS 3.31M

Overall software sales for the month show impressive numbers for Nintendo, with the company accounting for six of the top ten titles for December and selling nearly 10 million units combined. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 still clocked in at over 2 million for the month. Since its release last month, the game has now sold nearly 9 million units in the U.S. alone.

“Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has become the fourth best-selling game of all time. In fact, 3 of the top 10 games of all time are Call of Duty games,” added Frazier.

Here’s the top 10 software sales breakdown for the month:

New Super Mario Bros. Wii - Nintendo - 2.82M
Wii Fit Plus* - Nintendo - 2.41M
Wii Sports Resort w/Wii Motion Pplus* - Wii - 1.79M
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2* - Xbox 360 - 1.63M
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2* - PlayStation 3 - 1.12M
Wii Play w/ Remote - Wii 1.01M
Mario Kart w/Wheel - Wii - 936.1K
Assassin’s Creed II - Xbox 360 - 783.1K
Left 4 Dead 2 - Xbox 360 - 728.5K
Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story - DS - 656.7K

Nielsen also tracks the popularity of gaming devices in general, and found that 25% of all households in America own at least one portable gaming device. Clearly, however, consoles are more popular, with 54% of households reporting to have a dedicated gaming machine at home.

Whatever the reason, it is clear that video game manufacturers cannot ignore the strong female influence in the gaming market. Serving that demographic should be a major priority as the video game industry seeks to increase its reach.