1. Wii Sports - 50.59 million sold

Hitting 50 million doesn't even seem like a big milestone anymore. That's partly because
it was totally expected to the point of inevitability, but also because Wii Sports isn't
the big hardware driver anymore. Wii Sports conquered the world, but now Nintendo
is looking to Wii Sports Resort and New Super Mario Bros. Wii to do it again.

2. Wii Play - 24.75 million sold

In 2007, this was amazing content for only $10. But now more expensive,
content-rich games are coming pretty close to it in total sales. Wii Fit and Wii Fit Plus
combined have actually beat it to 25 million.

3. Nintendogs - 22.94 million sold

This game has sold more than every Sonic game ever released for SEGA hardware combined.
It has surpassed the total sales of the Yoshi series, and is a matter of months away from
beating the Donkey Kong Country trilogy, including the Game Boy remakes.
Miyamoto always laughs last.

4. Wii Fit - 22.68 million sold

Ongoing sales will soon drop close to 0, as Wii Fit Plus emerges onto and starts climbing
this list. But even if it falls from this gen's top 5 best-sellers, it has a strong case
to be the game which will leave the biggest industry-changing legacy of the generation. 

5. New Super Mario Bros. - 19.73 million sold

The worst thing that can be said about this game's popularity is that it might not become
such a classic that it can sell 5 million copies as a remake, as SMB, SMB2, SMB3, SMW
and SM64 have all done. But if it sells 25 million copies in the first run,
that's not exactly a big knock against it. 

6. Mario Kart Wii - 18.44 million sold

Since the initial list, this title has sold exactly 1.00 million, leapfrogging Brain Age for
the #6 spot in the process. More importantly for fans, it has become a generation-bridging
modern classic that was Nintendo's first game in a long time to challenge and best
their classics in terms of pure fun and quality.

7. Brain Age - 18.09 million sold

The first great game of Nintendo's comeback. But several years out from
any Nintendo brain game, one starts to wonder if there is a future for
this franchise or this genre in general, or if the closest thing to
a successor will be brain-teasing games like Professor Layton.

8. Pokemon Diamond/Pearl - 17.14 million sold

All eyes are now on Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver, which has already sold 3 million in Japan.
Pokemon Platinum is eating up what sales this game could have in the West, which leaves it
vulnerable to fall from the top 10 by generation's end.

9. Mario Kart DS - 16.18 million sold

The two Mario Kart games of the generation are closing in on 35 million combined sales.
When this game hits 16.35 million, that will triple the sales of the only other handheld Mario game.

10. Brain Age 2 - 14.22 million sold

It is not a question of if, but when one of the Modern Warfare games will take
the final top 10 spot from Nintendo. The question is which one. And the other question
is if Wii Sports Resort, NSMBWii or Wii Fit Plus can take it back.

11. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare - 13.39 million sold

(7.92M on X360, 4.76M on PS3, .65M on DS, .06M on Wii)
Destined to live forever with GoldenEye and Halo as the console FPS triumvirate of the ages.
It went head-to-head with Halo 3 and crushed it, and took the series from being "pretty popular"
to being bigger than Grand Theft Auto. Now it looks to the new Wii version
to move towards the top 10 and a 15 million final sales tally.

12. Grand Theft Auto IV - 13.25 million sold

(7.30M on X360, 5.95M on PS3)
On the one hand you could say that this game maintained GTA's massive popularity
on a smaller install base, but on the other, it lost the testosterone game crown to Call of Duty.
With evidence that the next full GTA game will be in Vice City again,
the hype seems to be at an all-time low for this all-time great series.

13. Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games - 11.75 million sold

(7.26M on Wii, 4.49M on DS)
The massive sales of this game didn't transfer to a massive start for the Winter Olympics sequel.
It may have a long tail like the first pairing of gaming's two biggest mascots, but it's still a little
surprising that only 1.25 million people have bought the sequel in the first 5 weeks.

14. Call of Duty: World at War - 11.40 million sold

(5.96 X360, 3.66 PS3, 1.32 Wii, .46 DS)
Tremendous as a follow-up to Modern Warfare, considering that it came from the JV team
at Treyarch. Nonetheless, Activision has to be wondering if consumers are getting more
savvy about who is developing the games, and if there is now more faith in
the Modern Warfare branding than the Call of Duty brand. Treyarch's
follow-up to this game will certainly be Activision's 2010 tentpole.

15. Animal Crossing: Wild World - 11.10 million sold

Figuring out why this game sold 11 million copies and the Wii version
sold a fraction of that might be a key for Nintendo to put the funk of
mid-2008 to mid-2009 behind them permanently.

16. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock - 10.54 million sold

(4.31 Wii, 4.28 X360, 1.95 PS3)
This game sold 15 million including PS2. Guitar Hero 5, DJ Hero and Band Hero have combined
for 2.57 million so far. While that number might double or more over the holidays, executives at
Activision must have a knot in their stomach, knowing they have killed the sacred cash cow.
Holiday 2007, when GHIII and Rock Band came out, will be the time people are talking about
when they say "Remember when music games were awesome?" 

17. Halo 3 - 10.37 million sold

Having completed the "trilogy" with ever-increasing popularity, entries like
Halo Wars and ODST are now the focus for this series, to try to give it consistent
hit-making ability outside of numbered editions. So far the results are iffy, but next year's
Halo Reach is being called out by fans as the non-numbered Halo game to watch.

18. Super Smash Bros. Brawl - 8.63 million sold

This game is the biggest hit of developer Masahiro Sakurai's career. With the Kirby series
also to him name, Sakurai is already an elite developer in gaming history. If he can strike gold
a third time with his current unannounced Nintendo-backed project, he will have a name
alongside Miyamoto, Yamauchi, Yokoi and Iwata in that company's history.

19. Super Mario Galaxy - 8.20 million sold

In short, the release of this game may have been the start of the second golden age of Mario.
We have new 2D AND 3D Mario coming out for Wii! Marioboys rejoice.

20. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - 8.15 million sold

(4.94M on X360, 3.21M on PS3)
8 million. Top 20 of the generation. Not counting PC sales.
One.
Week.
What more needs to be said?

21. LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga - 8.14 million sold

(2.87M on DS, 2.87M on Wii, 1.32M on X360, 1.08M on PS3)
This game got a large adjustment upwards on PS3 just this week, pushing the game
up past 1M on that console, and past 8M overall. Basically a compilation of 2 games,
this game sold so much due to the great value offered at $30 and $20 price tags.

22. Assassin's Creed - 8.10 million sold

(4.59M on X360, 3.51M on PS3)
Some people felt that this game did not live up to the hype, even if the sales did.
Now the question is if the sequel can deliver similarly high sales, or if the the original
is the biggest splash the series will make, despite growing install bases.

23. Super Mario 64 DS - 7.87 million sold

The long tail of this game is even more impressive considering that
the original game is available as a download on Wii for only $10.

24. LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures - 7.59 million sold

(3.44M for X360, 1.53M for DS, 1.31M for Wii, 0.71M for PSP, 0.60M for PS3)
Sept: The prominent XBox 360 bundle would not have been needed for this game
to easily rank in the top 50. The PS2 version was the 4th different version to sell
1 million units, bringing total sales to just south of 8.5 million.
Now 8.66M total.

25. Guitar Hero: World Tour - 7.04 million sold

(3.29M for Wii, 2.32M for X360, 1.43M for PS3)
Sept: The PS2 version also sold 1 million, bringing total sales to just above 8 million.
Most publishers and developers would give their firstborn for an 8 million copy selling
game with a three-digit price tag, but for Guitar Hero, that's a 45% unit sales decline.
Now at 8.48M with PS2, still a 44% decline.

26. Mario Party 8 - 6.75 million sold

Sept: Yes. Really. This snuck into the top 25. Mario Party is probably not a game many people 
buy a system for, but the series must have built up a lot of big fans and a great brand
during the N64 and Gamecube years, and this game got to reap the rewards.
Well... Top 26 now.

27. FIFA 09 - 6.49 million sold

(2.37M for PS3, 2.03M for X360, .95M for PSP, .74M for Wii, .40M for DS)
Including PS2 versions:
FIFA 08: 9.03M total
FIFA 09: 8.44M total
FIFA 10: 4.12M so far

Mario Kart Wii outsold this game by about 1 million units through the same number of weeks.
It is on a collision course with the top 20, but the top 10 is up in the air.

29. Big Brain Academy - 6.30 million sold

Sept: In the shadow of Brain Age, this game is doomed to become a forgotten classic...
...one which was secretly also a mega-hit in its own right.

30. Pokemon Platinum - 6.22 million sold

Pokemon Crystal and Emerald both still outrank this game. This holiday it will look
to pass Crystal's 6.39 million to become the best-selling Pokemon "special edition"
since the 14 million-selling Yellow version.

31. Mario Party DS - 6.11 million sold

This is the 8th of 8 Mario games on the list. With NSMBW, Mario games will perfectly mirror themselves on this list between Wii and DS, with one each of 3D platformers, 2D platformers,
Kart games and Party games, plus the multi-plat Mario and Sonic.

32. FIFA 08 - 6.06 million sold

(1.67M for PS3, 1.45M for X360, 1.13M for PSP, .98M for Wii, .83M for DS)
Sept: Including PS2, this game was actually a bigger hit than FIFA 09, topping 9 million units.
That's a bad sign for EA, as some PS2 FIFA gamers may have drifted away
rather than transitioned to current gen. 

33. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed - 6.03 million sold

(1.91M for X360, 1.39M for Wii, 1.31M for PS3, .73M for PSP, .69M for DS)
This game is actually maintaining pretty good sales. Enough so that it has maintained
the same spot that it held on the September list, where most games past 28th
have fallen at least 2 spots due to WSR and MW2.

34. Madden NFL 09 - 5.97 million sold

(2.36M for X360, 1.63M for PS3, .90M for Wii, .78M for PSP, .30M for DS)
Sept: 2008 was the year that Madden was supposed to break through on Wii, thanks to All-Play.
Instead, Wii sales declined from the year prior, but Madden broke through on PS3 instead,
thanks to an increased install base, which makes the difference for 09 outranking 08.
With PS2 and XB sales, the total is 7.34 million.
Now 7.42

35. Gears of War - 5.96 million sold

Sept: In 2006, XBox 360 was not the XBox 360 we know today. Sales were slow,
there was no must-have game, and all eyes were on Sony and Nintendo's upcoming systems.
360 was launched for holiday 2005 on the promise of Halo, and likely would have declined
from the original XBox if that was all that was delivered. Then came Gears of War. 

36. Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories - 5.86 million sold

Sept: The PS2 version of LCS sold over 3 million, bringing total sales to over 9 million.
When the spin-off side game sells 9 million, and the franchise jumps ship to a
competing console, that's a big franchise. I lost count how many games based in
Liberty City have been sold somewhere between 30 and 40 million.
The only PSP exclusive on the list. 

37. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - 5.36 million sold

Sept: This game's development ended bizarrely, with the mirroring of the entire game world.
In the end, it was not a game which left fans of the series in awe, as Mario Galaxy did.
But the hype train rolls on for the next Zelda Wii, based on a single piece of artwork.
With the Gamecube version, sales are 6.88 million.
6.92 now.

38. Gears of War 2 - 5.32 million sold

This game has also held onto the place it had 2 months ago.

39. Kung Fu Panda - 5.28 million sold

(3.02M for X360, 1.11M for DS, .76M for Wii, .39M for PS3)
Sept: You knew Wii Sports would be #1, but it's really the XBox 360 pack-ins messing up the list.
Microsoft insists on pushing the 360 as a family console, but when the best choice
for a family pack-in is a movie game that launched on 5 systems, and earned
an uninspiring 75 on metacritic, what's the point? PS2 adds a half mil. 

39.(tie) Need for Speed: ProStreet - 5.28 million sold

(2.01M for X360, 1.70M for PS3, .87M for Wii, .54M for PSP, .10M for DS)
Sept: As you have no doubt forgotten, ProStreet was the 2007 version of NfS.
Like the annual sports games, it was not until 2007 that the current systems had
the install base to land a game on this list, but unlike the annual sports games,
the 2008 edition, Undercover, does not make the list at all. Almost 7.5M with PS2.
Now 7.55M total.

41. Madden NFL 08 - 5.15 million sold

(2.41M for X360, .94M for Wii, .93M for PS3, .65M for PSP, .22M for DS)
Madden totals including last gen systems:
Madden 08: 7.63M
Madden 09: 7.42M
Madden 10: 3.32 so far

42. Resident Evil 5 - 4.96 million sold

(2.56M for PS3, 2.40M for X360)
Another game which has held fast since September.
Should do well over the holidays, since it has not had a holiday season yet.

43. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 - 4.94 million sold

(1.74M for PS3, 1.22M for X360, 1.04M for Wii, .85M for PSP, .09M for DS)
Sept: The PS2 version sold a bonkers 3.42 million, meaning this game reached over
8 million buyers. PES 2009 has reached less than 6 million, and less than 4 million
on current gen systems.
2009 has now reached 6 million total, but still below 4 million on current systems.
PES 2010 is at 1.83 million so far.

44. MySims - 4.93 million sold

(3.46M for DS, 1.47M for Wii)
Sept: There was no banner for this game, so I took the pic for MySims Kingdom.
Kingdom was the 2008 sequel which sold almost 2 million. Annual sequels are okay,
but in 2009, EA has released MySims Party, Racing, and Agents. Why make
a better game when you can release a different spin-off in 4 consecutive quarters?

45. Carnival Games - 4.68 million sold

(3.49M for Wii, 1.19M for DS)
Carnival Games has actually gained a spot since September. I believe it now
retails for just 10 bucks, but one wonders why there was no real follow-up game.

46. WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2008 - 4.67 million sold

(1.44M for X360, 1.16M for PS3, 1.04M for PSP, .93M for Wii, .10M for DS)
Sept: And 2 million more for PS2. This was the first version of WWE to come out
for Wii, PS3 and DS, and outsold the 2007 edition by over 3 million copies.
Too bad for THQ, those new audiences did not return for the 2009 edition,
which also sold 3 million less than this game.

47. Rock Band - 4.65 million sold

(2.41M for X360, 1.34M for Wii, .90M for PS3)
Sept: The PS2 version sold another 700K. This game clearly lost the battle with Guitar Hero III,
but still changed music games forever by introducing the full band concept that Guitar Hero
has copied ever since. Rock Band 2 did not sell enough to make this list, and with the starts
that The Beatles and Guitar Hero 5 have gotten off to, maybe no more band games will.

47. (tie) The Simpsons Game - 4.65 million sold

(1.41M for DS, 1.00M for 360, .93M for Wii, .71M for PS3, .60M for PSP)
Sept: 1.2 million more for PS2. All told, this game sold similarly to Simpsons: Hit and Run
from 2003, which topped 4 million units on PS2 alone. The VGC database
also lists a 1.5 million selling Simpsons Wrestling for original PlayStation,
and of course we all remember 1991's classic co-op arcade brawler.

 49. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass - 4.55 million sold

Sept: Zelda's biggest shake-up since Ocarina of Time. It failed to have the
explosive reception of that game, so it probably does not point to the
future of the series on Wii, but it did well enough to earn a DS sequel.

 50. Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time / Darkness - 4.50 million sold

Sept: The most successful of the dungeon crawler series where you play as the Pokemon.
We are well past the DS games that individually propelled hardware sales, but the DS software environment is so healthy, even the 13th best-selling DS game makes this list.