FirstCuts: Big Year For Games Not About Sports

By Chris Littmann
Sports don’t start and end with a referee’s whistle. FirstCuts, a blog dedicated to sports culture, will cover everything outside the lines, from games to gear.
As it turns out, a lot of people play video games. They’re not just for nerds or kids anymore. Want proof? The industry did nearly $18 billion in 2007. Still, on first glance it didn’t turn out to be such a hot year for sports gaming. Here are the top selling games from 2007, with one lonely sports title -- Madden NFL ‘08 for the PlayStation 2 -- checking in at No. 7.
[img=http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/6248/maddenimagexq5.jpg]
Rank, Game, Console, Copies Sold (million)
1. Halo 3, Xbox 360, 4.82
2. Wii Play with Remote, Nintendo Wii, 4.12
3. Call of Duty 4, Xbox 360, 3.04
4. Guitar Hero III, PlayStation 2, 2.72
5. Super Mario Galaxy, Nintendo Wii, 2.52
6. Pokemon Diamond Version, Nintendo DS, 2.48
7. Madden NFL ‘08, PlayStation 2, 1.90
8. Guitar Hero II, PlayStation 2, 1.89
9. Assassin’s Creed, Xbox 360, 1.87
10. Mario Party 8, Nintendo Wii, 1.82
So what gives? I won’t argue with the presence of Guitar Hero, seeing as how I’ve recently given into my addiction to play the game -- and it was obvious Halo 3 would dominate the year with all the marketing and hype, but where are the sports games? And for as much as everyone complains about Madden, it’s still the top-selling sports franchise out. Aside from Madden NFL ‘08, what was your favorite sports title from last year? I hate to say it, but this year was pretty weak, although I did enjoy Mario Strikers Charged on the Wii.
> U.S. Video Game Industry Totals $17.94 Billion | GameDaily.com↵