With combined sales across 360, PS3, and PC, Deus Ex: Human Revolution took top honors in the NPD's August video game sales report. NCAA Football 12 came in second, a strong showing for its second month on the report. The remainder of the top ten reflected the lack of strong retail releases with Black Ops taking the third spot and three Disney titles--Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd, Cars 2, and Lego Pirates of the Carribean--on the chart. Compared to last year, August sales were down 34 percent for software and 12 percent for hardware.

"In software, the bulk of the decline can be attributed to the shift of the annual Madden release from August to September (8/30 release falls within NPD's September 2011 reporting period)," said NPD analyst Anita Frazier.

Frazier also went on to predict that Madden would likely grab the top spot in September. She portrayed a positive outlook for the rest of the year even, buoyed by an improving crop of releases. "Games fans have a huge variety to choose from in September, especially for fans of games in the sports genre. Those interested in more 'core' gaming experiences have both Resistance 3 and Gears of War 3, among others, to look forward to," explained Frazier. "Given the strong release schedule in the coming months, new physical retail sales could still be flat to slightly up once full year sales are tallied," she concluded.