After a slack 2009 in which sales of videogames fell 8% globally, market research firm NPD Group reports the industry isn't out of its funk yet: In the first month of 2010, U.S. videogame retail sales sank 13%.

January sales of hardware and software hit $1.2 billion, NPD Group said on Thursday, with software sales alone totaling $597.9 million. Nintendo's New Super Mario Bros. led the pack, selling 656,700 copies, with BioWare's Mass Effect 2 claiming the second spot. Impressively, Mass Effect 2 was released on January 26 and still managed to move 572,100 copies in just six days.

Sega's Bayonetta (January 5th release) and Capcom's Dark Void (January 19th) were noticeably absent from the list of the month's top sellers:
1. New Super Mario Bros. Wii - Nintendo Wii - 656,700
2. Mass Effect 2 - Xbox 360 - 572,100
3. Wii Fit Plus w/ Balance Board - Nintendo Wii - 555,700
4. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - Xbox 360 - 326,700
5. Mario Kart w/ Wheel - Nintendo Wii - 310,900
6. Wii Sports Resort w/ Wii Motion Plus - Nintendo Wii - 297,600
7. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - PlayStation 3 - 259,000
8. Army of Two: The 40th Day - Xbox 360 - 246,500
9. Just Dance - Nintendo Wii - 191,900
10. Darksiders - Xbox 360 - 171,200
Commander Shepard in action.

The Nintendo Wii started 2010 like it ended 2009, and the Xbox 360 once again outsold the PS3. The NPD Group's hardware sales report for January:
Nintendo Wii - 465,800
Nintendo DS - 422,200
Xbox 360 - 332,800
PlayStation 3 - 276,900
PSP - 100,100
PlayStation 2 - 41,600

Sharkey says: Wow, Mass Effect 2 really destroyed. Coupled with the hardware sales figures, it's clear why Sony and Microsoft fork over big bucks for console exclusives.