Numbers of console and games sales were released by the NPD group for the month of January 2010 today with some not so surprising results. The Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS (including the DSi SKU’s) lead the console war as they continue to dominate this generation in terms of sales. Even after their record setting Wii sales in December, the little white box with waggle controls still is flying off shelves. With that comes five of the top games being Wii titles.

The griefer’s paradise New Super Mario Bros Wii tops their charts, follwed by evergreen favorite Wii titles like Wii Fitt Plus, Mario Kart Wii and Wii Sports Resort. The only surprise on the Wii comes from the critically panned Just Dance from Ubisoft (averaging a score of 47 from Metacritic).

XBox 360 surged back in front of the PlayStation 3, no doubt with some help of their over half a million selling release of Mass Effect 2. The XBox 360′s version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 also outsold the PS3 version by a firm 65,000 units. Co-op shooter Army of Two: The 40th Day debutted on the charts in the number 8 spot, followed by the apocalyptic release of Darksiders, both the games being the XBox 360 versions.

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2009 was a huge year for gaming. With some games not living up to lofty expectations, others took the reins set before them and ran with them further than many expected. Batman: Arkham Asylum proved it was possible to make a great game based on Batman, though it took the video game industry over 25 years to figure out how to accomplish that.

Wolverine: Origins proved that games based off movies didn’t have to be bad and in the eyes of many surpassed the quality of the film that inspired it. Legends were reborn as the Beatles were featured in their own Rock Band game. Yes, it was a momentous year for gaming which leads us to proudly present these awards for the Best Video Games of 2009.

Best Playstation 3 Exclusive Game

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune was easily one of the best early releases for the Playstation 3. But the problem is no one knew about it who didn’t have the system. A fantastic game, it fell victim to the lack of Playstation 3′s being in consumers’ homes. Knowing the gem they had their hands on, Sony made sure to give Uncharted 2: Among Thieves a spotlight at this year’s E3 along with a strong marketing push when it was released this year.

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At this weekend’s Big Apple Con in New York City, I got a chance to spend a few minutes with New Super Mario Bros. Wii. A sequel to 2006′s New Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo DS, this game will be the first game in the Mario series to feature simultaneous multiplayer gameplay since Mario Bros.

The game performs much like Super Paper Mario did. The Wiimote is held sideways, and you control Mario, Luigi, or Toad with the directional buttons. Simple things like jumping or attacking are performed using the buttons, while more complicated things like Luigi’s spin attack are performed by shaking the Wiimote. Overall, the controls were familiar and easy, and I never found them frustrating. Graphic wise, this game looks exactly like New Super Mario Bros. but performs well on the Wii.

All the reading I’d done about this game told me that New Super Mario Bros. Wii is a cooperative side scrolling multiplayer. But after myself and a fellow Flickcast contributor were handed our Wiimotes and told how to play, what ensued was an all-out battle. We fought over mushrooms, power ups like the Propeller Suit, coins, and reaching the end of the level. We trapped eachother against walls and ran eachother into enemies.

This was a frustrating and unexpected aspect of the game. As much as you do need the other player to reach the end of the game, it can become a contest to see who will end up with the most points at the end of the level, or who can frustrate eachother the most.

You’ll be able to get your hands on New Super Mario Bros. Wii November 15th.