The North American console market pulled in $1.18 billion in January 2008, reports sales-tracking firm The NPD Group. Of that figure, $377.8 million was related to video game hardware, with $610.6 million spent on software and $191 million on accessories.

According to NPD, the month's top-selling console titles in North America were:

1. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Infinity Ward, Activision, X360) - 330, 900
2. Wii Play (Nintendo, Wii) - 298,100
3. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Vicarious Visions, Activision, Wii) - 239, 600
4. Rock Band Special Edition Bundle (Harmonix, MTV Games, X360) - 183,800
5. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Bundle (Neversoft, Activision, X360) - 182,700
6. Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo, Wii) - 172,000
7. Burnout Paradise (Criterion, Electronic Arts) - 140,000
8. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Infinity Ward, Activision, PS3) - 140,000
9. Mario Party DS (Nintendo, Nintendo DS) - 138,500
10. Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games (Sega, Nintendo DS) - 133,000

In terms of revenue, the Xbox 360 version of Harmonix's Rock Band (PS2, PS3, X360) was the month's top performer, bringing in over $30 million thanks to... Read more

This week's update for the PlayStation 3's online PlayStation Store brings the latest DLC for Harmonix's Rock Band (PS3, X360), as well as a pair of new demos.

This week's previously announced Rock Band content hit the PlayStation Store today, and includes master recordings of "Complete Control" by the Clash, "Truth Hits Everybody" by the Police and the Ramones' "Teenage Lobotomy". All songs are up for purchase at $1.99 per download, or $5.49 for the pack.

A demo of SCEA's baseball sim MLB 08: The Show (PS2, PS3, PSP) has also been added to PlayStation Store as a free download. Moreover, a demo of Interlink's quirky, rhythmic Patapon (PSP) is now available. Scheduled for a February 26 retail release, Patapon can be downloaded via the PlayStation 3 or the PlayStation Store for PC, and transferred to a Memory Stick Duo for play on the PSP.

And finally, Incognito Entertainment's Twisted Metal: Head On (PSP) is available for purchase on the PlayStation Store for PC, priced at $14.99—five dollars less than the Greatest Hits version of the title on UMD at retail.

Update: Electronic Arts has clarified has that a new Black title is not necessarily in development at this time, as the slide it was mentioned on merely described "past portfolio releases and the pedigree of the studio."

Original Story: Burnout series developer Criterion Games might be working on the second entry in Black, its wildly destructive shooting franchise. Originally released on PlayStation 2 and Xbox in 2006, Black was just recently reissued via the Xbox 360's online Xbox Live Marketplace.

As with the new KOTOR title from BioWare, EA CEO John Riccitiello suggested the existence of a Black sequel during an analyst presentation. One of Riccitiello's slides credited Criterion with Burnout and Black, with the CEO insinuating that the listings denoted new or upcoming releases. EA president Frank Gibeau later confirmed that a new Burnout title is being developed, though he made no mention of Black.

In a recent interview with D+Pad Magazine, Criterion's Craig Sullivan claimed that a new Black title was not in development. "We're honestly not working on [a Black sequel] at the moment," he stated.

That said, Riccitiello's more recent mention of the Black franchise is a curious aside, especially as he was presenting to industry analysts. Shacknews has contacted EA for more information.

The latest issue of Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu reveals several new details concerning Nintendo EAD's Mario Kart Wii including new network functionality, Mii support and more.

Famitsu's report claims that the racer will include 32 courses, split evenly between new additions and remakes of classic courses, according to an IGN translation. Some of these stages will be built around mid-air tricks, a new feature for both karts and bikes that net you a boost in speed when you successfully nail a stunt.

Similar to several Nintendo first-party releases, Mario Kart Wii will allow players to bring their Miis into the game and ride a bike or kart, but the exact implementation of this is yet uncertain.

Beyond the previously announced 12-player online multiplayer, Mario Kart Wii's network functionality will feature downloadable ghost data, allowing gamers to race against the world's top players. Nintendo is also planning on implementing a Mario Kart Channel in the Wii dashboard interface which will operate in a yet unspecified way.

Mario Kart Wii will come bundled with a wheel controller shell for the Wii Remote, and supports motion-based as well as traditional controls. The game is currently scheduled for a worldwide spring release, but Nintendo has not specified an exact date for any territory.

Konami has announced Metal Gear Solid: The Essential Collection for the PlayStation 2, confirming a March 18 release with Shacknews.

Covering the entirety of the series' PSX and PS2 appearances, the collection includes the original Metal Gear Solid and the director's cuts of its PS2 sequels Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance and Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence.

Selling for $29.99--well below the titles' current aftermarket prices--the games will be bundled in a special edition box with new commemorative artwork by series character designer Yoji Shinkawa. The inclusion of Metal Gear Solid marks the first retail release of a PSX title in more than three years.

The original Xbox editions of Team Ninja's action-slasher Ninja Gaiden Black, Firaxis Games' swashbuckling simulator Sid Meier's Pirates!, and Criterion Games' first-person shooter Black will be available for download from the Xbox Live Marketplace beginning Monday, February 11.

Word of the impending releases recently appeared through the online marketplace itself as well as the official Xbox web site.

The three mark the latest additions to the recently launched Xbox Originals program, bringing its selection up to 11 titles. Other Xbox Originals releases include Bungie's Halo, Double Fine's Psychonauts, and Criterion's Burnout 3: Takedown, with each game selling for 1200 Microsoft Points ($15).

VideoGamer.com has all kinds of Tomb Raider: Underworld action, offering a preview, Q&A and video interview.

GameSpot has been updated with a preview of Assassin's Creed: Altair's Chronicles, offering impressions of the Nintendo DS action/adventure game.

This week's PlayStation Store update features new content for Harmonix's Rock Band (X360, PS3), a new demo and the final update of Game Republic's Folklore (PS3).

As announced earlier this week, PS3 Rock Band owners can look forward jamming out with "Siva" by the Smashing Pumpkins, "Working Man" by Rush, and a cover of Coheed and Cambria's "Ten Speed (of God's Blood...)" priced at $1.99 per download.

Folklore fans can savor the title's final downloadable content update with two new add-on packs. "Nightmares" and "Visions of the Tower" each include four additional side quests, an extra Folk to capture and an alternative costume for your heroes. The packs are priced at $3.99 individually, or $5.99 for a bundle.

Finally, a demo for Pivotal Games' Conflict: Denied Ops (PC, PS3, X360) is now on the PlayStation Network for free download. A PC version of the demo was released late last week and is available for download at FileShack.

Over at GameSpot you can find a preview of Destroy All Humans! Big Willy Unleashed, the Wii exclusive action game from Sandblast and THQ.

Hudson Soft has unveiled a handful of new screenshots for its upcoming sports waggle-fest Deca Sports (Wii). Announced in early January, Deca Sports packs ten events into a single title, including badminton, archery, figure skating, curling and more. Deca Sports is set to launch this summer.

The Sega Master System is the next console to be represented in the Wii's Virtual Console lineup beginning in February, IT Media reports.

The first two Master System titles to make the leap are Sega's Fantasy Zone and Fist of the North Star, both released in North America for the Master System in 1986. Fist of the North Star was originally localized under the name Black Belt.

Both titles will be made available on the Japanese Virtual Console in February for 500 yen a piece, with overseas releases likely to follow soon thereafter.

Publisher JoWooD just sent over the first trailer for the Wii edition of Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None, which highlights developer AWE Games' exploration of the system's adventure gaming capabilities.

The mystery-packed title hits Europe on February 8, with the North American release following February 25.

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Hexus has a brief Jumper Q&A, asking Brash Entertainment people about their movie based game coming to XBox 360, Wii and PlayStation 2.

The Walt Disney World resort is currently testing the use of the Nintendo DS as a Wi-Fi-enabled interactive guide, map and informational tool for guests attending the park.

Initial details of the program were provided through members of WDWMagic via an instructional pamphlet, which is mirrored here.

WDWMagic poster SewIn2Disney recently participated in the testing phase and brought back several more details, including word that the software is distributed on large cartridges that surround the bottom of the DS with padding. SewIn2Disney also discussed the path-finding feature of the software, which helps people find the fastest route to a specified location.

This lastest non-traditional application of the DS comes as part of Nintendo's recently announced intention to expand the handheld's practical, non-gaming functionality. Previously, Nintendo had introduced tour guide service for the DS in certain Japanese museums as well as Seattle's Safeco Field, where fans equipped with a DS can use the portable system to watch replays, order food and drinks, and browse scores and trivia.

Nintendo was reached for comment, but has not responded as of this writing.

Despite the modern real-time strategy game being heavily defined by Techno Soft's Genesis game Herzog Zwei, most console takes on the genre have been considerably less than successful, mainly due to the control differences between a cursor-driven mouse and a directional analog stick.

Hellbent Games is trying to be an exception to that general rule with its upcoming Xbox 360 version of Gas Powered Games' large-scale sci-fi RTS, Supreme Commander. I got a demonstration of and some hands-on time with the game this week, and am happy to report that it seems to be a step in the right direction--primarily because of a feature that remains largely unchanged from the PC version: strategic zoom.

Supreme Commander players get accustomed to traveling from point A to point B not by scrolling the screen or navigating a minimap, but by zooming out to strategic view then zooming in on the desired location. This mechanic, which uses the left analog stick for panning and the right analog stick to control zoom level, feels completely at home on the Xbox 360, and addresses what is my biggest complaint about most console RTS games: the sluggishness involved with navigating the battlefield.
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Demos of Propaganda Games' Turok (PC, PS3, X360) and EA Canada's FIFA Street 3 (PS3, X360, NDS) can now be downloaded from the PlayStation 3's online PlayStation Store.

Two original games, Tori-Emaki (PS3) and Mesmerize: Trace (PS3), were added today as well. Both require the PlayStation Eye camera and sell for $1.99. Also among the new additions is a $12.99 bundle containing Bluepoint Games'... Read more

Sega today released a few more screenshots for the Secret Level-developed Iron Man game, a tie-in product with the upcoming Robert Downey Jr. movie.

You'll have to wait a while to judge whether this one has a heart, or is all hollow. The game will be released in the second quarter of this year, presumably alongside the movie.

A demo for the FIFA Street 3 can now be found on the Xbox Live Marketplace. The 293mb demo for the arcade soccer game allows you to play a 5 minute match between Brazil and England. FIFA Street 3 retails February 18 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo DS.

Nintendo of America has announced its partial software lineup for the first half of 2008, which includes a handful of firm release dates for titles whose release windows had been previously unknown.

For the Wii, Nintendo lists the recently delayed Super Smash Bros. Brawl for March 9, as well as a spring release window for both Nintendo EAD's Mario Kart Wii and TT Games' LEGO Indiana Jones. Ready at Dawn's port of Clover Studios Okami and Artepiazza's Opoona are both scheduled to hit retail shelves on March 25, with Nintendo's Wii Fit is slated for a release in the second quarter of 2008.

On the DS side of things, Ubisoft Montreal's Assassin's Creed: Altair's Chronicles will be released in February. Team Ninja's Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword will be available on March 25, and Destineer's Homie Rollerz, perhaps the most thrilling mention among the lineup, will drop on February 5.

For more details and dates, feel free to scope out full Wii list and the whole DS list.