The NPD Groupss August findings paint a somber picture of the gaming industry. Total retail sales fell 20% year over year, while non-PC hardware in particular tanked nearly 40%. This downward trend is similar to the findings published about the month of July. The rest of report is detailed below... AUGUST 2012 US GAME SALESThe following represent the overall sales in U.S. dollars.[*]Total retail sales: $515.6 million (-20%) [*]Non-PC hardware: $150.6 million (-39%) [*]Non-PC software: $237.7 million (-9%) [*]Accessories: $127.3 million (-7%) [*]Total software: $252.8 million (-11%) TOP 10 GAMES FOR AUGUST 2012Title (Platforms) - Publisher1. Darksiders II (X360, PS3, PC) - THQ 2. New Super Mario Bros. 2 (3DS) - Nintendo 3. Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance (3DS) - Square Enix 4. NCAA Football 13 (X360, PS3) - Electronic Arts 5. LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (X360, Wii, 3DS, DS, PS3, PS Vita, PC) - Warner Bros. Interactive 6. Sleeping Dogs (X360, PS3) - Square Enix 7. Transformers: Fall of Cybertron (X360, PS3) - Activision Blizzard 8. Batman: Arkham City (X360, PS3, PC) - Warner Bros. Interactive 9. Call of Duty: Black Ops (X360, PS3, PC, DS, Wii) - Activision Blizzard 10. The Amazing Spider-Man (X360, PS3, DS, 3DS, Wii) - Activision Blizzard The console wars continue with the Xbox 360 leading the sales pack with 193,000 units; a figure that has slowed as consumers begin to anticipate the next generation of gaming consoles. Click here to view the article