The NPD Group has sent us its video game sales data for the month of July, and once again the U.S. games industry put together a fantastic month, as total industry sales reached $1.19 billion (up 28 percent). Year-to-date the industry now stands at $9.47 billion, which represents a 35 percent jump.

Software sales in July grew 41 percent to $591.1 million, while hardware sales grew 17 percent to $446.9 million. Sales of accessories increased 19 percent to $149.1 million.

On the hardware front, Nintendo's DS and Wii once again dominated. Here's how it breaks down:

Nintendo DS: 608.4K units
Wii: 555K units
PS3: 224.9K units
PSP: 221.7K units
Xbox 360: 204.8K units
PS2: 155.5K units

As for software, EA's NCAA Football 09 (on 360) edged out Nintendo's Wii Fit by nearly 30K units. Wii Play made its usual top 10 showing (tied to new Wii hardware purchases most likely) and Namco Bandai's Soulcalibur IV had a respectable showing in its first month with about 375K units sold across both Xbox 360 and PS3.

Here's the full top 10 chart (ranked by units sold):

1. NCAA Football 09 - Xbox 360 – EA – 397.6K
2. Wii Fit - Wii – Nintendo – 369.6K
3. Guitar Hero: On Tour - DS – Activision – 309.7K
4. Wii Play w/ remote - Wii – Nintendo – 284K
5. NCAA Football 09 - PS3 – EA – 242.5K
6. Soulcalibur IV - Xbox 360 – Namco Bandai – 218.9K
7. Mario Kart w/ wheel - Wii – Nintendo – 174.5K
8. Rock Band Special Ed. Bundle - Wii – MTV Games/EA – 165.8K
9. Soulcalibur IV - PS3 – Namco Bandai – 155.8K
10. Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution - Xbox 360 – Take-Two – 147.6K

* Note: chart includes CE, GOTY editions, bundles, etc. but not those bundled with hardware

Next page: additional commentary from NPD analyst Anita Frazier

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