Back in August, sales tracking firms The NPD Group, GfK Chart-Track Limited and Enterbrain, formed an alliance to release video game software sales data on a global basis in a report dubbed Top Global Markets. The research covers three of the leading markets in the industry, namely North America, Europe and Japan. The latest edition of the report was released today, detailing the top-selling titles in all three regions during third-quarter 2008.

Overall, the industry experienced a 1 percent growth during the three months ending September. UK software sales were up 15 percent in total, with console software specifically up 26 percent. Portable software, however, was down 1 percent.

The United States experienced growth on a more balanced scale. Console software sales went up 6 percent, while the portable sector rose by 10 percent, with total growth pegged at 8 percent. Sales were up over last year, in which the U.S. experienced 5 percent total growth.

In Japan, sales took a hit in both categories, accounting for a 21 percent decline overall. Console software sales dropped by 33 percent, while portable software fell by 13 percent. These figures are in stark contrast to last year, in which the Japanese market saw a 27 percent increase in growth.

The five top-selling video game titles of Q3 2008, as shown above, were Madden NFL ‘09, Wii Fit, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Pokemon Platinum, and Mario Kart Wii. more »

To the delight of many, Criterion Games announced earlier last week that it is continuing its support of Burnout Paradise through 2009 with an all-new party mode. Complementing that announcement is the addition of legendary cars, a series of futuristic-like vehicles sporting several exotic modifications.

Criterion lifted the wraps on the first legendary vehicle today, a modified version of the Jansen P12, featuring hover capabilities and a boost trigger that leaves a series of flame trails behind the car’s back end.

Dubbed the Jansen 88 Special, this the first of four legendary cars due out next year at a PlayStation Store and Xbox Live Marketplace near you. Each car will be offered as paid downloadable content, although pricing details were not revealed as part of the announcement.

Criterion Announces Burnout Paradise Legendary Cars [Criterion]

Yes, those smoothing screen filters in SEGA’s recently announced Mega Drive Collection for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 are a huge turn off for some. Thankfully, that artificial upscaling technique can be enabled or disabled at will, according to SEGA UK spokesperson Martin Snelling:

I’ve had confirmation that the filter can indeed be switched off.

To top it all off, games in the compilation automatically display at whatever aspect ratio your console is set at. In 16:9 mode, no black bars will be shown, with the full width and height of the screen being taken advantage of. Retro fans can now breathe a sigh of relief.

Mega Drive Collection filter can be turned off, say Sega [RPGSite]

As previous reports have indicated, publisher Atari officially announced today that it is handling marketing and distribution duties for Ghostbusters: The Video Game.

Rights to the video game adaptation of Ivan Reitman’s 1984 hit were previously held by Activision Blizzard, which sold off numerous licensed properties following the announcement of its product realignment plan last July. more »

The weekly PlayStation Store update is here, bringing with it the arrival of Qore episode six, which promises to give folks “an exclusive peek” at Home. For those looking to dress up their Sackboy, both the Halloween Mask and Spaceman costumes are available for free as part of a limited time promotion this week. Additionally, playable demos for NCAA Basketball 09 and Metal Gear Solid 4 are up. We’re not completely sure why Konami decided to release a demo of Solid Snake’s finale this late. Perhaps to entice holiday shoppers?

In addition to a NARUTO: Ultimate Ninja content pack, rounding out this week’s round of updates is a free “Enlistment Pack” for Tom Clancy’s EndWar, along with the usual selection of Rock Band and Guitar Hero World Tour tracks. Sadly, the recently launched PSP store is completely void of any new additions this week. Hit the jump for the complete list of offerings. more »

The wait is nearly over. Electronic Arts announced today that DICE’s long awaited first-person action platformer Mirror’s Edge has gone gold. In case you haven’t already, be sure to check out the playable demo available on PSN and XBLM.

For those unfamiliar with the game, Mirror’s Edge is a unique first-person action adventure where players are introduced to Faith, a ‘runner’ in a world where communication channels are highly monitored and the movement of information is closely watched. When Faith’s sister gets framed for murder, Faith finds herself on the edge of the city, on the wrong side of the law.

Winner of this year’s Game Critics Award for “Best Original Game” at E3, Mirror’s Edge ships to retailers worldwide on November 11 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. A PC release is scheduled to hit within the coming months.

Electronic Arts sends over an all-new The Godfather II trailer, highlighting the game’s melee combat system. Sit back and watch as mob soldier Dominic Corleone inflicts bodily harm in a number of painful ways to those who oppose him. You’ll see him bash skulls, as well as snap legs, arms, and the occasional neck.

The Godfather II is slated for a February 2009 debut on PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.

Want to relieve your childhood years on PS3 and Xbox 360? SEGA today announced that it is releasing a complication consisting of first-party titles from the company’s 16-bit years. Due out in early 2009, The Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection packs 40 classics one on disc, including Sonic the Hedgehog 1, 2 and 3, Columns, Alien Storm, Ecco the Dolphin, Space Harrier, and the entire Streets of Rage series.

“SEGA Mega Drive Ultimate Collection is a must-have for any SEGA enthusiast,” commented Gary Knight, European Marketing Director for SEGA Europe. “Fans will get a chance to relive fond memories from these classic games in HD format.”

Filter enhanced screenshots are after the jump.

SEGA Mega Drive Ultimate Collection Screenshots

Bethesda Softworks proudly announced today that its post-apocalyptic RPG Fallout 3, released October 28 in North America, has shipped 4.7 million units on a worldwide basis as of last week for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.

Nice to see it doing well. Do keep in mind these are shipped figures, though we can’t imagine the number of total copies sold is trailing too far behind. Full release after the break. more »

Yep folks, you read that right. Invites to phase two of the ongoing Killzone 2 beta are being sent out today on a global basis, including North America and Europe. And we received one! The demo weighs in at a paltry 459MB and Sony has setup a forum asking for player feedback based on a wide range of gameplay aspects, namely controls, weapons and clan tournaments.

That’s all we can say right now. Testers have been asked to keep gameplay impressions to the Killzone 2 beta site only.