Direct2Drive puts up their Defense Grid, prints money

by: Randy - posted: 3/23/2009 11:46:00 PM

As Direct2Drive's top 10 sales for the week of March 15 - 21 prove, tower defense games are all the hotness.  Well, if you put it on sale for $10, that is.  And with that sale, Defense Grid: The Awakening pushed its way to the number one spot last week, edging out Command & Conquer Red Alert 3: Uprising.  Another oldie but goodie that moved into the number six spot was Rome: Total War Gold Edition.  But my biggest (and most pleasant) surprise on this list was The Path coming in at number eight.  The Path is a modernized tale of psychological horror that might've once gone by the name of Little Red Riding Hood.  Developed by Tale of Tales, these are the same folks that put together the brilliantly understated The Graveyard.  I'm looking forward to traversing The Path myself.  Here's the full list:

1. Defense Grid: The Awakenening
2. Command and Conquer Red Alert 3: Uprising
3. Tom Clancy's HAWX
4. Men of War
5. Empire: Total War
6. Rome: Total War Gold Edition
7. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II
8. The Path
9. World in Conflict: Soviet Assault Expansion
10. Final Fantasy XI Vana'diel Collection 2008

Its refreshing to see a list (any list) that doesn't regurgitate the NPD's same-old list-toppers every week.  Can you remember any week since 2005 where a game with the name "Warcraft" or "The Sims" didn't own half the chart anyway?  For comparison's sake, let's look at the top 10 PC games for the week ending Feb. 21 -- and remember that the NPD doesn't (currently) measure digital download sales; they measure retail only:

1. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II
2. World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
3. The Sims 2 Double Deluxe
4. The Sims 2 Deluxe
5. Spore
6. World of Warcraft: Battle Chest
7. World of Warcraft
8. FEAR 2: Project Origin
9. The Sims 2 Apartment Life Expansion
10. Crysis Warhead

I rest my case, Your Honor.