Overall US videogame sales were up 33 percent in March, according to the NPD Group, as game software sales beat analyst expectations with a 15 percent year-over-year rise; market bows down to the God of War.

Overall March 2007 game sales (including hardware, software and accessories) were $1.1 billion versus $818 million a year prior. Videogame software sales were $574 million last month compared to $501 million.

Analysts expected a relative flat year-over-year comparison for March.

Console hardware surged 93 percent to $257 million on the back of the Wii and continuing PS2 sales. Portable hardware grew 33 percent to $114 million. Overall hardware generated $370 million, up 69 percent.

Game accessories were up 48 percent to $145 million.

Hardware:

The DS continued its rampage with 508K hardware units sold during the month, with the nearest competitor being the PS2, which sold 280K in March.

The newer Wii made an impressive appearance despite supply issues, selling 259K last month in hardware. Xbox 360 sold 199K, PS3 sold 130K and PSP sold 180K. Game Boy Advance still has staying power with 148K sold in the US.

Software:

On the software front, God of War II climbed its way to the top of the charts with 833K units, taking advantage of the huge PS2 user base. Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 for Xbox 360 was a distant second with 394K sold while Guitar Hero II for Xbox 360 sold 291K coming in third.

Four of the top 10 games were for Xbox 360, two were for PS2, two were for DS, one was for Wii (Wii Play w/ Remote with 273K) and one for PS3 (MotorStorm, 199K).

In less than one month, God of War II became the best-selling title of the January-March quarter.