UK Charts: All is Not Quite Lost
As Easter approaches let's hope games can rise again.
There are four new entries in the game-tastic All Formats Top 10 this week folks. Leading these up is the TV tie-in Lost: The Video Game from Ubisoft at Number 3. Having played some of Lost: The Video Game opinion is split at SPOnG's underwater castle.
While some of us are addicted to the complex plot lines and charismatic characters of the TV show it is tied-in with, others are appalled by the tedious plot lines and clichéd characters of the TV show it is tied-in with... as for the game itself, we are of one mind: it should never have been found in the first place.
So, what of the other noob games? Well, Frontlines: Fuel Of War enables 63 of your mates - and you - to battle for oil in the middle east. We're pleased to see a game eschewing the whole wet, liberal, lefty, pinko, 'is war for oil a moral war' bunch of nonsense. So, it's encouraging that FFOW like the Marines, hits the charts fast and hard at Number 4. Oooh-Rah!
The next bright new kid to have its head flushed in the bogs by the many (many) old timers in the Top 10 comes in the form of Xbox 360 exclusive Lost Odyssey from Mistwalker. That studio is the brainchild of Final Fantasy guru, Hironobu Sakaguchi. Mistwalker also brought the Europeanly unappreciated Blue Dragon into the world.
The final new entrant to the Top 10 comes in with a great deal of heritage so probably won't be bullied by the likes of Mario & Sonic (Number 1), the dear old Dr Kawashima (Numbers 2 and 7), FIFA in the form of 'street' soccer (Number 11) and a constantly evolving PES (Number 9). Yes, it's The Sims 2: Freetime.
So, with the Easter holiday - traditionally the second most sales-productive (see, we can make business bullshit up too) after Christmas - approaching faster than Sonic the Hedgepig at the Olympic games, we could probably be better spending our time looking to the future.
Next week we have... Condemned 2, Ferrari Challenge: Trofeo Pirelli, Turning Point: Fall of Liberty and No More Heroes all ready and waiting to make their chart debuts.
You can read the full Top 40 right here.
The Top 10
(1) 1 Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games SEGA
(3) 2 Dr Kawashima's Brain Training Nintendo
(NE) 3 Lost: The Video Game Ubisoft
(NE) 4 Frontlines: Fuel Of War THQ
(2) 5 Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Activision
(NE) 6 Lost Odyssey Microsoft
(15) 7 More Brain Training From Dr Kawashima Nintendo
(11) 8 FIFA Street 3 Electronic Arts
(27) 9 Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 Konami
(NE) 10 The Sims 2: Freetime Electronic Arts
While some of us are addicted to the complex plot lines and charismatic characters of the TV show it is tied-in with, others are appalled by the tedious plot lines and clichéd characters of the TV show it is tied-in with... as for the game itself, we are of one mind: it should never have been found in the first place.
So, what of the other noob games? Well, Frontlines: Fuel Of War enables 63 of your mates - and you - to battle for oil in the middle east. We're pleased to see a game eschewing the whole wet, liberal, lefty, pinko, 'is war for oil a moral war' bunch of nonsense. So, it's encouraging that FFOW like the Marines, hits the charts fast and hard at Number 4. Oooh-Rah!
The next bright new kid to have its head flushed in the bogs by the many (many) old timers in the Top 10 comes in the form of Xbox 360 exclusive Lost Odyssey from Mistwalker. That studio is the brainchild of Final Fantasy guru, Hironobu Sakaguchi. Mistwalker also brought the Europeanly unappreciated Blue Dragon into the world.
The final new entrant to the Top 10 comes in with a great deal of heritage so probably won't be bullied by the likes of Mario & Sonic (Number 1), the dear old Dr Kawashima (Numbers 2 and 7), FIFA in the form of 'street' soccer (Number 11) and a constantly evolving PES (Number 9). Yes, it's The Sims 2: Freetime.
So, with the Easter holiday - traditionally the second most sales-productive (see, we can make business bullshit up too) after Christmas - approaching faster than Sonic the Hedgepig at the Olympic games, we could probably be better spending our time looking to the future.
Next week we have... Condemned 2, Ferrari Challenge: Trofeo Pirelli, Turning Point: Fall of Liberty and No More Heroes all ready and waiting to make their chart debuts.
You can read the full Top 40 right here.
The Top 10
(1) 1 Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games SEGA
(3) 2 Dr Kawashima's Brain Training Nintendo
(NE) 3 Lost: The Video Game Ubisoft
(NE) 4 Frontlines: Fuel Of War THQ
(2) 5 Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Activision
(NE) 6 Lost Odyssey Microsoft
(15) 7 More Brain Training From Dr Kawashima Nintendo
(11) 8 FIFA Street 3 Electronic Arts
(27) 9 Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 Konami
(NE) 10 The Sims 2: Freetime Electronic Arts
Games:
Frontlines: Fuel of War Lost
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Comments
SuperSaiyan4 4 Mar 2008 12:03
1/5
And no PS3 exclusive in that list what a surprise...
TimSpong 4 Mar 2008 12:11
2/5
SuperSaiyan4 wrote:
And no PS3 exclusive in that list what a surprise...
SS4,
I know you're a helpful, friendly sort... but please...
...please, please stop condemning yourself to requests for banning and accusations that you're plain and monotonously dull.
I suggest that from now one you start posts with a "Standard Response" followed by a number take from the following:
1) Microsoft would do it better.
2) Microsoft has more of it.
3) The Xbox 360 is the most powerful.
4) The PS3 is simply a Blu-ray drive.
5) That game was/is/will be better on the Xbox 360.
6) This isn't relevant to the Xbox 360.
7) This game/chart/bloke is not PS3-exclusive.
So, for example:
"Dear SPOnG and fellow readers: Standard SS4 Responses 1 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 7
Now as far as I can see the charts are dull right now...
...lots of larks, SS4
"
You can put the Standard Response details into your signature maybe? Then new readers will know your opinions as a priori.
Then you can get straight on with writing some new - and often interesting - insights.
Cheers
Tim
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Horatio 4 Mar 2008 13:18
3/5
Tim Smith wrote:
Then you can get straight on with writing some new - and often interesting - insights
Eh? When did that happen? I can't recall one time when I have read anything either insightful or interesting from SuperSaiyan4, I was starting to wonder if they were a real person or not, I figured maybe you had an AI lab in the castle somewhere that had written a bot to post to the forum whenver a story was failing to get much feedback :-)
And I thought you said you didn't swear down in your Underwater Castle?
"see, we can make business bullshit up too"
Sadly however. I have to agree with SS4, to make a better story, it probably would be good for Spong to tell its readers that the PS3 has no exclusives - since you made the point anyway about the 360 having an exclusive in Lost Odyssey.
The weekly charts are a curious news item, don't you think? I personally look forward to seeing them, in much the same way as I still enjoy listening to the top 40 singles countdown each week. I think it's worth reporting when Nintendo and Sega land a top spot for yet another week (what is it 4 in total now, 3 of those in a row?)
If I didn't know better, I would think Spong is starting to feel a little too cynical about the games industry and it's charts?
TimSpong 4 Mar 2008 13:28
4/5
Horatio wrote:
I figured maybe you had an AI lab in the castle somewhere that had written a bot to post to the forum whenver a story was failing to get much feedback :-)
I cannot comment on rumour or speculation. I can, however, confirm that SS4 is a real, not-SPOnG-created person.
Horatio wrote:
And I thought you said you didn't swear down in your Underwater Castle?
"see, we can make business bullshit up too"
"see, we can make business bullshit up too"
I never said we never swear in the Underwater Castle. Swearing is a part of the language. It's just more encouraging when it's used in an 'appropriate' place.
Horatio wrote:
Sadly however. I have to agree with SS4, to make a better story, it probably would be good for Spong to tell its readers that the PS3 has no exclusives - since you made the point anyway about the 360 having an exclusive in Lost Odyssey.
Okay, point taken. My fault on that one.
Horatio wrote:
The weekly charts are a curious news item, don't you think?... I think it's worth reporting when Nintendo and Sega land a top spot for yet another week (what is it 4 in total now, 3 of those in a row?)
Curious - yes. We are actually looking to extend our analysis of the Charts from next week. So, what kind of thing would you like to see covered?
Horatio wrote:
If I didn't know better, I would think Spong is starting to feel a little too cynical about the games industry and it's charts?
No, I've just got a cold today. Point noted though.
Cheers
Tim
Horatio 4 Mar 2008 14:02
5/5
Tim Smith wrote:
Horatio wrote:
Sadly however. I have to agree with SS4, to make a better story, it probably would be good for Spong to tell its readers that the PS3 has no exclusives - since you made the point anyway about the 360 having an exclusive in Lost Odyssey.
Okay, point taken. My fault on that one.
Yes! You won't be making that mistake again!! Erm, sorry, lost myself there.
Tim Smith wrote:
Horatio wrote:
The weekly charts are a curious news item, don't you think?... I think it's worth reporting when Nintendo and Sega land a top spot for yet another week (what is it 4 in total now, 3 of those in a row?)
Curious - yes. We are actually looking to extend our analysis of the Charts from next week. So, what kind of thing would you like to see covered?
I'm not sure how you would extend the chart coverage beyond spouting lots of stats and do Charttrack even give you those figures? I think having a news items with more facts though is a worthy aim - keep the good humour, but let us know which are the star platforms for the week for software sales (DS or Wii for M&SatOGs for example) and tell us when a game is particularly stand-out for any reason.
I like how you give us factoids about the games themselves too, I had no idea about the 64 player mp for Frontlines, even though I've glanced through several reviews.
Tim Smith wrote:
Horatio wrote:
If I didn't know better, I would think Spong is starting to feel a little too cynical about the games industry and it's charts?
No, I've just got a cold today. Point noted though.
How did you catch a cold in the castle? Surely contact with the outside world is kept to a minimum and the air circulated down there is too stale for a proper illness? You're lying to us aren't you? Come on, was it the pop last night? :-)
Cheers
Tim