It's the week before Christmas and it's looking very much like we've already got a Christmas Number 1 on our hands with Activision's Call of Duty: World at War. That, and a Number 2 with Nintendo's Mario Kart Wii and a Number 3 with EA's FIFA 09.
All three titles are non-movers from last week; with nothing of note coming out this close to Christmas, it's likely to take a major marketing kick to disrupt that trinity. Maybe it's time to get down to the bookie's after all.
Mario Kart Wii is 27,000 sales behind Call of Duty, making it a massive uphill climb for Nintendo if it wants to earn its first Xmas Number 1 since Zelda: Ocarina Of Time on the N64 10 years ago. If Activision Blizzard does hold steady, it will record the longest run-in to Christmas at Number 1 with six consecutive weeks at the top.
Sales throughout the Top 6 are fairly even, meaning a 3% climb for Need for Speed Undercover and a 3% drop for Nintendo's Brain Training is enough to see them trade places. NFS is now at Number 4, while Brain Training sits at Number 5.
Nintendo still has an impressive four titles in the Top 10, with Wii Play climbing two places to Number 7 (with a 16% jump in sales) and Wii Fit holding steady at Number 8.
Activision Blizzard's Guitar Hero World Tour has a strong showing, up 16% in sales and one place to Number 9, while Eidos's Tomb Raider Underworld is teetering on the edge of the Top 10, down from Number 6 to Number 10.
As you'd expect at this time of year, there are no new entries in the Top 40, but there is some substantial movement further down the Charts.
SEGA's Sonic Unleashed takes a huge leap from Number 33 to Number 12 (+87%), with Activision Blizzard's Quantum of Solace just behind it. The Bond tie-in climbs from Number 27 to Number 13 (+53%).
LittleBigPlanet also sees a substantial leap, jumping from Number 29 to Number 16 – one place above Gears of War 2. That's also enough to put it at the head of the PS3 Chart, above CoD: World at War.
Ubisoft's Prince of Persia sees a jump in its second week but is still under-performing having climbed from Number 30 to Number 20.
Next week... we won't try to kid you, there's sod all coming out. Rock Band: AC DC Live will probably make an appearance, but expect it to be more of a Guns for Hire than a Heatseeker
You can see the Top 10 below (last week's positions are in brackets) while the full Top 40 can be found here.
(1) - 1 - Call of Duty: World at War - ActiBlizz
(2) - 2 - Mario Kart Wii - Nintendo
(3) - 3 - FIFA ‘09 - EA
(5) - 4 - Need For Speed: Undercover - EA
(4) - 5 - Dr Kawashima's Brain Training - Nintendo
(7) - 6 - Fallout 3 - Bethesda
(9) - 7 - Wii Play - Nintendo
(8) - 8 - Wii Fit - Nintendo
(10) - 9 - Guitar Hero: World Tour - ActiBlizz
(6) - 10 - Tomb Raider: Underworld - Eidos
All three titles are non-movers from last week; with nothing of note coming out this close to Christmas, it's likely to take a major marketing kick to disrupt that trinity. Maybe it's time to get down to the bookie's after all.
Mario Kart Wii is 27,000 sales behind Call of Duty, making it a massive uphill climb for Nintendo if it wants to earn its first Xmas Number 1 since Zelda: Ocarina Of Time on the N64 10 years ago. If Activision Blizzard does hold steady, it will record the longest run-in to Christmas at Number 1 with six consecutive weeks at the top.
Sales throughout the Top 6 are fairly even, meaning a 3% climb for Need for Speed Undercover and a 3% drop for Nintendo's Brain Training is enough to see them trade places. NFS is now at Number 4, while Brain Training sits at Number 5.
Nintendo still has an impressive four titles in the Top 10, with Wii Play climbing two places to Number 7 (with a 16% jump in sales) and Wii Fit holding steady at Number 8.
Activision Blizzard's Guitar Hero World Tour has a strong showing, up 16% in sales and one place to Number 9, while Eidos's Tomb Raider Underworld is teetering on the edge of the Top 10, down from Number 6 to Number 10.
As you'd expect at this time of year, there are no new entries in the Top 40, but there is some substantial movement further down the Charts.
SEGA's Sonic Unleashed takes a huge leap from Number 33 to Number 12 (+87%), with Activision Blizzard's Quantum of Solace just behind it. The Bond tie-in climbs from Number 27 to Number 13 (+53%).
LittleBigPlanet also sees a substantial leap, jumping from Number 29 to Number 16 – one place above Gears of War 2. That's also enough to put it at the head of the PS3 Chart, above CoD: World at War.
Ubisoft's Prince of Persia sees a jump in its second week but is still under-performing having climbed from Number 30 to Number 20.
Next week... we won't try to kid you, there's sod all coming out. Rock Band: AC DC Live will probably make an appearance, but expect it to be more of a Guns for Hire than a Heatseeker
You can see the Top 10 below (last week's positions are in brackets) while the full Top 40 can be found here.
(1) - 1 - Call of Duty: World at War - ActiBlizz
(2) - 2 - Mario Kart Wii - Nintendo
(3) - 3 - FIFA ‘09 - EA
(5) - 4 - Need For Speed: Undercover - EA
(4) - 5 - Dr Kawashima's Brain Training - Nintendo
(7) - 6 - Fallout 3 - Bethesda
(9) - 7 - Wii Play - Nintendo
(8) - 8 - Wii Fit - Nintendo
(10) - 9 - Guitar Hero: World Tour - ActiBlizz
(6) - 10 - Tomb Raider: Underworld - Eidos
Companies:
Activision Blizzard Electronic Arts Nintendo
Games: Call of Duty: World at War Call of Duty: World at War Dr Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain? FIFA 09 Gears of War 2 Guitar Hero World Tour LittleBigPlanet Mario Kart Wii Need For Speed: Undercover Tomb Raider: Underworld Wii Fit
Games: Call of Duty: World at War Call of Duty: World at War Dr Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain? FIFA 09 Gears of War 2 Guitar Hero World Tour LittleBigPlanet Mario Kart Wii Need For Speed: Undercover Tomb Raider: Underworld Wii Fit
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Comments
Wanty 16 Dec 2008 12:49
1/2
Fifa 09 is half price in Gamestation all week this week...might be enough! (it convince me to get it :)
Yenyen 22 May 2012 00:43
2/2
Since the console has been cveerod in other reviews, this one will be a small more in-depth about the controller, and only the controller. I hope it can convince you, because it certainly enhanced my gaming experience. Wow. That's all I had to say after plugging the Wii in at my home on November 19th. After months of waiting, it is finally here, and for once, this game system really met and possibly exceeded my expectations. Know before continuing that I'm not a Nintendo fanboy, I despised the Gamecube, own a PS2 and will be buying an Xbox 360. Well, after buying this, I don't know if i will be needing that 360. The largest thing about the Wii is it's new controller. Instead of the traditional two-handed gamepad with 2-4 buttons and some analog sticks, the Wii's input system is shaped like a TV remote control. It has a couple of buttons on it, but not nearly as many as the average controller. How can you play complex games with such a simple controller? The answer is motion control. The Wii's controller has accelerometers inside of it, allowing it to sense when you wave, swing, punch, stab, or shake. It can also interact with a sensor bar placed on top of the television to make a pointer for the TV. For example, to select a menu option, you just point at the option with the remote and click the A button. This makes a whole new gaming experience. It's like one of those arcade games at the local mall, but it works better, and no more 25 cents per turn! The remote is also very comfortable. For games that would need two analog sticks, such as shooters, there is a connectable perephial with an analog stick and two shoulder buttons, which is called the Nunchuk. In a shooting game, this would handle movement and the remote would handle the aiming. It takes a very small amount of time to get used to, but once you do, it is much more comfortable than the normal controller. You can spread your hands out instead of hunched up, holding your hands together. The Wii Remote is functional, efficient, comfortable, and smart. It is so much better than controllers of the past, and I hope this is a sign of things to come from Nintendo.