The market's a little slower than it was last week, which is not really surprising following last week’s half-term 99p PC Software retail promotions. Total software units sold were down 11% on last week, but value is only down 4% on last week – due to the cheap-as-chips PC games almost-give aways.
Electronic Arts' sublime first-person shooter BLACK and Codemasters' superlative all-round racer TOCA Race Driver 3 storm to the top of the All Formats charts as supplied by ChartTrack, taking numbers one and two respectively. Finally, it feels like the year is beginning. BLACK, by the way, is EA’s first all formats number one based on a new intellectual property since Dungeon Keeper, way back in 1997, which is good news, of sorts.
EA’s Need for Speed: Most Wanted hangs in there at the number three slot, whilst LucasArts' Star Wars: Empire at War on PC drops three places from two down to five.
It's a shame to see the innovative and beautiful-looking Shadow of the Colossus fall from the number one slot it occupied for one week only, the game dropping to number four this week. It seems that, even with all of Sony’s marketing might behind it, that it couldn’t hold on to the top slot for a second week running.
There is a somewhat depressing lesson for videogame publishers to learn here, we suppose, which is: ‘innovation is good provided it's backed by a multi-million pound marketing campaign, but massive guns and fast cars always win out in the end’.
On that slightly depressing note, let's have a look at what else is new in this week’s chart. Codemasters have the only other new entry in the top 40, with their PC massively multiplayer online Sci Fi/Fantasy shindig, Rising Force Online (RF Online) which debuts at number 18. Err, that's all folks.
Electronic Arts' sublime first-person shooter BLACK and Codemasters' superlative all-round racer TOCA Race Driver 3 storm to the top of the All Formats charts as supplied by ChartTrack, taking numbers one and two respectively. Finally, it feels like the year is beginning. BLACK, by the way, is EA’s first all formats number one based on a new intellectual property since Dungeon Keeper, way back in 1997, which is good news, of sorts.
EA’s Need for Speed: Most Wanted hangs in there at the number three slot, whilst LucasArts' Star Wars: Empire at War on PC drops three places from two down to five.
It's a shame to see the innovative and beautiful-looking Shadow of the Colossus fall from the number one slot it occupied for one week only, the game dropping to number four this week. It seems that, even with all of Sony’s marketing might behind it, that it couldn’t hold on to the top slot for a second week running.
There is a somewhat depressing lesson for videogame publishers to learn here, we suppose, which is: ‘innovation is good provided it's backed by a multi-million pound marketing campaign, but massive guns and fast cars always win out in the end’.
On that slightly depressing note, let's have a look at what else is new in this week’s chart. Codemasters have the only other new entry in the top 40, with their PC massively multiplayer online Sci Fi/Fantasy shindig, Rising Force Online (RF Online) which debuts at number 18. Err, that's all folks.
Companies:
Codemasters Electronic Arts LucasArts SCEE
Games: BLACK Rising Force Online Shadow of the Colossus Star Wars: Empire at War TOCA Race Driver 3
Games: BLACK Rising Force Online Shadow of the Colossus Star Wars: Empire at War TOCA Race Driver 3
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Comments
Joji 28 Feb 2006 22:59
1/3
You know if EA pulled their fingers out more and made more original games like Black we'd all be a lot happier. They are lucky Criterion are a talented bunch.
Now just keep that better balance of original and licensed product and things will move forward for EA.
Now just keep that better balance of original and licensed product and things will move forward for EA.
config 1 Mar 2006 10:03
2/3
I've just played the first three missions of BLACK, and to be honest it reminds me of Killzone. A lot.
Now, Killzone got alomost universally panned because of its linearity, plodding narrative, repetative gameplay and (OMG!) lack of a "jump" action.
All of these apply to BLACK, with the exception that you can blow s**t up. As spectacular as these explosions and DIY demolitions are, and as beautiful as the graphics are, it isn't a world apart from Killzone
How come BLACK hasn't be poorly recieved by the critics?
Now, Killzone got alomost universally panned because of its linearity, plodding narrative, repetative gameplay and (OMG!) lack of a "jump" action.
All of these apply to BLACK, with the exception that you can blow s**t up. As spectacular as these explosions and DIY demolitions are, and as beautiful as the graphics are, it isn't a world apart from Killzone
How come BLACK hasn't be poorly recieved by the critics?
LUPOS 1 Mar 2006 14:03
3/3
config wrote:
How come BLACK hasn't be poorly recieved by the critics?
a) cause they are shmucks
b) cause people where expecting killzone to be sony's halo killer... all people where expecting from black is burnout with guns instead of cars... and best i can tell that delivered that... maybe it isnt burnout takedown... but its atleast as good as criterions first car crashing game... so if they stay true to form black 3 (:HeadShot?) should be one of the best shooters ever ;)
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