UK Top 40: Rayman Origins, LOTR: War in the North disappoint

By Tom Phillips Published 28 November, 2011

While Modern Warfare 3 wins third week top.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has won a third week atop of the UK all format charts, while several other major launches suffered.

Bloody co-op RPG Lord of the Rings: War in the North could only muster a 38th place entry, while Ubisoft's cel-shaded platformer Rayman: Origins failed to chart altogether.

Rayman arrived 23rd in the full price Wii-specific listing, above fellow freshman Kirby's Adventure Wii, left to suck up a meagre 25th place Wii-specific finish.

Last week's other launches - WWE '12 and the new Professor Layton DS puzzler, Spectre's Call - fared better, charting sixth and seventh in the main chart, respectively.

This left the week's top five largely unchanged, with Assassin's Creed: Revelations, Saint's Row, Skyrim and FIFA 12 again filling out the top flight.

Just Dance 3, Battlefield 3 and Super Mario 3D Land also held on in the main chart's top ten.

Zelda: Skyward Sword - last week's number seven - slipped to 19th, while Halo remake Combat Evolved: Anniversary dropped from sixth to 21st.

The full chart lies below.

This Week Last Week Title Platform(s)
1 1 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 DS, PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360
2 2 Assassin's Creed: Revelations PC, PS3, Xbox 360
3 4 Saints Row: The Third PC, PS3, Xbox 360
4 3 The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim PC, PS3, Xbox 360
5 5 FIFA 12 PS3, Xbox 360
6 New entry WWE '12 PS3, Xbox 360
7 New entry Professor Layton and the Spectre's Call DS
8 10 Just Dance 3 Wii, Xbox 360
9 8 Battlefield 3 PC, PS3, Xbox 360
10 9 Super Mario 3D Land 3DS
11 11 Need for Speed: The Run PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360
12 18 Moshi Monsters: Moshling Zoo DS
13 20 Mario & Sonic: London 2012 Olympic Games Wii
14 13 Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7 PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360
15 14 Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure 3DS, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360
16 17 Batman: Arkham City PS3, Xbox 360
17 12 Michael Jackson: The Experience DS, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360
18 15 Zumba Fitness Wii, PS3, Xbox 360
19 7 The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Wii
20 16 Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception PS3
21 6 Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Xbox 360
22 19 Forza Motorsport 4 Xbox 360
23 22 Football Manager 2012 PC
24 21 Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn 3DS, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360
25 37 Sonic Generations PS3, Xbox 360
26 29 Cars 2 DS, PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360
27 27 Mario Kart Wii Wii
28 25 Lego Pirates of the Caribbean 3DS, DS, PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360
29 34 Just Dance 2 Wii
30 24 Kinect Sports: Season 2 Xbox 360
31 39 Kinect Disneyland Adventures Xbox 360
32 35 Rage PC, PS3, Xbox 360
33 26 F1 2011 PC, PS3, Xbox 360
34 Re-entry Kinect Sports Xbox 360
35 31 Driver: San Francisco PC, PS3, Xbox 360
36 Re-entry Nintendogs + Cats: Golden Retriever 3DS
37 30 Wii Sports Resort Wii
38 New entry Lord of the Rings: War in the North PC, PS3, Xbox 360
39 36 Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 DS, PC, PS3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360
40 32 PES 2012 PS3, PC, Xbox 360

UKIE Games Charts compiled by GfK Chart-Track.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Phillips

Tom joined Eurogamer in 2010 and has quickly made his mark writing news and columns and coming up with puntastic straplines. Questionable beard. @TomPhillips151 on Twitter.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Phillips archive page.

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Comments (33) Latest comment 6 months ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Sodding_Gamer #1 6 months ago

    This is a shame. Rayman Origins is a brilliant game. Art direction is immense. Makes me angry to see such an uninspirational shooter still top :(

  • metallicorphan #2 6 months ago

    I would say it would be the wrong time to release Skyward Sword with all the other great releases,but the other releases weren't on the Wii so still surprising that that game hasn't done better,if i had a Wii i would certainly pick it up

    As for Halo,on the 360 I have the game but no one else on my friends list is playing and even i am spending all my time on Skyrim(130hrs in)again the wrong time to release i guess,but they couldn't help that with it being the 10th anniversary when it was released

  • N2O1990 #3 6 months ago

    @metallicorphan
    i don't think M$ really care about Halo CEA sales since it just remake and you can just buy the mp maps in XBL marketplace(if you don't want to play SP)

  • LazyNinjaUk #4 6 months ago

    Very disappointed with LOTR, being a fan I was really looking forward to it for a long time. Was expecting better from the guys behind Baldurs Gate. :(

  • Frybird #5 6 months ago

    @Sodding_Gamer
    I agree, altough i still don't understand why Rayman Origins was released in a time with so many AAA titles of other genres, as well as a Jump n Run Juggernaut like Super Mario.

    Sad as it may be, it's no surprise if the game flops. Almost any other release date would've been better. Hell, even if it would've been pushed back to just mid-december it would probably fare better.

  • Acquiescence #6 6 months ago

    So Skyward Sword is officially a flop then? Link doesn't have the sway he once did evidently.

  • God_Octo #7 6 months ago

    I have to admit that I haven't got Rayman yet, having alraedy bought Uncharted 3 and a few Christmas Presents. I might get it for Christmas though, so all will be repaid then. Maybe.

  • Darren #8 6 months ago

    @Acquiescence - I think the sad reality is that many of core gamers who would have bought Skyward Sword have abandoned the Wii and moved onto other systems.

    I'd have done the same myself a couple of years ago if it wasn't for my adoration for the Zelda games. I bought the Wii to play Twilight Princess in widescreen and I kept my console only for Skyward Sword as apart from Kirby's Adventures I haven't bought a game for never mind used my Wii in at least 18 months. There are undoubtedly some fine games on the Wii but they're few and far between. As such I cannot look at my Wii as anything other than a huge disappointment, much as it pains me to admit it. :(

    I really hope the Wii U is much better in terms of core games support otherwise I fear it may be the last Nintendo console I ever buy.

  • Eighthours #9 6 months ago

    Rayman could have done with a less crowded release window. Also, releasing a 2D platformer at full price when you're not Nintendo and hoping to revitalise a series that isn't established on the HD consoles, was a bit of a mistake. Priced more competitively, at say £24.99, this could have done better. I'm sure I'll check it out eventually, though, as it looks wonderful. But likely when it's sub-£20 after Christmas!

  • coolbritannia #10 6 months ago

    As a non hardcore Zelda fan I think the advertising for this game is terrible. I saw a trailer for what I assumed was an Ocarina remake on TV the other day, but it must have been this.

  • roz123 #11 6 months ago

    The whole of the top 20 are games you expect to sell big (although Saints Row has surprised me and I have no idea what that moshi monsters is) so its hard to tell how well they are really doing without any numbers to back them up

  • PoundHound #12 6 months ago

    I will definitely pick up Rayman at some point. I was going to buy it on Friday, but LOTR got my money instead as it is the kind of game my co-op buddies (i.e. my wife and brother in law) prefer to play.

    LOTR has been taking some amount of stick, but having given it a thorough seeing to over the weekend, I'm very much satisfied with my purchase. I'd recommend it to those who have played and enjoyed the likes of First Templar and Hunted.

    Oh, and Metallicorphan, I noticed this too. I have 64 "friends" and I've not seen one other person playing it.
    Edited by PoundHound at 28/11/11 @ 10:38

  • kobashi #13 6 months ago

    Wii Owners in the UK suck. Zelda doing well in europe, Wii owners here are strange gamers!

    PES is dead in the UK!

    Sad news for Rayman, if this bombs worldwide then the serious rayman games will be dead and Ubisoft will just farm out the rayman party games!

  • landlock #14 6 months ago

    Call me crazy and I know I personally brought it but why did Konami release there Dr Lautrec game the same week as the new Professor Layton game. Seems a weird thing to do.

  • Olemak #15 6 months ago

    I find it very odd that Eurogamer has not reviewed Skylanders. It is a huge hit with kids in my neighbourhood at least. It is already a bit of a sleeper hit, and I am predicting a surge in sales as Christmas shopping picks up. Also, it has some novel ideas such as the portal/figure concept (although the basic gameplay and story is fairly generic, but well made). Not a fan of Activision myself, but I have to admit that the kids love it. Would be interesting to read what a professional reviewer makes of it.

    Seeing as the reader reviews are now nowhere to be found, I can't really make my own review :)

  • kobashi #16 6 months ago

    @landlock

    I never even knew the Konami game was out. any good?

  • benfresh76 #17 6 months ago

    @Acquiescence not necessarily, Nintendo have a history of supporting their titles long after launch, ensuring a much longer shelf life than games from other publishers; Mario kart Wii being still in the charts is a good example.

  • lolercopter #18 6 months ago

    Beyond Good & Evil 2 is not happening then. While I do feel for Rayman Origins, I share no sympathy for Ubisoft's higher-ups and their ludicrous PR. They said the same about the sales of BGE on PS3 and 360, which, by the way, is just 240 points today. You should get it.
    Edited by lolercopter at 28/11/11 @ 11:25

  • OllyJ #19 6 months ago

    Impressed with Saints Row 3 moving up a place.

  • benfresh76 #20 6 months ago

    @lollage what are you talking about? How many other publishers run tv ads for games that are years old?

  • Daeltaja #21 6 months ago

    Overall a shite result for Zeldas 2 weeks on release. I guess it's a more niche title than other Nintendo staples.

    As for Rayman, well, when you release a 2d platformer in a franchise that's trying to find it's way back into the market, at full retail price, you couldn't expect much better. Releasing it digitally may have been a better strategy. It really shows the flaws in the boxed pricing model. I'll pick up a copy, but only once it goes under 29.99.
    Edited by Daeltaja at 28/11/11 @ 12:08

  • skankyjoe #22 6 months ago

    i agree that the decision to launch rayman at full price may have sunk it. Don't laugh but i bought it at full price off PSN because i'd been anticipating it quite a bit, and as great as it is i feel a bit ripped off at that price.i suspect i will only feel stupider when it inevitably drops substantially. Nevertheless, RO is a beautiful game and a breath of fresh air, if only the price were right.

  • BigDannyH #23 6 months ago

    Shame to see Skyward Sword dropping so fast.

    I guess it might pick up a bit closer to Xmas but still surprising.

  • Cjail #24 6 months ago

    If there is no room for a joyful, coloured, light hearted game like Rayman than soon there will be no room for gamers like me either!
    Edited by Cjail at 28/11/11 @ 14:38

  • MrVengeance #25 6 months ago

    Too many great games all released at the same time - do publishers ever learn??

  • Fozzie_bear #26 6 months ago

    Not really a surprise that rayman hasn't sold well. It's this year's enslaved in a way. It can't compete with the big guns and I'd guess that the majority of people interested in it are hanging on for the inevitable price cut to twenty quid that'll come along in a couple of weeks.

  • JayKwon #27 6 months ago

    Why wouldn't you want to pay full price for Rayman Origins? What makes a 2D platformer less worthy of your money then a 3D shooter? Just curious, cause as a recent article stated, the tech, art and graphics are harder and more expensive to make for a 2D game.

    Or is it just because you think it doesn't have enough value compared to other releases?

  • Stomp224 #28 6 months ago

    Wowza, sad to see that Sonic Generations almost dropped off the chart last week, as it really is a brilliant game packed with lots of fan service and great level design.

    I presume the sales bump is from the (unmentioned) 3DS version?

  • zm26 #29 6 months ago

    Post deleted at 13:15:51 16-05-2012

  • Incarta #30 6 months ago

    Now, any other month of the year, I prob' would have got Kirby and Rayman at launch. But I'm behind on everything else! I'll pick them up next year.

    Try releasing in the summer. I had naff all to play then.

  • Fozzie_bear #31 6 months ago

    @JayKwon

    Not saying that it isn't worth paying full price for. Just that some games are just obviously destined to drop in price quickly as they get swamped by the huge titles in the run up to xmas.

    Last year, enslaved was a great game, but it was obviously going to receive a quick price drop. I held off for a few weeks and got it half price. I can just see the same happening here - as can plenty of other people. Why pay 40 quid when you can wait a little while and pay 20?

  • weebl #32 6 months ago

    What makes Rayman any more original than MW3? Sure, it looks great and the 2D nature of the game brings back memories of days gone by, but what more is it doing for its genre than MW3 is for the FPS? The game lacks longevity in the face of MW3 which will still be played in 12-24 months time so surely the 43 quid price tag feels steep to the majority gamers and a 20 pound price would surely have gone down a lot better.

    And I know I'm going to get negged for this, but MW3 is actually a very good game. All critical reviews have shown it. It is only the "elite hardcore" gamers that cut off their nose despite their face. Give it a chance and you too may actually enjoy it.

  • smelly #33 6 months ago

    Shame on the games buying public for not buying Rayman.. And instead buying yet another shooter (yawn!)