Bookies now taking bets on Xmas No. 1

By Ellie Gibson Published 9 October, 2009

Mod War and Ass Creed sequels favourite.

Bookmaker Paddy Power is now taking bets on the game which will top the all-formats chart this Christmas.

At the time of writing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was the favourite, with odds of 6/5. Assassin's Creed II is next up at 7/2, followed by Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (9/2).

The least likely contenders are SmackDown vs. RAW 2010 and SAW: The Videogame, both at 150/1.

Looks like another COD Christmas then, unless there are any to-be-announced surprises we don't know about. Cliff Richard's Christmas Millennium Family Party Wii, anyone?

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (35) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Masterless #1 2 years ago

    Odds of 6/5? I'll be putting a tenner on that. I'll need the money for christmas pressies. I may even have enough left over for a deposit on a house.

  • muscleblade #2 2 years ago

    Both AC2 and MW2 are must buys for me. Im also getting L4D2, Brutal Legend and Borderlands.

  • LazyDan #3 2 years ago

    Mario & Sonic and Modern Warfare 2 will blatantly be #1 and #2... I reckon Mario and Sonic will take it.

  • StooMonster #4 2 years ago

    Does Cliff Richard's Christmas Millennium Family Party Wii come with it's own mic, or can I use the one from High School Musical Wii?

  • Xerx3s #5 2 years ago

    I doubt it. COD6 will be on 3 platforms by then. There is a reason that COD4 still sells for near full price these days.

  • Xerx3s #6 2 years ago

    Lol GT5 is there as well. Perhaps somebody should tell them that it won't be in the shops.

  • solidSnake04 #7 2 years ago

    FIFA 10 ? doesnt it always sells like hot cakes ? and FIFA is usually on every platform you can possibly think of. I remember that Need 4 Speed used to be Xmas number 1...or was it just a sales record breaker in some other way ?

  • Toothball #8 2 years ago

    I expect since the music chart Christmas number one isn't at all interesting any more they're branching out into other charts.

  • Bongo #9 2 years ago

    Mario & Sonic got the Christmas no.1 last time it was out (and it took a big jump in the last week to get there). It's the perfect choice for gamers buying gifts for their family who have a Wii and they want to play something bearable on Christmas Day rather than Scrabble.
    It was 12-1 when the odds came out so clearly a lot of people think the same if it's dropped to 5-1 after a day.

  • mingster #10 2 years ago

    It will be MW2 definately...
    on pre-orders alone its already gonna fly straight into no.1

  • Burkey123 #11 2 years ago

    Without a doubt, it's going to be MW2.

  • hiddenranbir #12 2 years ago

    Ass Creed will lose to Mod WAR. WAR! It has guns! Pew pew pew!

  • swissorc #13 2 years ago

    RABicle interesting or even Wii Fit Plus. It's better because it has plus in the title :-)

  • paulf #14 2 years ago

    @mingster woudlnt those preorders count for sales in the week it is out though not at xmas

    anyway the only way it's not gonna be xmas no1 is if everyone who's gonna get it gets it on launch day

  • Shadders #15 2 years ago

    I can't see beyond Mario and Sonic personally, it's hitting Wii and DS so has a huge install base to aim at, and it's the sort of game that shops will stick in console bundles.

  • Beek4257 #16 2 years ago

    Cliff R ... what now? Stop putting ideas in his head!
    And here <a href=http://www.eur ogamer.net/articles/u2-keen-to-appear-in-own-rock-band-game/ comments?comment_start=0>some of us</a> thought Rock Band: U2 was a bad idea ...

  • RobotRocker #17 2 years ago

    Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games did massive amounts so Winter Olympics has got a very good chance going of the massive success of that. Plus the money Sega and Nintendo are pumping into marketing will make sure people will know about it. Plus MW2's ridiculous £55 price point and I can see the Wii taking it again. IMO I would go for

    1. Mario And Sonic at the Winter Games
    2. FIFA 10
    3. The Beatles: Rock Band (Its going to make a huge surge back in at Christmas. Particularly on the Wii)
    4. Call of Duty: Modern Warefare 2 (Unless Tesco/Asda slash the price. Its got no chance at No.1)
    5. Need For Speed: Shift
    6. Assassins Creed 2
    7. Forza Motorsport 3 (Gonna be a huge system Seller for Microsoft this year)
    8. Tekken 6
    9. Lego Rock Band (Its gonna pick up off the back of Beatles RB plus the Lego licence will easily smoke Band Hero)
    10. Uncharted 2 (Sonys System Seller. Probably not as much as they will hope though)

    Brutal Legend might be up there but it would depend how well its marketed and how much sales travel from October. It seems like an instant hardcore pick up though.
    Edited by 1 at 09/10/09 @ 10:36

  • penhalion #18 2 years ago

    Everyone place a large bet on SAW and then we all go out buy it and collect a fortune! Isn't that what the internets is for?

  • Fletche #19 2 years ago

    So nobody thinks NSMB is going to make an impression?

  • roz123 #20 2 years ago

    Proffesor Layton 2, New Super Mario Bros Wii and Wii Fit pllus are all sequals to BIG sellers, so i would be surprised if they are not up there.

  • Benno #21 2 years ago

    I would bet on WAR, but the odds have moved to 11/10 now, so not going to bother

  • rashes #22 2 years ago

    I think NFS: Shift is a good outsider. Anybody know what the last 2/3 years no. 1s were?

  • bodypopper #23 2 years ago

    I forsee a sales boost for the new PS3 this Chrimbo and lots of take up of MW2, Uncharted 2 and FIFA 10 as a result.
    MW2 FTW though.

  • Invisible_Cow #24 2 years ago

    MW2 will clearly be the best-selling game on the PS3 and 360, but don't rule out the Nintentards. Lots of kids\parents have Wiis and DSs, and will be getting their annual games haul; it was impossible to get hold of the original Professor Layton last Christmas. Plus, there's always a rip-off Sims add-on that does well (though I don't know whether PC is included in their chart).
    Sounds like one I might take a punt on, anyway.

  • RobotRocker #25 2 years ago

    @ rashes

    Heres the last few up to 2002

    2008: FIFA 09
    2007: Call of Duty 4
    2006: FIFA 07
    2005: Need For Speed: Most Wanted
    2004: Need For Speed: Underground 2
    2003: Medal of Honor: Rising Sun
    2002: GTA: Vice City

  • Bongo #26 2 years ago

    Mario and Sonic was at the top last year, wasn't it?

  • Runcle #27 2 years ago

    I remember fifa being top last year. I'm not sure it will do it again this year with many people getting copies over the launche weekend.

  • RobotRocker #28 2 years ago

    FIFA topped the charts as a lot of places slashed the prices on it just before Christmas as well.

    Mario And Sonic at the Olympic Games was the overall best selling game of 2008 (Though that counted the DS version that was released later too)

  • TheJuriel #29 2 years ago

    Duh. Modern Warfare 2 it is.

    I really like what I'm seeing of AC2, and will wait for Bad Company 2 rather than Modern Warfare (yay, destructible environment), but... I don't think AC2 has quite the mass appeal as just shooting people.

  • slimspudly #30 2 years ago

    pah people saying that COD MW 2 wont be number one are talking NONSENSE!

    despite the damn right outrageous price tag activision are giving it people will pay the price for it. the franchise has a HUGE following and the marketing around crimbo time on the telly will guarentee it a no 1 position. however mario and sonic, AC 2 and FIFA 10 will give it a run for its money
    top 10 will look like this
    1-MW2
    2-AC 2
    3-Mario and Sonic At The Winter Olympics
    4-Wii Fit Plus
    5-Left 4 Dead 2
    6-New Super Mario Bros Wii
    7-Uncharted 2 - WILL SELL BY THE BUCKET LOAD NEXT WEEKEND
    8-Forza 3
    9-Halo 3 ODST
    10-DJ Hero

  • webcider #31 2 years ago

    Personally i know two people who wont buying COD 6 but did buy COD 4.

    However these two people also own Killzone 2 which is clearly a better more advanced shooter than COD 6 ever can dream to be. Yes i said it... flag me as a fan boy i guess i deserve that, but i won't turn my respons down i see it as the truth in anycase :)

  • stoopidgreg #32 2 years ago

    isn't MW2 supposed to be the biggest selling game evar? i guess who gets the xmas #1 all depends on release date.

  • wez_316 #33 2 years ago

    Christmas No. 1 is kind of meaningless for games seeing as hardly anything releases within a month of Christmas anyway. Zelda: Spirit Tracks should be number 1 by rights come Christmas because it's release is very close to Christmas and it will oh so definitely be an awesome game.

    I doubt it will be number 1 though in reality... but it would be nice!

    My bets are on MW2 of course. It's bound to be Christmas number 1 because a lot of people wanting to buy it for others at Christmas will be waiting on it to drop in price before they buy it. When they realise that it's still £45 on Christmas week there will be plenty of last minute buys.

  • bratmandu #34 2 years ago

    Is anyone actually going to put any money on that at all.

    at 6/5 a tenner would get you only £12 surely?

    If they're actually taking real bets then it might be worth a couple of hundred to make 40 quid. Maybe.

  • icematt12 #35 2 years ago

    I could probably create a game myself in time for a christmas release that has more chance of being a No.1 than Mario and Sonic. IW are going to create an amasing gameplay experience, even if people don't agree with the network side of things.