FFXII holds off Crackdown

By Robert Purchese Published 27 February, 2007

PS2 exclusive claims top spot.

Two format exclusives have gone head to head in this week's charts - with the ageing PS2 beating the next-gen Xbox 360 to the number one spot.

Square Enix's PlayStation 2 exclusive Final Fantasy XII becomes the fastest-selling title in the series, moving 90,000 units and accounting for 53.5 per cent of all full price PS2 sales in the past week.

Realtime Worlds' Xbox 360 action title Crackdown makes an impressive debut at number two in the All Formats charts, just ahead of EA's ever-present FIFA 07 at three and Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer 6 at four.

Head over to GamesIndustry.biz for the full story.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (55) Latest comment 5 years ago

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

  • Tejstar #1 5 years ago

    Two great games in one week. Playing Crackdown for now though, FF12 will have to wait!

  • kincaide #2 5 years ago

    Crackdown ROCKS

  • Agent_Orange #3 5 years ago

    Think they would have made a crap load more money if they'd released it on other consoles too....

  • Altrezia #4 5 years ago

    FF12 is awesome, that's why!

  • ChrisBen #5 5 years ago

    With PS2's installed base, you'd like to think that FFXII would have enough in its armoury to best Crackdown!

    Still, it's unimportant. Both are great games, and deserve to hog the 1 and 2 spot, whatever the order of appearance.

  • Blerk #6 5 years ago

    Blimey, 90,000 units in one week is a bloody lot for the UK charts! Who said Europeans didn't like RPGs, eh?

  • lambtron #7 5 years ago

    Wow you mean one of the world's most successful franchises on the platform with the biggest install base outsold an unestablished franchise on a platform with one tenth the install base.

    Whodathunkit...

  • asphaltcowboy #8 5 years ago

    Well done Real Time Worlds! Crackdown is teh acez0rs!

  • Tonka #9 5 years ago

    It's not the RPGs that sell. It's FF

  • SomaticSense #10 5 years ago

    Crackdown is a great game, but I'm so glad to see FFXII get the No 1 spot. Given the state of the UK charts for the past few months I wasn't expecting a JRPG (even if it is the historically high selling FF) at No 1 (My copy arrived this morning, but I'm having to finish Zelda and Okami first before I dedicate myself to it).

    Hopefully now the people who have bought FFXII for the FF name actually enjoy it, and then go and buy Okami.

  • RedPanda #11 5 years ago

    Post deleted at 14:31:59 28-01-2012

  • brooza #12 5 years ago

    Wonga, it's the same for me

  • Dizzy #13 5 years ago

    Crackdown really deserves that number 2 spot. Pretty amazing game. Good job Realtime Worlds.

  • barabbas #14 5 years ago

    Here are the actual charts that neither EG nor GI.biz want to link to.

  • Overlush #15 5 years ago

    Crackdown is amazing. The Agency SUV on max driving skill and jumping around on max agility skill put any activities that GTA offers to shame.

    Who needs a story when you can leap over buildings in one go, kick cars over and equip yourself with the mother of all rocket launchers :)

  • Pirotic #16 5 years ago

    well deserved, if little britain was at number one this month I would have given up on gaming ;)

  • alimokrane #17 5 years ago

    Oh Thank God some people here in the UK do still have taste. Glad to see both FF and Crackdown on the top spots, both games are fantastic!

  • dirigiblebill #18 5 years ago

    W00t!

  • kissthestick #19 5 years ago

    damn, too many people bought into the crackdown hype :(

  • asphaltcowboy #20 5 years ago

    "damn, too many people bought into the crackdown hype :("

    Not really, since we bought it and it's brilliant!

  • Killerbee #21 5 years ago

    Got FFXII on Friday, but to my shame I haven't even put it in the PS2 for a look yet.

    Mind you, I'm not far off the end (I think) of Zelda - just done the Twilight Palace - so hopefully once that's done I can start FFXII in earnest.

    /looks guiltily at Okami on "to play" pile...

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #22 5 years ago

    I don't suppose you noticed, but Bad Boys 2 has just entered the top 10 at number 7.

    That's Bad Boys 2, which is currently on sale for 97p in Tescos.

    ... and coincidentally had the same producer as Crackdown (sorry, phil!)

  • Hog-lumps #23 5 years ago



    I don't suppose you noticed, but Bad Boys 2 has just entered the top 10 at number 7.


    I blame Hot Fuzz for this! :)

  • lennon #24 5 years ago

    No suprise I guess. Shame though as Crack down is a better game as far as I am concerned at the minute. I just cant get into FFXII mind you that might be that I would prefer to be firing off rocket launchers and leaping across roof tops than hunting tomato heads at this point so I will reserve judgement till I have had time to play it a bit more.

  • Pooley #25 5 years ago

    Sheep?

  • groovychainsaw #26 5 years ago

    Bought FFXII, but promised myself i would complete okami first. But okami is such a big game!! May take a while. Bought crackdown for short blasts as well, but end up playing for hours. If you have an imagination, crackdown is endless fun. But you have to be prepared to make your own game (mind you, the acheivements go some way to pushing you in the irght direction!!). I was really surprised as to how sophisticated the boss fights start to get once youre off the first island though, there's real strategy in how you access them and take them down.

  • Blerk #27 5 years ago

    Sheep?

    Also 97p in Tesco at the minute.

  • DCrider360 #28 5 years ago

    crackdown is an awesome game, no question, the 360's best release of 07 so far :]

  • JediMasterMalik #29 5 years ago

    Shame on you for buying Crackdown and not Okami. :p

  • BrokenSymmetry #30 5 years ago

    I'm loving Crackdown as well. I even dare say it's the most fun I've ever had in a video game. I played it 12 hours on end, last sunday.

  • ChrisBen #31 5 years ago

    Another plug for Crackdown. I'd argue strongly that it's in the top 5 360 games to-date, even if some of the reviews didn't quite 'get it'. But genius often isn't appreciated in its time!

  • glaeken #32 5 years ago

    Crackdown is brilliant and far from selling on the back of hype it's sold itself on the back of a rather excellent demo.

  • Crea #33 5 years ago

    I wish to join this river of Crackdown praise.

    It's spectacularly good.

  • lefizz #34 5 years ago

    Absolutely loving Crackdown. Its such fun, and the jumping about for agility orbs has an almost Mario 64 sense of fun. Do that for a while then get down to near ground level for more traditional GTa style mayhem. Utterly absorbing and the way you can approach the Bosses in so many different way is brilliant. The only issue i have is he fact i have got through 2 gangs in just 5 plays. But then once you have cleared area you still have to go back to area to do races, find orbs etc.

    Utterly compellting stuff, probably my favourite 360 games since Obvilion. I hope it sells by the bucketload. Also i like the fact you are playing the part of a Hero, makes it a) less imoral and b) more strategic since just can just blow the shit out off everything. This becoms more important once you level up your explosive skills.

    I have to say i havent really used the driving much just use it as a way of travelling long distances. Jumping about is just too much fun.

    Phil

  • Zane #35 5 years ago

    I bought FFXII and Crackdown, both were worthy of that top spot. 2 very awesome games for what normally is a slow period for AAA releases. I'm too addicted to FFXII to play Crackdown too much atm though.

  • TONYgr #36 5 years ago

    A perfect month for PS-2!OKAMI,FF12 AND GODHAND!And CRACKDOWN is the first of many great games to come to 360 this year!mass effect,forza 2,halo 3,virtua tennis 3,gta 4,virtua fighter 5!

  • Feanor #37 5 years ago

    It's no wonder Konami are so damn lazy at improving PES. It sells by the truckload as it is, so why try harder.

  • captainrentboy #38 5 years ago

    Crackdown supporter here, absolutely loving it even though I tend to hate these 'sandbox' type games, this one is just sooo much fun and so open right from the off. Played for about 6 hours and totally finished the first island, going on to the next one seems like a quite a big ramp up in difficulty mind, the new bosses and their minions are right bastards.

  • mike_mgoblue #39 5 years ago

    Watch the excellent MUSIC VIDEO about the disappointing life of the Playstation 3:

    http://www .youtube.com/watch?v=R98qC0fd_1w

  • MasterGrief #40 5 years ago

    Hey Michael Zoran why does it say here you work for Microsoft ?

    [link url=http://msdn.microsoft.com/chats/transc ripts/enterprise/windows_011404.aspx
    ]http://ms dn.microsoft.com/chats/transcri...[/link]


    Not that it means anything... just wondering :)

  • GordonJ@work #41 5 years ago

    Both great games, I bought and finished FFXII last year so it's not cutting into my Crackdown time :)

  • TheJanitor #42 5 years ago

    what's crapdown doing on the top? stop buying sh**

  • mike_mgoblue #43 5 years ago

    Response to MasterGrief:

    MasterGrief, you made a comment, located four comments above this one. I would like to reply to what you had to say.

    First, yes, it seems that my name is Michael Zoran, just like this other person who works for Microsoft...

    Second, I would like to point out that there are times in life when people have the same name!

    Third, I went to school with THREE guys named Michael Smith, two girls named Jennifer Johnson, and two guys named Paul Brown!

    Fourth, Microsoft has over 72,000 employees across the world.

    Fifth, the name "Zoran" is actually one of the most common names for people overseas in the areas of Hungary, Serbia, and other areas of that region.

    Sixth, the name "Michael" is one of the most common names for people in virtually every part of the world.

    Seventh, my middle name is Wayne. If that guy also has that name, then I will CRAP MY PANTS!!!

    But, take a look at this website; it is awesome because it sings a song and shows a music video about all of Sony's mistakes and it points out the fact that the Wii and the Xbox 360 have completely taken advantage of the FACT that Sony’s unlimited number of mistakes has killed the Playstation brand-name, just like IGN said.

    http://www .youtube.com/watch?v=R98qC0fd_1w
    Edited by 6 at 27/02/07 @ 19:11

  • Scimarad #44 5 years ago

    It's soooo nice to see a JRPG at the top of the charts - Maybe there is hope for the world!

    Oh, and cheers for trying to insert some PS3 bashing in to the thread you fanboy twat...I was just thinking: "You know what I could do with? Some brainless tosser posting some more idiotic crap about a console they have no interest in besides as a target. We just don't get enough of that at the moment.."
    Edited by 1 at 27/02/07 @ 19:07

  • effinwooly #45 5 years ago

    crackdown is amazing ! deserved !

  • dredd97 #46 5 years ago

    hey mike_mgoblue

    shame on you for trying to hijack a thread about two great games just so you can have a pop at a console you don't want, or intend to buy..

    and you claim not to work for microsoft???

  • _Price_ #47 5 years ago

    Its just nice to see two decent games at the top of the chart rather than Need For Speed, Fifa Street et al.

    Fair enough, a 'GTA-clone' (well, more like 'GTA-Spiderman 2-Mercenaries-Hulk: Ultimate Destruction clone) and the twelfth (or eleventh / thirteenth / fourteenth / fifteenth / whatever, depending upon who you ask) game in a franchise might not be entirely the right direction to be pushing in but at least its a good start.

  • CitizenGeek #48 5 years ago

    FFXII is brilliant! Well deserved number 1 spot. Can any other JRPG top the charts in the UK?

  • Blerk #49 5 years ago

    No.

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #50 5 years ago

    Probably not even FFXIII, the way the PS3 is going...

    (ho-ho, back to the fanboy-baiting)

  • mike_mgoblue #51 5 years ago

    Final Fantasy XIII will end up being released for the Xbox 360.

    Final Fantasy XIII is actually being developed for the Xbox 360, RIGHT NOW!!! But the developers can't "officially" say so, because of licensing restrictions that they originally signed with Sony.

    This is the same thing that happened with "Mercenaries 2," which has now been announced for the Xbox 360...and the same thing with Assassins Creed, Fight Night Round 3 (which was released nearly a year first for the Xbox 360 even though it was originally announced as exclusive to the Playstation 3), Unreal Tournament 3, which we now know will be released first for the Xbox 360 and the PC, and then for the Playstation 3.

    So...I can tell you that reliable sources have confirmed that Final Fantasy XIII and Metal Gear Solid are in development for the Xbox 360...but they just haven't been "officially" announced yet.

    The poor sales of the Playstation 3 in Japan are one of the reasons why SquareEnix decided to also develop FF XIII for the Xbox 360...that is the same reason why Sega decided to release Virtua Fighter 5 in Japan, too.

    The second reason is because Blue Dragon has greatly increased the popularity of the Xbox 360 in Japan. Sales of the Xbox 360 when Blue Dragon was released actually outsold the Playstation 3 that week by 3,000 systems!

    The popularity of the Xbox 360 in Japan will also greatly increase when Lost Odyssey is released shortly.

    Perhaps most importantly, the worldwide success of the Xbox 360 is the #1 reason why the Xbox 360 is receiving such an incredible amount of third party supporty...that, along with its excellent development environment that is easy for game programmers to make games on.

    The important thing is that Xbox 360 has the largest quantity of high-quality games available for any system...many of which are now Platinum Hits or Best-Sellers that have had their prices reduced to $29.99.

  • mike_mgoblue #52 5 years ago

    If you have been following the world of videogaming over the last 1.5 years, then you will really appreciate the website hyperlink at the bottom of this post: it is awesome because it sings a song and shows a music video about all of Sony's mistakes and it points out the fact that the Wii and the Xbox 360 have completely taken advantage of the fact that Sony’s unlimited number of mistakes has killed the Playstation brand-name, just like IGN said.

    http://www .youtube.com/watch?v=R98qC0fd_1w

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #53 5 years ago

    Wow, I didn't expect my fanboy-baiting to net a rabid Xbox360 fanboy!

    Mr Zoran, you are seriously deluded if you believe that Square Enix are developing secretly for 360. If anything, the virtually-zero sales of FFXI will likely have put them off.

    Xbox 360 pretty much does not exist in japan unless (a) a developer is being paid directly by MS to make a 360 game (Mistwalker) or (b) the publisher intends a title to net large sales in the US and Europe (Capcom).

  • Scimarad #54 5 years ago

    Never has an Ignore been so well-earned, Mikey!

  • mike_mgoblue #55 5 years ago

    Hey, Metalist (air),

    I am going to take the time to reply to what you had to say.

    First, take a look at the games currently in development at SquareEnix. There are MORE Xbox 360 games currently in development at SquareEnix than their are Playstation 3 games!!!

    Second, when the Playstation 3 launched in Japan, it only sold 87,000 systems that week. Microsoft deliberately scheduled the "relaunch" of the Xbox 360 in Japan for that week, when the finally released the Core system in Japan, and packed the game called Blue Dragon with it. Blue Dragon is developed by the man who created the Final Fantasy series, and he is a legendary Japanese game developer. When Blue Dragon was released, 90,000 people bought the Xbox 360 system!

    During the next two weeks, the Playstation 3 sold only 40,000 more systems. Microsoft was able to ship 35,000 more Xbox 360 systems packed with Blue Dragon. Also, a huge percentage of the Xbox 360 owners in Japan purchased the game Blue Dragon; that is why it was a best-seller.

    Third, in case you haven't been looking at sales figures, the Playstation 3 is selling VERY poorly in BOTH North America AND Japan!!!

    The Playstation 3 is sitting on store shelves collecting dust in BOTH of those sales markets!!!

    In fact, the Playstation 3 is doing even worse in Japan, because in Japan the retailers are allowed to lower the prices if they want to; the Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price policies are not as strict in Japan. Many retailers have lowered the price of the 20GB Playstation 3 to only $329, which is $100 less expensive than the $429 that it launched with (which was $70 less expensive than the $499 that it sells for in North America).

    Even at a price of only $329, the Playstation 3 does not sell in Japan; it sits there on store shelves collecting dust!!!

    The Xbox 360 has had quite a few games in the best-seller Japanese lists, recently. Games like Blue Dragon, Gears of War, and Lost Planet have been very popular in Japan. And that is amazing, because third-person shooters traditionally have not been popular genres in Japan...but when the software is as GREAT and FUNT TO PLAY as what is offered in Gears of War and Lost Planet, then strong sales are obviously going to occur.

    Finally, do you realize that Sega said that Virtua Fighter 5 was an exclusive game for the Playstation 3. Sega said that because they felt the Playstation 3 would be most popular in Japan, and Sega was fully aware of the fact that the Virtua Fighter series is much more popular in Japan than it is in any other market.

    The reason Sega decided to bring Virtua Fighter 5 to the Xbox 360 was not just because of the far superior worldwide sales of the Xbox 360; it was because of the very poor sales of the Playstation 3, especially in Japan! Thus, Sega decided to do the smart thing from a business point of view, and they decided to release Virtua Fighter 5 for the Xbox 360, too...and the Xbox 360 will get a better version! The PS3 version was based on the "b" arcade version, while the Xbox 360 version is based on the "c" arcade version, and the Xbox 360 version will include online play, which the Playstation 3 doesn't.

    SquareEnix considered those same things. Playstation 3 has sold very poorly in all parts of the world, including Japan. That is one of the three reasons why they will also release Final Fantasy XIII for the Xbox 360. The second reason is because of the strong worldwide sales of the Xbox 360. The third reason is particularly because of the much improved Xbox 360 sales in Japan, ever since the release of Blue Dragon, Gears of War, and Lost Planet. W

    ith Lost Odyssey soon to be released, and Biohazard 5 (called Resident Evil 5 here) is also due to be released sometime in 2008, similar to FFXIII, then you can see why Square Enix believe the popularity of the Xbox 360 will continue to grow in Japan...but the worldwide sales are what primarily has the attention of SquareEnix. That is why they have more games in development for the Xbox 360 than they do for the Playstation 3, just like how IGN pointed out that the Xbox 360 has always had more third-party support from North American and European third-party developers, but at this point in time the Xbox 360 now has more Japanese third-party support than the PS3, even from companies like Capcom, Konami, Namco and SquareEnix.