UK Charts: Brian Lara not out at 1

By Games Industry.biz Published 31 August, 2005

Wanted: new cricket puns. Cos we're, er, stumped.

Codemasters has continued its unprecedented run of success with cricket title Brian Lara International Cricket 2005, with the game boosting its sales once more this week to secure the number one place for the fourth time.

Sales of the title rose 35 per cent week on week as England won a highly publicised victory in the 4th test match of the Ashes series, giving Brian Lara a comfortable lead at number one with over twice the sales of the number two title.

The number two title in question was Activision's movie license Madagascar, which has proved to be the licensed hit of the summer - outselling rivals such as Take 2's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Activision's own Fantastic 4.

After a very quiet month for new releases, UK retail finally got some new boxes to put on its shelves last week, and three new games entered the top 40 chart - with the top-ranked being Ubisoft's latest Tom Clancy title, Ghost Recon 2: Summit Strike, which entered the chart at number three.

Further down the chart, Capcom's Resident Evil Outbreak File #2 debuted at number 15, while Sega's Super Monkey Ball Deluxe was the other new release to enter the ranking, just behind it at number 16.

Back in the top ten, strong retailer promotion saw THQ's Destroy all Humans and Eidos' Lego Star Wars both climbing strongly, with the THQ title up six places to number four and the Traveller's Tales developed Lego Star Wars up seven places to number five.

This week, of course, sees the launch of the PlayStation Portable across Europe, and the charts for the week are likely to reflect that strongly - with the top launch titles almost certainly set to make a significant dent in the all-formats ranking.

It's not just the PSP hitting shelves, though; Novalogic's Delta Force: Black Hawk Down is out on Xbox and PS2, THQ's MotoGP 3 arrives on Xbox and PC, and Microsoft's Dungeon Siege II is out on PC.

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Comments (24) Latest comment 6 years ago

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

  • deaner #1 7 years ago

    I'm bowled over. A fourth term at #1 just isn't cricket. But it's a good innings. And no-one likes to see a good match abandoned. I hear some people want to Boycott the game. Because it did better than Batsman begins. Which didn't have a good run. Lords!

  • Fozzie_bear #2 7 years ago

    A cricket game? No 1? Howzat? Who'd have expected so many people to run out and get it? Just passed me bye. Apparently sales would have been even better but loads of orders from a well respected online offshore outlet were lost because of bad weather - rain stopped Play.

  • deaner #3 7 years ago

    Fozzie_bear: "...rain stopped Play."

    Awesome!

  • Fozzie_bear #4 7 years ago

    That's how you come up with the great puns.... ignoring conventional Wisden.

  • deaner #5 7 years ago

    Ahh. Thinking outside the (cricket) box!

  • sonmi451 #6 7 years ago

    it ain't over till the fat man spins

  • Fozzie_bear #7 7 years ago

    I think you've confused "pun master" with "knob end" there.

  • Fozzie_bear #8 7 years ago

    I am the zing master!

  • meepster2312 #9 7 years ago

    I could have Warned you what would happen if you ask people for rubbish puns. They need boundaries, not encouragment.

  • TimN #10 7 years ago

    Have you used the term 'wicket' game before?

  • Bru-Man #11 7 years ago

    Punnage of this poor quality makes me CRICKET in embarrasment.

    Hmm, I don't think I've got the hang of this...

  • Whizzo #12 7 years ago

    I doubt the Wisden in asking for cricketing puns.

  • Mint #13 7 years ago

    I like the Wisden puns, I'd never of thought of those.

    /Notices Wisden 2003 at on book shelf, at eye level, 6 inches away from face.

    /Feel's like a complete scrotum.

  • Lost_in_Darkness #14 7 years ago

    Man, i hate uk casual gamers. They know fuck all. I'm not talking specifically about brian lara cricket, that may be a decent game (i don't know)....but everything else on the charts is just god damn pitiful. madagascar; what the fuck is that still doing there?
    Plus the countless other garbage that regularly gets to number 1 every week is just not right. I hate uk casuals.

  • Clive_Dunn #15 7 years ago

    I suspect Lost In Darkness is actually Ricky Ponting.

  • Ceatlan #16 7 years ago

    I'm amazed Lego Star Wars has been this succesful, since nowhere in my area ever has a copy in stock. The number of times I've been in a shop on a Saturday or Sunday and thought bugger it I'm gonna finally buy that copy of Lego Star Wars, only to find nowhere has a copy. Sure I've seen it around on a few occasions, but those occasions have never coincided with one of the many sudden impulses to buy it.

    I finally got round to ordering it off the net instead this week :-)

  • kincaide #17 7 years ago

    I think Brian Lara's success was given a nice boost this week by GAME selling it for £19.99 as their deal of the week (Lego Star Wars was in that deall too). It pushed me over the edge, and I bought it this week - and I admit I love it (but then I loved the PSone game)

  • OldWormsFan #18 7 years ago

    Heres the chart lads......

    01 [01] Brian Lara International Cricket 2005
    02 [02] Madagascar
    03 [ - ] Ghost Recon 2: Summit Strike
    04 [10] Destroy All Humans!
    05 [12] Lego Star Wars
    06 [04] Juiced
    07 [08] Medal Of Honor: European Assault
    08 [03] Fantastic 4
    09 [13] Sonic 3D
    10 [06] Charlie And The Chocolate Factory
    11 [17] Championship Manager 5
    12 [09] Pro Evolution Soccer 4
    13 [05] Cricket 2005
    14 [07] Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
    15 [ - ] Resident Evil: Outbreak File #2
    16 [ - ] Super Monkey Ball Deluxe
    17 [15] Battlefield 2
    18 [16] The Simpsons: Hit & Run
    19 [14] Need For Speed: Underground 2
    20 [11] Worms 4: Mayhem
    21 [18] The Incredibles
    22 [23] Football Manager 2005
    23 [19] Simpsons: Road Rage
    24 [ - ] Microsoft Flight Simulator 98
    25 [ - ] Big Mutha Truckers
    26 [21] Star Wars Ep III: Revenge Of The Sith
    27 [33] Spider-Man 2
    28 [32] The Sims 2
    29 [28] The Sims 2: University
    30 [25] Tekken 5
    31 [29] Half-Life 2
    32 [26] Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
    33 [30] FIFA 2005
    34 [24] Star Wars: Battlefront
    35 [31] The Urbz: Sims In The City
    36 [ - ] FIFA Street
    37 [27] God Of War
    38 [34] GoldenEye: Rogue Agent
    39 [36] Guild Wars
    40 [40] Sonic Heroes

  • Donglebomb #19 7 years ago

    That's a truly dismal chart.

    18 [16] The Simpsons: Hit & Run
    23 [19] Simpsons: Road Rage

    WHY ARE THEY STILL HERE?!?

    25 [ - ] Big Mutha Truckers

    Let me try the puns! Let's see: you'd have to be a big motherfucker to buy this.

  • deaner #20 7 years ago

    Half of what's in that chart is there purely because it's on sale for less than £20 and has premium POS space in Game.

  • deaner #21 7 years ago

    OldWormsFan: "05 [12] Lego Star Wars"

    "Lego Star Wars makers reap awards
    (Thursday, 1 September 2005, 11:14 GMT 12:14 UK)

    The developers behind number one Lego Star Wars title, Traveller's Tales, picked up three prizes at the Developers' Industry Excellence awards.

    It was named most improved studio, and won best independent developer and best use of a licence, a new award.

    Other winners on Wednesday included SCi, named publishing hero, and Creative Assembly took the Grand Prix award for its Total War franchise.

    The coveted awards in London are dubbed the "Oscars" of the gaming industry."

  • Feanor #22 7 years ago

    I don't think the chart is so bad. Out of the top 20 I think 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 11, 12, 14, 16, 17 and 18 are all pretty good or great games.

  • GTBurns #23 7 years ago

    /would add to the mass punnage but feels like he's coming in to bat on a somewhat a sticky wicket

  • sonmi451 #24 6 years ago

    Codies?!? Crick on PSP?

    would be lovely thank you.