UK charts: COD still biggest fish

By Robert Purchese Published 2 December, 2008

Resistance 2 hits, Sonic misses.

The UK all-formats chart has settled into a familiar rhythm after a helter-skelter November, with Call of Duty: World at War top of the pops once more.

Of the new releases this week, the excellent Resistance 2 performed decently - despite the EUK supplier shortages reported by GamesIndustry.biz - and placed at number 10. Sales of the sequel were only two-thirds those of the original game, but there were considerably less shooters (not to mention games) on the PlayStation 3 back then.

Faring much worse was poor old Sonic, who Unleashed himself not into the all-formats top 40, but instead into the Xbox 360 chart at 23 and the Wii chart at 34. He failed to place in either PS3 or PS2 lists.

However, last week's newcomers gained momentum. Need For Speed: Undercover upped a gear to race from five to two, and Tomb Raider: Underworld climbed from nine to seven.

Elsewhere, FIFA 09 was at three, Mario Kart Wii at four, Brain Training at five, PES 2009 at six, Wii Play at eight and Guitar Hero World Tour continued the series' strong sales to stay in at nine.

Lower down the chart, Fallout 3 hopped up 10 places to 13, keeping its radioactive core humming, and last year's Project Gotham Racing 4 gained yet more unexplained momentum to get to 26 - presumably as part of a bargain price deal.

LittleBigPlanet kept on tumbling down to 32, as did Left 4 Dead, which dropped considerably to 34. Both Midnight Club and Mirror's Edge also fell, slipping to 36 and 39, respectively.

Falling off the list this week are Professor Layton and the Curious Village, Saints Row 2 and World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King.

  1. Call of Duty: World at War (PC, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, DS)
  2. Need for Speed Undercover (PC, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii, DS)
  3. FIFA 09 (PC, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii, DS)
  4. Mario Kart Wii (Wii)
  5. Dr Kawashima's Brain Training (DS)
  6. Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 (PC, Xbox 360, PS3)
  7. Tomb Raider: Underworld (PC, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, DS)
  8. Wii Play (Wii)
  9. Guitar Hero: World Tour (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii)
  10. Resistance 2 (PS3)
  11. Wii Music (Wii)
  12. Wii Fit (Wii)
  13. Fallout 3 (PC, Xbox 360, PS3)
  14. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii, DS)
  15. Carnival: Funfair Games (Wii)
  16. LEGO Indiana Jones (PC, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii, DS)
  17. Gears of War 2 (Xbox 360)
  18. Football Manager 2009 (PC, PSP)
  19. Kung Fu Panda (PC, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, DS)
  20. LEGO Batman (PC, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii, DS)
  21. Quantum of Solace (PC, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, DS)
  22. WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PSP, DS, PS2)
  23. Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree (Wii)
  24. SEGA Superstars Tennis (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, DS)
  25. More Brain Training from Dr Kawashima (DS)
  26. Project Gotham Racing 4 (Xbox 360)
  27. Nintendogs: Lab & Friemds (DS)
  28. Far Cry 2 (PC, Xbox 360, PS3)
  29. Guinness World Records: The Videogame (Wii, DS)
  30. WALL-E (PC, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii, DS)
  31. MySims Kingdom (Wii, DS)
  32. LittleBigPlanet (PS3)
  33. High School Musical 3: Senior Year (DS)
  34. Left 4 Dead (PC, Xbox 360)
  35. Fable II (Xbox 360)
  36. Midnight Club: Los Angeles (Xbox 360, PS3)
  37. Tiger Woods PGA Tour '09 (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii)
  38. Shaun White Snowboarding (Xbox 360, PS3, PSP, Wii, DS)
  39. Mirror's Edge (PC, Xbox 360, PS3)
  40. Ben 10: Protector of Earth (Wii, DS, PS2, PSP)

Leisure software charts compiled by Chart Track, ©2008 ELSPA (UK) Ltd.

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 (54) Latest comment 3 years ago

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

  • Steroyd #1 3 years ago

    Who the bloody hell keeps buying NFSU!? >:|

  • the_dudefather #2 3 years ago

    I bought 50,000 copies at the weekend in case any of them break

  • JahB #3 3 years ago

    who the hell keeps buying brain training? is that game like a monthly wow subscription?
    Edited by 1 at 02/12/08 @ 09:17

  • Dizzy #4 3 years ago

    Buy more Left4Dead!

  • Les #5 3 years ago

    "who the hell keeps buying brain training?"

    I suspect one of the reasons the DS carts are so small is that it makes it easier for people to lose them and so that they have to re-buy them.

  • Skywise #6 3 years ago

    shame on Sega for releasing an unending barrage of poor Sonic games, I'm glad the last one bombed at retail

  • Steroyd #7 3 years ago

    Sorry JahB I'm contributing to that because i'm looking for something to help my little Sister with her phonics. :(

  • mfnick #8 3 years ago

    Who the bloody hell keeps buying NFSU!? >:|

    I was thinking that. Especialy with the infinitely superior Midnight Club out.

    In the end though its simple - the licence. All my mates, no matter how casual have heard of & kind of like NFS. None of them were even aware of MC until I told them about it. But i managed to get 3 of them to buy MC instead of NFS this year so im happy.

  • Zachm #9 3 years ago

    "He failed to place in either PS3 or PS2 lists."

    The PS3 version isn't even out yet...

  • Eraysor #10 3 years ago

    Thank god Sonic Unleashed failed to chart, if the next 10 Sonic games also fail Sega might actually decide to fire Sonic Team.

    EDIT: Why is Wii Music at eleven?! >_
    Edited by 1 at 02/12/08 @ 09:47

  • Kyledanutmeg #11 3 years ago

    damn fifa 09 is doing well still
    and yea more left4dead should be that game is brilliant

  • penhalion #12 3 years ago

    I like the fact that people are waking up to the bollocks review scores and simple not buying the games unless thier friends recommend them. So instead of 100,000 people buying a crap game which got high scores. Now only 10,000 buy it and spread the word.

    L4D for instance. It's a good game but, with only 4 chapters and boring weapons, it doesn't last long before you've gotten all you can out of it.

    Resistance 2. After playing through that on the weekend, I spent most of the time cursing the cheapshot enemies like the invisible 1 hit killers or the shield and charge brute look alikes. Don't get me started on the fact that the enemies target only the player and ignore his squadmates. I thought that kind of crap AI went out years ago. If you don't believe me, then try the following. In any town with those skinny converted human creatures, run around a corner and leave your squad to shoot the creatures. They will run straight past your squad and round the corner to you. Oblivious to the fact that your squad are shooting at them. How the hell no reviewers noticed this stuff is beyond me. Sony must pay them well!

    Tomb raider was ok but has zero replayability. Collecting the arifacts does nothing so the point is lost. It also contains some cheap ass sudden death moments. For instance the spike pits in the road traps re-appear. What sane civilisation builds a road anf then thinks "I know! I'll add some spike pits to make the water carriers jobs infinitely harder and ruin our transport infrastructure."

    Looks like all the good games have come and gone and now it's the return of the dross!

  • berelain #13 3 years ago

    Im actually quite pleased no-one bought the L4D hype. I was utterly unimpressed by the demo, and whilst Im sure its more enjoyable online, I dont really have the inclination to play it online at all. If its 4 player splitscreen, thats a different story.

  • TRUTH #14 3 years ago

    Resistance 2 is so shit!!!!...AI sucks, graphics are nothing special, the bosses are just cheesy with dumb find the weak spot-shoot-hide in generally closed areas, very liner, AI squad - what's there point in this game; they do nothing... Is this meant to be AAA titles on PS3 - I f***ing hope not!

    I'm loving online with Left4Dead - get you 360/pc owners!
    Edited by 1 at 02/12/08 @ 10:22

  • oreillymj #15 3 years ago

    @penhalion What sane civilisation builds a road anf then thinks "I know! I'll add some spike pits to make the water carriers jobs infinitely harder and ruin our transport infrastructure."

    You've obviously never driven on Irish roads.

  • Dizzy #16 3 years ago

    "Im actually quite pleased no-one bought the L4D hype. I was utterly unimpressed by the demo"

    You are dead inside. Here comes a game that does so many things right and introduces some amazing co-op procedural-always-quite-different flow in the action and you people want BIGGER guns.

    But anyway... L4D did quite well overall I reckon... it certainly was well worth it for me, will play this a lot the next few months. I guess you could argue that Horde mode in Gears 2 is better value for money and more accessible. Maybe... eye of the beholder I guess.

  • Les #17 3 years ago

    "How the hell no reviewers noticed this stuff is beyond me. Sony must pay them well!"

    Or maybe reviewers did notice and for once decided not to be too harsh because while incredibly stupid, it probably makes for more exciting gameplay than realistic AI...

    As for the 1-hit deaths, I think people are over reacting (as it's statistically unlikely that they are all worse players than I am with a kill/death ratio of less than .5 in online R2). It's the only way to make things exciting with the bullet sponge regenerating health. Best would be of course to just go back to good old fashioned hit points but apparently gamers these days don't like a challenge anymore (but love to complain about challengeless Wii games)...

  • Fab4 #18 3 years ago

    Just shows you that it is possible to dress up a turd, and people will buy it.

  • Fab4 #19 3 years ago

    "You've obviously never driven on Irish roads."

    We used to have a saying in Northern Ireland that even the blind could tell when they were crossing the border, and that distances to towns were indicated by morse code, via potholes.

  • Sean.Aaron #20 3 years ago

    I'm pleased to see Wii Music still up there, though the price is a bit high for me at the moment.

  • kinky_mong #21 3 years ago

    Well it looks like normal service has resumed with rubbish sequels and shovelware clogging the top 10 and the interesting original games plunging quickly.

    And Dizzy is right. Anyone who dismisses Left 4 Dead as boring because of the guns and 4 campaigns is a cretin. The game has an absurd amount of replayability.

  • berelain #22 3 years ago

    @ Dizzy - actually, i thought the gunplay was fairly entertaining. It was the lacklustre level design (seriously, I was circling the same street for about 10 minutes before I found the shop I was allowed to go into and not the multitude of arbitrarily closed off alleyways where I wasnt allowed) , drab visuals, and sloppy zombie animations that put me off so much. I had actually been looking forward to L4D as a potential Resident Evil: outbreak style game, but in first person, but if the demo is anything to go by, its just utterly devoid of all character.

    Don't get me wrong, I like the ideas in it. I just don't find it in the least bit interesting to play.

  • miiiguel #23 3 years ago

    @ pen: "They will run straight past your squad and round the corner to you. Oblivious to the fact that your squad are shooting at them. How the hell no reviewers noticed this stuff is beyond me."
    That's not fair (unless you're talking about EG.pt), Edge for instance noticed. It also gave it a 6.

  • TheTingler #24 3 years ago

    "whilst Im sure its more enjoyable online, I dont really have the inclination to play it online at all"

    Then don't buy it - it's an online game first and foremost.

    L4D is a fantastic game, the best multiplayer game I've ever played - but I will agree that for the full-game price 4 campaigns isn't really enough, despite all the replayability and how much the game changes. Where the hell is the Shopping Mall level? That's my only complaint!

  • Widge #25 3 years ago

    I just can't summon the excitement for R2. Its got its fans though.
    2 more months and Killzone 2 is it? Certainly would rather wait for that!

  • JYM60 #26 3 years ago

    "I bought 50,000 copies at the weekend in case any of them break"

    I bought 50,000 to break.

  • JYM60 #27 3 years ago

    R2 got it's high scores for the great multiplayer modes. It's a great package, even if the single player is same old. Like Halo 3.

  • Uncle_Fishboy #28 3 years ago

    @ berelain

    You cockmunch

  • berelain #29 3 years ago

    @ Uncle Fishboy - I'm sorry, I'll try not to express my opinions quite so eloquently in the future.Instead I'll use random swearing and abuse people, since thats obviously a better option in your mind.

  • Dizzy #30 3 years ago

    "was the lacklustre level design (seriously, I was circling the same street for about 10 minutes before I found the shop I was allowed to go into and not the multitude of arbitrarily closed off alleyways where I wasnt allowed) , drab visuals, and sloppy zombie animations that put me off so much"

    Hmmm I can understand some of those issues. It isn't an uber big budget game so yeah some of the assets are a bit weaker (especially if you have Gears 2 running besides it). Zombie animations are obviously limited since they display probably up to 50 zombies on screen at once ;) First impressions of L4D can indeed be a bit "slow", but playing the campaigns online should give you a much better idea what it is all about and hopefully you will see how far they can take this game in future updates and how L4D has actually advanced the online co-op genre. For me it is the very dynamic nature of the gameflow that makes it so interesting and fun. You really feel like you are in a zombie movie and not in a game every time you play. The sheer panic of gamers when the shit hits the fan is something I see rarely online. Usually gamers are calculated automatons that understand, analyze and exploit the rules of game engines. L4D is the first game that tries to break that mold IMHO. But maybe I speak too much as a technical guy than as a gamer ;)
    Edited by 3 at 02/12/08 @ 12:15

  • Widge #31 3 years ago

    When L4D hits £10, then I'm game!

  • asphaltcowboy #32 3 years ago

    EDIT: D'oh!
    Edited by 1 at 02/12/08 @ 12:27

  • Steroyd #33 3 years ago

    How the hell no reviewers noticed this stuff is beyond me. Sony must pay them well!

    Well to be fair it stops you pussying out on the harder difficulties, and it's not like they always ignore your teammates it just stops them being your bullet sponge, and seeing how they're integral to the storyline it was either that or not have them not invincible which meant game over if they died, so which would be more annoying to you?

    And the 1 hit kill predator chimera only take about 1 or 2 hits with any weapon, the ground shakes, you can hear them and they only charge from infornt of you, so you can't really complain about the "cheapness" of the cloaked Chimera 1 hit kill.

    Yes I'm saying you suck. :p
    Edited by 1 at 02/12/08 @ 12:33

  • m0thr4 #34 3 years ago

    "I'm pleased to see Wii Music still up there, though the price is a bit high for me at the moment."

    Then I'm guessing you're either a child playing truant from school (shame on you) or an adult going through a mid-life crisis and trying to relive his childhood (equally shameful). Either way, Wii Music is still going to disappoint you.

  • Lummox #35 3 years ago

    Mirror's Edge still not selling, then?

    /sadface

  • Sean.Aaron #36 3 years ago

    "Either way, Wii Music is still going to disappoint you."

    Tried it then, or just read loads of online gaming site reviews?

  • Darren #37 3 years ago

    People criticising Left 4 Dead do have a point because as a single player game it is woefully lacking in content and replayability. Yes, you can argue that this game is meant to be played online with others - and it is lots of fun that way - but if that was the only way you were meant to play it then it wouldn't ship with a single player mode and bot support now, would it? ;)

    Personally I think the game is good in small doses but I'd give it 8/10 tops as I don't think there is enough content there to justify the price. It does feel a lot like a Half-Life 2 mod rather than a game proper but that's just my opinion.

  • Darren #38 3 years ago

    As for Resistance 2, it's not too bad but the single player mode is underwhelming so far being very predictable and by-the book with some very iffy A.I. which targets you and only you not your squadmates plus lots of atmosphere-sapping invisible walls and locked doors making it feel completely linear and exactly like the world was designed for a game not a real place. Why can't developers do FPSs that encourage exploration with multiple routes through levels and random enemies instead of offering the same experience every time? It surely cannot be that difficult to do?

    I can only surmise that EG gave this game 9/10 for its multiplayer modes which I admit I've yet to try properly because the single player campaign is disappointing. Compared with Gears of War 2's campaign, it feels second-rate IMO. It doesn't even offer a co-op mode this time either, something that made the first game's campaign twice as much fun. :(

    7/10 so far...

    @Les - Resistance 2 does have invisible enemies that kill you with one hit. Granted they make a lot of noise before they attack but even so they are still annoying as you have seconds to react otherwise you end up dead.

  • makeamazing #39 3 years ago

    L4D is ok, it could have been so much more, and considering the initial cost (why did i buy it from steam and not wait)... it wasnt worth the full price they were selling it at.

    Oh well live and learn.

  • BartonFink #40 3 years ago

    Great to see shite like Wii Music climbing the charts and quality like LBP falling. Yay for Wii.

  • metalangel #41 3 years ago

    Left4Dead is a joke compared to co-op in Gears of War. And Gears Of War is longer and comes with a fully fledged single player game to boot!

  • Uncle_Fishboy #42 3 years ago

    @ berelain

    Yeah sorry what I did want to point out was that the zombie animations are really rather good, in fact they are excellent. However I couldn't be bothered so just resorted to calling you a cockmunch.

  • Darren #43 3 years ago

    @BartonFink - I know what you mean... the Wii certainly does have a Wii-k games lineup, the weakest of the current three consoles by far IMO. It's a good job the console doesn't sell on its games alone otherwise it'd have bombed two years ago. Oh hang on...

  • anomagnus #44 3 years ago

    LBP fades into obscurity

    what a surprise

  • TRUTH #45 3 years ago

    Resistance 2 is so shit!!!!...AI sucks, graphics are nothing special, the bosses are just cheesy with dumb find the weak spot-shoot-hide in generally closed areas, very liner, AI squad - what's there point in this game; they do nothing... Is this meant to be AAA titles on PS3 - I f***ing hope not!

  • Widge #46 3 years ago

    have you noticed that everyone is ignoring you?

  • BartonFink #47 3 years ago

    Thanks for pointing that out Widge. To the ignore list he goes.

  • Sean.Aaron #48 3 years ago

    @BartonFink

    "Great to see shite like Wii Music climbing the charts and quality like LBP falling. Yay for Wii."

    I agree, Yay!

  • beastmaster #49 3 years ago

    Whatever happened to Banjo :-( On the plus side, it'll be bargain bin material very soon. So I'll buy it then.

  • Progguitarist #50 3 years ago

    L4D ismy GOTY. Pure fun. Versus mode is sublime.

  • Les #51 3 years ago

    "the Wii certainly does have a Wii-k games lineup, the weakest of the current three consoles by far IMO. It's a good job the console doesn't sell on its games alone otherwise it'd have bombed two years ago. Oh hang on..."

    How hard is it to accept that the Wii is not aimed at core gamers? You might think the games are shit, EG might think the games are shit and I might think the games are shit but it doesn't mean the games are shit for consumers in general. As it's the fastest selling home console of all time (and might very well surpass the PS2 in installed base) it appears to be the other way around.

    Is ignoring reality the ticket to the core gamer club?!

  • interceptor #52 3 years ago

    LittleBigPlanet number 32? Ouch!

  • BartonFink #53 3 years ago

    No Les - shit is just shit no matter who the consumer is. Plain and simple.
    Just because they are uninformed or illinformed doesn't make them any less shit.
    Edited by 1 at 03/12/08 @ 13:20

  • Les #54 3 years ago

    "No Les - shit is just shit no matter who the consumer is. Plain and simple.
    Just because they are uninformed or illinformed doesn't make them any less shit."

    In case of real shit I agree. But in case of metaphorical shit I don't.