Sega's Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games is clinging on to the top spot in the current UK sales charts as Christmas rapidly approaches - but it's doing so by its fingernails.
Both Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (currently second) and FIFA 08 in third place are biting at its heels according to ChartTrack, which says that only 2,500 sales separate the top three positions.
Can CoD 4 or FIFA 08 make one final surge for the finish line and leave Mario & Sonic without the gold medal and the Christmas number one spot? There's not long to wait to find out...
Traditional Christmas number one Need for Speed is currently in fourth place with NFS ProStreet, and with that a drop down from two for the week ending December 15, it's looking like it'll have to settle for a runners-up award.
EA are a by the numbers games developer who seem to be led by committee, and most of their titles lack an edge or take risks. Admitedly, yes, they are well produced, but they are rarely of AAA status, plus there are too many franchise games coming from them. EA, we want quality, not quantity. They seem to be suffering from the same fatigue which Sony's PlayStation has suffered from, ie they got big and fat, and have dropped the ball. Perhaps they both need a kick up the bottom to get back on track.
What about Sims? There will always be a Sims game. Even when monkeys rule the world, deep in the future there will be a Sims Monkeys game at #1 at Xmas...
That's shameful. Mario and Sonic at number one just shows us how low both Nintendo and Sega have gone by pimping their icon's in s**tty games. I for one hope COD4 gets to #1 as its the only decent game in the top 3.
Actualy, (I dont believe im going to say this) M&S isnt that bad at all. Its a good little party game that s**ts all over the unresponsive & shallow Wii Sports. Had a good laugh on it with my gf & family so far Doesnt deserve the top spot but id prefer it there over Fifa & NFS
Will probably be getting a cyber-raping for this but...Fifa08 is a masterpiece of a football game. Despite my own frustrations with their previous annual Fifa titles, which barely improved with each incarnation. This years approach is the dream come true for a lot of football fans - especially the fans I know who all have 08. In steering clear of the arcadeyness of PES and earlier Fifas, 08 is the closest footy sim yet to capture the essence of 'immersing oneself in a game of football on a games machine'...of course this is my opinion which I know quite a few people share. It has its own little problems with the over-use of 1 bloody stadium in every match most tournaments - but you never see the stadium when you play anyway.
Despite criticism of its "very slow pace" and "insane difficulty"...that is what football is like when you watch a game on the TV. If you get good at Fifa the slow pace can turn into a frantic pace just as easily. Worthy of top spot this year.
Edit: Sounds very fanboyish I know, but I was that shocked at how good it was. D'oh more praise!
Is it too much to hope for that EA will now leave the NFS franchise behind them?
Yes. I think it probably is!
Can't help noticing that less than half of the games in the top ten actually received triple a scores. But then what do you expect from the the parent-infused Christmas rush. Not DS action going on there. Is that in a different handheld chart?
Its a good little party game that s**ts all over the unresponsive & shallow Wii Sports.
Unresponsive and shallow? WTF!!!
Well, I guess there's no accounting for taste, but I agree about EA, their titles are very samey yet they always seem to sell well - I don't understand that!
Its a good little party game that s**ts all over the unresponsive & shallow Wii Sports.
Unresponsive and shallow? WTF!!!
What? Its is. Boxing - recognises 2 out of 5 punches (if im lucky), This even annoys the non gamers who play it. Baseball - if I swing really hard hits it for homerun, dont swing & just do a tiny flick of hand - it goes same distance & still get a homerun. Same with bowling the ball Tennis - hit it hard sometimes stays in sometimes goes out, hardly move remote - sometimes stays in sometimes goes out. Golf & Bowling- Ok theyre pretty good above = unresponsive
Only a couple of challenges to do in each sport = shallow
COD 4 is 25 quid in gamestation all week. Surely thats gotta be helping
No way,i just paid Ł40 notes for it on saturday.Gutted And that was at Gamestation as well
Id take it back if I were you and demand they refund the difference. Thats damned cheeky is that!!
I cant generally stay in there long enough to actually purchase anything. The stench of stale sweat that some of those places give out is absolutely unreal.
COD 4 is 25 quid in gamestation all week. Surely thats gotta be helping
No way,i just paid Ł40 notes for it on saturday.Gutted And that was at Gamestation as well
Id take it back if I were you and demand they refund the difference. Thats damned cheeky is that!!
I cant generally stay in there long enough to actually purchase anything. The stench of stale sweat that some of those places give out is absolutely unreal.
Afraid its already wrapped up under the tree ready for me to open on Xmas day.Its a present off my son to me(which i had to pay for,still haven't worked that one out yet)so cant really take it back.
Its a good little party game that s**ts all over the unresponsive & shallow Wii Sports.
Unresponsive and shallow? WTF!!!
What? Its is. Boxing - recognises 2 out of 5 punches (if im lucky), This even annoys the non gamers who play it. Baseball - if I swing really hard hits it for homerun, dont swing & just do a tiny flick of hand - it goes same distance & still get a homerun. Same with bowling the ball Tennis - hit it hard sometimes stays in sometimes goes out, hardly move remote - sometimes stays in sometimes goes out. Golf & Bowling- Ok theyre pretty good above = unresponsive
Only a couple of challenges to do in each sport = shallow
I get what you're saying about Boxing, but Tennis depends on when you hit it as to whether it goes in or out. Baseball justs bores me though. Wii Sports isn't shallow... it's just basic.
Baseball is a Mii showcase. That's all there is to it.
What the hell is Mario Galaxy doing at number nine? With all the Wii owners out there, one would think that one of the console's two best games would be doing somewhat better. I'm disappointed in the UK market.
Its a good little party game that s**ts all over the unresponsive & shallow Wii Sports.
Unresponsive and shallow? WTF!!!
What? Its is. Boxing - recognises 2 out of 5 punches (if im lucky), This even annoys the non gamers who play it. Baseball - if I swing really hard hits it for homerun, dont swing & just do a tiny flick of hand - it goes same distance & still get a homerun. Same with bowling the ball Tennis - hit it hard sometimes stays in sometimes goes out, hardly move remote - sometimes stays in sometimes goes out. Golf & Bowling- Ok theyre pretty good above = unresponsive
Only a couple of challenges to do in each sport = shallow
Its a good little party game that s**ts all over the unresponsive & shallow Wii Sports.
Unresponsive and shallow? WTF!!!
What? Its is. Boxing - recognises 2 out of 5 punches (if im lucky), This even annoys the non gamers who play it. Baseball - if I swing really hard hits it for homerun, dont swing & just do a tiny flick of hand - it goes same distance & still get a homerun. Same with bowling the ball Tennis - hit it hard sometimes stays in sometimes goes out, hardly move remote - sometimes stays in sometimes goes out. Golf & Bowling- Ok theyre pretty good above = unresponsive
Only a couple of challenges to do in each sport = shallow
Free = value for money
Costing 180 with a Gamecube in a differnet shell = disgraceful rip-off.
I hope that the wii controllers don't age as badly as the n64 ones. I'm getting a wii for xmas, I played on a brand new wii and even boxing was responsive, though playing on an older one recently I found that golf and bowling weren't as good as on the newer wii
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more praise!
