Gears of War Turn Microsoft’s Way In UK ChartsGears of War Turn Microsoft’s Way In UK Charts

As widely expected, Epic Games’ Gears of War has entered straight in at number one in the UK sales charts, becoming the fastest selling Xbox 360 game in the UK – beating previous record holder Pro Evolution Soccer 6. The game also won the accolades of the second fastest selling Microsoft game in the UK, behind only Halo 2, and the third fastest selling game of the year behind Pro Evolution Soccer 6 and FIFA 07. One of the last major Christmas releases before the Wii launch line-up, the game has successfully ousted Need for Speed Carbon from the top spot, but whether it can maintain its position over the coming weeks remains to be seen. Elsewhere in the top ten, FIFA 07 charted higher than Pro Evolution Soccer 6 for the first time since the latter’s launch. Beyond Gears of War there were no new entries in the top ten, although THQ’s kids license Bratz: Forever Diamondz managed to jump as many as twenty-eight places to number nine, following the release of the Nintendo DS version of the game – and illustrating just how effectively Nintendo’s console is now able to target a young female audience. In fact it was a good week all round for the DS, with Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team, Brain Training (aka Brain Age), Nintendogs: Dalmatian & Friends and New Super Mario Bros. all rising up the top twenty. The only other new entries of the week were Activision’s Tony Hawk’s Project 8, which debuted at an unexpectedly low number eighteen, while the critically lambasted Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII came in at number twenty-eight and Tomb Raider Legend re-entered the charts at number thirty-nine as a result of the new Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS versions.

Leisure software charts compiled by Chart Track, (C)2006 ELSPA Ltd