Pro Evolution Soccer Scores Big In UK Charts

Five of the top ten selling games in the UK this week are soccer titles, with the latest iterations of the UK’s favorite franchises all performing well. Topping both the individual unit and multiformat sales charts, sales for Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 are only slightly down on the previous year. Usually a critical favorite, this year’s iteration has had more mixed reviews than usual - with the PlayStation 3 version in particular coming in for some criticism for an uneven frame rate. It is not clear what effect this may have had on sales, with the PlayStation 2 version accounting for 42 percent of all sales of the title (down from 73 percent at the same time last year). The Xbox 360 version saw 30 percent of overall sales, the PlayStation 3 26 percent and the PC version, which did not chart in the top forty, 2 percent. Despite the competition, FIFA 08 is still at number two in the multiformat charts, with combined sales of all versions of the title actually up by 14 percent. Sega and Sports Interactive’s Football Manager 2008 on PC saw sales drop by 38 percent, though, while The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass sales dipped by 11 percent and The Orange Box fell by 40 percent. Wii exclusive Metroid Prime 3: Corruption made its debut in the UK charts at number seven, amid reports that Nintendo of Europe has undershipped the game, with many stores receiving smaller allocations of stock. Also appearing in the top ten for the first time is Disney Interactive’s High School Musical: Makin’ The Cut! on Nintendo DS, which rises six places to number nine. There are no other genuine new entries in the top forty, although THQ’s Drawn to Life on Nintendo DS finally makes the chart at number twenty-nine, several weeks after its initial release, and the Wii version of Ratatouille re-enters at number thirty.

Leisure software charts compiled by Chart Track, (C)2007. ELSPA Ltd