UK Charts: Mario Kart Remains Parked Atop Static Top Three

With the last of the major 2008 releases now out, there has been predictably little change in the weekly UK sales charts. Mario Kart Wii is still the number one selling title, with Brain Training (aka Brain Age) still at number two and the Xbox 360 version of Call of Duty: World At War remaining at number three. In the combined format charts, the top three are also unchanged from the previous week, with World at War at number one seeing sales rise by 2 percent, Mario Kart Wii at number two up 1 percent, and FIFA 09 at number three down 1 percent. Chart-Track puts the gap between World at War and Mario Kart Wii at 27,000 units. Back in the individual format charts, the fastest mover is LittleBigPlanet for the PlayStation 3. Although the rise of 15 places to number six appears to coincide with a new marketing campaign for the game, it is the widespread half price discounting last week that is its root cause. Just as with Fallout 3 and Fable II last week, the unofficial price cuts have had a pronounced effect on the game’s chart position, with sales rising by 58 percent. Whether LittleBigPlanet can maintain its new momentum next week, now that most stores have ended their promotions, remains to be seen. The highest re-entry of the week is Sonic Unleashed at number 29. Thanks to new hardware bundles sales rose by 87 percent, with Lego Indiana Jones up 31 percent at number 13 for similar reasons. Other re-entries include the Wii version of High School Musical 3 at number 36, the Wii version of Guitar Hero: World Tour at number 37 and New Super Mario Bros. on Nintendo DS at number 38. Overall in the top 40 there were 13 titles for the Wii, 12 for the Xbox 360, eight for the Nintendo DS, six for the PlayStation 3, one for the PC and none for the PSP.

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