Eight In a Row for Need For Speed

EA stretches UK chart dominance to nearly two months.

The latest UK software chart should serve as a call to publishers that can't decide when to release their games. In the absence of any new top-tier releases, Need For Speed Underground 2 has notched up another No 1 spot - its eighth in a row.

The rest of the top 10 is filled with the exact same list of games as last week - with just minor changes in position. The Simpsons: Hit & Run continues its phenomenal run, coming in third nearly 15 months after it was originally released, in late 2003.

Ignoring the placings, though, it's clear that sales are in a post-Christmas decline. According to industry research group Chart Track, only one game out of the top 40 managed to increase in sales over the previous week.

Probably the biggest release in the immediate future is Resident Evil 4. But while the game is highly anticipated, it is also exclusive to the third-place GameCube, so it's anyone's bet whether it will be able to displace Need For Speed Underground 2 or not.

Below are the top 10 games in the UK for the week ending 15 January as determined by Chart Track:

1. Need For Speed: Underground 2 (EA)
2. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Rockstar)
3. The Simpsons: Hit & Run (VU Games)
4. FIFA 2005 (EA)
5. The Incredibles (THQ)
6. Pro Evolution Soccer 4 (Konami)
7. Prince Of Persia: Warrior Within (Ubisoft)
8. Football Manager 2005 (Sega)
9. Call Of Duty: Finest Hour (Activision)
10. Lord Of The Rings: The Third Age (EA)

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games