Metal Gear Solid Sneaks Into UK Top Spot

Who can deny the allure of a man with a mullet?

Understanding their complicated plots might not be so simple, but the Metal Gear Solid games have proved very popular with gamers and the newest instalment hasn't bucked the trend. Just like Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty before it, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater entered the UK charts in first place - making it the fifth-fastest-selling PlayStation 2 game in the process.

Snake jumps [groan] straight into the UK top spot.

The only other new entry in the Top 10 during a week that saw several new releases was LucasArts' squad-based shooter Star Wars: Republic Commando, which makes it three out of 10 for the company. The game parlayed the solid brand recognition and good gameplay (see our full review tomorrow) into good sales, rounding out an excellent year so far for LucasArts.

But perhaps more interesting than what made it into the Top 10 for the week was what didn't. Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath, Lorne Lanning's latest outing set in the Oddworld universe, only managed a 17th place finish, while Ubisoft's ship-borne horror game Cold Fear languished in a lowly 33rd position. And with stiff competition coming up (see below), the chances of either game pulling itself out of its current predicament seems low.

Expect the chart to take on a very different look next week as Gran Turismo 4 finally makes its long awaited and oft-delayed European debut, as does the new dual-screen Nintendo DS and its 15-strong library of games.

For now, though, here are the top 10 games in the UK for the week ending 5 March as determined by Chart Track:

1. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (Konami)
2. Mercenaries (LucasArts)
3. Star Wars: Republic Commando (LucasArts)
4. Sonic Mega Collection Plus (Sega)
5. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Rockstar)
6. The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (THQ)
7. The Simpsons: Hit & Run (VU Games)
8. Need for Speed: Underground 2 (EA)
9. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords (LucasArts)
10. Pro Evolution Soccer 4 (Konami)

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games