Need For Speed Hits the Triple

EA's dominant racing series looks set to pull in another Christmas No. 1 next week.

Logistics have dealt a cruel blow to Xbox 360 software. While many of the launch titles have been received well critically, a lack of hardware to play them on means that few standalone Xbox 360 titles managed to make it into the Top 40 for the week.

It probably wouldn't have mattered too much though, as Need for Speed Most Wanted seems to have settled in for a stay at the top of the charts until the end of the year. The bookies are still backing EA's racer as the one to beat for the Christmas No. 1 spot, which will be revealed next week.

One of the biggest movers of the week is King Kong, which is clambering up the charts ahead of the movie's opening on Thursday. Another flick tie-in, Chronicles of Narnia, also rode its source material's coat tails to a Top 10 finish.

It's worth noting that there are only two wholly original games - meaning those not based on a pre-existing franchise - in the Top 20 this week, namely Gun (at No. 11 this week) and Buzz! The Music Quiz (No. 18).

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

1. Need For Speed: Most Wanted (EA)
2. FIFA 06 (EA)
3. Call Of Duty 2: Big Red One (Activision)
4. King Kong (Ubisoft)
5. Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire (EA)
6. Pro Evolution Soccer 5 (Konami)
7. Star Wars: Battlefront II (Activision)
8. Chronicles of Narnia (Buena Vista)
9. 50 Cent: Bulletproof (VU Games)
10. The Sims 2 (EA)

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games