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ChartSpot: August 2006

Madden succeeds NCAA to give EA console-game supremacy for a second month in a row; Dead Rising, Dirge of Cerberus, New Super Mario Bros. also finish big.

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For the second month in a row, Electronic Arts has parlayed an exclusive football license into a cash cow. Following the multiplatform success of NCAA Football 07, Madden NFL 07 tackled the monthly non-PC game-sales chart. The PlayStation 2 version of the game was the top-selling title for the month, followed by the Xbox 360 edition in second and the original Xbox edition in fourth. The PSP Madden NFL 07 also cracked the top 20, landing in 17th place, but the GameCube, Game Boy Advance, and DS editions failed to make the cut.

Besides Madden, two other titles made strong debuts during August. The month's third-place game was Capcom's Dead Rising, which saw lively sales, thanks to its critically praised brand of zombie-killing action. Behind it was the considerably less lauded Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII for the PlayStation 2. The spin-off of the Square Enix series overcame tepid reviews to be the month's number-five game, besting the only other all-new entrant, Ninety-Nine Nights for the Xbox 360, by five places.

On the PC charts, World of Warcraft was the number-one game...again. It marks the third month in a row that the game has been on top, following its brief dethroning in May by Guild Wars Factions, this month's eighth-place finisher. In second was the game that has been its nemesis since they both went on sale in fall 2004, The Sims 2. Two expansions for Electronic Arts' best-selling series also cracked the top 10--The Sims 2 Family Fun Stuff (third) and The Sims 2 Open for Business (fifth).

Civilization IV made the PC top 20--twice. The original game shot up eight places to land in sixth, two places behind its first expansion, Civilization IV: Warlords. Only one other strategy title, Age of Empires III, cracked the top 10, and it had to settle for the bottom slot.

The last two titles on the PC top 10 were both of the family-friendly variety: Valusoft's Paws & Claws Pet Vet (seventh) and Valusoft parent THQ's Cars: Radiator Springs Adventures (ninth).

ALL CONSOLES
Last MonthCurrent RankTitlePlatformPublisherRelease DateAverage Price
**1Madden NFL 07PS2Electronic ArtsAug-06$48
**2Madden NFL 07360Electronic ArtsAug-06$58
**3Dead Rising360CapcomAug-06$60
**4Madden NFL 07XboxElectronic ArtsAug-06$49
**5Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of CerberusPS2Square EnixAug-06$49
36New Super Mario BrosDSNintendoMay-06$35
17NCAA Football 07PS2Electronic ArtsJul-06$50
48Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City StoriesPS2Take-Two InteractiveJun-06$20
79Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a DayDSNintendoApr-06$20
**10Ninety-Nine Nights360Microsoft Aug-06$50
211NCAA Football 07360Electronic ArtsJul-06$60
1312Naruto: Ultimate NinjaPS2NamcoJun-06$40
813Big Brain AcademyDSNintendoJun-06$20
1614Guitar HeroPS2Activision Nov-05$70
1915Grand Theft Auto: San AndreasPS2Take-Two InteractiveOct-04$20
1516Star Wars: Battlefront IIPS2LucasArtsNov-05$20
**17Madden NFL 07PSPElectronic ArtsAug-06$38
1718God of WarPS2Sony Mar-05$20
**19Mario KartDSNintendoNov-05$35
520NCAA Football 07XboxElectronic ArtsJul-06$50

PC
Last MonthCurrent RankTitlePublisherAverage Price
11World of WarcraftVivendi$35
42The Sims 2Electronic Arts$40
33The Sims 2 Family Fun StuffElectronic Arts$19
174Civilization IV: WarlordsTake-Two Interactive$29
55The Sims 2 Open For BusinessElectronic Arts$30
146Civilization IVTake-Two Interactive$43
**7Paws & Claws Pet VetValusoft (THQ)$17
68Guild Wars FactionsNCsoft$48
29Cars Radiator Springs AdventuresTHQ$20
1110Age of Empires IIIMicrosoft$48
811Elder Scrolls IV: OblivionTake-Two Interactive$47
1212The Sims 2 NightlifeElectronic Arts$31
913Half-Life 2: Episode 1Electronic Arts$19
1514Warcraft III: Battle ChestVivendi$38
1315Zoo Tycoon 2Microsoft$26
**16Nancy Drew: Danger By DesignHer Interactive$20
**17Roller Coaster Tycoon 3: GoldAtari$23
718Titan QuestTHQ$49
**19Sim City 4 DeluxeElectronic Arts$21
1620The Sims Complete CollectionElectronic Arts$38

PLAYSTATION 2
Last MonthCurrent RankTitlePublisherRelease DateAverage Price
**1Madden NFL 07Electronic ArtsAug-06$48
**2Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of CerberusSquare EnixAug-06$49
13NCAA Football 07Electronic ArtsJul-06$50
**4Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City StoriesTake-Two Interactive Jun-06$20
25Naruto: Ultimate NinjaNamcoJun-06$40
56Guitar HeroActivision Nov-05$70
77Grand Theft Auto: San AndreasTake-Two Interactive Oct-04$20
98Star Wars: Battlefront IILucasArtsNov-05$20
69God of WarSony Mar-05$20
810Midnight Club 3 : Dub Edition RemixTake-Two Interactive Mar-06$20

XBOX
Last MonthCurrent RankTitlePublisherRelease DateAverage Price
**1Madden NFL 07Electronic ArtsAug-06$49
12NCAA Football 07Electronic ArtsJul-06$50
33Halo 2Microsoft Nov-04$29
54Grand Theft Auto: San AndreasTake-Two Interactive Sep-05$21
75FableMicrosoft Sep-04$21
46Star Wars: Battlefront IILucasArtsNov-05$21
**7Flatout 2Vivendi Aug-06$39
68CarsTHQJun-06$40
**9Lego Star WarsEidos Interactive Apr-05$20
1010Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition RemixTake-Two Interactive Mar-06$20

XBOX 360
Last MonthCurrent RankTitlePublisherRelease DateAverage Price
**1Madden NFL 07Electronic ArtsAug-06$58
**2Dead RisingCapcomAug-06$60
**3Ninety-Nine NightsMicrosoft Aug-06$50
**4NCAA Football 07Electronic ArtsJul-06$60
15Elder Scrolls IV: OblivionTake-Two Interactive Mar-06$59
56Call of Duty 2Activision Nov-05$58
107ChromehoundsSegaJul-06$60
28Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced WarfighterUbisoftMar-06$59
79Fight Night Round 3Electronic ArtsFeb-06$59
810PreyTake-Two InteractiveJul-06$58

GAMECUBE
Last MonthCurrent RankTitlePublisherRelease DateAverage Price
**1Madden NFL 07Electronic ArtsAug-06$38
22Paper Mario: The Thousand Year DoorNintendoOct-04$21
63Lego Star WarsEidos Interactive Oct-05$20
34Naruto: Clash of NinjaD3publisherMar-06$35
45Super Smash Bros. MeleeNintendoDec-01$30
56Mario Kart: Double Dash !!NintendoNov-03$30
17CarsTHQJun-06$40
88Teen TitansTHQMay-06$20
79Super Mario SunshineNintendoAug-02$20
**10Star Fox: AssaultNintendoFeb-05$21

GBA
Last MonthCurrent RankTitlePublisherRelease DateAverage Price
21Super Mario AdvanceNintendoJun-01$20
12CarsTHQJun-06$30
33Pokemon EmeraldNintendoApr-05$35
44Pirates of The Caribbean: Dead Man's ChestBuena Vista Games Jun-06$27
55 Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3NintendoSep-02$20
76DogzUbisoftNov-05$30
87Mario Bros 3: Mario 4NintendoOct-03$31
68Mario & Luigi SagaNintendoNov-03$20
**9Monster HouseTHQJul-06$30
**10Pokemon FireRedNintendoSep-04$34

DS
Last MonthCurrent RankTitlePublisherRelease DateAverage Price
11New Super Mario BrosNintendoMay-06$35
22Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a DayNintendoApr-06$20
33Big Brain AcademyNintendoJun-06$20
44Mario KartNintendoNov-05$35
55Animal Crossing: Wild WorldNintendoDec-05$35
76Nintendogs: Dachshund & FriendsNintendoAug-05$31
97Pirates of The Caribbean: Dead Man's ChestBuena Vista Games Jun-06$31
**8Nintendogs: Chihuahua & FriendsNintendoAug-05$31
**9Sonic RushSegaNov-05$19
**10Super Mario 64 DSNintendoNov-04$30

PSP
Last MonthCurrent RankTitlePublisherRelease DateAverage Price
**1Madden NFL 07Electronic ArtsAug-06$38
**2Tekken: Dark ResurrectionNamcoJul-06$40
**3Midnight Club 3: DubTake-Two Interactive Jun-05$20
14NCAA Football 07Electronic ArtsJul-06$40
95Star Wars: Battlefront IILucasArtsNov-05$20
46Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City StoriesTake-Two Interactive Oct-05$38
27Valkyrie Profile: LennethSquare EnixJul-06$40
38Pirates of The Caribbean: Dead Man's ChestBuena Vista Games Jun-06$39
109Need Speed Most WantedElectronic ArtsNov-05$40
710MLB '06: The ShowSony Mar-06$40

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