UK Game Charts: November 12-18

This week Gears of War ousted Halo 2 as both the top title on Xbox Live and the fastest-selling Microsoft game ever in the UK. It's now not only the third fastest-selling game of 2006 (behind Pro Evolution Soccer 6 and FIFA 07)--but also the week's top seller, edging aside Need for Speed Carbon on the UK all-formats chart. It easily beat out the week's other two new entries--Activision's Tony Hawk's Project 8 (18th place) and Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus (28th).

The highest climber of the week is THQ's Bratz: Forever Diamondz, which after the release of a Nintendo DS version, climbs 28 places to nine. The title taking the biggest tumble of the week is Vivendi's F.E.A.R., freefalling 18 spots to 38.

It was a good week for Nintendo, with all four DS-only titles in the top 20 enjoying strong sales. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue is up two spaces to 12, the irrepressible Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training is up three spaces to 14, Nintendogs: Dalmatian and Friends is up four to 17, and New Super Mario Brothers is up two to 20.

Next week sees the release of controversial horror game Rule of Rose, which the mayor of Rome is trying to ban, as well as Guitar Hero II, both for the PlayStation 2. Other releases set for Friday include multiplatform game Eragon, based on the Twentieth Century Fox film, World War II shooter Call of Duty 3 (Xbox, Xbox 360, PS2), Sonic the Hedgehog (Xbox 360), Cricket 07 (PS2, PC), Justice League Heroes (PS2, Xbox, DS), and the expansions Warhammer: Mark of Chaos (PC) and Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Knights of the Nine (PC, Xbox 360).