ChartSpot: October 2005

SOCOM, Madden, NBA Live, and Grand Theft Auto dominate the console charts, while PC gamers' cups runneth over with quality titles.

As is the case each October, last month saw some of the bigger guns in the battle for fourth-quarter sales begin firing. Sony Computer Entertainment America's SOCOM 3: US Navy SEALs proved to be the biggest gun on the console charts, dethroning September champion Madden NFL 06 and landing ahead of NBA Live 06, both from Electronic Arts.

While all three of the top games were for the PlayStation 2, right behind was the first fourth-place finish for Sony's newest platform, the PSP. Take-Two Interactive-owned Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories enjoyed the best debut of any game on the platform, even though it didn't get as much critical praise as its console cousins.

Overall, the October console charts were dominated by PS2 games, which totaled 14 of the top 20 games that shipped during the month. Notable releases included Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi (5th), FIFA Soccer 06 (7th), Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves (8th), The Warriors (9th), Shadow of the Colossus (10th), Tony Hawk's American Wasteland (11th), Soul Calibur III (12th), and Blitz: The League (16th).

Behind Liberty City Stories, the best non-PS2 finisher was Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness for the GameCube (6th). Slightly lower on the chart was Ubisoft's Xbox-exclusive shooter Far Cry Instincts (11th), followed by NBA Live 06 (15th) and Madden NFL 06 (19th) for Microsoft's current-gen console. Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow for the DS was the only other non-Sony-platform game, coming in at 14th.

Microsoft Game Studios' Age of Empires III ruled the PC top 20 in October and was followed by a gaggle of top-tier titles. Three games had two versions--regular and special editions--which both made the chart, including Civilization IV (3rd and 16th), Quake 4 (8th and 14th), and F.E.A.R. (9th and 10th). If that wasn't enough to keep PC gamers busy through the holidays, the month also saw Black & White 2 (4th), Call of Duty 2 (7th), City of Villains (13th), and the Rome: Total War Barbarian Invasions expansion (17th) hit the market.

ALL CONSOLES
Last MonthRankTitlePlatformPublisherRelease DateAverage Price
**1SOCOM 3: US Navy SEALsPS2SCEAOct-05$49
22NBA Live 06PS2Electronic ArtsSep-05$49
13Madden NFL 06PS2Electronic ArtsAug-05$47
**4Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City StoriesPSPTake-TwoOct-05$50
**5Dragon Ball Z: Budokai TenkaichiPS2AtariOct-05$49
**6Pokemon XD: Gale of DarknessGCNintendoSep-05$48
**7FIFA Soccer 06PS2Electronic ArtsOct-05$49
**8Sly 3: Honor Among ThievesPS2SCEASep-05$39
**9The WarriorsPS2Take-TwoOct-05$49
**10Shadow of the ColossusPS2SCEAOct-05$39
**11Tony Hawk's American WastelandPS2ActivisionOct-05$48
**12Soul Calibur IIIPS2NamcoOct-05$49
**13Far Cry InstinctsXboxUbisoftSep-05$47
**14Castlevania: Dawn of SorrowDSKonamiOct-05$35
1115NBA Live 06XboxElectronic ArtsSep-05$49
**16Blitz: The LeaguePS2MidwayOct-05$39
717Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06PS2Electronic ArtsSep-05$49
**18Ultimate Spider-ManPS2ActivisionSep-05$47
419Madden NFL 06XboxElectronic ArtsAug-05$47
**20Mortal Kombat: Shaolin MonksPS2MidwaySep-05$48

PC
Current RankLast MonthTitlePublisherAverage Price
1**Age of Empires IIIMicrosoft$49
21The Sims 2 NightlifeElectronic Arts$33
3**Civilization IVTake-Two$50
4**Black & White 2Electronic Arts$49
53Roller Coaster Tycoon 3Atari$25
62World of WarcraftVU Games$44
7**Call of Duty 2Activision$50
8**Quake 4Activision$49
9**F.E.A.R.VU Games$48
10**F.E.A.R.: Director's EditionVU Games$54
114Battlefield 2Electronic Arts$48
128The Sims 2Electronic Arts$42
13**City of VilliansNCsoft$50
14**Quake 4: Special EditionActivision$59
15**Doom 3Activision$22
16**Civilization IV: Special Edition2K Games$49
17**Rome: Total War Barbarian InvasionsSega$29
187The Sims DeluxeElectronic Arts$19
1910Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Winter AssaultTHQ$28
205Guild WarsNCsoft$48

PLAYSTATION 2
Last MonthCurrent RankTitlePublisherRelease DateAverage Price
**1SOCOM 3: US Navy SealsSCEAOct-05$49
22NBA Live 06Electronic ArtsSep-05$49
13Madden NFL 06Electronic ArtsAug-05$47
**4Dragon Ball Z: Budokai TenkaichiAtariOct-05$49
**5FIFA Soccer 06Electronic ArtsOct-05$49
**6Sly 3: Honor Among ThievesSCEASep-05$39
**7The WarriorsTake-Two Oct-05$49
**8Shadow of the ColossusSCEAOct-05$39
**9Tony Hawk's American WastelandActivisionOct-05$48
**10Soul Calibur IIINamcoOct-05$49

XBOX
Last MonthRankTitlePublisherRelease DateAverage Price
**1Far Cry InstinctsUbisoftSep-05$47
42NBA Live 06Electronic ArtsSep-05$49
13Madden NFL 06Electronic ArtsAug-05$47
**4Blitz: The LeagueMidwayOct-05$39
**5The WarriorsTake-Two Oct-05$49
**6Battlefield 2: Modern CombatElectronic ArtsOct-05$49
**7Tony Hawk's American WastelandActivisionOct-05$48
58X-Men Legends 2 : Rise of ApocalypseActivisionSep-05$48
**9FIFA Soccer 06Electronic ArtsOct-05$50
710Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06Electronic ArtsSep-05$49

GAMECUBE
Last MonthRankTitlePublisherRelease DateAverage Price
101Pokemon XD: Gale of DarknessNintendoSep-05$48
12Mario Superstar BaseballNintendoSep-05$46
**3Fire Emblem: Path of RadianceNintendoOct-05$48
**4Dance Dance Revolution: Mario MixKonamiOct-05$46
**5MadagascarActivisionMay-05$23
**6Ultimate Spider-ManActivisionSep-05$46
57Super Mario SunshineNintendoAug-02$19
**8SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle For Bikini BottomTHQOct-03$14
49Madden NFL 06Electronic ArtsAug-05$46
710Super Smash Bros. MeleeNintendoDec-01$29

GBA
Last MonthRankTitlePublisherRelease DateAverage Price
11Pokemon EmeraldNintendoApr-05$35
**2Bratz : Rock AngelzTHQ Oct-05$29
23Lego Star WarsEidos Interactive Mar-05$30
54Mario Bros 3: Mario 4NintendoOct-03$30
**5Ultimate Spider-ManActivisionSep-05$29
46Disney PrincessTHQ Mar-03$15
**7Power Rangers: S.P.D.THQ Sep-05$20
88Danny Phantom: The Ultimate EnemyTHQ Sep-05$28
**9Donkey Kong: King of SwingNintendoSep-05$30
610MadagascarActivisionMay-05$30

DS
Last MonthRankTitlePublisherRelease DateAverage Price
**1Castlevania : Dawn of SorrowKonamiOct-05$35
32Nintendogs: Dachshund & FriendsNintendoAug-05$31
23Nintendogs: Labrador Retriever & FriendsNintendoAug-05$31
14Nintendogs: Chihuahua & FriendsNintendoAug-05$31
**5Trauma Center: Under The KnifeAtlusOct-05$30
46Advance Wars : Dual StrikeNintendoAug-05$35
67Super Mario 64 DsNintendoNov-04$30
**8Lost In BlueKonamiSep-05$30
**9Zoo TycoonTHQOct-05$30
**10MadagascarActivisionMay-05$25

PSP
Last MonthRankTitlePublisherRelease DateAverage Price
**1Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City StoriesTake-Two Oct-05$50
12Madden NFL 06Electronic ArtsSep-05$49
**3Marvel Nemesis: Rise of The ImperfectsElectronic ArtsOct-05$50
**4NBA Live 06Electronic ArtsOct-05$49
25Burnout LegendsElectronic ArtsSep-05$50
**6Virtua Tennis: World TourSegaOct-05$40
**7X-Men Legends 2 : Rise of ApocalypseActivisionOct-05$50
78World Series of PokerActivisionSep-05$40
39Namco Museum Battle CollectionNamcoAug-05$40
410Midnight Club 3: Dub EditionTake-Two Jun-05$49

43 Comments

  • Atarii

    Posted Nov 29, 2005 7:51 pm PT

    I hate Madden.... EA should kill these yearly sports titles. Too bad they actually turn profits. Why are gamers dumb enough to buy a sports game every year?

  • Alosjs

    Posted Nov 29, 2005 10:22 am PT

    EA games sucks, Madden, NBA, FIFA, dont they get bored of releasing every year a game with that name, I dont like sports game, is just the same thing. Thanks for Nintendo for making tennis and baseball more fun with Mario. LOL.

  • Alosjs

    Posted Nov 29, 2005 10:16 am PT

    Pokemon XD at #6? Thats why they keep making Pokemon games.
    Those mosters will never die, also I remember when Pokemon Emerald was #1 and beat other consoles. Hope Nintendo to get better sales. Well with DS, GBA and GC they sell what they need. Also I though Path of Radiance was going to be #1 in the GC chart.

  • chidim

    Posted Nov 29, 2005 12:58 am PT

    Shadow Of The Colossus deserves to be number 1 on the charts, arguably the best game this year. People buy crap games like those damn EA sports games.

  • _wrecks_

    Posted Nov 28, 2005 1:24 pm PT

    Glad to see Farcry getting some love... Game cold rocks!

  • insane956dv

    Posted Nov 28, 2005 12:23 pm PT

    WHO CARES

  • evry1snice

    Posted Nov 28, 2005 12:08 pm PT

    I find it sad that no one really supports Nintendo anymore. The fact is that they have a lot of great games, but everyone is so stuck up on FPS's that they completely ignore the great stories behind the Nintendo games. Any true gamer that loves to play more than one genre of games sticks to Nintendo.

  • Stockguy3000

    Posted Nov 28, 2005 7:39 am PT

    I'm hoping that the Xbox 360 does a lot better than the xbox. Good games and good sales so microsoft can get a better amount of market share.

  • thekey

    Posted Nov 27, 2005 9:51 pm PT

    Dang!!! when are people going to learn that EA sucks? The most medicore of games, they have and they still top the charts.

  • Rax_Quintanilla

    Posted Nov 27, 2005 11:11 am PT

    Even though Sony dominated the charts, it's sad that the only "must-own" game on the top ten was the 10th one: Shadow of the Colossus. That game made me buy a PS2 ;-). Great piece of gaming art!

  • fbrisevac

    Posted Nov 27, 2005 1:56 am PT

    wheres mario kart ds?

  • MegaBeau

    Posted Nov 26, 2005 7:59 am PT

    the fact that castlevania did not sell as well as GTA shows that americans have no clue what video games are about.

  • LordDeArnise

    Posted Nov 25, 2005 9:28 pm PT

    Age of Empires III topping Civ IV on the PC Games sales chart? That's pretty impressive, as both games are good in their own way. As much as Sony had the best showing sales-wise this month for the console market, this was definently a blockbuster month for PC Games. AOE III, Civ IV, CoD 2, Quake 4, and so on. Don't forget about the funny and still shooting-crazy Serious Sam II, as it's pretty good despite Gamespot's score.

    For Xbox titles, I thought the EA Sports games would be on top this month. Seeing that Far Cry: Instincts topped the Xbox games sales charts, I guess not. It's just as good as it's PC counterpart, and being able to sneak around and stuff isn't too much of a problem with the Xbox's controllers. What's really missing from the Xbox this month are two decently good games: Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood, and Kingdom Under Fire: Heroes.

  • timinator18

    Posted Nov 25, 2005 2:09 pm PT

    im glad to see castlevania on there. that game rox.

  • drakanguard

    Posted Nov 25, 2005 12:40 pm PT

    Funny how people keep mentioning EA's sports games on the top, but did anyone see the GC title Pokemon, i mean I know Pokemon is popular, but this just proves that Pokemon fans will buy mediocre games as well. But a very good month for Playstation system owners, with 9 out of the 10 top spots.

  • deleteuser

    Posted Nov 25, 2005 12:27 am PT

    I found it funny that the top 10 DS games are kiddy games and the top 10 PSP games are more for grown ups. The PSP will soon be owning these charts as even more and more people realize the PSP's superior greatness over all systems.

  • dmfreak

    Posted Nov 24, 2005 11:57 pm PT

    AMEN TO DAWN OF SORROW AS TOP 1 DS GAME!!!

  • Digital-Devil

    Posted Nov 24, 2005 10:27 am PT

    It's been awhile since i seen something from EA that just made me go...WOW...and im starting to doubt i will ever again

  • evanparker2134

    Posted Nov 24, 2005 9:49 am PT

    Doom 3 is a fun game, but it does get old after a while. I can't force myself to beat the expansion, Resurrection of Evil. It's just too repetitive. Half-Life 2, on the other hand, did a good job of varying the gameplay. I bought F.E.A.R. and am liking it, but I imagine that it will suffer from the same stuff that Doom 3 suffers from, the multiplayer component.

    Every single EA Sports game I try out is always crapola, and can't understand why people continue to buy them. Madden is understandable since it's the only football game (unfortunately), but Live......... no.

    It's occurred to me that EA Games as a whole fails on so many accounts. It should just stick to publishing, because it just can't make games (they didn't develop Battlefield 2; good job DICE). Every Bond game is mediocre at best, excluding Rogue Agent, which completely blows. Face it you EA fanboys, you're losing faith.

  • Digital-Devil

    Posted Nov 24, 2005 9:00 am PT

    I cant say im supprised about Doom on the PC because there hasn't been alot of other big FPS's coming out for it besides Q4, F.E.A.R and HL2
    An Doom just had that pack come out which no doubt helps

  • captmorgan09

    Posted Nov 24, 2005 8:46 am PT

    Well, when you have Doom3 with an average street price of 22 bucks, people are going to buy it. I personally wasn't very impress with Doom3 and I didn't play HL2 much either. I bought HL2 for CS:Source, true crack.

  • MasterMarcus

    Posted Nov 24, 2005 8:28 am PT

    The original Doom 3 ( PC ) is still in the chart, and is surprisingly heating the recent Quake IV and F.E.A.R.!.....

  • scavengerspc

    Posted Nov 24, 2005 8:05 am PT

    I like following the FPS games. Funny, with all the hype from the kiddie crowd Half Life 2 hasn't had a top 20 showing in many months, while Doom 3 is still there and has been out for a year and a half. I'm happy that the general gaming public was able to see through the massive over hype of HL2 and are still buying the far superior D3.

  • gangsta_whizz

    Posted Nov 24, 2005 7:32 am PT

    wicked

  • Rej72380

    Posted Nov 24, 2005 5:56 am PT

    Well, at least for the third month in a row, a GameCube game made it to the Console Top 10. This really proves that Nintendo is still successful, despite losing two straight console wars (N64 vs. PSOne, GC vs. PS2 vs. XBox)

  • nemesis8722

    Posted Nov 24, 2005 1:11 am PT

    It's too bad people buy such bad games.

  • Lazy_Marine

    Posted Nov 24, 2005 12:05 am PT

    I knew FEAR didn't sell as well as expected, mainly due to disaapointments from betas and demos released months before final release, also too much advertising & information about the game, story, etc was given out before release.

    Monolith should learn to never release public betas and demos on a high profile game months before scheduled final release. It is a big risk, since slight dissapointments can destroy the game's hype/image.

    Guess we won't be seeing a sequel

  • Nimroc

    Posted Nov 23, 2005 10:27 pm PT

    A very good month for PC gamers

  • andrewtyen

    Posted Nov 23, 2005 9:33 pm PT

    PS2 always does the best

  • Digital-Devil

    Posted Nov 23, 2005 9:16 pm PT

    Sony has already shown alot i think and i am impress
    Nintendo isn't all about the kids
    the reason the nintendo games that are top are kids games is easy
    Nintendo makes BETTER kids games than any other system
    and so parants buy NINTENDOS kids games insted of sonys or microsofts
    that's why everyone makes them out to be kiddy
    i my self still love playing Mario and Zelda

  • gamespy123

    Posted Nov 23, 2005 8:26 pm PT

    Those Sports games from EA really sell. The only reason they update them is for three reasons: to address bugs and complaints, update rosters for the upcoming season, and improve graphics slightly (they only do that about every five or six years). Madden and NBA Live are definitely hot sellers.

    Meanwhile, this is somehow off-topic: does Nintendo thrive on creating products for small kids? They always talk about these brand new consoles equipped to compete with the latest and greatest from SONY and Microsoft. But, their game selection is crappy. Look at the top three selling games for GameCube, GBA, and DS. They are all kid geared...coincidence? I think not. Nintendo is going for the younger kids and parent approval because they can't go for anything else.

    Meanwhile, I think SONY might have a problem on their hands. We know the PS3 is going to sell. But, if it comes anymroe than $399, we could be talking about a very expensive console. And, if SONY tries to keep the price down then, they could well be losing lots of money on this product. We'll have to wait and see but SONY is going to HAVE to offer A LOT to get buyers to dish out anymore than $399 or $499.

  • darkheart73

    Posted Nov 23, 2005 8:19 pm PT

    awesome

  • Digital-Devil

    Posted Nov 23, 2005 6:21 pm PT

    I just dont get why HL2 game out for Xbox and not 360

  • vicelibertydre

    Posted Nov 23, 2005 6:19 pm PT

    Oh and are developers wasting their time developing Xbox games for this year and next with the 360 out?

  • vicelibertydre

    Posted Nov 23, 2005 6:17 pm PT

    Good for Sony. They deserve a landslide month before they have to battle with the 360. I have a feeling the following months will be split between PS2 and 360 games. When the PS3 comes out well...it will depend on its price and launch titles

  • Digital-Devil

    Posted Nov 23, 2005 6:01 pm PT

    oh and its sad SOTC wasn't higher up it seems to be an amazing game
    but people wont leave sports alone for 5 minutes

  • Digital-Devil

    Posted Nov 23, 2005 6:00 pm PT

    To me it looks like the PS2 had the best month

  • tonicStyles

    Posted Nov 23, 2005 5:50 pm PT

    LOL, the top-selling game for the PSP only sold 125k units.
    TCHBO!!

  • bmaupin2003

    Posted Nov 23, 2005 5:50 pm PT

    It's good to see EA's medicore lineup can still dominate sales. Oh wait. No it's not.

  • magus704

    Posted Nov 23, 2005 5:15 pm PT

    Man, what is with people with Live? How can anyone play that half-baked arcade basketball piece of crap when the 2K series is, and always will be, more realistic and better!

  • GunslingerMan

    Posted Nov 23, 2005 4:56 pm PT

    Supid casuals can't stop buying that damm football game . Damm shadow of the colossus as excpected wasen't a blockbster

  • TrifoceisWithin

    Posted Nov 23, 2005 4:51 pm PT

    Very good sales, the PS2 got a good run this generation. I hope to see that next-generation, all games good games get good sales. I mean come on....Madden?? NBA???? If theyr not gonna make them better every year might as well make just 2 per generation, one per year is not necessary!

  • slothboyadvance

    Posted Nov 23, 2005 4:44 pm PT

    Cool.

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