US console charts: August 14-20

When Electronic Arts scored exclusive rights to make NFL games in late 2004, many football fans lamented the demise of the ESPN NFL 2K franchise. Given that the two series' fierce rivalry had spawned innovations on both sides, some doomsayers predicted EA's monopoly would lead its venerable gridiron property to stagnation.

Judging by the mixed-to-positive reviews of Madden NFL 07, the series' quality seems to have survived mostly intact. Not that it mattered at retail, though. Preorders of the game--which officially shipped on Tuesday--dominated the most recent Best Buy sales rankings.

The PlayStation 2 edition of Madden NFL 07 was the week's top seller, followed by the 360 version (second), and the Xbox version (third). Two Hall of Fame Editions of the game also made it into the top 10--the PS2 version in fourth and the Xbox 360 version in ninth. Right behind was the PlayStation Portable edition of the game, rounding out the top 10.

If you weren't sacking quarterbacks this week, chances are you were smacking zombies. Dead Rising, Capcom's Xbox 360 horror survival game that lets you use everyday objects as weapons, was the fifth-best-selling game of the week. It landed just above a resurgent Xbox 360 edition of Tomb Raider: Legend, which owed its boost to its now-discounted price of $29.99.

The remaining two slots in Best Buy's top 10 both belonged to the Nintendo DS. Though not a new title anymore, New Super Mario Bros. jumped into ninth place, just two slots down from the ever-popular Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day.