ChartSpot: September 2004

The one-two punch of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Halo 2 caused the monthly NPD wrap-up to arrive a bit later that usual this time around. However, top-seller lists proved one thing: never underestimate the power of portables. That's because the month's number one console game was Pokemon FireRed, which beat out fellow debuts Fable, Star Wars: Battlefront, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005, Def Jam: Fight for NY, and even the much-hyped Burnout 3: Takedown. And it wasn't because one game came out earlier than the other; Burnout 3 and Pokemon FireRed were released on the same day--September 7.

In fact, Burnout 3's debut must feel like a bit of a letdown for Electronic Arts, given the game's massive amount of hype and critical acclaim. The Xbox version of the daredevil racing game debuted at number 14, while the PS2 lagged behind, barely making the top 20 at number 19.

However, there were no surprises on the PC charts. With the original Sims and its expansion packs still a constant presence in the top 20 best-sellers, it was little wonder that the Sims 2 took the top slot. Right behind it was the special edition of the game, which offered various extras for those fluent in simlish. Right behind were two other high-profile newcomers, the expansion pack Call Of Duty: United Offensive and Star Wars: Battlefront.

Whether it was because of these interesting newcomers or the growing backlash against the game, Doom 3 slipped to fifth place. But that was still good enough to beat the month's other high-profile PC debut, Rome: Total War, whose legions managed to conquer the eighth slot.

ALL CONSOLES
Last Month	Rank	Title	Platform	Publisher	Release Date	Average Price
**	1	Pokemon FireRed Version	GBA	Nintendo	Sep'04	$35
**	2	Fable	Xbox	Microsoft	Sep'04	$50
**	3	Pokemon LeafGreen Version	GBA	Nintendo	Sep'04	$31
1	4	Madden NFL 2005	PS2	Electronic Arts	Aug'04	$49
**	5	Star Wars: Battlefront	Xbox	LucasArts	Sep'04	$49
**	6	Star Wars: Battlefront	PS2	LucasArts	Sep'04	$48
**	7	Star Ocean: Till the End of Time	PS2	Square Enix	Sep'04	$50
**	8	NBA Live 2005	PS2	Electronic Arts	Sep'04	$40
3	9	ESPN NFL 2K5	PS2	Take-Two	Jul'04	$19
**	10	Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005	PS2	Electronic Arts	Sep'04	$49
**	11	NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup	PS2	Electronic Arts	Sep'04	$50
**	12	Pikmin 2	GCN	Nintendo	Sep'04	$50
5	13	ESPN NFL 2K5	Xbox	Take-Two	Jul'04	$19
**	14	Burnout 3: Takedown	Xbox	Electronic Arts	Sep'04	$50
**	15	WWE: Day of Reckoning	GCN	THQ	Sep'04	$50
**	16	Sly 2: Band of Thieves	PS2	Sony	Sep'04	$40
**	17	Def Jam: Fight for NY	PS2	Electronic Arts	Sep'04	$49
**	18	Street Fighter Anniversary Collection	PS2	Capcom USA	Sep'04	$30
**	19	Burnout 3: Takedown	PS2	Electronic Arts	Sep'04	$50
2	20	Madden NFL 2005	Xbox	Electronic Arts	Aug'04	$49

PC
Last Month	Current Rank	Title	Publisher	Average Price
**	1	The Sims 2	Electronic Arts	$48
**	2	The Sims 2 Special Edition	Electronic Arts	$49
**	3	Call of Duty: United Offensive	Activision	$28
**	4	Star Wars: Battlefront	LucasArts	$47
1	5	Doom 3	Activision	$52
2	6	The Sims Deluxe	Electronic Arts	$19
15	7	Call of Duty	Activision	$30
**	8	Rome: Total War	Activision	$43
22	9	World Poker Championship	Valusoft (THQ)	$19
10	10	Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic	LucasArts	$21
7	11	The Sims: Makin' Magic	Electronic Arts	$20
**	12	Madden NFL 2005	Electronic Arts	$37
3	13	Age of Mythology	Microsoft	$28
58	14	Tournament Poker: No Limit Texas Hold'Em	Eagle Games	$18
**	15	EverQuest: Omens of War	Sony Online Ent.	$29
16	16	The Sims: Unleashed	Electronic Arts	$20
4	17	Rise of Nations	Microsoft	$36
8	18	Halo: Combat Evolved	Microsoft	$33
5	19	The Sims Mega Deluxe	Electronic Arts	$35
6	20	Zoo Tycoon: Complete Collection	Microsoft	$30

PlayStation 2
Last Month	Rank	Title	Publisher	Release Date	Average Price
1	1	Madden NFL 2005	Electronic Arts	Aug'04	$49
**	2	Star Wars: Battlefront	LucasArts	Sep'04	$48
**	3	Star Ocean: Till the End of Time	Square Enix	Sep'04	$50
**	4	NBA Live 2005	Electronic Arts	Sep'04	$40
2	5	ESPN NFL 2K5	Take 2 Interactive	Jul'04	$19
**	6	Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005	Electronic Arts	Sep'04	$49
**	7	NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup	Electronic Arts	Sep'04	$50
**	8	Sly 2: Band of Thieves	Sony	Sep'04	$40
**	9	Def Jam: Fight for NY	Electronic Arts	Sep'04	$49
**	10	Street Fighter Anniversary Collection	Capcom USA	Sep'04	$30

XBOX
Last Month	Rank	Title	Publisher	Release Date	Average Price
**	1	Fable	Microsoft	Sep'04	$50
**	2	Star Wars: Battlefront	LucasArts	Sep'04	$49
2	3	ESPN NFL 2K5	Take-Two	Jul'04	$19
**	4	Burnout 3: Takedown	Electronic Arts	Sep'04	$50
1	5	Madden NFL 2005	Electronic Arts	Aug'04	$49
**	6	ESPN NHL 2K5	Take-Two	Sep'04	$20
**	7	Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005	Electronic Arts	Sep'04	$49
4	8	Halo: Combat Evolved	Microsoft	Nov'01	$30
**	9	NBA Live 2005	Electronic Arts	Sep'04	$40
**	10	ESPN NBA 2K5	Take-Two	Sep'04	$20

GAMECUBE
Last Month	Rank	Title	Publisher	Release Date	Average Price
**	1	Pikmin 2	Nintendo	Sep'04	$50
**	2	WWE: Day of Reckoning	Thq	Sep'04	$50
**	3	Donkey Konga	Nintendo	Sep'04	$49
4	4	Super Smash Bros. Melee	Nintendo	Dec'01	$30
2	5	Tales of Symphonia	Namco	Jul'04	$50
1	6	Madden NFL 2005	Electronic Arts	Aug'04	$50
6	7	Sonic Mega Collection	Sega	Nov'02	$19
**	8	X-Men: Legends	Activision	Sep'04	$50
**	9	SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom	Thq	Oct'03	$20
7	10	Mario Kart: Double Dash!!	Nintendo	Nov'03	$50

GAME BOY ADVANCE
Last Month	Rank	Title	Publisher	Release Date	Average Price
**	1	Pokemon FireRed Version	Nintendo	Sep'04	$31
**	2	Pokemon LeafGreen Version	Nintendo	Sep'04	$31
**	3	Dragon Ball Z: Buu's Fury	Atari	Sep'04	$30
1	4	Yu-Gi-Oh! Reshef of Destruction	Konami	Jun'04	$30
2	5	Spider-Man: The Movie 2	Activision	Jun'04	$29
7	6	Mario Bros 3: Mario 4	Nintendo	Oct'03	$30
6	7	Mario vs. Donkey Kong	Nintendo	May'04	$31
4	8	Classic NES Series: Super Mario Bros.	Nintendo	Jun'04	$20
**	9	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles	Konami	Oct'03	$12
3	10	Pokemon Ruby	Nintendo	Mar'03	$33