UK Game Charts: September 24-30

It's no secret that the UK is mad for football, but it appears as though UK gamers are equally mad for football games. The latest digital version of "The Beautiful Game" from Electronic Arts, FIFA 07, easily took the number one position in the all-formats game chart. Perhaps even more impressive was that Chart-Track reported that the game is the seventh-fastest-selling all-formats game on record. The vast majority of sales came from the PlayStation 2 version, which claimed 84 percent of the game's total sales despite FIFA 07 being available on seven platforms.

The last week of September was also good for other publishers, with Square Enix and THQ both claiming new entries in the all-formats top 10. Square's Kingdom Hearts II hit the number five position, outselling the original Kingdom Hearts' first-week sales by a factor of five. THQ's well-reviewed PC game Company of Heroes also made a strong first-week showing at number seven.

Despite these three new entries, many existing games managed to maintain their grip on the chart. Just Cause and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 held on to positions two and three, respectively. LMA Manager 2007 lost two places last week and dropped from four to six.

Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy occupied the previous week's number one slot but dropped to number four last week, while Cars and Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training also tumbled down a few notches. Outside of the top 10, Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition arrived at number 32 thanks to its PS2 release, while 42 All-Time Classics on the Nintendo DS entered at number 36.

This week sees the long-delayed release of Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence in the UK, alongside the Official Nintendo DS Internet Browser and ArchLord for the PC. Check back next week to see if they can make a dent on the charts and to see whether FIFA 07 can maintain pole position.