14 DAY TRIAL // The Wii is expected to do great in January's NPD numbers, when they are released, even as Nintendo is wondering why Japanese gamers are no longer interested in home gaming consoles. To keep the balance positive, Nintendo should take into account the performance it has achieved in the United Kingdom, where only one of the top ten games does not have a version for a Nintendo console.
Wii Fit remains the best sold game in the archipelago nation, while FIFA 09 shoots up to number two as Electronic Arts announces that players of the football simulation will be able to get a new game mode, dubbed Ultimate Team, that substitutes images of players with trading cards. Call of Duty: World at War continues its quest to sell better than its predecessor, Modern Warfare, and stands at number three in the chart. Expect Activision to release comparative sales for the two titles sometime in the near future.
The only new entry in the top ten is Mystery Case Files: Millionheir for the Nintendo DS, which is the first sign of a host of games made by Nintendo that are to follow. Professor Layton and the Curious Village is at number five, Mario Kart Wii is at number six, with Wii Play following in seventh place. Nintendo must be happy of its continued dominance of the United Kingdom, which is set to become a bigger market than Japan for videogames.
The only videogame that does not have a Wii version and cracked the top ten is Skate 2 from Electronic Arts, which is sitting at number eight. Mario & Sonic have jumped up three places with their Olympic videogames based on Beijing 2008, after finding out that they are also going to be featured in titles based on the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.
Guitar Hero: World Tour is also seeing a rebound, standing at number ten. Rock Band is nowhere to be seen.