Chart Watch – The three games that beat FIFA 17 in the UK

Every so often I love to check out the UK game charts. They love their FIFA, but seeing which other games can grab a piece of their wallet is often very interesting.

via gamespress via Charttrack

Injustice 2

Top spot for the second week running is a great accomplishment and one well deserved. Injustice 2 offers a big package for $60 not usually seen in fighting games. Not only is the single-player campaign fully fleshed out with cutscenes and impressive facial animation, but the side events number in the hundreds of (if not thousands). Plenty of unlockables will keep grinders happy for months. And of course the online multiplayer is rock solid.

I always figured the Brits enjoyed the cheeky and dark humor of Ed Boon’s Mortal Kombat, and I’m not surprised to see them latch on to its spiritual successor.

Overwatch

Rocketboosting from 18th to 2nd is a feat matched only by Farpoint’s drop from 2nd to 19th. Blizzard’s mastery of the game industry is on full display here and will continue to impress as Overwatch keeps on giving.

A great game to have on the hardrive for a quick burst of multiplayer play. I thought I was done with it last time I got trounced in competitive, but a fun night of matches with good buddy Matthew Hayes got me right back into it and looking forward to Reaper’s upcoming changes.

I highly recommend picking this up even now, just like the Brits.

GTA V

What the hell. I’m surprised by this game’s monumental legs, but realize I shouldn’t be surprised by Rockstar and their flagship series. I love that they take their time with sequels and support games up the butt until the cows come home. To see that kind of player-friendly behavior rewarded is great for the industry. We need more of this and less of the annual sequel philosophy, although there’s plenty of room for both.

FIFA 17

Prey

After the soft sales of the brilliant Dishonored 2, I didn’t expect much from Prey. To see it holding strong with solid numbers warms my Arkane-loving heart. They make interesting, thoughtful games that continue the spirit of classics like Thief and System Shock. 

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Every Nintendo console needs at least one Mario Kart. The Wii U’s early death had the silver lining of gifting the Switch with quality games that are still very relevant. And since so few people owned a Wii U, Mario Kart 8 and Splatoon have a brand new audience to reach. Adding the battle mode is a nice bone to throw at players who now own two copies of MK8.

Ghost Recon: Wildlands

This was an odd one. It’s a highly polished experience with ample opportunity for shenanigans with friends. Personally, I found the uber-careful-stealth at odds with the open-world multiplayer with vehicles begging me to run amok. But for serious gamers with serious friends, there could be months of great fun here.

Dishonored 2

Speak of the devil! Bouncing back onto the list is one of my favorites from 2016.  Was there some kind of sale? Those Brits love a good deal.

Breath of the Wild

Rising three spots from 12th to 9th, and that’s before the DLC! I’ve been sipping this game like a $300 bottle of scotch, and it makes me feel twice as warm. I protracted my review over four weeks and put off facing Ganon until the last possible moment. I’ve still got a butt-load of sidequests qued up to keep the romance alive between me and my new favorite Zelda.

Ultra Street Fighter II

I’m not a huge fan of the art style and the extra modes look like a $10 bottle of scotch, leaving me almost as sick. Buuuuuuut, I love having an old-school Street Fighter II on any system. A simple fighter to play with friends of any skill level without having to explain meters, supers, and all that other scary stuff.

Gears of War 4

I haven’t had an Xbox since the original, so I missed out on this series. But with Microsoft’s cannibalistic Xbox-on-Windows format, I should rectify that ASAP.

Horizon Zero Dawn

I was too into Breath of the Wild when this released but I’m really looking forward to grabbing it when I’ve got the room for a big juicy third-person campaign. I was so happy for Guerilla Games to finally break away from Killzone and explore all the ideas they must have been stockpiling. We always knew they could make gorgeous games, but to see them tell a much larger story was inspiring.

Rocket League

My go-to when friends come over that haven’t played a game since the ’90s. A game that captures the experience of actually playing a position on a team better than any before it.

Lego Worlds

I always mean to get into Lego games. I hear they’re hilarious, but I find the puzzles confusing and the combat bland. I could see how they’re the perfect games to play with a friend, child, or border collie.

Infinite Warfare

The most disliked youtube video ever couldn’t hold down the mighty power of COD. It was great to see the team branch out, and the non-linear choice to play extra dog-fighting levels should be commended. I find the constant ducking behind cover to regenerate health a tedious process, but the set-pieces are still a thing of beauty.

Lego City Undercover

Game Informer’s Ben Hanson speaks highly of this one. Lego’s take on GTA is a fantastic proposition, and if I ever see it for cheap on the Wii U I will gladly take a shot at it.

Forza Horizon 3

Like Gears, I’ve never felt the pleasures of Forza. I’m not usually a fan of racing games where you need to use the brakes, but this one looks so pretty it would be worth taking a few laps. Racing in VR is what I’m really excited for though!

Halo 5: Guardians

Attilla from our Gameology series bought an Xbox 1 just for the next Halo. This blew my mind as his thoughtful analysis of game design made me peg him on the opposite end of the spectrum. But classic Halo multiplayer was always a little slower and more graceful than the twitchy competition. Maybe that’s why he loves it.

Farpoint

PSVR needs full games and Farpoint joins Resident Evil 7 to lead the charge. I’m a little skeptical on VR (and poor!), but I like this step and hope to see more just like it as developers learn this new medium.

For Honor

This in VR would be pretty cool, until you puked. But to puke while landing a deathblow would be pretty badass.

Matthew Hayes friggin’ loved this game. He talked about it like I talk about Shadowrun for the Genesis/Megadrive. He even mentioend “next great e-Sport”.

That’s it for the week in game sales. I wasn’t planning on talking about all of them but the completionist in me pressed on. If you have any thoughts on the charts, fill me in below.