Xbox 360 exclusiveGears of War 2has managed toblast its way to the topof the UK sales charts, puttingLittleBigPlanetin its place despite the latters two-day lead. Both games are the highly anticipated Holiday killers for their respective platform, but it seems that the opening battle has gone to Epic Games’ steroid-pumped shooter.
WhileGears 2soaks up the glory of the top spot,LittleBigPlanethas a less impressive position at number four, having also lost out toFIFA 09andFallout 3. Apparently, the cute charms of Sackboy make for a less endearing mascot than Marcus Fenix’s grizzled facade and bulging neck muscles. Maybe Microsoft should look into Fenix plushies?
I would argue that this has something to do with casual gaming. Not the misconception people have about casual gamers (that they are all old people and women), but thetruescope of what it means to be casual — which includes young males who don’t follow games but love violent, mainstream shooters likeHaloandGears. The “casual” appeal ofGears 2will likely have had an effect here.
Bad news for the British Media Molecule, bested on its own turf. With very little else in Sony’s bag of tricks, this has to be a real shame. Still, maybe the title’s position will climb when parents are looking for something cute to give their kids. We’ll have to see.
