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Xbox 360 UK launch proves one thing: England hates America

FootballWe don't know if it's that whole tea party thing or what, but England is not showing much love to too many cultural imports from the colonies. Case in point: the list of of the top-selling UK Xbox 360 games has been released and the results are very interesting, if not down right suspicious:

1. Perfect Dark Zero
2. Project Gotham Racing 3
3. Call of Duty 2
4. Condemned
5. Need for Speed Most Wanted
6. Kameo
7. FIFA: Road to the FIFA World Cup
8. Quake 4
9. King Kong
10. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06
11. GUN
12. Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland
13. Madden NFL 06
14. Amped 3
15. NBA Live 06

Let's just look at the bottom 6. In that bunch of misfits we have golf (with a nod to Scotland), skateboarding, real football, snowboarding and basketball. See a trend? Every iconic, US centric sport and beloved pastime comes in dead last. And they've thrown in cowboys and the wild west for good measure too.

Conspiracy or EA boycott? You decide.
 

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Clint Thompson1

12-08-2005 @ 1:47AM

Clint Thompson said...

I don't think it's a matter of hate as it is taste.
I mean, could you see a game hitting U.S. shelves titled: Terry Marko's European Wasteland? Yea, didn't think that one would fly over very well ;-)

You see the better titles are being sold anyways.... so no complaints :)

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yo2

12-08-2005 @ 2:17AM

yo said...

Interesting, but not interesting enough. The top games sold are the top games -- period. I live on this side of the pond and if I actually HAD mine, I would get the top three on that list, in that order.

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Narcogen3

12-08-2005 @ 2:34AM

Narcogen said...

Yeah, wouldn't have anything to do with the top 5 better the better games out for the console, with the bottom five being ports from the Xbox (Tony Hawk, NFL, NBA) or short and mediocre (GUN) or about snowboarding (Amped).

My question would be, why is it that FIFA is so low on the list? That game won't sell well in the US at all; but there are two racing games, two shooters, and a platformer emigre from Nintendo on that list ahead of FIFA.

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Christopher Coulter4

12-08-2005 @ 2:58AM

Christopher Coulter said...

It's just a cultural thing, not a 'hate' thing. The Big Mac and all the Hollywoodish American pop culture isn't always exactly a hit over there either. Just differences, not hate. Yet the rigid hierarchy of British culture, reminds me daily that 1776 was a great, grand and glorious thing. :)

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D man5

12-08-2005 @ 3:08AM

D man said...

You know... Other than switching first and third place, I agree with that listing. But then I'm one of those people that think its stupid to play a video game of a sport as long as you've got a pair of legs and arms to play the sport yourself.

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neale6

12-08-2005 @ 3:23AM

neale said...

nothing to do with hate. basically basketball games are complete drivel, fifa isnt pro evo, american what? thats not real football. foot-ball - u see that word before ball? not hand/throw. we call that rugby. and as for tony hawk, its the same old shit. i had tony hawk 2 and that was its best. theyre all exactly the same. they got boring real quick.

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Anthony7

12-08-2005 @ 4:58AM

Anthony said...

FIFA 06: RTWC is a hugely cut down version of an already exceedingly average footy game - that's why it hasn't sold.

On the other consoles you get to chosse from thousands of club teams and leagues - in Road to the World Cup you only get to choose from a handful of National sides and one form of tournament. (And you thought only 6 courses in Tiger was bad)

And it's crap.

The current gen Pro Evo 5 still wees on it from a great height.

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FukUSA8

12-08-2005 @ 7:51AM

FukUSA said...

So what? Fuk USA and there LAME sports !!!!UK BABY!!!!

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Ed Andersen9

12-08-2005 @ 8:31AM

Ed Andersen said...

Its not a consipiracy, the worst games are at the bottom of the chart. Turns out the worst games are by EA.

This isn't even "news"!

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Ed Stasick10

12-08-2005 @ 8:46AM

Ed Stasick said...

Really? A list of the best selling games during the week of a new console launch isn't news? Sort of the way the that the weekend box office, the bestseller list and sports scores aren't news?

BTW, this isn't a "news" site, per se. It's a gaming blog... covering tidbits, factoids, how-tos, culture, and, yes, even news about gaming.

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notrealdan11

12-08-2005 @ 8:57AM

notrealdan said...

Maybe if EA had actually finished their games before releasing them they'd be worthy of better sales. Especially for games that already exist on other platforms with all of the modes available.

I'm looking at you, Madden!

Then again, this isn't anything new when it comes to launch titles. They're usually rush jobs. The real games will come next year.

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Sense12

12-08-2005 @ 9:04AM

Sense said...

What? You mean racing games and British developer Rare games are in the top six? The hell you say.

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Britain, England, UK13

12-08-2005 @ 9:26AM

Britain, England, UK said...

Aw come on!
England and the UK are not the same thing. England is the biggest part of the UK, but its a bit like saying "America hates the UK" based on a poll of North America.

England is the biggest part of Britain along with Wales and Scotland. Britain is the biggest part of the UK along with Northern Ireland.

UK is short for The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Before anyone asks, the "great" bit comes from a loooong time ago and differentiated it from "little Britain" or Brittany - part of Northern France.

So in conclusion, the Scots, Welsh and some of the Irisb may also hate America. (or maybe they just don't like sports - and rubbish games)

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jennie14

12-08-2005 @ 9:32AM

jennie said...

#13 - you beat me to it. I shall have to educate my co-poster.

I doubt the Rare games are in the top few just because they're homegrown - most of the folk I know got them because they're good! Still, the only sports titles that seem to do well here are football ones; bring on an Xbox cricket title, I say!

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Britain, England, UK15

12-08-2005 @ 9:52AM

Britain, England, UK said...

Did I really say IRISB? Irish Irish Irish
Maybe a better analogy is saying NYC but meaning NY state. Well at least England and UK have different names!

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Britain, England, UK16

12-08-2005 @ 9:59AM

Britain, England, UK said...

Cricket??! good god no! Brian Lara's cricket - was that any good?

Have there ever been any Irish sports games made? Like gaelic football or hurling?
However, I agree with #6, my personal opinion is that games are escapism and so should be stuff you cannot do in real life. The more immersive the better.

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Don Wilson17

12-08-2005 @ 10:01AM

Don Wilson said...

That's why Call of Duty 2 is #3.

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Sense18

12-08-2005 @ 12:14PM

Sense said...

Arthur: It is I, Arthur, King of the Britons!

Peasant: King of the who?

Arthur: The Britons.

Peasant: Who are the Britons?

Arthur: We all are. We are all Britons. I am your king.

Peasant: Well I didn't vote for you...

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Michael May19

12-08-2005 @ 12:42PM

Michael May said...

Excuse me while I finish my scones and crumpets.

Whoa!!! Big story here - games that have never sold well in Britain made about sports that very few people know or care about in Britain fail to sell well on a new system which few people have when graphics are updated and gameplay reduced!!! Quick, someone tell the media before it hits the consumers hard...

I personally liked Brian Lara cricket, but that was the original - I haven't played the 4000 sequels inevitably churned out by EA.

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Ciaran Gallagher20

12-08-2005 @ 1:14PM

Ciaran Gallagher said...

I'm from N.Ireland and also share the same enthusiasm and want for the top 5 games there. I've bought PGR3 and Call of Duty and will probably buy Most Wanted and have considered buying Perfect Dark Zero and Condemned.

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