UK Charts 28/04/14: It's Still Raining Titans Titans keep fallin' on my head.

Stefan L

You’d be forgiven for a feeling of déjà vu, looking at the top of the charts. Titanfall’s Xbox 360 release has catapulted it to a dominant position in the UK charts for the past three weeks now, while 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil and FIFA 14 also held 2nd and 4th positions last week. In fact, the only difference in the top five is that Call of Duty: Ghosts has swapped places with LEGO The Hobbit.

Skimming down the list, we’ve got a familiar story, with no big new releases last week. Minecraft and South Park do well for themselves, while there’s the ever-present array of LEGO titles. Down in 15th place, inFamous Second Son is still duking it out with Metal Gear Solid V: Grouns Zeroes, and still holding a slender lead.

So a quiet week without a big new game leads to an unexciting week in the UK charts. Who’d have guessed?

Titanfall – Electronic Arts
2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil – Electronic Arts
Call of Duty: Ghosts – Activision Blizzard
FIFA 14 – Electronic Arts
LEGO The Hobbit – Warner Bros. Interactive
Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition – Microsoft
South Park: The Stick of Truth – Ubisoft
The LEGO Movie Videogame – Warner Bros. Interactive
Plants Vs Zombies: Garden Warfare – Electronic Arts
Battlefield 4 – Electronic Arts
Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag – Ubisoft
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes – Warner Bros. Interactive
Grand Theft Auto V – Take 2
Trials Fusion – Ubisoft
inFamous: Second Son – Sony Computer Ent.
Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes – Konami
Thief – Square Enix Europe
Dark Souls II – Bandai Namco Games
Disney Infinity – Disney Interactive Studios
Batman: Arkham Origins – Warner Bros. Interactive

Elder Scrolls Online takes UK number one, as FIFA 14 scores again

The Elder Scrolls Online – a hit even without the console versions
Bethesda’s new MMO has proven a hit already on PC, as FIFA 14 returns as the best-selling multiformat game of the week.

Although it just missed out on the all formats number one the chart success of The Elder Scrolls Online is impressive given that it’s only on PC at the moment and the majority of those sales would’ve been digital downloads – which aren’t counted by Chart-Track.

The Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions will be out in June, but with no other major new releases last week it’s FIFA 14 which has snuck back up to the top of the all formats chart. EA’s game hasn’t been out of the all formats top six since it launched and has now enjoyed 11 non-consecutive weeks at number one.

That’s a feat equalled by only four other games in UK chart history: Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, Wii Fit, Zumba Fitness, and FIFA: Road To The World Cup 98.

Older title Call Of Duty: Ghosts also saw a boost in sales this week, of 35 per cent, likely due to the release of the new Devastation map pack.

The only other release of note last week was Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends, with the Complete Edition on PlayStation 4 and PS Vita sneaking in at number 29 in the all formats chart, and the PlayStation 4 version appearing at number 34 in the individual formats top 40.

This week is considerably busier, with key Xbox One release Kinect Sports Rivals going up against the multiformat Lego The Hobbit. There’s also the Xbox 360 version of Titanfall and Football Manager Classic 14 on PS Vita.

UK individual formats chart – 5 April

1 (-) The Elder Scrolls Online (PC)
2 (2) Titanfall (XO)
3 (1) inFamous: Second Son (PS4)
4 (5) Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition (360)
5 (7) FIFA 14 (PS4)
6 (8) Plants Vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare (360)
7 (10)South Park: The Stick Of Truth (360)
8 (4) Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (PS4)
9 (13)FIFA 14 (360)
10(11) The Lego Movie Videogame (360)

UK all formats chart – 5 April

1 (4) FIFA 14 (PS2/Wii/360/PS3/XO/PS4/PC/PSP/3DS/PSV)
2 (-) The Elder Scrolls Online (PC)
3 (3) Titanfall (XO/PC)
4 (8) Call Of Duty: Ghosts (360/PS3/Wii U/XO/PS4/PC)
5 (2) Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (360/PS3/XO/PS4)
6 (1) inFamous: Second Son (PS4)
7 (5) The Lego Movie Videogame (360/PS3/Wii U/XO/PS4/PC/3DS/PSV)
8 (7) South Park: The Stick Of Truth (360/PS3/PC)
9 (9) Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition (360)
10(13)Battlefield 4 (360/PS3/XO/PS4/PC)

FIFA 14 Ultimate Team with Pepe Reina as striker

By Alan Ng
What happens when you participate in a FIFA 14 Ultimate Team match online, with a full team of goalkeepers? We have the answer to that very question, with a hilarious video from a regular FIFA 14 YouTuber.

The YouTuber in question is W2S, who set himself a challenge of winning an Ultimate Team match with goalkeepers, after recent criticism from other users in his previous videos.

The brave lineup chosen included the likes of Rogerio Ceni, Manuel Neuer and even Pepe Reina as a striker. Obviously, this video is just for amusement purposes, but you’ll be surprised to hear that the team can still compete.

Liverpool FC keeper Pepe Reina, now on loan to Napoli FC even managed to score a great goal, but ultimately the challenge was failed with a 4-2 defeat.

2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Announced For PS3 and Xbox 360

With the footbal world cup taking place in a few months, EA has finally announced its usual World Cup football game, 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil. The title will be released only on PS3 and Xbox 360, which means that it won't be available on next-gen consoles.

EA has also revealed many details regarding the title including the fact that it will feature 7,469 players and 203 National Teams. In addition, EA has also confirmed that the title will have 21 new stadiums, including the 12 stadiums from the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil will feature several innovations and gameplay improvements compared to EA's latest FIFA title, FIFA 14. These improvements include the ability to use the D-pad to command other members of your team, a more realistic ball physics system, new animations, and defenders can now leap over attacking players to clear the ball to safety. In addition, there will also be a new control system that will allow players to have a better control of their speed, as well as additional dribbles and flicks.

Several modes will be available in the title, including the 'Road to the FIFA World Cup', which will allow players to pick any of the 203 National Teams and play with up to 32 players locally through the qualifying rounds, and proceed on to the group stage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil, and the 'Road to Rio de Janeiro' mode, where players will compete online with any of the 203 National Teams. Other modes include the classic 'Captain your Country' and 'Story of Qualifying', where players will be able to relive over 60 real scenarios taken directly from 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying.

According to EA, the reason that 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil isn't going to be released on next-gen consoles is due to the fact that they are aiming to produce their best game to their biggest audience, which are the players on PS3 and Xbox 360.

Games Inbox: Aliens: Colonial Marines fan, Blacklist co-op, and FIFA 14 cheats

The evening Inbox deals with an overly sarcastic Neo-Geo game, as one reader asks for help importing Lighting Reutrns from the US.

Please note: we are currently accepting votes for the 2013 Readers’ Top 20 (you can see the 2012 chart here). To take part simply email us a list of your three favourite video games that were released last year, in the UK. Voting ends on Friday, January 31.

Realistic expectations
I picked up Aliens: Colonial Marines for £2.50 and I’m really enjoying it. I’m not really following the story so couldn’t say if it makes any sense but I haven’t found any of the issues that have been talked about, I think it catches the look and feel of the movies well. The multiplayer was a surprise too as I’v found it to be alot of fun, the tension of being a marine not knowing when or where the aliens are going to attack has been done well. It’s made me jump many a time.
It’s made me wonder if either the patch for it has corrected a lot of the bugs or whether my expectations for it were so low or the fact I paid so little for it are the reasons for me enjoying it, it’s nice to have a surprise though.
robbie.j

GC: There’s no patch that can fix what’s wrong with Colonial Marines. But lowered expectations and almost giving it away can certainly help to soften the blow.

Co-op interest
RE: Mondeohitman and Splinter Cell: Blacklist, you piqued my interest in this game when you said that the single-player gave you the same feeling you felt with the older games. I had read that the developers tried to give both an old school stealth option or a gung-ho action option to each mission.
As regards the multiplayer, does this game have local two player co-op like Spies Vs. Mercs in the old games GC? If so, I feel a purchase coming on.
Charco79 (PSN ID)

GC: The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions have split screen co-op for some modes, but not Spies Vs. Mercs.

Cheating themselves
RE: Funtimefitzy and Gatchaman. If I may wade into this debate: I would agree 100%, I have never been able to fathom the mindset of someone who will willingly cheat at an online game and have yet to find anyone that admits to such. What is the point of playing an online game for skill and cheating your way through it?

I have met a large number of cheaters online with FIFA, these particular idiots would freeze the game (no idea how) and wait for you to lose patience and quit or restart the game to start scoring goals… How anyone can be that desperate for a win is beyond me.

The mindset of such an individual will always confuse me, if you have no skill at the game then practice and get better, it proves nothing by cheating a score or a win. You see it all the time on the leaderboards of most multiplayers, with cheaters fixing the results which I just find bizarre.

If any cheater finds themselves banned from online or a particular game then I say good!
Foetus

Wrong end of the stick
Just heard about an update for Dead Rising 3 that’s a ridiculous 13GB in size. OK, so it apparently also includes downloadable content as well as a patch to fix a number of issues, and it rewrites a lot of code so it won’t actually take up an extra 13GB of hard drive space, but why are people being forced to download content they may not want to buy if they want the patch as well?

Have Capcom come up with a new way of tempting gamer’s to buy downloadable content? That is making it mandatory to download it by including it with a game update and then have it sitting there on your hard drive until you give in and buy it?
dyniner(PSN ID)

GC: The free patch was released yesterday and is entirely separate from the paid-for downloadable content, which was released today.

No need to be sarcastic
On the subject of weird things said in games, one I remember the most was an impossibly hard football game on the Neo-Geo,  (literally impossible to score) the computer scored and it actually said ‘Oh my god’ in a really sarcastic voice.

I looked at my friend perplexed, (this was 21 years ago) and we thought how does it know it’s kicking our butts so badly? Could never get it to say it again no matter how much I lost.
Herbieone

Winter drought
I really don’t get all this talk of summer games droughts? Surely people have games they can go back to play? Since leaving Xbox for playStation 3 and 4 the amount of games I have amassed on just the PlayStation 3, what with PlayStation Plus stuff I wouldn’t have bought at retail like Remember Me and Metal Gear Rising: Reveangance. In fact I’ve started buying games I had on Xbox 360, for instance Darks Souls which I 1000g’d and Borderlands 2 which I also 1000g’d.

I’m playing Fallout 3 again, defiance, dead island GOTY edition as these can be picked up for peanuts, then there is far cry 3 to do again, dragons dogma, i got journey, thomas was alone, mass effect 1 for 3.99 and loads of other indie games. so i say what drought? there is always something to play.
zombiekicker (PSN ID)

GC: The fact there are alternatives doesn’t excuse the silly way publishers organise their release dates. Neverm ind summer, there haven’t been any major retail games released for two months now.

American import
This might be a bit of a long shot but are there any readers from North America that can help me import Lighting Returns: Final Fantasy XIII? In particular I am after the limited edition version which is only available through the North American Square Enix shop/website. I will make it worth your while.

I am happy for GC to pass on my email address or contact me through my details below. Thanks in advance.
Eyetunes (PSN ID)/tomharvey86 (Twitter)

Unlucky for some
Well this is frustrating. After posting in the weekend Inbox a couple of fellow GCers kindly sent me a PSN friend request. I was able to accept the first one without a problem, but when I tried to accept the next request, a message came up claiming I’d reached my friend limit. The request then disappeared.

Bearing in mind I have 13 friends on my list and the limit is supposed to be 100, this is clearly codswallop. The same thing happened a few weeks back and I ended up deleting some of my friends to make space for new ones. Sounds terrible I know! Even when including all previous friend requests, my total number of requests would still be far from 100. I’ve also only ever used one PSN account on the same PlayStation 3, so there are no other devices that could be confusing matters.

Have any other readers experienced this problem and found a solution? One that preferably doesn’t involve the brutal tactic of friend deletion?! Perhaps I’m forever capped to a 13 friend limit.
Adzz1986 (PSN ID – no point adding me though!)
PS: Sorry to whoever’s request I wasn’t able to accept!

Inbox also-rans
RE: FF13ACE. BioShock Infinite is part of the instant game collection next month so hold onto that cash.
thewearehere (PSN ID)

Whoah! Bargain alert and a half! Dark Souls is only £3.74 on Xbox 360 marketplace. Guess I’m about to find out what Gill C and zombiekicker have been harking on about for ages…
Tron

Xbox Live bargain alert: The Bureau On Demand only £49.99. How do they expect to sell any at all?
Dr Gargunza

This week’s Hot Topic
2014 has barely started and yet already the outlook for Nintendo is not a good one, as they announced a yearly loss last week and terrible sales figures for the Wii U. This weekend’s Inbox asks the simple question: what would you do about it if you were in charge?

There’s been some seemingly contradictory headlines for Nintendo lately, as the 3DS became the best-selling console in the world in 2013 but still underperformed its targets. While the stock market valued Nintendo more than Sony and yet Nintendo’s latest results are amongst the worst in its history.

When considering your advice bear in mind Nintendo’s huge cash reserves and the fact that producing its own hardware is integral to not only the way it makes games but how it profits from them. On the other hand consider the comments about a ‘new business plan’, which may hint at new hardware or support for smart devices.

FIFA 14 Ultimate Team Web App update inbound

by Jonny Hercock
EA Sports have a fairly sizable update coming to the FIFA 14 Ultimate Team Web App soon. Here’s a list of (some of) what to expect from the update:

Added the ability to Re-List all previously unsold Items.
Added the ability to find all similar Items when searching the Transfer Market (ex. Find All Messi’s)
Applying Consumables is now a two-step process, but prevents Consumables from accidentally being applied.
Items are automatically added to the Transfer Targets section when attempting to Buy Now with Items in the Unassigned Pile
Changes to Squads are automatically saved when leaving the Active Squad screen. Users still have the option to save manually.
Chemistry Style icons now appear when comparing players on the Active Squad screen
Unique colours for the pack opening animation (Bronze, Silver, and Gold).
Changed the fonts app wide to match FUT Console
All this, and potentially more is expected ‘next week’, according to EA’s blog post, found here. Speaking from experience, some of these functions are much-needed improvements. Most have either been omitted from the web version of Ultimate Team, or will make user’s lives much easier. For example, both of these apply in the case of the ‘Re-List All’ function.