This week's top rental charts from U.S. game rental company GameFly, representing the most requested games for the week ending September 1st, highlight both to-be-released and already released games in a unique demand-specific chart.
In its second week of release, BioShock maintains its dominance over the charts in the top position for the fifth straight week, while Midway's soon-to-be-released action/adventure title Stranglehold holds steady from the previous week at number two. Medal of Honor: Airborne took third place, and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, which slipped to fifth position last week after two weeks in fourth place, regained the number four spot this week, with Halo 3 bringing up fifth place, displacing last week's third position holder Blue Dragon to sixth.
What follows is a breakdown of the top titles requested by GameFly subscribers across each of the major platforms:
Xbox 360
1. BioShock (Take Two), 2. Stranglehold (Midway), 3. Medal of Honor: Airborne (EA), 4. Halo 3 (Microsoft), 5. Blue Dragon (Microsoft)
BioShock is still not budging from the top spot, while Stranglehold climbs from fourth position into second. EA's Medal of Honor: Airborne comes in third, nudging Madden NFL '08 out of the top 5 this week, making room for the Microsoft duo of Halo 3 and Blue Dragon; the latter shifts from second to fifth position this week.
Nintendo Wii
1. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Nintendo), 2. Carnival Games (Globalstar), 3. Mario Strikers Charged (Nintendo), 4. Brunswick Pro Bowling (Crave), 5. Tiger Woods PGA Tour '08 (EA)
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption maintained the top spot among Nintendo Wii requests for the third week, while Carnival Games and Mario Strikers Charged swapped places for second and third since last week. Brunswick Pro Bowling holds steady in fourth place, while Tiger Woods PGA Tour '08 edges out Mario Party '08 to take the fifth spot.
PlayStation 3
1. Warhawk (Sony), 2. Lair (Sony), 3. Heavenly Sword (Sony), 4. DiRT (Codemasters), 5. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (Ubisoft)
PS3 game requests this week saw Lair and Warhawk trade places in the first and second spots since last week. Heavenly Sword sticks in the third position, while DiRT and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 also made a trade with the fourth and fifth slots since last week.
PlayStation 2
1. Stuntman: Ignition (THQ), 2. Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles (Namco), 3. God of War II (Sony), 4. Madden NFL '08 (EA), 5. Wild Arms 5 {Xseed Games)
Wild Arms 5 in fifth position is the only title new to the top 5 PS2 requests this week as Persona 3 drops off; the other four play musical chairs, with Stuntman: Ignition climbing from second into the top spot as the previous week's number one, Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles slipped a bit into second place. God of War II moved up from fifth spot into third, and Madden NFL '08 keeps the fourth spot.
Xbox
1. Halo 2 (Microsoft), 2. Madden NFL '08 (EA), 3. Ninja Gaiden Black (Tecmo), 4. Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords (LucasArts), 5. Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy (LucasArts)
Doubtlessly anticipating the long-awaited impending release of Halo 3, the second installment of the Halo trilogy maintained the top spot again over the previous week. The first installment, however, did not retain its fifth-position slot, as the only other movement on the Xbox charts was Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy taking the place of the original Halo in fifth.
GameCube
1. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (Nintendo), 2. Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Nintendo), 3. Super Smash Bros. Melee (Nintendo), 4. Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition (Nintendo), 5.Mario Party 7
The top five GameCube requests this week were a solid block of Nintendo mainstays, with Metroid Prime 2: Echoes rising into first place, likely representing a surge of interest following the very recent release of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. It previously occupied the third position, into which it now bumps Super Smash Bros. Melee, as Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess keeps the second spot again this week. The Zelda: Collector's Edition enters the top 5 in fourth position, while Mario Party 7 stays in fifth again this week.
Nintendo DS
1. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (Nintendo), 2. Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon (Natsume), 3. Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day (Nintendo), 4. Worms 2: Open Warfare (THQ), 5. Heroes of Mana (Square Enix)
Though it's not releasing until October 1, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass edged out Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon for the top position this week, climbing from its spot in third last week. Brain Age 2 slipped from second to third position, while Worms 2: Open Warfare replaced Disney's High School Musical: Makin' the Cut in fourth position. Classic RPG Heroes of Mana held steady in the fifth spot.
Game Boy Advance
1. Pokemon: Emerald (Nintendo), 2. Pokemon: Sapphire (Nintendo), 3. Pokemon: Ruby (Nintendo), 4. Pokemon: Fire Red(Nintendo), 5. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team (Nintendo).
This week saw the GBA requests once again dominated by Pokemon titles, though with the exception of Emerald retaining the number 1 spot, there's been some movement. Pokemon: Sapphire advances from third position into second, while Pokemon: Ruby takes the third spot after spending last week at number five. Pokemon: Fire Red slips down from second into fourth place, knocking off last week's number four, Leaf Green. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team enters the top 5 in the fifth spot. There seems to be no sign of Pokemon dominance letting go of the GBA anytime soon.
PlayStation Portable
1. Monster Hunter Freedom 2 (Capcom), 2. Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes (Namco), 3. Jeanne D'Arc (Sony), 4. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (Ubisoft), 5. Dead Head Fred (D3P)
Jeanne D'Arc continues its downward slide; after falling from first to second place last week, it slips slightly into the third spot this week. Meanwhile, Capcom's Monster Hunter Freedom 2 climbs up into the top spot, nudging Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes into second. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 holds on at number four again this week, while Dead Head Fred replaces Dragoneer's Aria in the fifth spot.