SKY coming to Xbox Live in mid-October

UK network Sky will be via Xbox Live in mid-October, according to a report on the Mirror. The confirmation on this comes from Sky’s own print publication Sky Magazine. Microsoft and the network announced during e3 that it would be bringing the network to subscribers in the United Kingdom sometime this year. Sky is already preparing for the service to be rolled out, with a web site dedicated to its programming on Xbox Live - sky.com/xbox360.

Pricing was not revealed in the report, but it may be the most important factors for UK Live users, so we’ll see if it is reasonable or not when the official announcement is made. Stay tuned.

Prototype dominates UK sales charts

Prototype was the top selling game in the United Kingdom, according to ELSPA’s Chart Track for the week ending June 20, 2009 - up from the number two spot the week prior. The Sims 3 was knocked out of the top spot by Activision’s super hero action game, while Red Faction: Guerilla was pushed out of the number three spot by Wii Fit and the debut of the new Ghostbusters game, falling all the way to number six.

Meanwhile, UFC 2009 Undisputed fell two spots to number seven, while Call of Duty World at War rose from number seven to number five. EA Sports Active was down two spots to number eight, while Virtua Tennis 2009 cracked the top ten at number nine and Grand Slam Tennis managed to land at number ten.

The rest of the top twenty can be found below:

UK Retail Sales - June 20, 2009

1 PROTOTYPE
2 THE SIMS 3
3 WII FIT
4 GHOSTBUSTERS: THE VIDEO GAME
5 CALL OF DUTY: WORLD AT WAR
6 RED FACTION: GUERRILLA
7 UFC 2009: UNDISPUTED
8 EA SPORTS ACTIVE
9 VIRTUA TENNIS 2009
10 GRAND SLAM TENNIS
11 PROFESSOR LAYTON AND THE CURIOUS VILLAGE
12 FIFA 09
13 INDIANA JONES AND THE STAFF OF KINGS
14 MARIO KART WII
15 CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE
16 POKEMON PLATINUM
17 GUITAR HERO: METALLICA
18 INFAMOUS
19 ARMA II
20 RESIDENT EVIL 5

Leisure software charts compiled by Chart Track

UK Charts - Week Ending April 25, 2009

Wii Fit topped the UK All Formats charts for the week ending April 25, 2009 - according to retail sales data from Chart Trak released this morning. The latest game starring Vin Diesel debuted at the number 2 spot, pushing The Godfather II and FIFA 09 down a couple of spots, while Resident Evil 5, Professor Layton, and the rest of the top ten managed to hold onto the positions they held last week. Mario and Sonic at the Olympics was the biggest loser this week plummeting from the number 4 spot all the way out of the top ten to the eleventh spot. Full All Formats chart below:

1 - WII FIT
2 - THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK: DARK ATHENA
3 - THE GODFATHER II
4 - FIFA 09
5 - RESIDENT EVIL 5
6 - PROFESSOR LAYTON AND THE CURIOUS VILLAGE
7 - MARIO KART WII
8 - WII PLAY
9 - CALL OF DUTY: WORLD AT WAR
10 - CARNIVAL: FUNFAIR GAMES
11 - MARIO & SONIC AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES
12 - DR KAWASHIMA’S BRAIN TRAINING
13 - GUITAR HERO: WORLD TOUR
14 - MY FITNESS COACH
15 - SEGA MEGA DRIVE ULTIMATE COLLECTION
16 - CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE
17 - RAYMAN RAVING RABBIDS TV PARTY
18 - GRAND THEFT AUTO IV
19 - BEN 10: ALIEN FORCE
20 - LEGO INDIANA JONES: ORIGINAL ADVENTURES

The Beatles Rock Band LE European Pricing

For all our brothers and sisters across the pond comes this story about The Beatles: Rock Band pricing. Specifically pricing for The Beatles: Rock Band Limited Edition Premium Bundle. Consumers in continental Europe will have to shell out 199.00 euros, while the bundle will retail for 179.00 Pounds Sterling in the UK. the U.S. version will retail for $249.99. That’s pretty expensive right? So expensive that it should come with a shot of “talent” for people who continue to insist they “aren’t that bad” or “they must have a cold or something.” Yeah, tell your story walking, sir and/or madame (you know who you are).

So if it doesn’t come with talent injunctions, then what does the bundle contain that’s so damn pricey? Well it features The Beatles: Rock Band software, a Hofner Bass controller (a large scale replica of the Bass famously used by Sir Paul McCartney), a Beatles-inspired and Ludwig-branded Rock Band 2 drum set with classic pearl finish and vintage replica Beatles kick drum head, a microphone and stand, and additional special content.

North American and European fans who pre-order any version of the game will be eligible to join the The Beatles: Rock Band Pre-Order Club and receive breaking news and access to exclusive game elements including art and behind-the-scenes footage directly from MTV Games and Harmonix. New material will be released regularly starting in May and leading up to the game’s launch on Sept. 9.

image credit - http://www.iconocast.com

Killzone 2 Tops UK Charts

Killzone 2 is blazing up the charts in the UK with the PS3 exclusive landing at the number one spot for the week ending Feb 28th, 2009 - according to retail sales data from ELSPA GfK-ChartTrack’s All Formats Top 40. Killzone 2 managed to beat out Halo Wars, which debuted at the number 2 spot, knocking Street Fighter IV to number three for the week, which in turn helped push Wii Fit to the number four spot.

Professor Layton and the Curious Village for the DS, The Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection, FIFA 09, Call of Duty: World at War, Ben 10: Alien Force, and Mario Kart Wii filled out the rest of the chart for the week. Silent Hill: Homecoming debuted at number eleven, just missing the top ten and Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II took a dramatic nose dive off the top ten to land at the 18th best selling position for the week.

ELSPA GfK-ChartTrack All Formats Top 40 - Week Ending Feb 28th:
1. Killzone 2 (Sony)
2. Halo Wars (Microsoft)
3. Street Fighter IV (Capcom)
4. Wii Fit (Nintendo)
5. Professor Layton and the Curious Village (Nintendo)
6. Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection (Sega)
7. FIFA 09 (EA)
8. Call of Duty: World at War (Activision Blizzard)
9. Ben 10: Alien Force (D3P)
10. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo)

Cameron: Jail For Carrying Knives

Oh My god, someone in the UK parliament finally gets it. According to a report in the Daily Telegraph, Tory leader David Cameron says that the best way to fight knife crime is to jail people that carry knives. What a novel approach to combating the increase in stabbings!

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