The Getaway confounds doubters
Vice makes way for the flying squad
Sony's long awaited The Getaway stormed to the top of the charts this week, becoming the second fastest selling game of all time (in a seven day period), and dethroning GTA: Vice City in the process.
Exact figures are unavailable, but to be the second fastest selling game ever, the controversial PS2 title would have sold anything between 150,000 and 300,000, which will no doubt be cause for celebration down in Soho after all the criticism it has endured.
Elsewhere in the chart, there was little to report in terms of new entries or movement, with the execrable Simpsons Skateboarding debuting at No.29, and the mediocre Star Wars: Bounty Hunter at No.37.
EA's big titles continued to hog the upper echelons of the listings, including, predictably, Harry Potter, The Lord Of The Rings, FIFA 2003 and James Bond: Nightfire.
The Xbox continues to enjoy a resurgence on the back of the recent bundling, with Splinter Cell holding its own at No.7, and Halo at No.15, but the GameCube's lone representatives in the Top 40 are Starfox Adventures at No.36 and Super Mario Sunshine at a disappointing No.39 - being outsold for the second week running by EA's rather irritating platormer Ty The Tasmanian Tiger - albeit by a title out on three formats.
With nothing of note due for release before the New Year, the battle is now on for the Christmas No.1, and with Vice City having already sold an estimated 750,000 copies, it will do well to reclaim its position against a tough set of competitors.