UK CHARTS: Mercenaries 2 leads as EA claims top three

Super publisher EA has beaten seven bells out of its chart opposition this week by claiming the top three spots in the Gfk ChartTrack UK All Format Top 40 – with Pandemic’s free-roaming blast-em-up Mercenaries 2: World in Flames leading the charge.

Mercenaries’ success was no doubt aided by its widely reported Finsbury Park petrol stunt which enjoyed pretty extensive coverage in the UK press last Friday.

Last week’s number one, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09, slips one spot this week, but still edges ahead of EA’s universe sim Spore, which debuts in third place. Nintendo’s Wii Fit claims the fourth spot, with 2K Play’s Carnival: Funfair Games occupying fifth.

Other new entries in the listings this week include Microsoft’s Xbox 360 exclusive Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise in 23rd, Deep Silver’s PC prequel STALKER Clear Sky at number 25, Ubisoft’s DS title Imagine Teacher at number 31 and Atari’s Driving Theory Training in 39th. Square Enix’s Xbox 360 RPG Infinite Undiscovery debuted in 28th spot.