Some interesting statistics about Electronic Arts' recently launched FIFA09 in the U.K. (via Chart Track):

• It is currently beating the sales rate of FIFA08 -- itself a bestselling UK game last year -- by 37.5%.
• It debuted at the top of the PlayStation 2, PS3, PSP and Xbox 360 charts.
• Of those sales, 42% were on Xbox 360, making it the 3rd fastest selling game on Microsoft's format (behind GTA IV and Halo 3), while 40% were on PS3 where it is the 2nd fastest selling game (behind GTA IV). 11% go to PS2, 3% to PSP and the rest for PC, Wii and DS.

Just goes to show you that no matter the culture or continent, EA owns football. See the full top 10 list of All Formats software sales after the break.

Washington D.C. resident John Cangany sent us a tip this morning about a Fallout 3 advertisement he saw in the Metro last night and subsequently blogged about. Amused by this ad push in Fallout 3's setting (before the nuclear apocalypse), we actually wanted to know if there were more ads than the one we were told about at the Metro Center station.

We contacted Fallout 3's PR people and they sent us several images of various ads found in the city's subway. We didn't receive any details about which stations these images were taken from, but we've placed all the pictures we got in the gallery below. So, residents of D.C., can you name the stations you've seen the ads in while going about your pre-Vault lives?

Update: Pete Hines, Fallout 3's product manager, wrote us to say the ads are currently only at the Metro Center station. He explains the company took over all the ad space there for the month, adding that DC residents will start seeing bus and bus shelter ads in the near future. The company plans to promote Fallout 3 in other US cities soon.

NCsoft's Carbine Studios announced today that Fallout and Fallout 2 producer and designer Tim Cain has been named design director for the company's unannounced project. Carbine has pretty much been off the radar since last year when the studio was first announced and Tim Cain had the title of programmer director.

We're not that well versed in nit-picky game designer titles, so we actually asked Tim Cain what his new title means. Cain writes us: "As the programming director, I was responsible for trying to realize the ideas of the design director. I would take his requests for features and system specifications and coordinate my team of programmers to create those features and systems. If game development was a train, I was shoveling the coal into the engine to keep it chugging along. Now as the design director, I am the conductor of the train. I get to decide where we go and where we stop."

Now we patiently wait on a name for this secret project that's apparently been in development since the studio's inception in 2005.

We haven't spent much time talking Lego Universe (if we're going to waste our lives in a pretend land, we at least want to be able to sport crude geometric breasts, thankyouverymuch) but a recent nugget from a Massively interview with project lead Mark Hansen has our interest piqued:

"Massively: Are you interested in bringing some of the more story rich play themes into Lego Universe? Star Wars, Indiana Jones?

Hansen: I think that IPs would be great to see in the game. It's not for the first launch.

Mass.:It's not something you're discounting, or isn't possible, though.

Hansen: No, not at all. I think you will ... yeah. (laughs)"

So, with Star Wars a possibility, could The Boss be far behind?

Joystiq's sister site Massively.com has all the news you'll need about MMOs. Here's the best, brightest, and most interesting stuff from the last week, all in one convenient place for your MMO minute.

	The Digital Continuum: Rock Band, the MMO I've actually entertained the idea for a long time now, only to shove it aside as a crazy notion. But the thing kept popping back into the forefront of my mind so often that I couldn't discount it as happenstance. I've become enamored with the idea, because let's face it; a Rock Band MMO has the potential to ooze- no, to gush pure liquid awesome.
	Massively's exclusive Mines of Moria dev tour Earlier last month, Massively was invited to get a hands-on look at Mines of Moria, the first-ever expansion for Lord of the Rings Online with Turbine's Adam Mersky and Moria Producer Mike Jablonn. During this special dev tour, we were treated to many of the features of the new environments, new creatures, certain landmarks and the Legendary Item system.
	Is LotRO coming to the console? According to a job posting on Turbine's website, they're looking to hire a Senior User Interface Engineer who "may be refactoring existing user interfaces or implementing completely new user interfaces for systems such as combat, skills, inventory, treasure, and social systems." Does this mean LotRO?

It may seem like a stretch, but we're keeping a close eye on every scrap of information surrounding the collaboration with Goichi "Suda51" Suda and Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami (as well as Tetsuya Mizuguchi's Q Entertainment). Publisher Electronic Arts has announced (via press release) that Suda51's studio Grasshopper Manufacture has licensed Epic's Unreal Engine 3 for the multiplatform horror franchise. We're curious what the use of UE3 means for the Wii version of the game, given Epic's non-support of the console.

Unfortunately, what's lacking in the press release is any information about the game itself. Said Epic VP Jay Wilbur, "Grasshopper Manufacture is one of the most daring and innovative studios in the world, and we can't wait to see what they're able to do with Unreal Engine 3." Welcome to the club, buddy.

As anticipated, PC Zone has headlined its 200th issue with a Deus Ex 3 preview, reports its online counterpart, CVG. The second sequel to the "Best PC Game of All Time" (according to a 2007 poll conducted by -- who else? -- PC Zone) will be a prequel set in 2027 and apparently has received the blessings of the original designers, Warren Spector and Harvey Smith, along with consultative help from the original writer, Sheldon Pacotti. Still, we should remind you that Deus Ex 3 is being developed by a largely untested team, in Eidos Montreal, and the studio has made some, um, changes:

• Combat won't be influenced by stats, just your FPS skills (or is that "skillz"?)
  
• Instead, stats will affect "a vast array of fully upgradeable and customizable weapons" (there will be more than one type of ammo); experience points can be attributed to weapons or augmentations
• 20 augmentations are promised; examples: "bungee jump tentacles" that fire from your back and anchor into walls (useful when jumping off buildings / faking your death); the ability to punch through walls ... and grab enemies on the other side!
• Stealth will be implemented into a new cover system
  
• Damage will be recovered by auto-healing (think: most FPSs these days -- even ones without so-called "augmentations")

The complete 10-page preview hits UK newsstands on October 9th. Scans are hitting the internet right about ... now!

We played Cave Story at the Nintendo Media Summit, and other than controlling the game with the Wii Remote – old-school sideways, natch' – it's nearly the same as the free PC and Mac game. The retro look and gameplay make this seem like an overlooked garage-sale find, for good or bad. (Usually good.)

LucasArts' big farewell to game development continues this week with the release of terraforming actioner Fracture. Is it as exciting as a terraforming motorcycle? It is not. But if you're looking for action this week, it's pretty much the best you're going to do.

If you're a sports fan though, you've got a double dribble of b-ball action with NBA Live 2009 and NBA 2K9 (thank goodness they're in the same week too, because we just used up all of the basketball lingo at our disposal). Check out the full list after the break.

When we raved about the Othello-based, Neopets Puzzle Adventure, we couldn't scrub away the sadness of endorsing something built on a Tomagotchi-knock-off. We name-dropped how it's being developed by Infinite Interactive, creators of Puzzle Quest, but that wasn't enough. We shivered for weeks.

Capcom let us know that the PC and DS versions are due by the end of October, while a Wii edition is coming later. So you'll soon be able to share our love of the puzzler (and self-loathing). Check out our original impressions again for the full details.

As we head into the month that has both Octoberfest and Halloween we don't know whether to be scared or to get our party on. Ok, we can do both. But first check out Big Download's highlights from the past week:

Exclusive Features

• Reviews: This week check out our final verdicts on Warhammer Online and Lego Batman. Also we have a look at several PC gaming hardware products from SteelSeries.
• Crysis and Crysis Warhead performance comparisons: Did Crytek really optimize Crysis Warhead? We check out their claims in our benchmark test.
• Is a broadband cap a threat to the game industry?: ISPs are beginning to put limits on how much you can download? Could you go over by downloading large game files?
• The PC Game Vaporware Vault: Which games are we still waiting to be released after years of promises? Quite a few actually.
• The College Try: Failed PC Ports of Console Games: Sometimes a great console game doesn't make a great PC game.
• Mac Monday: Our look at Mac gaming takes on the Wild Tangent online RPG Fate.
• MODMonday: Our mod column continues its look at Max Payne mods with a look at the Kung Fu total conversion.
• Independent Minds: Our look at indie games takes a different turn as we examine how social networking can help indie game developers.
• Boot Disk: Our look at classic PC game takes a gander at the original Interplay RPG Fallout.
• Big Ideas: Our look at big PC gaming trends examines the whole idea of user generated content.
• Big Iron: Our hardware column this week takes a look at the importance of frame rate in games
• Alt-Tab: What qualities does a good PC game need to have? We have an answer in our latest installment.
• Freeware Friday: Our look at games you can get for free gets a load of the arcade shooter Gunroar.
• Virtual Bargain Bin: Our look at games on the cheap takes a look at Steam's id Super Pack and X-Com Complete Pack.
• BigCast: It's our regular weekly podcast as the team debates all matters related to PC games.

For those who are reading this on a computer that is unable to meet the minimum system requirements of Math Blaster, feel free to skip this post. We won't be offended. For those discerning PC gamers who are still with us, you may be interested in a recent offer from Electronic Arts -- next weekend, the standalone multiplayer expansion to Crytek's demanding shooter, titled Crysis Wars, will be free to download and play online. Starting 11 a.m. on Friday, and running until 11:59 p.m. Sunday, you'll be able to jump on to any of the game's online servers for some nano-suit infused multiplayer combat.

Of course, after you've registered on MyCrisis.com and downloaded the full version of Crysis Wars (right here), you can play the game immediately, albeit offline using a LAN connection. We're assuming you already have a cadre of PC gaming acquaintences with appropriately powerful rigs -- don't you, you sociable so-and-so, you.

Within the circle of paranoid and traumatized Silent Hill fans, there are two fundamental truths that must be embraced upon the release of each new entry in Konami's survival-horror franchise. The first, and more difficult to accept, is that the core gameplay in Silent Hill is sort of awful. Oh, but that gripping atmosphere! That inescapable miasma of melancholy! That's where the second truth comes in: if series sound maestro, Akira Yamaoka, composed the soundtrack (and he did for Homecoming), then it's probably an experience worth having. What say you, early reviews?

• 1UP (B): "Homecoming stays true to the macabre Silent Hill atmosphere without feeling stagnant. Exploration's perfectly in line with previous games, complete with tons of locked doors, decaying structures, and doubling back between the real world and its hellish counterpart -- but some little nuances intrigue."
• Cheat Code Central (84/100): "This game delivers on the experience you have come to expect from the franchise. It will also give you reason to begin clamoring for the next installment. The folks at Double Helix gave me the Silent Hill I wanted: a nerve-racking, scary as hell experience to hold me over this Halloween season."
• IGN (67/100): "Unfortunately, I admit that the game feels like a bit of a letdown. The gameplay has been reduced from a tense psychological experience fraught with spine tingling jumps and scares to a generic, predictable action title set in the location with good graphics and a great soundtrack."

Buhbuhbuh it's EA, Joystiq! Though we'll save our most obnoxious we-told-you-sos for the more comprehensive metareview ... we did tell you so. Our E3 Game of Show has scooped up its first (and hopefully not last) set of review accolades, scoring 91% in the pages of Xbox World 360. The review reportedly suggests that EA could teach Capcom "a thing or three about survival horror," with Dead Space boasting ferocious foes that make others in the genre seem "decidedly average."

Oh, but there is one thing that worries us: the game's "film-worthy" script. Have they not been to the cinema recently? With rare exception, a poorly formatted paragraph describing a pair of voluptious breasts ramping a Porsche over an explosion would have to be dumbed down by a script doctor. Too arty.

[Via X3F and Twitter, which apparently works in outer space]