Xbox 360 exclusive Gears of War 2 has managed to blast its way to the top of the UK sales charts, putting LittleBigPlanet in its place despite the latters two-day lead. Both games are the highly anticipated Holiday killers for their respective platform, but it seems that the opening battle has gone to Epic Games' steroid-pumped shooter.

While Gears 2 soaks up the glory of the top spot, LittleBigPlanet has a less impressive position at number four, having also lost out to FIFA 09 and Fallout 3. Apparently, the cute charms of Sackboy make for a less endearing mascot than Marcus Fenix's grizzled facade and bulging neck muscles. Maybe Microsoft should look into Fenix plushies?

I would argue that this has something to do with casual gaming. Not the misconception people have about casual gamers (that they are all old people and women), but the true scope of what it means to be casual -- which includes young males who don't follow games but love violent, mainstream shooters like Halo and Gears. The "casual" appeal of Gears 2 will likely have had an effect here.

Bad news for the British Media Molecule, bested on its own turf. With very little else in Sony's bag of tricks, this has to be a real shame. Still, maybe the title's position will climb when parents are looking for something cute to give their kids. We'll have to see.