Every Thursday, the Edge Games Index, produced in association with Brandwatch, rates games according to the volume of positive and negative buzz they're inspiring on the web.

Each chart allows you to rank the list by the overall quantity of buzz about each title, by the quantity of positive or negative buzz, and by the percentage of positive or negative buzz. To explain the numbers you’ll see on the charts, the number alongside the volume of responses represents the absolute number of mentions the game in question has had, while the ‘last week’ column represents a game’s position in relation to the others on the chart seven days ago.

The data is compiled by brand intelligence specialist Brandwatch. To find out how its system works, see our explanation.

UK Chart October 26



Still very much in the lead in terms of internet buzz is Uncharted 2, down from last week's 9549 items of feedback to 8267, but inspiring well over 3000 more references than second place Forza 3. The same proportion (52 per cent) of that feedback is positive, too.

FIFA 10, meanwhile, is holding position in fourth with almost the same number of references and still a large proportion - 52 per cent - of it positive. And it's a hotter subject than rival Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 by 3883 references to 2004. Need For Speed: Shift is proving to have similarly tenacious grip on the public's attention.

The most talked about newcomers Borderlands and Forza 3 beat out Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 and Smackdown Vs Raw 2010 by a long way, though Smackdown is proving to elicit the most positive feedback (54 per cent) and the least negative (just 4 per cent) of the list.

Uncharted 2 is again the week's most talked about and the excitement shows little sign of abating, but Smackdown's smaller but more satisfied audience alongside FIFA 10's apparently unflagging popularity, even in the face of the release of its rival, are nothing to be sniffed at.

MMORPG Comparison



No prizes for guessing the most talked about of the leading MMORPGs on the market today - with Brandwatch's system picking out 4601 items of feedback it's World Of Warcraft. Second place, in the form of Jagex's Runescape with 3093 references, isn't as far behind as many might assume, but third place Lord Of The Rings Online is managing only a third as much feedback as the leader.

The two big recent MMORPG launches, NCSoft's Aion: Tower Of Destiny and Cryptic's Champions Online, are inspiring similar levels of reaction, though Aion is proving slightly more popular, with 44 per cent positive compared to Champions Online's 39 per cent. Champions Online is also among the titles in our list stimulating the most negative feedback, with 14 per cent of its total.

The least chat is devoted to Free Realms, NCSoft's hugely popular free-to-play MMORPG. As the most casually orientated title on our list and core audience of families and children, this is perhaps not so surprising. But its tiny proportion compared to Runescape certainly underlines the differences between these popular MMORPGs predominantly aimed at children; Runescape's greater complexity (and age on the market) would seem to inspire more discussion.

Free Realms and Runescape do sport the same high level of positive feedback, however, with it comprising 48 per cent of their total volumes. Runescape also inspires some of the most negative, with it comprising 14 per cent.

Final Fantasy XI might seem to inspire a surprising amount of chatter, but it's probably because of its forthcoming Ultimate Collection bundle, due out on November 12.

Less surprising are the low positions of Age Of Conan and Warhammer Online, which are still stimulating responses, but far fewer than the market leaders.