Electronic Arts (EA) again had the top 2 rented videogames in the...

in the top 10 was for Sony Computer Entertainment’s console. Rentrak said EA’s Need for Speed: Underground again was #1, earning an additional $395,472 in the week for total rental earnings of $1.60 million to date. EA’s Medal of Honor: Rising Sun was again #2 ($370,136 and $2.83 million). One other EA title made the top 10: Madden NFL 2004 at #6, up 4 places after earning an additional $220,891 in the week for a total of $4.82 million in rental earnings. Activision and Take-Two Interactive each had 2 games in the top 10. Activision’s were True Crime: Streets of L.A. at #4 (down one with $303,013 and $2.05 million) and Tony Hawk’s Underground at #5 (down one also with $268,598 and $2.56 million). Take-Two’s games were Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne at #9 (up 13 with $200,551 and $327,997) and Manhunt at #10 (down 5 with $172,125 and $849,934). Rounding out the top 10 were Atari’s Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2 at #3 (up 12 , $315,066 and $488,482), THQ’s WWE Smackdown! Here Comes the Pain at #7 again ($205,369 and $1.71 million), Sony’s SOCOM II: U.S. Navy SEALs at #8 (down 2, $203,965 and $1.59 million). Separately, Rentrak said it signed a multiyear revenue sharing deal with Hip Interactive that it said “will allow gamers to rent new videogame titles from Xicat, Arush, CDV and Groove from more than 6,000 video store locations served by Rentrak’s… revenue-sharing program.” Hip plans to use Rentrak’s Video Game Essentials to track and analyze performance of their titles, as well as administer royalties and associated payments to both retail stores and the individual game publishers, the companies said. Hip Games Vp Pete Young said: “Our agreement with Rentrak enables us to penetrate the videogame market to a greater extent than ever before. Allowing consumers to view our games -- and those of the publishers we distribute -- represents a unique opportunity for increased brand recognition and market share.”