Codemaster's latest tactical shooter, Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis, sold its way into the top spot on NPD's latest weekly list of best-selling games. The game lets players assume the role of a NATO soldier on a peacekeeping mission during the fall of the Soviet Union. In addition to combat on foot, the game lets players fight from jeeps, tanks, and aircraft.

　　Operation Flashpoint took over first place from Blizzard's popular role-playing game expansion Diablo II: Lord of Destruction, which fell to third place behind Electronic Arts' virtual-life game The Sims. EA's The Sims: House Party expansion pack came in at fourth place, followed by Microsoft's latest civilian flight game, Flight Simulator 2000. GodGames' gritty third-person shooter, Max Payne, fell to sixth place from third place the week before.

　　The list below ranks games according to retail sales. For a list of games ranked according to GameSpot review score, visit our Top Games page.

　　Best-selling games for the week of September 9-15, 2001:

　　Rank / Title / Publisher / Average price

　　1 / Operation Flashpoint / Codemasters / $36

　　2 / The Sims / Electronic Arts / $42

　　3 / Diablo II: Lord of Destruction / Vivendi Universal / $36

　　4 / The Sims: House Party / Electronic Arts / $30

　　5 / Flight Simulator 2000 / Microsoft / $29

　　6 / Max Payne / GodGames / $49

　　7 / Diablo II / Vivendi Universal / $40

　　8 / Madden NFL 2002 / Electronic Arts / $38

　　9 / The Sims: Livin' Large / Electronic Arts / $29

　　10 / RollerCoaster Tycoon / Infogrames / $27