For a while, it looked like the bad reviews of Medal Of Honor Rising Sun would sink EA's WWII shooter before it even landed in stores. But, like an aircraft carrier battered by kamikazes, the Pacific Theater-set game absorbed the damage. According to numbers released by Rentrak, the PlayStation 2 edition of Rising Sun topped this week's game rentals, while its Xbox sibling came in at number five. Another military action game, SOCOM II: U.S. Navy Seals, proved enduringly popular, standing fast at sixth place. Gamers also liked battles of the fantasy variety enough to rent the PS2 Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King all the way to tenth.

　　It wasn't all guts and glory in the rental world. Crime paid off big time, with the PS2 version of True Crime: The Streets of L.A. coming in second and the Xbox Grand Theft Auto Double Pack stealing ninth. The PS2 Need for Speed: Underground showed that illegal street racing can also be lucrative, finishing third.

　　As always, sports games remained a favorite, be they organized pastimes or not. Madden NFL 2004 continued to be a top renter on the PS2, touching down at number 8. The PS2 edition of Tony Hawk's Underground skated its way into the chart at number four, while the Sony console version of WWE Smackdown!: Here Comes the Pain locked down the number seven slot.

　　Top console-game rentals for the week of November 16-23, 2003:

　　Rank / Title / Console / Publisher

　　1 / Medal of Honor Rising Sun / PS2 / EA

　　2 / True Crime: Streets of LA / PS2 / Activision

　　3 / Need for Speed Underground / PS2 / EA

　　4 / Tony Hawk’s Underground / PS2 / Activision

　　5 / Medal of Honor Rising Sun / Xbox / EA

　　6 / SOCOM II: U.S. Navy Seals / PS2 / SCEA

　　7 / WWE Smackdown!: Here Comes the Pain / PS2 / THQ

　　8 / Madden NFL 2004 / PS2 / EA

　　9 / Grand Theft Auto Double Pack / Xbox / Rockstar

　　10 / Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King / PS2 / EA

　　The lists above ranks games according to rental revenues. To see a list of games ranked according to GameSpot review score, visit our Top 100 page.