As a firm indication of the rising videogame apathy growing like a malignant tumour throughout today’s consumers, bookmaker Paddy Power is currently predicting that Electronic Arts’ Need for Speed: Carbon will emerge as the Christmas No.1 on the all-formats software chart—for the third consecutive year.

"Need for Speed is the game to beat every year and this year it’s no different," said Paddy Power’s Sharon McHugh.

Indeed, EA’s continual spewing of incremental franchise expansions (all at full price, mark you—Ed), sees Carbon ranked with odds of 8/13 as Paddy Power’s firm favourite. If it does reach top spot during the Christmas period then Carbon will be the third Need for Speed edition to do so, after Underground 2 in 2004, and Most Wanted in 2005.

And Carbon isn’t the only offering from the bulging EA stable challenging to be the Cliff Richard of gaming in 2006, because, according to Paddy Power, FIFA 07 is ranked at 4/1.

Other games also in the running, though some way back on Carbon and FIFA 07 are Epic Games’ Gears of War, Ubisoft’s tactical shooter Rainbow Six: Vegas, and Vivendi’s version of the new kiddie adventure movie Eragon—all of which are ranked at 10/1.

Way down the predictions list trail the likes of Activision’s Call of Duty 3, Superman Returns, and Tony Hawk’s Project 8—all at an extremely wide 80/1.

Outside of Gears of War, there’s not one single iota of originality in that collection of ‘winners’. What a sad state of affairs our beloved pastime is sinking into.