Ben's Week In Review: May 11

Gran Turismo 5: Prologue

I suppose we could sit here talking about Grand Theft Auto IV all day, but as great as that game is, we already covered it last week. I also wrote up an editorial on it, so I figure it's time to move on.

GT has sold 50 million...WOW

So it seems that the Gran Turismo franchise has officially topped the 50 million mark in sales, and I find that to be incredibly impressive, for several reasons. First of all, it's easy to say something like, "oh, it's a sports/racing title, which is by far the most popular genre." Yes, it is, but consider this- GT has always been a simulator, which does not cater to the casual gamer. Hence, that eliminates a great many sports fans right off the bat. Furthermore, how many racing games have there been in the past decade? How many has GT been forced to compete with since 1998? Ten gajillion? No matter what anybody else does - I'm looking at you, Forza Motorsport - the big-time car enthusiasts and avid gamers will always return to the best of the best: Gran Turismo. Sure, it's not entirely realistic, but then again, nothing is in the virtual world. And with the onset of vehicle damage and all those Italian supercars we've been missing for 10 years, GT5 is going to rock our socks.

And yes, it's a guarantee. Any series that sells 50 million copies on only a half-dozen entries (counting the two Prologues) is doing extremely well, and is revered by many, many, many gamers. It is, and will continue to be, a true phenomenon. Plain and simple.

Er...I'd rather not have to buy more consoles in two years

I'm a little worried that what Evan Wilson had to say might become true, which means I'll once again have to shell out the cash for another Microsoft and/or Nintendo console in 2010. He didn't mention the PlayStation 4 - that thing really isn't coming out in two years, not with Sony continually talking about a 10-year life cycle for the PS3 - but new systems from Ninty and MS are bad enough. Of course, I haven't bought a Nintendo system since the SNES and I doubt I'd be interested in something like the Wii2, but I have had both the Xbox and Xbox 360, which means I will most likely want the Xbox 720 (or whatever). I really only have the Microsoft consoles for the exclusives, although I admit to buying many multiplat titles in the last generation for the Xbox instead of the PS2, for obvious reasons. This time around, though, I'd rather have the PS3 version for most any multiplat title, and I have the 360 for the likes of Halo, Bioshock, the upcoming Ninja Gaiden II and Splinter Cell: Conviction (both mysteriously exclusive to the 360), etc.

But I'd much rather just have the PS3 and 360 for several more years; at least until 2012. Wilson did say the next MS console wouldn't be around until 2011, and I guess that's okay...but I still think that's pushing it. Can't we just let things be for a while? Let's try to get absolutely everything out of the systems we have, okay? ...video game consoles aren't so cheap, remember, and I get the sneaking suspicion that backwards compatibility is gonna disappear the next time 'round. 'cry'

Personal gaming update

More GTAIV, obviously, but I'm splitting my time between that, Prologue and Hot Shots. This will probably be the case until Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots comes out in a month, but I don't have to rush. Arnold is handling the review for that one, so I don't have to drop everything and play it (even though I might be so inclined). See, I took GTAIV and he took MGS4, so that's plenty fair. It's just tough work having to get the game ASAP and play as much of it as humanly possible ASAP to get a high-profile review up...yeah, I know it sounds like I'm complaining about a dream job to some of you, but trust me. It's work. I promise. It's FUN, yes, but it's still WORK. And yes, I do love it. :)

P.S. Happy Mother's Day to all!