Ben-DutkaWell, we had over 70 degrees for the first time in like a millenia today, but it'll be back to normal 50-degree, rainy April weather while I'm gone on my mini-vacation. Figures. LOL
God, what I wouldn't give for GT5 in 2009…
It was a bizarre way to issue the rumored update info, but if there's even the remotest possibility that Gran Turismo 5 will release in December of this year, I'm going to cling to it with all my strength. I'm positive I'll love Uncharted 2: Among Thieves but if GT5 really did hit this year, it would quickly become my most anticipated game of 2009. I've played and loved every last GT installment since the original PlayStation days and in all honesty, I really don't play any other racing games. As far as I'm concerned there isn't another franchise out there that even comes close to the realism and authenticity of GT (if you say Forza , you get clocked; it's a joke of a simulator), and while I like arcade racers sometimes, they bore me quickly. I really had a thing for the Burnout games for a while, and I still love Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 , but I can only lose myself in GT. The entire package is always so extraordinarily polished and refined, and besides, where else can I take my former car – the 350Z – out on the racetrack and actually have it feel like the real thing?!
I just got finished taking Prologue for another spin, where one of my favorite cars is the Corvette Z06. That thing is a beast, but I also love the racing tuned 350Z in there; it rocks so much. If there's any truth to that 600 cars, 96 race tracks part of the rumor…holy crap, I can't wait. GT is one of the very few franchises that's an automatic Day 1 purchase for me whenever it gets a new entry; Final Fantasy – the actual series – is probably the only other one.
WHY don't we have "AAA" Western-themed games?
Okay, so it seems Rockstar didn't secretly bring Grand Theft Auto V to Game Informer; it's far more likely that it's the impending Red Dead Redemption , the sequel to Red Dead Revolver . Now, RDR was a pretty good game but I really want something special with Redemption . I've always wondered why a developer hasn't taken the Wild West premise and given us a truly memorable experience. I mean, "Western" has an entire effing genre in the movie world and these days, with the gap between film and games shrinking every day, the Western contrast becomes more obvious. Really, it almost seems as if somewhere, someone said, "hey, gamers don't care about the Wild West. They just want sci-fi shooters." …who said? When did that poll run? Did I miss the survey? Correct me if I'm wrong, but there are quite a lot of Western fans out there, and who wouldn't want to step into the shoes of Dirty Harry? Yeah, you can't have the crazy fantastical weapons you might find in the futuristic shooters, but I can live with that. All I want is a really cool Western-oriented shooter and Red Dead Redemption could be it. Here's hoping.
Of course, now that I've mentioned it, the game is gonna suck. You watch. Whenever I pick a relatively unknown title – at least so far as the mainstream/casual crowd is concerned – and I try to hype it 'cuz I think it has potential, it falls flat on its face. Shows you how much I know, huh? Heh.
Personal gaming update
I'll just come right out and say it: Star Ocean: The Last Hope is pissing me off . I mean, it's one of those games where I want to finish, but every time I pick up the controller, I worry about the end result of that particular play session. The game is just so erratic. One minute, you're fighting six trillion battles in a row; the next, there's quite literally two to three hours of story stuff. The change in flow is just so jarring. Then, there are huge, ridiculous spikes in difficulty. You could quite literally go from destroying legions of enemies and never getting touched, to getting annihilated in the span of an hour. The worst part is that cheating AI seems to be in effect: the delay you have after attacking is annoying as is, but I don't see that kind of delay in any of the enemies I'm fighting, and if you get knocked down, they can kick the crap out of you while you're helpless. Before you can get back up and block or dodge, they'll just keep pummeling you. Idiotic. At the same time, I have more characters now and I'm opening up more planets and stuff, so I really want to keep playing. It just bounces between great fun and "holy sh**, I so want to smash this fu***** controller on the floor."
Okay, I'm out for a few days. I leave tomorrow and will come back Wednesday night. Arnold will handle the news updates while I'm gone but have no fear, I will return all refreshed and with renewed vigor. 🙂 I suppose I can let people know how things go next weekend after meeting the new Ms. So-and-So …if I feel like it. 😉
Good to hear, seems you had an ok week.
Well, have fun then!
Hmm…a 160gb PS3 bundled with Uncharted 2 and Gran Turismo 5 near late 2009. WOW…that thing would sell as long as Sony works on its advertising.
But wow interesting to hear the Star Ocean update…constant shifts between difficulty and flow of the game does sound a bit of a pain.
As for Ms. So and so – have fun, enjoy the week.
"hey, gamers don't care about the Wild West. They just want sci-fi shooters."
We have the Halo series, and the likes of Doom before it to thank for that narrow minded observation game companys have made.
Haha cool stuff Ben.
I'm rooting for ya, you're a true rpg fan, and the babe stories are awesome.
Rest, have fun, and take care.
lol@Star Ocean
I think Japanese devs have lost their touch when making rpgs….there hasn't been a great jrpg in a long time. Yes the Persona games are really the only ones…but even those aren't really for everyone.
its funny you mention red dead redemption in connection with the lack of wild western-themed games.
when you posted a link earlier in the week with a screen shot of that game, i took one look at it, and my first thought was
"how have i played video games for 2 decades and never had a a good cowboys v indians experience."
here's hoping that game delivers. its rockstar, so i trust them 100% to deliver greatness.
I trust Rockstar too. Have they ever made a bad game?
My Prediction = GT5 will be holiday 09 announced at E3 09!
I hate westerns. And that is all I have to say.
Same, that whole cowboy crap is one of America's worst chapters of its history.
Well I just think it's one of the most cliche'.
Not Lone Ranger (McQuade) though, Norris makes it fun time =D
Patapon 2 for Digital download in American sux hard 😐 This is another example of what Ben was talking about the other day, forcing us to buy more space and such to play games which the onyl requirement should be is to own the system and w/e it originally comes with.
I think dirty harry was a cop not a cowboy. But im sure you just mean clint eastwood. yeah a western mmo would be cool theirs alot to do if you think about it. But then you'd have to raise cattle and eat beans,yeah never mind.
You should play the Xenosaga Games, they're awesome. If you can get past a lot of the B.S. in the story, the story is really very enjoyable. The gameplay is good in the first and third games….we don't talk about the second.
Hell Yeah! Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 ALL THE WAY!!!! lol
Same Ben, GT is just the real thing. No other racing game compares after you play it properly. They all seem so… boring and unrealistic. Especially if you're a motorhead and love driving.
Well SFIV is pissing me off,SETH to be precise.
Yes,i wish GT5 could make it this year.
A FPS that has online like Halo or Killzone2 but set in the Wild West… That would be a FPS I would actually be interested in!
just throwing this out there 😛 I have FF7ACC with FF13 demo right now, haha gonna try it out 😀
wow, the opening sequence for the demo is so amazing 😐 at this point it doesn't matter anymore, this game will rock so hard
not able to edit..so..
http://www.psxextremeforums.com/playstation-3/9699-ffxiii-demo-3.html
The American Old West is one of my favorite periods of American History. The excitement of going into the unknown with minimal supplies, a gun and a horse… So many stories start off that way, and many of them end that way too.
With that said, I really hope that RDR isn't a FPS, because the story of this game should be put first, and you just don't get great storylines from FPS in my experience.
Told you about that awful Star Ocean ! The game's battle system is retarded. Is there no one out there that can make a decent next gen jrpg ?
Any news on White Knight Chronicles?
That game is only out in Japan now and we still haven't got it!!
Looks good on that one.
Great Western/Vampire themed FPS: Darkwatch
Give me Gran Turismo 5, or give me death!
Seriously…
But yeah Ben, I have to agree with you, if there's any game out there that carries more weight me than all the rest, it's Gran Turismo. I didn't even read the rest of your article because to be honest, the rest of it is inconsequential when compared to the impending release of NEW information on GT5. And that's just new information…imagine how crazy I'll go when it's released. Looks like I'll need to schedule some vacation time for this one. 600+ cars….96 tracks….my lord. My Gran Turismo 4 save still has over 6000 days played 😉
Morne