Doc Rogers 

I have been debating for a while now about whether to get a PS3 or a 360. I’ve taken my time however because I’ve known that the only reason I have for buying one is to play one game - GTA IV. The trailer above is my favourite one and just gives you an idea of how mind-blowingly entertaining and immersive I think this game will be.
It comes out worldwide on the 29th and I thought I’d have a look last week if there were any bundles with a ps3 or 360 you could order, only to discover that the game has already sold out at most online retailers! Looking around I found Zavvi still had it and so decided to buy it, forcing myself to make a choice between consoles on the spot - something that had previously taken me months of deliberation.

I don’t know about game sales but to be sold out more than two weeks before it even comes out seems pretty amazing. Doing a bit of digging online I’ve realised that the hype around this game is extraordinary: everything from wanted posters in the real world, and giant teasers and countdowns on the sides of buidling, to the fact that EA’s boss said in the FT last week that “The buzz in Hollywood, which I heard from some Hollywood folks . . . is people are worried whether Iron Man the movie is going to get killed by Grand Theft Auto the game…I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that before.” The Telegraph also had a big feature on it last Friday and it sounds like it’s going to be worth the hype

As I vainly try to explain to my girlfriend, GTA is not just a computer game but the most immersive virtual reality experience I have ever seen. I expect it to be so immersive that I completely agree with banning it for those underage, and fully expect there to be some cases of people without full control of their faculties or sense of morality playing the game and then confusing this fantasy world with the real world, with some very unfortunate consequences. I’m not sure how you deal with that as a society, and whether you can say that the sensible enjoyment of the game by millions of people is worth more than the possible life that will be lost when some of those people can’t separate fiction from reality. That’s a debate that’s been going on for years but surely the game can only be regarded as a catalyst (if even that) rather than the root cause of something very wrong with that person, their sense of morality, and society as a whole. Anyway, apologies for going on too long. I’ll let you know what the game’s like if I ever get my hands on it. All I need now is a PS3…

Tags: 360, Grand Theft Auto, GTA IV, PS3