9. The Last Pained Cry of a Dying Generation
It ain't ugly, but the above screenshot from GTA V is hardly a technical milestone. In fact I'd be hard press to explain how it's any significant improvement over the last game. It certainly won't wow anybody who played the first Crysis on a top-end PC all the way back in 2007 (five years ago, people). PC gamers have had beefier graphics than console players for years now, in fact probably for the entire life cycle of the current generation. And with the X-Box 360 and PS3 now winding down, due to be sent to the knacker's yard any time now (certainly some time next year), it seems like a baffling decision to release GTA V this generation. GTA III - and its spin-offs Vice City and San Andreas - were all released on the same platforms. GTA IV marked the next evolution of the series, taking it into high definition. So GTA V coming out on these creaky consoles seems like a premature rush-job, however lucrative it's going to prove for publisher Take-Two Interactive. I suppose the PC release, which will probably not be for some time after console launch, will boast improved visuals - but won't it be hampered by the fact that the game has been designed for comparatively ancient hardware? I can't see GTA V representing the same leap forward as either of its direct prequels in terms of visual splendor. Speaking of which, Microsoft: I don't care if you've brought out a new model that looks a bit like R2-D2, your console is the best part of a decade old and it didn't work all that well in 2005, as you'll recall. Roll on GTA VI and the next generation of hardware. Then I'll be interested, like the preening magpie I am.