GTA V Transition Xbox PS4 Fears

It is fair to say that GTA V remains the most anticipated game of 2013, despite the fact that it has now been delayed six months from its original scheduled release in Spring, to September 17 instead. The game has only been confirmed for the Xbox 360 and PS3, but one potential fear that is beginning to creep in, is whether GTA V will be playable on next-gen consoles or not.

On February 20, Sony are strongly tipped to be unveiling their new PlayStation 4 console to the world, while Microsoft will likely do the same thing at E3 2013 in June, or at a separate event just before. You won’t need us to remind you, but there are also numerous reports suggesting that both next-gen consoles will NOT have the backwards compatibility support, meaning that old PS3 and old Xbox 360 discs will not work.

If that is really the case, then what on earth is going to happen when GTA V releases in September, the whole world buys the game and then finds out in December that their disc won’t work on the new respective consoles from Sony or Microsoft? It is a question that we’re sure a lot of you are asking as well, although surely we won’t get to a ridiculous situation where GTA V simply won’t work.

Has Rockstar purposefully delayed the game because they know both consoles will be out before September 17? But then you have to wonder why Rockstar has confirmed the game for Xbox 360 and PS3, not next-gen consoles. You can imagine the uproar if consumers find that GTA V isn’t playable on the new consoles, and it could even have a negative effect on new next-gen hardware sales for Sony and Microsoft, if consumers decide that they want to stay on current gen until they are completely finished and satisfied with GTA V.

Nothing is certain about next-gen specs yet, but it is slightly worrying hearing frequent rumors every single week that both won’t play old discs or used games. Let us know if you have been thinking about this situation as well, and what you plan to do if you really can’t put your GTA V disc into your Xbox ’720′ or Sony PS4.

Tomb Raider Review

If you are planning to pick up the highly anticipated Tomb Raider game when it releases at the beginnning of March, then there’s no doubt that you will be eagerly anticipating the collection of Tomb Raider reviews that will pour out prior to the game’s release.

Usually we would only see reviews released a few days before a game is launched due to publisher embargo, but you’ll be pleased to hear that the first official Tomb Raider has been completed and compiled by the GameMaster magazine.

Even better, is that it looks like the game is going to be well worth the long development time, as GamesMaster has given the Tomb Raider reboot by Crystal Dynamics a glowing 90/100 review score. They have said that ‘Lara Croft is back’, even questioning how the developers are going to top the game since it is so good.

More importantly for you though, they have revealed the estimated time that it will take you to go through the main campaign mode in the game. According to the publication, Tomb Raider will take around 10 to 15 hours to complete, which is pretty respectable in our opinion.

They have also said that exploration factors in the game will also add an extra 5 hours for those that want to go one step further to find all of the game’s secrets on the island. It goes without saying that a 90/100 score is very impressive for the first review of the game.

Is this a sign of good things to come when all of the other reviews come out for Tomb Raider? Let us know if this is a day-one buy for you, or if you’ll wait until further reviews have been released. Pick up the latest issue of GamesMaster to read the review in full.

Sony PS4 UK Reviews in 2013

One of the big talking points about Sony’s recent PS4 event in New York, was the fact that they could only commit to a 2013 release date during the Holiday season in the US. The company failed to confirm whether the console would be available in other regions this year, and now we have more evidence to suggest that history may be set to repeat itself for those fearing a 2014 UK release date instead.

If you remember, the PS3 launched in the UK around five months after the US, with UK consumers having to wait until after the new year (2007) to pick up the console. Although the PS Vita changed the US/UK release pattern by releasing in the same period, it looks like the 5 month gap for the PS4 may be a real possibility.

SCEE UK managing director Fergal Gara has been speaking about the upcoming PS4 launch to Digital Spy, stealthily revealing that the PS4 will launch in at ‘least’ one region in 2013. He failed to say what region he was referring to though, whether the PS4 will be rolled out in phases, or indeed when they will give this crucial piece of information out to the public.

Given his reluctance over the issue, we have a feeling that the PS4 isn’t going to be out in the UK until the early stages of 2014. Even if that does happen, it shouldn’t be a surprise since Sony like to follow patterns. We would obviously prefer it if everyone had the opportunity to play the new system at the same time, but as we have seen with the initial Japanese PS Vita launch only – Sony will do what they think is best.

Do you think Sony can get away with releasing the PS4 in other territories in 2014? How disappointed would you be if this became a reality at E3 2013?