That Gran Turismo Movie

So someone thought it was a good idea to take a game that has no characters and make it into a movie... and I remember another movie that was based on a game that had no characters in it and how well that went over, and I am sure you've heard of it too.

It was called Battleship.

Now I'm okay with the second half of Battleship, but honestly, that was a movie where it was clear that from the outset, they didn't have any characters to actually run with and they decided to wing it, and that is never a good idea.

And that is what I am afraid is going to happen here.

Yes, it is a very lucrative series, but come on... off the top of my head, I can think of at least 10 racing games that have a narrative structure and characters that would probably work better in the context of a Hollywood movie. Especially since the thing that they are chasing is the success that the Fast and Furious franchise has, which is moving away from racing and Gran Turismo is no where near illegal street racing.

I think if they really wanted to get the essence of Gran Turismo, it would be a 3 hour movie about someone trying to pass one of the super hard license tests, because that is the first thing I think of when this series comes up.

I think the producers just want the name to attach to their anonymous racing picture. In any case, while I did like the games in the past, no matter how badly this movie turns out, I can't be really upset because like I said, there are no characters that I associated with the games so they can't ruin something it never had in the first place.

Of course, I think the real question is which movie is going to end up being worse, this or Hot Wheels. 

Kiefer Sutherland Hired For Major Role In Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

Konami held a pre-E3 press conference this morning and announced that Kiefer Sutherland would be the new voice actor for Snake in the new Metal Gear Solid game. 

And from what I've been reading, the reaction to this news has been rather mixed, though I think most of that has to do with the fact that David Hayter has been the voice of the franchise for many, many years. No one is saying that Kiefer Sutherland sucks or is totally wrong for the part mind you... they just seem a little underwhelmed. Personally, I would have loved for them to have cut out the middleman and rolled a truckful of money up to Kurt Russell's house and made older gamers die of a geekgasm.

There is speculation that David Hayter may be back as Solid Snake with Sutherland playing the man formerly known as Naked Snake who became the Big Boss, but I don't think that is going to happen... at least not the way the game is being pitched (since it takes place in 1984 and that character didn't start having an active military life until 1991).

I am wondering if in the English dub, there is going to be a 24 reference or joke... like perhaps in the middle of a codec conversation Snake will randomly yell "Dammit Chloe!" and we will all laugh. I think the fact that Kiefer Sutherland is playing a hardened veteran of many battles against terrorist groups in a world full of sinister conspiracies as another character named Jack is sort of funny.

With the news that Kiefer Sutherland is also going to be reprising his role as Jack Bauer in an upcoming 24 miniseries and Paul W.S. Anderson's Pompeii, it seems that he is going to have a full plate for a while.