It's been said before, but I think I need to say it again and I'm prepared to face the consequences, so here goes *deep breath*: games are too expensive. There, it's said, I've got it off my chest and I'm opening my arms in a Platoon-style pose of acceptance of my fate, waiting for the backlash.
I don't care what you say, but £50 is too much for a game. And with the current exchange rate the way it is – one pound is now equal to two US dollars, so that means I pay $100 for some games!!
Now tell me I'm talking horse doo doo. Oh, what's that? Still scraping your slack jaw up off the floor!?
Somehow the next generation came with a huge inflation in the price of games. What happened to £30? Where did it go – that affordable haven of the gamer?
Take for example, Gears of War – RRP of £49.99 and the limited edition, which just means a pretty tin thing and some extras you'll never watch for £54.99. That's 110 in your American dollars people!! That's crazy money and makes me gasp, splutter and oh"chest tightening, eyes blurring – gah!
Sony seems to be maintaining a fair price for most games, with Resistance Fall of Man RRP £39.99. However, it decides to join the extortion racket with more popular titles – for instance both Metal Gear 4 and Heavenly Sword are mooted at £49.99.
That my dear play chums is just too much. Let's look at it this way. If I buy eight games, that's the equivalent of buying a PS3 in the UK. So basically, if I don't buy any games and save up all my fifty Ps I'll be able to afford a PS3! That's the ridiculous situation we're in.
Now, skip across the pond and it's a different story. Gears of War retails for a mere $59.99, which is a very reasonable £30. And the same can be said of Heavenly Sword and MGS 4.
This of course brings us to the next bugbear of every UK gamer – regionalisation! It's an ugly word and bares our buttocks to the publishers who want to whip our behinds with the golden belts acquired through their ill-gotten gains. Yes, we're British so rinse us for every penny we've got and make us wait six months longer than everyone else for the privilege.
There are some heroes coming to the aid of us British consumers and they're called online retailers. However, the evil and dastardly Government is trying to stop them.
Online retailers such as Play.com use the tax free haven, the Channel Islands to sell VAT-free goods, which means we get games and DVDs of under £18. The Government has cottoned onto this, but the lovely e-tailers have thwarted the nasty people in parliament by moving to Switzerland, another centre of VAT-free goodness.
Although this is all good, it doesn't help the fact that we'll still have to cough up around £50 for new games.
The only one with any dignity in this sorry saga is Nintendo. All I need to say is Mario Galaxy RRP £34.99.
Most played: Tomb Raider: Legend
Most wanted: The Witcher.