November is finally upon us, and aside from setting our clocks back an hour, that also means we are a little more than two weeks away from the release of "Grand Theft Auto VI."
The hotly anticipated title is set to drop on November 19, and the gaming community at large can hardly wait, which is understandable considering they've gone 13 years between installments.
Yes, hard to believe that, as of September 17 of this year, "Grand Theft Auto V" would be old enough to see a PG-13 movie in theaters.
Given the large time gap between games, you would expect there to be equal parts yearning for the new game as there is nostalgia for the old one, and from that nostalgia comes the "Last Ride."
The "Last Ride" was pitched by the GTA community, and will see thousands of players take one last lap around the map of Los Santos — the in-game world for "GTA V" based heavily on Los Angeles — the night before "GTA VI's" big release.
It's been trending heavily on social media, with gaming outlets all over the world picking up on it.
As a particularly nostalgic person myself as well as a fan of the "Grand Theft Auto" series, I can see where these guys and gals are coming from with the "Last Ride," but it doesn't make a whole lot of sense when you peel the layers back a bit.
For starters, "GTA V" isn't going anywhere.
On November 20, you will still be able to pop the disc into your Xbox or Playstation and ride around Los Santos in your vehicle of choice to your heart's content.
Hell, I still play "GTA IV" about as much as I play its predecessor, and I doubt I'll stop playing either once VI comes around.
If you love the game that much, I guarantee you November 18 won't be the last time you ever play "GTA V."
I appreciate the symbolism, but let's not get melodramatic here.
When "Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask" came out, do you think everyone just immediately chucked their copies of "Ocarina of Time" in the trash?
No, and as a matter of fact, the demand for "Ocarina of Time" has remained so high over the last 28 years that a remake is coming to the Nintendo Switch 2 later this month.
This isn't "Madden" or "FIFA," where an updated version makes last year's game immediately obsolete.
"GTA V" is unique because of the world the developers created as well as the memories those who played the game created for themselves.
I'm not here to yuck anyone's yum; take the "Last Ride."
Enjoy it.
Reminisce on all the good times you had these last 13 years, but let's not act like "GTA V" is being relegated to the shelf for all of eternity come November 19.
[Image text:] gRand theft auto