Rock Band? Not today. ~ UPDATE

So, wassup?

Let's just get this over with:  My life has been hectic yada yada yada etc.

Anyway, I'm currently about half way in of the week off I get from College.  Whoop!  But I have 2 exams the first day I go back.  Damn.  It sucks that I still have 3 exams left; I can't believe I have two in a row the second College starts again.  And to top it all off, it's a Maths Module first; followed by a Media exam directly afterwards.  Which I'm still not fully prepared for.  Sometimes, I hate college...

 

Moving onto some slightly better news.  I got Rock Band on Saturday... well, the disc anyway.  Since the game is split into the Solus edition and Instruments in a Box version.  The Solus (game disc) has come and we've mainly been messing about using the headset but we're still waiting for the instruments because of stupid Parcel Force.  It came Friday... at 7:50 in the morning.  Then it was meant to be redelivered on Tuesday (today) and I woke up at 7:30 to wait for it.  It came at 7:05 apparently.  F*CK.

So, we made them redeliver it tomorrow.  Hopefully we can actually receive it this time.  Damn Parcel Force, maybe they could have given us an estimate time of arrival or maybe, you know, ring us to open the door.  Since we're in anyway but just upstairs.

 

Oh and I've been playing on GTA IV online via XBL and I've gotta say.  I'm lovin' it.

The online service is just so well made and voice chat seems to be a great addition that helps a lot during actual gameplay.  I've only really played GTA IV online (haven't really tried any other games online yet) and it's really really really fun.  It's just the way the game is made, the whole sandbox theme that enables for such unpredictability when playing alone.  But when playing online against other people, the unpredictability factor is multiplied ten-fold as the human opponents employ strategies the in-game AI wouldn't use even if I drew it out on the floor for them.

I usually play "Cops 'N Crooks".  Which is basically two teams take it in turns to be crooks or cops.  Makes sense, right?  The crooks have to get to their getaway vehicle (which is either a boat or helicopter) and the cops have to stop them (by killing them).  There are two modes:  "All for One" and "One for All".  I usually enjoy playing One for All since everyone gets only one respawn which means most people are a lot more cautious.  But All for One seems to put Teamwork as more of a focus as the crooks have to protect a boss, these games seem to go much faster though as the cops spawn in police cars while crooks spawn out in the open.  Meaning it's really hard to get a vehicle.

I've seen all sort of tactics employed during this mode.  Everyone just rushing to the waypoint in two cars, everyone splitting up into different cars, everyone staying back and arming themselves to take out cops.  There's just so many ways the whole thing could pan out.

Like, for example, when playing I was riding shotgun with my friend who was driving a car while we were chasing the crooks who were in a helicopter.  I manage to hit the petrol tank or something with my sub-machine gun when I was leaning out the window and BOOM!  The helicopter explodes into pieces.  They all die.  My friend and I promptly exchange virtual high-fives and "woots!" are heard on the headset.  Until I find that we were still travelling pretty fast into the direction of the giant burning ball of flame that is now the helicopter.

"OH SH*T!  U-TURN!  NOW!"  I shout down the head set.  But to no avail.  It's too late.  The helicopter lands right on top of us.  Oh my god.  It was a bit depressing when we died, but it didn't stop it being any bit the least awesome.

Another time was when their were two crooks left and about 5 cops.  One crook had managed to get into the helicopter while the other crook was on the roof of this museum place.  I was on the ground with a rocket launcher.  The helicopter tried to pick up the crook on the roof before and I shot a few rockets at it and now it was in a bad condition.  It wouldn't be able to take many more hits.  It flew atop this high sky-scraper where I couldn't touch it and everyone was playing the waiting game.  The others panned out in search of rocket launchers and helicopters to try and take it down.  So I was left, alone.  Against a helicopter and a guy sporting a assault rifle atop a building with only ONE rocket launcher ammo left.  I get into a fast car and make it look like I'm off searching for more RPG ammo and the helicopter takes the bait.  It starts flying down to pick up the final crook, I execute a perfect 180 and head back the other way.  They didn't see me coming and BOOM!  I take out the helicopter is taken out by my rocket launcher.  I also managed to take out the other crook.  Now that is how you play GTA IV.  It was truly one of the most intense and great games I have played online.

 

It's about time I got back to working on revising (I'm meant to be revising now actually...) so I'm cutting this post short.  Until next time.

 

UPDATE #1:  Godammit!  The kick-pedal's broken!  It came off in a particularly heated play of "Run for the Hills".  :(

Made me only get 4 stars (I continued with a broken kick-pedal!).