Looking forward to Assassin's Creed IV

Post coming a bit late but my Black Chest CE from UK won't be arriving yet so might as well..

The latest installment in the AC series heads over to the Caribbean with a Pirate theme, and this could be the biggest adventure yet. While the previous games have always been set in a mostly-land environment, AC IV could bring us mostly to the seas.

Some AC 3 spoilers later on.. just a warning

While most AC fans are excited about this new setting and theme, others feel that it's moving too much away from the Assassin setting. However, I don't think we have to worry too much. The Assassin theme will always be there. In fact, having watched all the trailers.. I have plenty of questions about the AC lore. Whether all of them will be answered remains to be seen however.

With Desmond dead, what now of the story in the current timeline? What's Juno up to? Not many people enjoy the modern story but it connects all the different Assassins' stories so I will be interested to find out where Ubisoft is heading next now that the world is saved and there's a new problem; Juno.

Then there's this cube at the end of this trailer.. 


Thought it was just some treasure initially and didn't give too much thought into it.. But after seeing UbiWorkshop post a teaser of possibly a replica of it in progress..

... suddenly, it doesn't seem like just any treasure.

Then there's Adewale, who's also an Assassin as we will see in AC IV's Season Pass DLC but surely a lot of him will be revealed in the main game itself. He was just so badass in the same trailer above.

Lastly, we will also have a couple of missions with Aveline. So is she just added to AC IV to entice us that it's value for money or is she somehow connected to Adewale or Edward. I have seen in forums that there is a connection between Adewale and Avleine in the Assassin brotherhood. So, it will definitely be interesting to see the different Assassins' stories being linked in some way. 

Credit to Ubisoft for creating this links to make the Assassin lore more exciting and interesting. Very well-thought out and planned, rather than having separate stories and just trying to connect them with the modern setting.

Most importantly, Edward Kenway himself. His story will be the most interesting by far. What's his link with the pirates and the assassins? What about his son, Haytham Kenway? Will the game give us more insight on why he switched from being an Assassin to a Templar?

Of course, I just want to enjoy the game in the end. However, Ubisoft has created an extremely interesting lore with the Assassins which has made their games a huge success. The game itself will feature the largest open-world setting in the franchise's history with hours and hours of exploration to be done, on land and in the sea. With each game, Ubisoft seems to be expanding the open-world to be bigger and more interactive.

The "Freedom" theme has been always evident in all the AC games but in each game, "Freedom" has been featured differently. With the vast Caribbean and lawless Pirates in AC IV, "Freedom" has been brought to a whole new level. Can't wait to get this game in hand to explore the Pirate life as an Assassin!

Check out the launch trailer for Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag!

The Assassin's Creed IV Wave is coming!

It's that time of the year again! The latest Assassin's Creed Installment is upon us. With Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag releasing today, in a few days or in your hands already, Assassin's Creed fans around the world are pretty excited for this.

I love the series.. I wasn't one of those who jumped on the band-wagon after how popular the AC series became. Back in E3 2006, I watched the very first trailer and was hooked. Before AC, I was a fan of the Prince of Persia series. So when I learnt that Ubisoft had a new baby, I wanted to check it out. Based on what I saw.. I was excited already.  Fast-forward to 2013, 7 years later, I'm a huge fan of the Assassin's Creed series.

The game that started it all..

Friends & regular readers would have already seen my AC figure collection over here. But that's not all.. I have CE Guidebooks, novels, comics, a stunning Tomahawk replica, numerous stuff from the various CEs and plenty more items associated with the Assassin's Creed world. In fact, that shelf can't even house all the figures that I have.

So of course, I'll be getting a lot more stuff for AC IV! I'll have plenty of pics to share over the next few weeks. Some stuff are already on their way to me and many others will ship anytime this week.

Let me tease you with what you can expect in the coming weeks..

The statues from the UK Black Chest Edition and the US Limited Edition had varying bases so I had to get them both.. then there's the 3rd statue from the UbiCollectibles range.. Then there's a replica of something, hopefully it will turn out nice! 

The 3rd Edward Kenway Statue soon to be here!

I also lost out on to the battle against art stuff. Up till now, I have tried not to buy any art pieces or artbooks but I have always admired Ubisoft's art so after a long argument with myself in my head, I did what no rational collector would do... I went ahead and bought The Art of Assassin's Creed IV (the Limited Edition one in fact) and depending on how much I like it, will look for the AC3 one as well. Will have plenty of pre-order items from around Europe as well.

Just like last year, this year's Assassin's Creed game will be exciting in the collectible front for me. So many different items coming from many countries and it will be nice sharing the pics on the blog as well. So do keep popping back in to see all the updates in my collection..

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Wait! That's not all.. There's a special deal for you guys!

As mentioned, I'll have a couple of different Collector's Editions coming in. As much as I love the CEs, I don't need so many copies of the game. Obviously, one will be enough. So I'll be selling away all the extra copies.

They should be coming in anytime in the next 2 weeks. So unfortunately, this deal won't be for those who want to play it on release. However, if you don't mind waiting a week or two, I will sell you my copy for a good price. 

How much? For the standard game, it will include some DLCs and since you have to wait a while, I can give it to you at $5-10 below retail price. Probably around early 2nd-hand market price. There will be different regions so if you don't really care about that, it should be a good deal for you considering you are getting a good discount for a sealed game. All PS3s can also play any region discs. I'll have one R1 copy so R1 collectors, you might be interested.

I will also have the Skull Edition which isn't available in Singapore for anyone who is interested.

Has a couple of standard collector's items for anyone who is interested in this. I can sell you the whole edition sealed if you like.

I will give more details once they arrive or you can mail me at jveron004@gmail.com for queries or to let me know your interest. You don't need to make any deposits, we will do a meetup to deal. I would love to sell away all my extras asap so I probably won't be taking reservations and will be giving priority to those who can deal first or at convenient locations. I don't mind mailing it to you or shipping overseas either, but will need you to cover all postage costs.

So yes, I will need you guys to help me out here. Spent quite a bit to get all the stuff that I want but would like to reduce my expenses by selling off the things that I don't need, especially the extra copies of games. So, if you are still considering on whether to get the game early, maybe you can consider this offer. If you have any friends that might be interested in this, do give them a heads-up as well. Those who know me or bought the extra AC3 copies from me last year, should know that I always do my best to give a good offer so hope this helps.

Thanks again for reading and would really appreciate this help. If you decide not to, for whatever reason, not to worry at all. Hope you guys enjoy my AC Collection pics that will I'll be posting as they come! 

Kevin Tancharoen leaves Mortal Kombat

Mortal Kombat Rebirth and Legacy Season 1 & 2 Director, Kevin Tancharoen has tweeted that he will be moving on to other creative opportunities, after 3 years with Mortal Kombat.

To be honest, this came as a shock. Even before Legacy Season 2 was out, there was lots of talk of KT to direct Season 3 as well as a full-length movie. So it was a given that Kevin will be with Mortal Kombat for years to come.

So what happened? Why is he leaving? All the questions started to appear.. It was no secret that Season 2 wasn't as well-received as the previous season. His own creative aspect in reinventing the characters seemed to clash with the original source.

I was among those who found Season 2 disappointing. There were awesome moments, some really good stuff but there were a couple of disappointments as well. It just didn't live up to the hype for me.

There's going to be some plot spoilers from now, so if you haven't watched Season 2, it's best if you scroll down to the bottom first.

Kenshi's battle with Ermac was good, had some action with a nice fatality at the end. They also showed some of his moves from the game. A little too short but was good.

Kitana and Mileena had a good battle scene as well and finished off with another fatality. Both actresses played their roles, with Michelle Lee especially, doing a very convincing role as Mileena. I actually pitied her at the end.

Then there's Johnny Cage, Casper Van Dien did well but there was something lacking to convince me that he is Johnny Cage.

Raiden & Kurtis Stryker were forgettable. Very small roles, due to lack of time perhaps. Hardly enough time to convince me they should return for the 3rd season, if there is one.

Mark Dacascos, as Kung Lao was decent. Didn't really like his role though, but I can't blame him for that.

Then there is Liu Kang, played by Brian Tee... I don't really know where to start.. I was highly anticipating to watch his story. The very first trailer of Season 2 already revealed that Liu Kang was gonna be a bad guy.. Liu Kang? Mr Good Guy. EarthRealm's best kombatant as a baddie? Crazy but ok... I was open to the idea as KT had done well so far. So let's see why Liu Kang is bad guy..

But the story we see in Season 2 was largely confusing. With scenes being all over the place, jumping from past to present, it was hard to follow the order of the sequences took place. Coupled with a very unconvincing performance about why he wants to take revenge on Earth.. I really felt his story sucked.. No disrespect to the actor, I have seen some of his work before and I think he's a good actor, but the attempt at making Liu Kang a bad guy, just flopped. Liu Kang was supposed to be the main highlight after Scorpion & SubZero, so it was no wonder, the reviews were bad.

But the highlight of the 2nd Season was Scorpion and Sub-Zero, their story was absolutely fantastic. KT went with a different approach on their back-stories showing that as kids the 2 ninjas were actually friends before their rival clans forces them to hate each other. Agreeing to a truce, which ultimately ended in Scorpion killing Sub-Zero due to Shang Tsung's trickery. Their story was by far the best. KT seems to be inconsistent, where some stories are masterpieces while others are not as good, to say the least.

The friendship between the Scorpion and Sub-Zero was very believable and the emotions felt, when Scorpion believed that Sub-Zero betrayed him and killed his family were very very real. It was really tense at the end when Sub-Zero tried, in vain, to reason with Scorpion... and that fatality.. that scream.. my oh my.. it will go down for me as THE best scene in Mortal Kombat across all media, games or live-action for me. I watched the final battle over a dozen times, from the part where SubZero hears of the tragedy to having his.. you know what happened.. That will remain in my memory for a long, long time.

Ian Anthony Dale has portrayed Scorpion very well in the 2 seasons. Very pleased as Scorpion is my favourite Mortal Kombat character after all. I really felt his emotions when he learnt of his family's death and his lust of revenge. Without a doubt, he's my top pick to portray Scorpion in the movie.

Eric Steinburg was also a good Sub-Zero but his outfit is questionable.

His MK Outfit.. Mortal Kombat or Moto-Kross??

Really disappointed in the choice of outfit for Sub-Zero.. Another strange decision was to kill off Kuai Liang, the younger brother of the Sub-Zero, who was to be the next Sub-Zero. So what now for Season 3 with both Sub-Zeros dead?

But there are bigger problems to worry about than that.. With KT leaving the franchise, will there even be a Season 3 or more importantly, a movie?

Season 2 ended in a cliff-hanger which was disappointing as I felt the episodes in general were way too short. With a bigger budget and higher expectations, I expected it to be longer and covering more of the tournament itself but there were plenty of flashbacks to the 1st season which made the 2nd Season even shorter. So will we see a 3rd season with a different director?

What about the movie then? It is highly possible that someone else can come in to fill the void as the Legacy Seasons were not meant to be canon to the movie, from what Kevin has been saying. Mortal Kombat fans have waited too long for it, that it has become a dream. Just when finally, it was all coming to reality, this happens..

Another question was if Kevin Tancharoen knew that he was departing after the 2nd season. As recent as Sep 27, 2013, he was talking about his future plans with Season 3 and the movie in this interview. So did Season 2 disappoint that made him or maybe even Warner Bros. change their opinion? I hope to know the real reason soon.

I'm still very 50/50 about his departure. It was great seeing Mortal Kombat return to the big screen with his new vision, even though some of his decisions seem to stray away too much from the source material which I didn't really like. The modern take was ok but some of the decisions as mentioned above were confusing. A little disappointing as he seemed really passionate about Mortal Kombat, which was evident in him funding Mortal Kombat: Rebirth which was his very own project. 

Anyway, here's the Season 2. Watch it and tell me if you like it or not in the comments below..

Whatever it is, I have to say a big Thank You to Kevin Tancharoen and his team for reviving the dream.

Source: Mortal Kombat Online

GTA V Guidebooks and Lithographs

Obviously I wasn't going to stop with just the GTA V Collector's Edition..

I also got the GTA V Collector's Edition Hardcover Guidebook..

The Back

Closer look at the contents..

The main reason why I wanted to get the CE guide was for the lithograph actually. Looks pretty cool with all 3 characters ready for some action.

Here's some of the character illustrations found in the CE guide..

There's a couple more of the other characters in the game.

Here's the slipcover for the Lithograph..

and the lithograph itself..

I also got another GTA V lithograph featuring a different artwork.

This lithograph was given to employees from certain retailers in US & UK. Luckily, they aren't that limited so I was able to get one for a relatively cheap price on eBay. 

It's great that both are exactly the same size so will look great together.

Got to frame them up soon..

Well.. did you notice the title of this post says Guidebooks...

Yes I did get the Standard Guidebook as well..

Well one is to admire and the other is to use.. if that makes sense. Just that collector part of me working it's magic I guess. Guidebook is pretty thick and good value for money if you ask me.

Some pics of the inside..

Pretty cool stuff but I'm definitely not done with GTA V yet. Waiting to receive 1 more item and then I'll do 1 more update. Also will be doing up my thoughts about GTA V and GTA Online in a couple of days..

Grand Theft Auto V Collector's Edition pics

Haha I know.. I know.. this was supposed to be a long time back and a couple of you have been requesting for it. Sorry guys, was really busy with GTA V!

Anyway.. here are the pics!

The box inside the box...

Removing the cover..

The Steelbook - Rockstar's first Steelbook

Back of the Steelbook

DLC Code Voucher

The Blueprint Map

Safety Deposit Bag

The key

The Cap

Out of the box..

Opening the steelbook...

Have to be really honest.. for the price of this Collector's Edition, I don't see how it's worth the price. I'm not talking about a dollar for dollar value for money. It can be argued if it's worth the price for a lot of CEs but when I have it all displayed, I would think most of the contents are pretty cool and forget about the price.

But not for this CE... After opening it up to see the contents, I don't see how it's worth the price. Was thinking that I would change my mind after seeing the stuff in-person but that didn't happen. It isn't bad.. I mean.. the Cap and Security Deposit bag are good quality... but I could list over a dozen things that I would have preferred to see in the Collector's Edition.

For all the talk about me being a huge GTA fan, this was actually the first-ever GTA game I have pre-ordered. GTA IV released before I got a PS3 and I wasn't really into pre-ordering in the past-gen. (Were there even pre-orders back then? So was definitely looking forward to a stunning Collector's Edition for GTA V but unfortunately not..

The extra in-game content is definitely a treat though.. The extra stuff isn't available anywhere else.. at least not yet, so that kind of makes up for it.

The Steelbook is Rockstar's first for any of their games and it will be the first Steelbook that I will be keeping. In fact, I want it to be as mint as possible so I took out the disc and placed it in another casing so I don't have to meddle with the Steelbook unnecessarily..

My super Limited Edition casing of GTA V! 

Still, the CE is more for hardcore GTA fans rather than someone looking for value-for-money. Do I have any regrets getting this? Of course not.. I knew what I was getting from the start. Knew it probably isn't worth the price... but it's Grand Theft Auto!

Player 2 is back!

Got myself a new, spare controller!

First time getting a non-black Dualshock 3 controller. Package was a little crushed but managed to get a fair discount for that. Found this sale on a local forum and the seller was cool enough to come down to my place to complete the deal. Nice deal considering I needed a 2nd working controller. For a spare as well as for the 2nd player/my wife.

Looks like 2 months wasn't enough...

Remember this pic? Was posted on Watch_Dogs' Facebook page and I posted it a while back on the blog..

Now with Watch_Dogs being postponed to early next year, looks like "2 months to visit Los Santos" wasn't enough..

Haha just trolling, I'm sure there were plenty of other reasons why they had to postpone it. I'm a bit relieved to be honest..

I will have more time to play GTA V and AC: IV Black Flag as well as give my wallet a break after AC IV's numerous collectibles. 

Ubisoft Singapore will be hosting a Art Exhibition

On Nov 8-9, Ubisoft Singapore will be hosting an art exhibit at FZD School of Design. 

The exhibit, Art in Video Games will showcase for the first time the art produced locally for Assassin's Creed IV and Ghost Recon Online. 

I have always admired Ubisoft's art.. especially in their Assassin's Creed and Prince of Persia games so I'm definitely looking forward to this event. Also hoping to meet some of the developers at the exhibition. Maybe get a little insight on their work behind the scenes..

So all you gamers out there, especially the Assassin's Creed fans, I hope you don't miss this wonderful opportunity. Ubisoft produces some of the best artwork for games and to have them showcase locally-produced art from their biggest project, is something that I can't miss. Some of you guys may be aspiring artists, so you might be able to get some tips from the professionals, get t know some connections perhaps and who knows.. maybe even lay the foundation to join Ubisoft Singapore in the future! Also with Assassin's Creed IV being one of the biggest releases this year, and a very popular game in Singapore, I hope the turnout will be fantastic.

I understand that some of you guys are having exams and might be busy with other stuff, but really hope you guy can set up aside some time to come down.. Maybe take a break from your studies, see some beautiful art, relieve some stress and then head back to your books again.

I'm hoping the response is good enough.. Perhaps then, Ubisoft Singapore will be encouraged to do more events in the future, like game preview trials... I'll be sure to bug them about it at the exhibition. 

It will be a pity if Ubisoft Singapore wants to do more events but decide it isn't practical due to poor turnout, so do head down if possible!

Here's the link to their Facebook event. Do inform that you are attending via the button there.

Watch Dogs to be delayed!

Watch Dogs which was supposed to be released end of November this year has been postponed to Spring 2014 (2nd Quarter 2014).

A post on Ubisoft's blog states that the game needs more time to be polished before it can be released. I'm not so sure that is the whole truth though.. Watch Dogs has big potential to be Ubisoft's next big franchise after Assassin's Creed (Though I would love Prince of Persia to be in their priorities) so with 2013 seeing the likes of GTA V, The Last of Us, Bioshock Infinite and Ubisoft's own Assassin's Creed IV, it might be wise for this new IP to stay clear of the competition this year.

With 2014 the start of next-gen games, it could be relatively slow as compared to 2013, it will be a good move to start it off with a quality game than many have been looking forward to and if it lives up to the hype, it can be a strong contender for Game of the Year. 2013 has too much competition, that even if Watch Dogs is a very good game, it may not get the credit it deserves due to more established franchises.

I was just having a mental argument on whether I should get the PS3 version or PS4 version. I mean, with Watch Dogs being a potentially new franchise, it would be cooler to start on the PS4 with better graphics and what not.. Time factor was also an issue on whether I could play it now. I mean by the time I start on Watch Dogs, I might already own a PS4 so why not get the better version? Looks like I have 1 less thing to worry about for now..

Disappointing news but probably a good move!

Source: Ubi Blog

New AC IV Edward Kenway Trailer

Amidst all the GTA furore, the days are slowly crawling to another blockbuster game.. Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag is just 2 weeks away..

Check out the new Edward Kenway Story trailer and you might get a hint or two about how Edward's story will progress in AC IV..


Absolutely stunning and another fantastic game for 2013!

Collected the Beyond 2 Souls Camera Strap

I was given a voucher to collect a Beyond 2 Souls promo camera strap at the Beyond 2 Souls Playstation Trial Event and I finally picked it up!

Top

Bottom

The Camera Strap

Cool promo item but not really worth travelling down just to collect this. They should have just given it out at the event itself, to be honest.

Assassin's Creed IV DLC Trailer

Yes yes.. "Why are Ubisoft are promoting DLC even before the game is out?" I hear your complaints... I don't really care though. Why? Because I love DLC! Whether or not, they are supposed to be included in the main game is another argument but it's extra content which we might not have had a chance to have..

So what's Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag's DLC about? Well.. see for yourself..



If you didn't watch it in HD and full-screen, please watch it again.. A wonderful mix of live-action, CGI and background music adds this to Ubisoft's fine list of awesome trailers..

Adewale's character is really interesting as I have been seeing links of him with a couple of other Assassins in the universe. I'm not going to mention who yet as I don't have concrete evidence of this yet but it's really cool to see how the different Assassins have ties with each other.

Very excited to see him in Assassin's Creed IV and play as him in the DLC. 

A statue and lithograph of this guy please!

GTA Online Part 2

Not sure how much you guys understood from yesterday's post but here's some more info. I was still a bit confused about the mechanics of GTA Online yesterday bu after today's 3-hour long session and chatting with some friends, I decided to do up another post.

Story missions are similar to the ones you find in GTA V. You meet NPCs like Lamar, Simeon and Gerald and instead of activating missions via driving over to them, you call them and request a mission, and the guy sends you a sms which goes into your job list. These "jobs" can be done alone or with friends.

You start up the job and the menu opens up to let you invite your friends/crew members in. Increase the difficulty for higher rewards like XP. These are generally for smaller parties. Once the job ends, you can go back to free-roam or play other missions. 

While jobs can only be activated via your phone, another way to complete missions with your friends is via the pause menu. This opens up a playlist with death-matches, team-matches and races. You can either pick your own playlist or go into a voting system with the rest of the players.

You will also be able to start up these games by driving to the pointer in the map when in free-roam.

Free Roam (Some stuff that you can do via free-roam)

Rob Stores / Hold-Ups - These aren't exactly missions, anyone who knows what you are doing can rob a store with you. The one who takes the loot can share the cash with the rest.

Steal Cars - You can sell cars that you steal in LS Customs but this can only be done once per game day (around 50 mins or so). You will also not be able to sell high-end cars. I read online that you won't be able to even enter LS Customs with a high-end car that you stole. This probably also affects why you won't be able to steal a high-end car to keep as your own. So you will have to purchase those cars if you want them. I haven't actually tried these but it makes sense. 

I was wondering why it would be possible to steal cars to keep when they are supposed to be purchased.

Buy Apartments / Garages - Yes, you can. Costs a lot but all that money you earn can be used to show off your wealth. I like this aspect in GTA Online. No point having millions when it's just a figure. For starters, you can get a free 2-car garage. 

Bring up the phone and access the internet. Under the properties, you will see that one of the garages is free. Do note that you have to purchase it online. I drove down to the garage and tried to purchase it but it didn't allow me to as I would need $25k. Would be annoying if you did have the $25k and splurged it all on this small garage when you could have gotten it free. I read that this is only for Social Club members though. One of the perks for signing up for the free Social Club... What are you waiting for?

Car Customization - Like in GTA V, you can upgrade or customize your ride with cash. However, I brought a Bravado Buffalo (Franklin's Default car) to LS Customs but it didn't have all the customization options as GTA V. They weren't locked, they just weren't there. For example, the "Hood" options weren't available so not sure what's up with that. Still pretty cool though.. Can't wait to have a Garage full of Sports Cars!

I'm only level 10 now so there's still plenty of content left that I have yet to see or unlock. It's been fun playing with friends and crew members. While I have been lucky not to have been hit by any major glitches, there are some people who have lost their Online saves or cash earned. Just hoping Rockstar will solve everything asap as it will be a real pity for people to turn away from GTA Online when it has so so much potential. To think that this is just the beginning is mind-boggling. Rockstar also promised so much more content in the future including adding the entire GTA IV's Liberty City. That is just incredible!

Hope my posts have given a better idea to those who have just started on GTA Online and helps clear some of the questions you might have. I haven't checked out everything or gone online to find out everything as I really wanted to experience as much as possible first-hand.

GTA Online

I almost forgot I had a blog..

Nah just kidding! But it's been a while since I posted.. Most of you would have known what I have been busy with.. Yes it's GTA, GTA and GTA Online!

After the messy first day, GTA Online has been rather stable, at least for me. Only at level 8 right now but still lucky enough not to get affected by any resets.

It's been fun actually. Online starts off a bit slow and possibly a little confusing but you will get the hang of it quick. Anyway, here's to share my experience so far..

After the tutorial where you do a race and a collection, you are entered into the world of GTA Online. It's evident from the get-go that the Online mode isn't just there for the sake of it, and I doubt anyone expects it to be. Rockstar has made it clear that GTA Online is the next biggest thing in gaming after... GTA V.

GTA Online has it's own story mode with full-blown cut-scenes and dialogues for several missions. These introductions and hints are vital to give you a run-down of how to go about completing your mission, in case you decide to jump straight into GTA Online before you tried GTA V.

I have played a couple of hours in GTA Online but have so far only been doing repo missions and package collections. Since the Online mode is like the story mode, I guess the missions are progressive as well so the heists will probably come in later. I'm sure Rockstar was aware that if all the missions are available from the start, everyone will just be doing heists.. Right? So yea, it's a good way to let everyone try the different mission types I guess.

There are different jobs and missions available to you and different ways of accessing them. 

The story missions are sent via text to you and are called "jobs". One of the NPCs sends you a message and it appears on the job list. Select it and you have the option of inviting several friends to join you on the misson. How many you can invite varies for each mission.

The Online is set up well where you can send out quick invites to all friends, all crew members, all lobby players or select accordingly from each list depending on your preference. I find this incredibly useful as I can quick-send invites to all my Temasek Thugs crew members to join me. Limited no. of players per mission means it's first-come-first-served however.

Another selection of missions are available on the pause menu under Playlists. Your standard death-matches, races and team death-matches with objectives can be found here. Great for playing several games in quick succession with the same group of players, with the option of inviting new players in after each game. Again, very useful for me as a Crew Leader to play together with my crew members & friends without having to start up a new mission each time. All players can vote to decide on the next match.

These missions can also be found by driving to the different points in the map and activating them. All these missions earn you Reputation Points and Cash. Reputation Points to level up and Cash for spending. Everything and anything that you need will require cash. From homes and garages to clothes for your character will require lots of cash.

There are other ways of earning cash as well. A popular one is robbing stores. You can also steal cars and sell them at Los Santos Garages. I'm sure there are plenty more ways to earn cash so not to worry.

After robbing a store and evading the cops, what better way to celebrate than to take a selfie?

One of my questions before going online was how owning a car would work? If I buy a car and accidentally destroy it or lose it, will the car respawn? Well GTA Online has a unique feature where you track and insure your car so that there will be an icon on the map pin-pointing it's location and if it gets destroyed, you can claim the insurance to cover the costs. Pretty cool and very realistic!

However, GTA Online doesn't seem to have an assist-aim disabled and this has been very disastrous for me. I'm quite bad at free-aiming with a controller.. actually I'm horrible! I have been nowhere near decent with free-aim in Red Dead Redemption or Max Payne 3 so it's going to be horrible playing the competitive modes. Just hope that Rockstar enables assist-aim in GTA Online or I have to do some serious training.. 

Other than that, I have really enjoyed GTA Online so far... playing with many crew members, making new acquaintances, meeting several old-timers from Red Dead Redemption's Multiplayer, who still remember the experiences we shared back then, has been really cool. 

Just can't wait to start on the heists though... What about you guys? How's your GTA Online experience so far?