Anticipation - Engage at Mach 10!

That's right. I'm one of the countless mob that are foaming at the mouths to get our hands on Grand Theft Auto IV at the end of this month. Now I haven't played one of the franchise games since back on the XBox 180 and GTA III, and even then I only got into the game on the entry level, hardly even making it off the first island. However, even with that little time invested, I had fun with it. With the initial news of the update coming to the 360, I was definately interested...but it was when the multiplayer aspect of the game started coming out that I turned into a rabid fanboi.

We were introduced to sandbox multiplayer last year with the surprise hit - yes, I'll call it a hit damnit - with Crackdown. I had a TON of fun co-op'ing with friends through the city and just laying waste to anything that moved. But now...the thought of doing that with 15 other fellow 2o2p'ers makes me need to go change my boxers. IGN has posted up some early impressions of the online gameplay, and they seem to be experiencing the same unintended nut bust that I think most of us will go through our first time we log on. Fifteen different modes of online play...ranging from typical deathmatch to several types of races to Cops and Crooks (specialized objective-based mode) to a free roam, no holds barred orgy of death. I AM IN HEAVEN.

Well...let me rephrase that. I WILL be in heaven...for now, I'm in Hell awaiting the release on the 29th.