Tankbuster

i never expected to get this achievement. i was playing the finale of Blood Harvest in normal mode. the Tank climbed the facade of the house and got stuck on the 2nd floor, leaving it vulnerable to my continuous shotgun assault. good thing none of the AI characters joined the fight. otherwise i would not have gotten the achievement.

recently i also unlocked the Safety First achievement. i intend to unlock a couple more achievements soon.

60 days later

scratched

since i got my repaired Xbox 360 last week, i've been playing Rainbow Six Vegas 2. sadly, that game disc is now rendered useless, thanks to another Xbox 360 flaw - it scratches discs! when i tilted my console i heard a clanking sound but didn't know what it was until now. i tried to start my RSV2 game but it froze. when i took out the disc and examined it, there it was - a large circle of scratch! i can't believe i got screwed by Microsoft again! unfortunately this is one item i can't return for repair. if anybody knows some magical elixir to fix my disc, please let me know. thanks!

R.I.P. Xbox

i never thought it could happen to me. the dreaded red ring of death showed up this evening. i just called up support moments ago. the good thing was the procedure was painless. all i have to do now is wait for their box to arrive so i can ship my console to them. i guess i won't be playing for a month. i blame my apartment building for not turning on the central air conditioning yet.

return to sin city

it's been a week since my Rainbow Six Vegas 2 arrived. it took me 4 evenings to complete the story mode in realistic difficulty. somehow i felt its predecessor was harder. i remember searching the internet for walkthroughs in order to accomplish certain levels in the first game. this time, i only relied on the walkthrough for the final level. damn chopper! maybe i just got better at killing tangos after having played the first game at least 10 times.

the graphics of the Rainbow Six Vegas 2 has improved but still way behind the other popular shooter, Call of Duty 4. the AI of the enemies was supposed to be better but i sure encountered several stupid ones. some didn't even react when i shot one beside them. then there were a few annoying bugs i came across. one time, one of my teammates got stuck beside a barrel. no matter what order i barked, he wouldn't budge. eventually i freed him from his suspended state by giving him a nudge. the other bug occurred when i was rappelling down from the penthouse. i gave the order to breach the window. while i got through the window, my teammates just released the ropes and stood outside the window. they could not climb through the window and i realized they're stuck. i think i committed suicide and started from the checkpoint within the room.

despite the flaws i've mentioned, the new features were a welcome addition to the game. i like the ACES (Advanced Combat Enhancement and Specialization) system, where i get rewarded with experience points depending on how i execute my kill. there are three general types of experience points - marksmanship, assault and close quarter combat. early on in the game, i racked up more marksmanship points. this unlocked some sniper rifles which i never used. the SR-25 was good enough for me. i'm a fan of the Heckler & Koch's weapons but i found myself alternating between the M468 and 552 Commando assault rifles since penetration matters in this game. the more powerful the weapon, the better chance of neutralizing the enemy hiding behind a cover. the other thing i like is the shielded tangos (reminds me of the soldiers with riot gear in Black). they were tough to kill. overall, i enjoyed the game and will continue to enjoy it as i play the terrorist hunt mode. i must get the "extreme hunter" achievement or else the terrorists win!