Learning the Dark Trade | Dialogue

How long have you been a gamer?

Good question. I can’t really remember when I started, so it must have been early.

Favorite genre?

RPGs

Favorite game?

It’s still Tales of Symphonia. I now realize that it’s not a perfect game, but I’m willing to embrace its flaws.

Favorite character?

Link—specifically in The Wind Waker.

Link's On a Boat

How may hours do you spend gaming weekly?

It probably varies wildly from around 10 to 30, given my unpredictable schedule.

Last game you bought:

Lost Magic for the Nintendo DS. It was only $2!

Last game you played:

Persona 4. I have to get myself prepared for when Persona 5 hits!

If you could make one character come to life to hang out with, which character would you choose?

Probably Wind Waker Link again. I’m not usually one to take selfies, but I would with him.

If you were stranded on a desert isle with just one game song in your iPad, which would it be?

Favorite Soft Drink?

Grape soda. Yeah, I’m weird.

Favorite Hard Drink?

Vodka and Powerade mix together well.

Soul Eater AnimeFavorite Anime?

Soul Eater. Hands down.

Favorite animated show (non-anime)?

Courage the Cowardly Dog

Favorite live-action TV show?

Doctor Who

Game you regret playing?

Clock Tower for the SNES. What’s worse is that I actually got the real ending…

Game you regret not playing earlier?

The mainstream Final Fantasy titles. Sure, some are overrated, but there is a reason they’re classics.

During the Nintendo-SEGA Console War, which side were you on?

I don’t think I was aware that SEGA was a thing back then. In fact, my first introduction to the Sonic series was when I got the remake of Sonic Adventure 2 for my GCN.

Game You Like, but No One Else Does?

Don’t hate me for this, but I enjoyed the actual gameplay in Metroid: Other M so much that I’d be willing to replay the game more than once. Skipping all of the cut scenes, of course.

Game You Don’t Like, but Everyone Else Does?

Well, I actually didn’t care that much for Half Life 2.

Learning the Dark Trade | Dungeon FloorWhat is the one thing you would like to do in your life that you haven’t done yet?

At this point, the one goal I have is to release my first game, Learning the Dark Trade. After that, who knows?

Favorite style/genre of music?

I’m a heavy metal guy!

Favorite musical group?

All That Remains.

What is the disc/cartridge that is in all of your consoles at this very moment?

In the PlayStation 3, we have Tales of Xillia. In the Wii U, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. And finally, my DS currently holds that copy of Lost Magic I just got. I swear I do play new games sometimes.

Favorite Doctor?

I’m not sure if this is meant as a general question about all doctors, or if it’s geared to Doctor Who fans like me, but it’s okay because either way, my answer is the same: Matt Smith, the Eleventh Doctor.

Oracle of Ages Screenshot 1A game you believe needs a remake?

I swear, this question gets harder to answer every year, as many of my favorites already have remakes, for better or for worse. I think what bugs me, though, is that all the 3D Zelda titles are getting loved while the old 2D ones continue to get emulated as they were.

What is one game in your backlog that you’re guilty about not having played/finished yet?

I haven’t finished Xenoblade Chronicles, actually. Or, on that subject, Pandora’s Tower.

Am I fired yet?

How long you have been at oprainfall and/or what got you started here?

I started out in January of 2013. You can actually read all about it in these two editorials I did recently.

Favorite Arcade Exclusive Game?

I think it was just called Police Trainer. It had a gun setup and a bunch of trials that you had to succeed at before you could increase your rank. Everything from fast-moving targets to hostage simulations to one where you shot numbered tiles in numerical order, all with these lightning-fast time limits. In a way it was sort of the Wario Ware of the arcade.

Tales-of-Symphonia-Chronicles-Collectors-EditionMost valuable/interesting/favorite game/item in your collection?

I definitely have to go with the Tales of Symphonia Chronicles Special Edition materials. Everything from the figurines to the box are displayed on my bookcase. Fun fact, though—I couldn’t get through the little book that came with it because it had too many grammatical issues.

Phil Schipper
Phil N. Schipper joined the Operation Rainfall staff to review Android games, but soon fell in love with writing news articles and Games of the Past. His dream is to make a living writing sci-fi and fantasy novels, which is why he leads the Obscure Authors Alliance in his free time. Still, even in his stories, which usually involve insane people, video games are one of his strongest influences. He describes himself as "a Mr. Nice Guy with a horrible, horrible dark side."
http://obscureauthors.wordpress.com/