How long have you been a gamer?
Since before I went to kindergarten, so probably around age 4 or so…that’s almost 20 years! I only played stuff like Super Mario All-Stars at that point, but it certainly set things in motion! I can actually remember my brothers unpackaging the Super NES they got.
Favorite genre?
JRPGs, for sure. I haven’t spent much time with Western RPGs, so I can’t really just say all RPGs in general. I did really enjoy the Knights of the Old Republic games, however.
Favorite game?
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. It’s kind of a cliché answer, I know, but it was really something special when it came out. My young, seven-year old eyes hadn’t seen anything like it, and though I didn’t get to play it for a few more years (this was for several annoying reasons), no game has quite topped it for me. I just love everything about it, flaws and all.
Favorite character?
Ooh, now this is a much tougher question. Link is close, but I’m not sure if I’d consider him truly my favorite character. I also really love most of the casts of Final Fantasy VI, VII, and XIII. Elizabeth from Bioshock Infinite also is close, but I think I’m going to have to go with Axel from Kingdom Hearts. His weapons are cool, he has a very devil-may-care attitude, and I love his arc across Chain of Memories, KHII, and 358/2 Days.
How many hours do you spend gaming weekly?
Probably somewhere between 10-15 hours a week. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but I’ve also been working on getting through Doctor Who, so that takes up some time.
Funny/scary/etc. Gaming moment:
Hmm, I have a lot of good gaming memories. There’s one I can think of that’s a little interesting, though. I went over to a friend’s house, Nick, and I happened to bring over Medal of Honor: European Assault, since I wanted to try out the multiplayer. My dad had recently picked it up since he loved playing World War II games back when those were the only type of FPS around (doesn’t feel that long ago, but boy it’s different now, isn’t it?). Anyway, some other friends who went to our school were at Nick’s, so we all played it and had a great time. To this day, I don’t think I’ve had more fun with multiplayer in an FPS than with European Assault, though Zombies Mode in Black Ops actually tops it, now that I think about it. Still, this game would become a staple in one of Nick and my other friend groups; one time we got together, we played a combined 9 hours of it. In any case, a few weeks later, I overheard the brothers of one of the guys who came over on that first night talking about how they set up a GameCube and sound system in their church and were playing games on the huge projector they had up front. One of the games they happened to mention was Medal of Honor: European Assault. Eventually, I heard other people in the school talk about the game that these other friends got them to play. So, apparently, I was responsible for the popularization of a random Medal of Honor game in my small high school. It was just weird, since the game really wasn’t all that special.
Last game you bought:
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D. It’s been really good playing Majora’s Mask again, and since I’ve 100%-ed that game twice, it’s been cool to see what they’ve tweaked in it. Actually, I love the modified boss fights. They’re different enough that I actually find them to be more difficult than those in the original game.
Last game you played:
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. I’ve been working on my massive backlog, and I picked this game off the shelf. I played the Wii version a long time ago, and this seems to be a lot better, though I’m not crazy about the combat. The story is really great, though.
If you met a game character in real life, who would you be forced to kill?
Not sure I understand the question; I’d be forced to kill someone if I met a game character? Seems rather odd; I dunno, guess I’d have to kill ISIS supporters or something.
If you could make one character come to life to hang out with, which character would you choose?
Aerith Gainsborough…I don’t think I really need to explain why. ;_;
If you were stranded on a desert isle with just one game song in your iPad, which would it be?
What a sinister question! I need my video game music. If it came down to just one, though…RRRGH, I’d flip a coin between “Corridors of Time” from Chrono Trigger or “On the Beach of Dreams – Another World” from Chrono Cross. Love me some Yasunori Mitsuda, and I can’t see myself ever getting tired of those on repeat. Sure, the lack of variety would kill me, but both of those tracks are just amazing. I think the Chrono Cross track fits the desert isle environment well, too.
Favorite Soft Drink?
Mountain Dew and all its varieties…though Live Wire is pretty meh. I have even liked all the “Kickstart” varieties of Mountain Dew that have come out recently.
Favorite Hard Drink?
Samuel Adams Boston Lager. It’ll always be my standby.
Favorite Anime?
Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. The original is great, too, but Brotherhood is just that much better, I think. The animation, music, story, and everything is executed with more polish and excellence in the second series, but the original still deserves a watch.
Favorite animated show (non-anime)?
Avatar: The Last Airbender. Speaking of which, I really need to get back to watching The Legend of Korra…I only made it through the first season!
Favorite live-action TV show?
This changes all the time. I love British television, especially the mysteries they produce; I like a lot of American TV also. My favorite show is Doctor Who right now, though.
Favorite competitive event to participate in or watch?
Hrm, dunno if it fits, but I love trivia and Jeopardy! is on every night in my house. I like watching baseball a lot, too.
Game you regret playing?
Oh, one night my roommate, a friend of mine, and I played through a 90s dating sim (it really doesn’t deserve to be called a visual novel) all at the same time to see who could get the most chicks by the end. It was a night we loved, but all of us felt worse for having actually played it, because the game was garbage. I’ll let the title of it remain unknown, though…
Game you regret not playing earlier?
Final Fantasy VII. I only played through that game a couple years ago, and I loved every minute of it. Don’t know why it took so long for me to get around to it, but oh well. I have now, and I’m glad to have done so.
Favorite Video Game Weapon?
The Master Sword. It has such an elegant design, and it’s really hard not to fall in love with it every time that close up shot is shown in every Zelda game that has it. Its design has been tweaked here and there, but it’s still as lovely as ever, I think.
During the Nintendo-Sega Console War, which side were you on?
I can remember arguing with a kid in my class that Mario was a better character than Sonic, even though I had never touched a SEGA console in my life, so I think that explains it.
Game You Like, but No One Else Does?
Metroid: Other M and the entire Final Fantasy XIII trilogy about sum it up. I will defend those games until I die, though I totally understand why people rag on them all the time.
Game You Don’t Like, but Everyone Else Does?
League of Legends and every other MOBA game. I just can’t bring myself to care about that game beyond just knowing how it works, though the CG trailers they release for it are pretty to look at. I’ve actually lost a friend to League of Legends, though I think there were more issues below the surface than just the game.
What is the one thing you would like to do in your life that you haven’t done yet?
Travel outside North America. I wanna travel to Japan and the UK for sure.
Favorite style/genre of music?
I really love classical and jazz…and video game music, of course.
Favorite musical group?
Well, Linkin Park has always been a standby for me. People can criticize them all they want, but I’ve enjoyed much of what they’ve done over the years, from their Hybrid Theory/Meteora stuff, to what they’re doing today. I even enjoyed A Thousand Suns. It’s 100% a concept album, and you really can’t listen to much of it without listening to the whole thing. But I like a ton of other bands. Iron Maiden and Megadeth are great, too.
What is the disc/cartridge that is in all of your consoles at this very moment?
Chrono Trigger in the SNES; Star Wars Rogue Squadron: Rogue Leader in the Wii; Super Smash Bros. for Wii U in…the Wii U, obviously; nothing in the GameCube or PS3; Star Wars: The Force Unleashed in the 360; Majora’s Mask 3D in the 3DS, and Persona 4 MIGHT be in the PS2, but I’m too lazy to check.
The one food people should try when in your state/province/region?
Well, it’s getting near the time for sugaring season up in New England, and I don’t think enough people have experienced real maple syrup. Puts that infernal Aunt Jemima to shame. The stuff is so delicious, though, and it goes great on pancakes, heck, even goes great with beans. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
The one drink people should try when in your state/province/region?
The Harpoon UFO Hefeweizen. It’s a fantastic beer, and it’s only brewed in Windsor, VT and Boston, MA.
The one place people should check out in your state/province/region?
Funspot Arcade, obviously! I live only an hour and a half from it, or so. It’s a great place, and I love going there a few times a year.
Favorite Doctor?
The Eleventh. I love David Tennant a lot, too, but Matt Smith’s boyish energy and hilarious backtracking statements are incredibly endearing. He’s like a child in a centuries-old body…I love it. I am closing in on the end of his tenure as the Doctor, though…only a half a season to go!
A game you believe needs a remake?
Final Fantasy VI. Yep, not VII, but VI. None of this iOS port crap, that game deserves a full on 3D treatment…at the very least, in the vein of Final Fantasy IV DS, where certain scenes are given more dramatic angles and camerawork. Just imagine the opera scene in 3D…it’d be fantastic! VI has such an amazing story, and it’s just a shame that it’s never gotten an upped production value. Of course, this is nothing against the way the original game looks, as I love the sprites and everything in the original.
What is one game in your backlog that you’re guilty about not having played/finished yet?
There are so many…Tales of Xillia 1 AND 2, Persona 3 FES, Killer is Dead, ICO Collection, Lightning Returns (got to the very end, but I didn’t want it to end, so I stopped…plus school got in the way), Sonic Colors, etc., but I think chief among them is Persona 4. I was loving my time with it, and then I just stopped. I can’t even remember why; I was having such a great time playing it.
How long you have been at oprainfall and/or what got you started here?
I’ve been writing for oprainfall for only a few weeks! I’ve been following the movement as a whole since very near the beginning, though, and I’ve used the site for most of my gaming news over the past year or two. I saw an opportunity to write, and I jumped at the chance. Since I love writing, why not write for a site I love?
Favorite Arcade Exclusive Game?
I’m going to cheat a little bit and say Star Wars, the vector graphics one. Yes, technically it DID release on the GameCube through Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Assault, but it wasn’t a console port in the sense of “Donkey Kong was ported to the NES.”
Most valuable/interesting/favorite game/item in your collection?
I don’t have a lot in terms of rare/valuable stuff, I don’t think, though I am into figure collecting. I am pretty proud to own a copy of Chrono Trigger on SNES now (cart only), thanks to a very generous Christmas present. I also cherish my Final Fantasy XIII Serah’s Engagement Necklace, as that cost quite a bit of money.
