So the "Wheel of Members" stopped with a grin this month.. Well, maybe not so much a grin as a T360UK Smiley! Rather than force you to read a bunch more of my oh-so clever one-liners, I will get to questioning the newest Member of the Moment!
What was the first game that you played and what drew you into gaming in general?
The first game I played must of been on my Dad’s BBC Acorn, it was something he had written himself where you attempt to move various animals from one side of the river to the other, but various animals can't be left together else they will eat each other. This must have been when I was about 4-5, so around 20 years ago! I think the fact that I could "do it" when other things such as spelling failed me so badly. Finding something I was good at gave me a push to want more.
All my Dad ever made was Barbeque.. How long have you been gaming?
My first console was the Master System. I remember it came with Alex the Kid (in Miracle Land) built-in. I got it for one of my birthdays; I estimate I was around 10 at the time. The mega drive had just been released and so the price of the Master System dropped so my parents could afford it.
So here is the real question, What brought you to 360voice?
When my flatmate at the time decided to buy a 360, I saw GeoWars and decided that if in anyway I could find the money to get my own, then it would happen. Randomly a few months later University decided to tell me that, in fact, I didn't need to pay my own fees and they were covered by part of a grant I had received. With this I knew I could get one, and started Googling for various 360 sites, this is how I found 360voice!
Thank Heavens for Google! Any 360voice memorable moments you want to share?
Being chosen for the "Red Rabbit" Beta of the challenges was awesome, I remember randomly finding the email from the site and thinking "Oh, they are launching a new idea", then I actually read it and it invited me to join the Beta! I was so excited. It kind of proved to me that I was an accepted member of the community, and that was really nice.
There was a Beta? Man, I never get in Betas.. Is there anything that you would like to see on 3v that isn't already here?
I really can't think of anything - what a rubbish answer, but 360voice does soooooooo well to already fill all of my requirements.
Here comes a tough question... Who would win in a fight, Fatty Chubs, ChangeAgent or Squidpunch?
Fatty Chubs, if the other two won, he would remove their badges and proclaim the contest never happened! - Badges prove the truth! ;). In reality, I hope we never find out, as they should never fight! They are maybe the greatest team I know and I'm glad to be able to say that I take part in what they have created.
Aren’t we all... When did you sign up for Live?
About 20 minutes after I got my 360 home. In fact, I had already created my "Live ID" many years before when the original Xbox's version of Live was new. This was due to working within a LAN Gaming Center and us doing various testing and events on behalf of Microsoft. I also helped with trials for the World Cyber Games and various other "Pro-Gaming" Events.
Simple enough, NEXT! What is your Game Setup?
I have a full Desktop PC running gentoo linux, and this provides sound mixing for my 360, allowing me to play my mp3s and mix the volume nicely with whatever game I'm playing - I also have a VGA Switchbox which lets me switch between having the 360 or my computer in control of the monitor. It’s a bit of a power user setup, but that’s what I am. :)
What other systems, if any, do you own?
I have a Wii, which gets some playtime when friends, etc. come around but it gets nowhere near as much attention as my 360! WiiFit is interesting, as it’s made me consider my health, which I believe is something all Gamers should do really.
Health conscious gaming... Beautiful. What's your favorite feature on Xbox LIVE?
I think I'll have to sadly say Achievements, however not for the fact you can wave them in other people’s faces. It’s the fact they have allowed games to be played to death and you actually getting some end result from it instead of thinking "oh, I've wasted 20 hours of my life" I can now say "I wasted 20 hours, but got 1000/1000!". Sounds weird, but to me, it’s worth it!
Your not the only one that feels that way. What new ones coming up are you looking forward to?
Gears of War 2, apart from this, not much really. I tend not to set my sights on any given game in case I can't afford them when they release or something else happens which ends up meaning I can't play. I also don’t play demos for this same reason. If it play it, I want it. If I want it, I buy it!
After that I can almost guess the answer to this one. Do you own or rent games for the most part?
Own, there is no way of easily renting in the UK which would fit how I play games. I try to get 110% out of a game and this means generally I can spend anything up to a few months playing a single game. As rental costs generally factor you having the game for a few weeks maximum, it just doesn't make sense for me to rent. Oh, and I get 25% discount on software because of my job. ;)
No Gamefly? I weep for you. Are there any Genres that you prefer over the others, or do you just like to game, no matter what type it is?
RPG's are my love. Nothing gets me hooked like a good RPG, it’s just a shame that they are so time consuming! Also I really enjoy playing FPS as I've played them pretty much all through my gaming life. Sticking with what I know seems best. ;)
With that said, Any must-have titles for 2008 or something that you have played already this year that you think will take the title of "Game of the Year" for you?
Grand Theft Auto IV is amazing at the moment, and GoW2 should hopefully take this title, but I'm sure there will be other games in the meantime which might even steal it off these two giants of gaming quality. At least, I HOPE someone can produce something to live up to the style and finesse that GTA has shown us. It would be a shame if no one can do better.
We can only hope. What is your most memorable moment on Xbox Live?
Once lagging while playing GoW on Gridlock. I managed to fire the Boomshot, run across the map, glancing sideways to see my own shot traveling along beside me. I ran into a group of Locust and then my shot hit me in the back. As you can't "self kill" it instead blew up killing the entire Locust Team, much to the shock of myself and my teammates!
Nice! What is the one Achievement you are most proud of?
I think 7-day Survivor on Dead Rising - This achievement needed about 4 attempts before I finally managed it, and anyone who tried for it knows that one little mistake can mean instant doom in that mode. Also the fact you can't save means you have to sit down and play for a LONG hard period of time seems to make it so much more worthwhile when it finally unlocks!
Is there anything else that you would like to add, or that you would like the Community to know about you?
I'm part of Team 360 UK, a wonderful group of guys who just like to have fun, we did play professionally for awhile, appearing on XLEAGUE TV and various websites, before deciding to just play for fun... and I once won a T-Shirt from HMV for playing "Rollcage" at a stupidly high speed ;)
Do you find yourself longing for the past? Remembering the members that already had their moments? Go discover the forgotten.
