Today, I was “tagged” on the tweeter by a fellow SimplySeze mod to do a gaming-themed list meme.
What is your all-time favorite video game?
Probably Windwaker. It may have something to do with the fact that it was the first game I really “beat” all by myself. It has always hit a sweet-spot with me, gameplay-wise. At least until the final battle with Ganondorf which has quite a big jump in difficulty compared to everything leading up to it.
What is your current favorite video game?
At the moment I don’t have a single favorite, but I like playing games with people now rather than alone. So collaborative games like Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes or MMOs like Guild Wars 2 or the Jackbox packs.
What is your favorite video game genre?
Probably would be Puzzle-Adventure. MYST was there at a key part of my early video gaming life, so anything like that which deals with exploration, puzzling, and a compelling story.
How long have you been playing video games?
I’m gonna say that I was 6 or 7 when I started playing non-educational games like Arkanoid and arcade games at the bowling alley. That would make it 30+ years.
What is the first game you ever played?
Hard to say exactly. Earliest memories are playing ports of Arkanoid and Choplifter on my dad’s 512k Mac and Apple IIe.
What game have you clocked the most hours into?
I was going to say Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2 but I just realized it’s probably the Animal Crossing games.
Who is your favorite game developer?
Ah… I don’t think I have one, really. That’s a sort of “Ford vs GM” thing in the gaming fandom I never really got into (and probably won’t.)
Who is your favorite hero character from a game?
Stanley from The Stanley Parable.
Who is your favorite villain character from a game?
J U S T M O N I K A
Who is your most hated character of any game?
Vekk from Guild Wars. He may have been voiced by Maurice LaMarche but man he was a real dick, when it came down to it. I had forgotten how much of a jerk he was until recently when I watched all the EotN cutscenes.
What gaming systems do you own?
At time of writing, I have a Playstation 2 that still works, a Nintendo WiiU, and a 3DS XL. I’ve also got a Wii that doesn’t read discs anymore.
NB from the future: I fixed the Wii in 2021 solely so I could do ROM dumps of my old GameCube discs for use with Dolphin Emulator.
What’s your favorite gaming system and why?
Nintendo GameCube. From the form factor to the controller config to the games I played on it, it has always been top of my list. And I never had one of my own.
Do you prefer to play guy characters, or girl characters?
If I have a choice, or feel like I have a choice, I’ll always create a female character in a game.
Do you follow walk-throughs, or do you play through on your own?
I’ll pop open a walk-through or strategy guide when I get really stuck or when I want to see side-quest things or complete extra achievements and I don’t want to take the time figuring out how they work through trial and error.
For example… say I get a weird idea that doing some time-intensive task would unlock something in a game I’m playing or re-playing. Do I want to spend all the time doing this (it would take quite a while) just to find out if it is? No! I’ll go look it up in a GameFAQ first.
Have you ever been to a gaming convention?
Nope. Might change sooner than later though.
What game are you most excited for to come out in the future?
I’m actually very intrigued by what Dan Salvato is going to do next.
What is your best memory of a video game?
The first time I got the cutscene at the end of the final battle in Windwaker where you suddenly perform this cool spinning dodge roll move and plant the Master Sword in Ganon’s forehead. There’s no real hint that this is about to happen. You’re just doing your thing trying to Not Die and suddenly WHOOSH it’s over and he turns to stone. That was also the “Holy Shit, I just beat a game for the first time all by myself” moment.
What is your worst memory of a video game?
I hate it anytime the damn game crashes when I’m right next to a save point, but I’m pretty sure there was one time playing ICO that this happened and it was SO INFURIATING that I never picked up the game again. I think I repressed the specific memory because every time I see the case for it now, I’m filled with this sense of extreme apathy – like it’s a game that’s right up my alley (Puzzle Adventure) but I just don’t care for it for some reason.