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2017 WEEK 10 SANTA WEEKLY NEWS UPDATE - THE ADVENTURES OF BAYOU JERBILLY
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Howdy Weekly Contests fans!
This week's update will be short and vulgar.
I need to get a squirrel out of my wall.
Anywho, enjoy.
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WEEK 9 RECAP
Paperboy 2's happenings...
Last week there was a whole lotta FAKE NEWS flying about with completely false headlines being posted at an alarming rate.
Luckily, the 24 hour news cycle didn't last long because many of the sensationalists headlines turned out to be completely false after
some diligent research. Early indications point to crooked network executives gutsman004 and ninjistar for the past outbreak of FAKE NEWS, but
no charges have yet to be filed.
In a bit of real news, contest super woman Bea_Iank continues to take names and chop off dicks by once again decimating the (mostly male) competitors.
Bea's score of 423,290 left silver medal finisher Richardhead and the rest of the field in the dust. Bea_Iank continues to become even stronger.
By the end of the year, no one will have a penis left.
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BEA LOOKS TO TAKE 2ND GOLD MEDAL IN A ROW IN BAYOU JERBILLY
Queen Bea's reign of destruction continues
Bea_Iank is still on a roll after her convincing Week 9 win.
Barring a late intervention form pegboy, Bea looks to have things wrapped up with a score of 572,200 pts.
Even strong showings from top tier players tablew/chairs and arnpoly could not stop the Contest Queen.
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BROCK LANDERS INTERVIEW #2: FEATURING STRYPHOS!
Get to know Stryphos in this Update exclusive interview
What's the story behind your name?
"I wish there was an amazing backstory on this one but there really isn't honestly. I was wanting an online profile that no one else had and that was unique. I used the "phos" portion as wordplay from the Martian moon of "Phobos" and just added Stry in front of it. I liked it and have used it for the last 15+ years."
Your avatar is the arch-vile from Doom II. Any significance there?
"At college I met a buddy who really introduced me into the Doom franchise and got me interested in it. Doom is really the only PC game I've put considerable time into. I've played the Xbox Live Arcade releases of both Doom and Doom II and even got in the Top 250 on the Leaderboards for Ultimate Doom. The arch-vile I always considered to be a cool character and an absolute pain in the butt when going up against it. It's fairly formidable both in close and ranged combat (with those flame pillars) and can resurrect dead allies which turns quickly into chaos."
Yamato Man?
"I really am big into the Mega Man series and always thought that the Mega Man Robot Naming Committee (paying homage here to Seanbaby, for those of you who remember his hilarious EGM reviews) and that Yamato (which is ancient Japanese for "Japan") was one of the funnier iterations of that. They couldn't have chosen Samurai Man. No no, they chose Yamato."
Dream contest line-up, one per genre
"I don't know how feasible these would be for the contest but here she goes ..."
Action/Platformer: Mega Man 2
Arcade: Spy vs. Spy
Beat 'Em Up: Double Dragon 2
Puzzle: Fire 'n Ice
Shooter/Shoot 'Em Up: 1943: The Battle of Midway
Sports: Little League Baseball Championship Series
10 favorite games of all time, any system
1) Final Fantasy III (SNES)
2) Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PSX)
3) Ultimate Doom (PC)
4) Legend of Zelda, The: A Link to the Past (SNES)
5) Mega Man 2 (NES)
6) Gradius Gaiden (PSX)
7) Top Gear 3000 (SNES)
8) Metroid Prime (GCN)
9) Double Dragon II (NES)
10) X-Men Legends 2 (XBOX)
Your top 4 are all in my (and probably many people's) top 25. Did you play A Link Between Worlds?
"I have not played A Link Between Worlds. I just this past Christmas got a 3DS and currently the only game I have for it is Mario Kart 7. I have heard great things about A Link Between Worlds though and do really want to give it a try."
Also interesting that X-Men Legends 2 is one of your favorite games. You actually sent me the guide to the game in a mystery box. Duplicate? Not much of a guide collector?
"At the risk of sounding pretentious, I don't know how much a guide could help me at this point. I've put well over 100+ hours into the game and have really studied the mechanics and combined power ratings for each team and can very handedly storm (no pun intended) through the game on hard mode, even being able to one-hit some end of stage bosses. Regarding guide collecting, I actually do like guides but have come to really only get into guides from the NES, SNES and GB era. Basically things pre-1997."
Recall what the very first guide you ever owned was?
"I do and remember buying it at a neighboring towns Meijer store. It was August or September of 1990 and it was the Nintendo Power Ninja Gaiden II strategy guide (#15). I remember reading every page of it and being excited to play it even though I didn't even own the game yet."
Did you play the new Doom? Reviews seemed... tepid
"I did play the new Doom (Doom 4 for arguments sake) and really enjoyed it. I have to admit that I was quite apprehensive about it as I was very underwhelmed by Doom 3. Doom 4's gameplay is very fast paced. I don't usually play fast paced FPS's, like Unreal, Quake or even Call of Duty. That said, after some time and gettinYou also have more levels in Hell than in Doom 3 which really helped the atmosphere and tone of the game throughout. There is a lot of carnage. A LOT. The finishers and berserk mode are not for the faint of heart. The scale of the enemies and even bosses was very well done. I feel that anyone that enjoyed the original Doom games should give this 3D interpretation a try."
What is your preferred Final Fantasy III party makeup?
"If I'm going for straight up butt-kicking, I'd use Terra, Gogo, Sabin, Cyan.
I'm I'm going for fun, then Locke, Relm, Strago, Mog."
Least favorite Final Fantasy?
"To be fair, I've only played through 5 final fantasy games from beginning to end. II (IV), III (VI), VII, VIII, IX. Out of the ones I've played, definitely VIII is the least favorite. The GF system and load times were painful (especially if you hadn't used them in awhile), the card game I found to be equally terrible as I didn't understand why some rule mechanics would spread to different areas of the game like a virus. I'd go to play against somebody and think I've got 'em smoked and then on their last card they'd end up turning them all into their favor and I'd get blanked. It felt very much inferior to IX's Tetra Master card game. Also, vocals during the cut scene?!? That was probably more unexpected than anything but I still didn't care for it. It was about on the level of "I am the wind" from the Symphony of the Night soundtrack, which is to say that it really didn't fit."
Yeah I remember being befuddled my some of mechanics of the FF VIII card game, despite having the guide on hand. What's the best card game you've ever played?
"Really the only card games I've played were Final Fantasy VIII's and IX's. Outside of that, I've played some Magic the Gathering but that's really about it."
Ever play the Might and Magic VII card game? I think it was called Arco-Mage and got a separate release
"No I haven't. I haven't played any of the Might and Magic games for more than 5-10 minutes. I played the SNES one for all of 5-10 minutes and said ok, moving on. Although that one may be one if I spent more time on it that I could get into."
What's your favorite first-person shooter besides the Doom series and Metroid Prime?
"Halo 2, hands down. They took an already solid game in the original Halo and improved upon it in Halo 2. Duel wielding, able to use the sword, fuel-rod cannon, locking rockets, driving wraith tanks, sweet looking cutscenes, putting a whoopin' to those brutes ... good stuff."
Worst shooter you've ever played?
"One of the first ones that comes to mind is Damnation. My buddy and I (in one of our very infrequent meet up and stay up late and play videogame nights) decided to rent it thinking that it would be pretty cool. I mean c'mon, the premise is a steampunk FPS where you've got vampire-esque abilities and you (through co-op gameplay) get to topple a potential totalitarian dictatorship. The result? A very flat, clunky, underwhelming experience."
Absolute worst game you've ever played?
"While I could say E.T. for the Atari 2600 or Superman 64 for the N64, I actually haven't played those so ...
I would choose Baseball for the NES. My first time playing it (which is kind of surprising as I love the sport of Baseball) was in the contests here last year and wow, that game is awful. I have a very solid understanding of Baseball and really had no clue what was happening. It was a very frustrating and aggravating experience that I hope I don't have to relive for contests for the next several years ..."
I was floundering too until Gutsman pointed out to me that you can alter the ball's trajectory in mid-air after pitching it. Changed my opinion of Baseball from abysmal to slightly below average. What did you think of black box Golf?
"I haven't spent much time with black box Golf and when I did it was when I was a lot younger and had little to no concept of how Golf works. I could pop it in and let you know before the next weekend if you'd like."
What's the hardest game you've ever beaten?
"Hmm, blanking out on this at the moment. Maybe a 1CC of Ikaruga?"
Good answer, as that would be one of my choices too. How good at chaining are you? I think I could carry one to the third level where it becomes chaos.
"Depends on the difficulty I'm playing at. I can probably max chain only on level one. Outside of that it gets a little too crazy if I'm trying to stay alive too "
Ever play Radiant Silvergun, Silhouette Mirage, or Outland?
"I've not played the other two but I have played (and own) Radiant Silvergun. I haven't put nearly the time into it as I have Ikaruga but it is an excellent shmup. Treasure often does such a stellar job of pushing out top-tier shmups."
See any potential wins in the remainder of the 2017 schedule?
"It doesn't look too hopeful. The only two games I've really put any time into are R.C. Pro-Am and Contra. I'd have to practice a LOT to come close on those ones and just don't know if I'll have the time. Those'll be fun weeks though!"
Any games you plan on getting participation and then washing your hands of them?
"I don't think so. A lot of it honestly has to do with how much time do I have in any given week to devote towards practicing that weeks game. If Battletoads and Double Dragon is even close to being as difficult as Battletoads is, then I'll most likely just go for participation. Outside of that, I think the Baseball game last year was the only game that I played once and was like forget this."
Did you play Lunar Pool or Ironsword? If so you're a stronger man than I; I gave up on both immediately.
"No I didn't. I believe those were both during a busier time for me where I wasn't as active on the forums and hadn't participated in a couple months in the contests."
What was your favorite week of the contest, and/or favorite memory?
"The 1943 competition was a ton of fun but killed my thumbs. The banter back and forth and sheer chaos of some of the later levels in that one made it very memorable. Also, the Rad Racer week (which was a terrible follow up to the 1943 week as both are thumb killers) where all kinds of scores were coming in right down to the wire and my very last run was my best one where I made to within sight of the finish line for Stage 7. That and Lincoln's comment that he made when describing it after Stage 4 Athens which earlier in the week I was having trouble with. Let me see if I can find what he said ...
"I feel like the difficulty is pretty well done in this game. There's a steady progression from other cars being dumb obstacles to active antagonists. Track 5 is where I really notice that the other guys go into full on asshole mode."
... and he wasn't wrong. Those CPU cars were infuriating! Still, a very memorable two weeks there back to back.
I also know that Rad Racer in particular left a sour taste in your mouth as you were in the last few minutes of that week bumped down to 9th. "
To be fair I'm terrible at racers and didn't give it much, if any, effort after that run I posted.
I'm also guessing you're not a fan of putting the controller down and using your pointer finger to fire like Bert and I do?
"I've never really tried laying the controller down and using that method. I think towards the end of the week though I was up for trying whatever would save my thumb "
Did you know if you upgrade your special a few times in 1943, it gives you a weapon that can be rapid fired while (mostly) just holding the button down? That saved my forearm big time
"I knew there were other special weapons but stuff got so chaotic that hitting that weapon X amount of times to get that special amidst everything going on onscreen just seemed like an accident waiting to happen. That's good to know though that there is at least one "automatic" weapon. That would've helped a lot with the fatigue."
Any rivals, on or offline?
"I have a buddy who lives in the same town and we compete against each other. Nothing crazy but always friendly competitions. I have another buddy from Wisconsin that I compete against when we meet up in Doom and Gradius games. Outside of that, the Miles and Pegboy Super Mario Kart competitions have been the closest thing to rivalry, although both are better at the game than I am so not so much competition from me on that front "
What do you do for a living?
"I am a teacher. I teach Digital Media to 11th and 12th grade students from our local schools. Digital Media is Animation, Networking, Programming, 2D/3D design, Videogame Design and Web Design. I also am the webmaster for six of our local school districts."
Video game design? I wish my school had offered that.
"Yeah I wish mine had as well. I feel very fortunate that I can implement that into my curriculum. Our business unit has evolved into running a videogame production company, complete with student managers, gantt charts and weekly managerial meetings. They get a real insight into what running a business would be like and the pressures of completing tasks on time to meet the company's demands."
That sounds like the greatest class ever. What's the best game one of your students has made?
"My students don't work on their own game, they work collectively together as one company to make an MMORPG with a base engine. Some years the talent level is higher than others which results in a more refined finished product. The art department heavily influences this as aesthetics sell."
So, one group works on sound, one on sprites/polygons, play control, etc?
"Yes. There are four departments: Art (self-explanatory), Sound (again, self-explanatory), Story/Marketing/Mapping (create storyboards for project/loan approval, place assets from art into engine, push product out via social media and/or website), backend development (manipulate base engine to suit the needs of the other three departments (programming language in either Visual Basic or C#, also input art/sound assets into engine to offset burden from story/marketing/mapping department.)"
Do you know if any of them are working in the industry
"I don't have any actively working in the videogame industry, yet. I have some that are currently in college that I can definitely see working in industry. They have both the talent and work ethic to make the cut and in a couple of years I look forward to hearing their continued success stories "
Do you get summers off from work?
"I do, at least from my full-time teaching position. The past several summers I've been extending my second job as a web manager for six local school districts and have done CMS site migrations which made me full time over the summer. This summer looks to be closer to 15 hours a week so a much lighter schedule."
Married? Kids? I know you have at least one daughter
"I am divorced but have a beautiful 7 year old daughter from that marriage. She's an amazing and vibrant bundle of joy that has added so much blessing to my life."
What's your daughter's favorite game? What does she think of your collection?
"I'd say currently it's Rayman Origins. It's a very colorful, zany platformer and the sound effects really make the game the fun experience that it is. She also enjoys playing some zoo and pet-based games on her DSI."
Ever think about having more kids?
"Absolutely. I love kids and am amazed at how much joy my daughter brings me. I don't know if it's in the cards but I'd seriously consider having more."
Favorite hobbies outside of gaming?
"I like weightlifting, playing in summer softball leagues, coaching wrestling, disc golf, ultimate frisbee and just laughing. Life is always so serious that if I can find humor in something then I'm likely going to go for it."
Our work has a disc golf course. I hit a hole-in-one once. Think you could beat me?
"Ha ha I'm honestly not sure. I'm definitely an amateur player. I play every hole as a par 3, even if it's marked as a par 4 or 5. I hit a couple eagles and tons of birdies. It could be a good match!"
Co-ed or men's softball?
"Both actually. I've played co-ed for the last two late Summer / early Fall seasons. Men's league I've been playing in for the past 16 years. I enjoy going to tournaments on a weekend or two as well when the schedule and time allow for it."
How many home runs do you jack each game?
"Ha! I think the most I've hit in a game before is 3. However, there are definitely games where I don't hit homeruns. In fact, there's many times where I intentionally do not try to hit homeruns. I typically bat in the 3 slot so I try to get on base so our 4 slot can hit the big bombs."
Think you could beat me around the bases?
"Yes"
Think you could beat my throw home from center?
"Provided you're not catching it in shallow center, Yes"
Well then how about this; I've never pitched in softball, but I have in kickball and I have 3 career K's. Think I could get you to whiff?
"I don't think so. However, if you were able to get me to whiff, I'd probably pull myself out of the game "
How's living in Michigan?
"I really like living in Michigan. The Great Lakes are beautiful and we don't get any significant natural disasters like other areas do. We definitely have 4 distinct seasons and I enjoy each of them. It always feels like winter lasts longer than the other seasons but I have aspects of every season that I cherish."
Ever meet up with bimmy, jerbilly, or any other NA'ers?
"I haven't personally met bimmy or jerbilly yet (which I hope to correct this Summer/Fall with the annual cookout) but I have met several NA'ers over the course of time. BilltownSparty, Sjp5412, doner24, Everharm, Benhoffer, 1337bcc1991, captmorgandrinker, B.A., K3VBOT and others that I apologize for not mentioning. There's some awesome people here on this site."
Is it true there is a statue of RoboCop in Detroit?
"I really don't know. I very rarely am in Detroit. It would be cool if there were one though."
Ever play any of the Robocop games?
"Actually I haven't. Which is ludicrous because I own several haha. I just got Robocop vs Terminator on gameboy this past weekend and was considering playing that soon."
You should play Robocop 3. It's absolutely horrible. Bea loves it of course...
"Why does that not surprise me?"
...and did you ever watch Robocop 3? Michigan pride sort of demands it.
"I'm pretty sure I have, once. Although Robocop (if memory serves me correctly) got progressively worse after the first one. Now a Robocop vs Terminator movie would've been cool though!"
If I told people I owned Robocop 3 for SNES, and Robocop 3 Collectors Edition on blu-ray, which would be more construed as a sign of mental illness?
"Robocop 3 Collectors Edition. The fact that you'd want to have that much extra information about that movie is as sure a sign as any."
Wolverines or Spartans?
"Without hesitation, Wolverines"
Is Billtown(Sparty) as big a shit-talker in real life as Doug is on here?
"Ben is a pretty jovial guy. Amazingly we didn't talk about it but next time we meet up I will make a point to start that epic showdown "
You know the real UM vs MSU is Montana Montana State right?
"I may consider agreeing with you if I was even aware of either University before you just mentioned them "
Yeah I wouldn't of heard of Montana State either. If bertsampson is Robocop, and Bea is the Terminator, who does that make you?
"Universal Soldier or Major Dutch (Predator)"
If you had to describe Montana in 4 words or less...?
"Remote Laramie Mammatus Bozeman"
College football or NFL?
"Wolverines, then NFL."
What do you think of Harbaugh?
"I think he's actually a good thing for the program. Yes, I believe he's a headliner that brings in money and endorsements for them but on the whole I'm happy with his being selected as head coach."
As a Niners fan I was pissed with what went down in his last season. UM's in good hands and will be back into a BCS bowl or the playoffs within the next 3 seasons.
"I don't blame you. Also, as a Niners fan, what's your view on Kapernick?"
Reverse interview, I like it.
I think he's a mediocre talent who's very specific skillset was best utilized by Harbaugh's dominating teams. I also think he's a moron, judging by the really stupid shit he has said and tweeted throughout the years. I also have absolutely zero problems with him kneeling during the anthems. This is America, you get to do whatever you want. But saying that is the reason he hasn't gotten signed by anyone is stupid. It's the Not For Long league because a thousand players wash out every year. He was lucky to survive this long after the last couple seasons.
"I agree with that almost entirely. I think his gameplay is the defining characteristic of why he's in limbo. That said, I think the social media pieces combined with his pioneering the kneeling during the anthems equates to negative publicity which some (many) teams don't like."
Did you attend the infamous Appalachian State game?
One of the best games I've ever seen was against them.
"I didn't but it would've been a fun one "
Guess who the Wolverines play on 9/9/17 for the first time ever
"Team Bearcat is going down."
Ever seen The Breakfast Club?
"Yes I have seen it a few times. I've seen a couple of the brat pack movies. In all honesty they're not my favorite movies. Some fun moments but there are definitely movies from that era that I much prefer over them."
If you were any character from any Brat Pack movie, who would you be?
"Probably Emilio Estevez."
He's the jockey, right?
"Say what?"
When you were playing Ice Hockey, did you ever fantasize you were at the head of the V, about to score the game winner against the Godless Icelanders and do Emilio proud?
"Not while playing Ice Hockey but when on the Ice when I was younger, I did think about being one of the Mighty Ducks. Loved that movie."
Emilio Estevez or Charlie Sheen?
"Emilio Estevez"
Martin Sheen or Joe Estevez?
"Martin Sheen"
Joe Esposito or Joe Piscipo?
"Joe Esposito, long live "The King" "
When Joe was singing You're the Best was he referring to champion Daniel-san, or 2nd/3rd place losers Cobrai Kai?
"While I'd like to hope it was actually for Miyagi, it was likely more for Daniel-san. Not the smelly Cobra Kai "
I know you're a huge SNES collector like myself, what kicked off that drive for a full set?
"Well I started off going for CIB and then realized that I'd rather sell off a lot of my CIBs (a decent amount but not all) and put that towards purchasing loose carts. My desire (like that for NES) was to own the carts more than the boxes. It became apparent to me that if I went for CIB I'd be at this for a long time and that part way in the prices would get too cost prohibitive to move forward which I knew would drive me crazy. I knew that interest in the SNES was beginning to heat up and decided to pursue it before it got bonkers like it is today. While I'm not finished, I'm really close and am glad that I'm where I'm at and made the decision to depart from CIB collecting instead of just starting out."
Title that was hardest to acquire?
"Incantation. I tried for a LONG time to get this one and never saw one in a store. Very few times over the last couple of years people would offer a copy up on here and I'd miss out. I finally did manage to snag one within the last year or two and was excited to finally pick it up."
Most you paid for a title?
"I believe it was $200 for Harvest Moon. It was another one that eluded me for sometime and it popped up on here in mint condition. I always had a hard cap set of no more than that for a single SNES cart and I was able to work out the deal for exactly that."
Best score?
"I've had a couple nice snags but getting a loose cart of Super Turrican 2 in a hole in the wall little shop for $25 was probably my best snag."
Biggest surprise/hidden gem?
"Biggest surprise: It wasn't until the last year or two that I played ActRaiser all the way through. I had picked it up and quickly dismissed it years back and then decided to revisit it and was glad I did. I really enjoyed the simple blending of side scrolling action and simulation aspects. I wish the second one had continued on with that formula and wasn't so God-blessed difficult.
Hidden gem: While definitely not a "rare" game according to carts made, Top Gear 3000 is a fantastic game that doesn't seem to be talked about a lot. It took the base of the original Top Gear, added a much expanded track set, futuristic setting, improved visuals, upgradable options and even a 4-player racing mode. To this day I still enjoy playing it as much as I did all those years ago."
What contest game would you most like to see for SNES?
"I'd love to see a Top Gear contest. I don't know how it'd work other than time and completion but that would be fun. I loved the original Top Gear and Top Gear 3000. Such great memories and I still enjoy playing them."
I actually had Top Gear in this year's January slot before replacing it late with Super Mario Kart. Figured it was a crowd pleaser.
Star Trek or Star Wars?
"If I were asked this question a year or two ago I would've without hesitation said Star Wars. Since that time, I've made it almost all the way through 5 of the 7 seasons of "The Next Generation" series, as well as all Star Trek movies up through First Contact. While I think I still prefer the Star Wars series, Star Trek went from something I wholly dismissed to something I very much enjoy. I think Next Gen is an excellent series."
Nerd. What was your favorite episode?
"Nerd huh? haha Favorite episode, hmm ... I'd say the first encounter with the borg. That was pretty intense."
Deanna Troi or Whoopi Goldberg?
"Deanna Troi, although I really like Whoopi Goldberg's character in Next Gen."
If you were any character on Star Trek you would be...?
"Original series or Next Gen or Voyager or Deep Space Nine or ..."
Follow your heart
"My favorite character on the show is Data (Brent Spiner did a fantastic job as him in the series) but if I had to be anyone from the series I'd probably be either Captain Kirk or Commander Riker. Both are way different from my own personality so it'd be interested to have so much bravado."
Did you want to punch Wesley in the face or was that just me?
"I wanted to punch Wil Wheaton in the face way more from his role in Big Bang Theory than I did from his younger role as Wesley Crusher in Next Gen."
Ever watch the Doom movie?
"Unfortunately yes, I saw it in theatres. Ugh. Might be the worst movie I've ever seen Dwayne Johnson in. Had high hopes ... and was let down. I've never tried to watch it again."
I think my vote there would have to be The Mummy Returns. Saw that in the theater and I recall thinking "I now understand why people hate sequels so much"
"Not everything fits that bill though. While I like the 2nd mummy movie (as a fun movie, not because it's solid) I think it's much better than Doom. Doom was so bad "
Did you know the main, uh, guy is Bones McCoy?
"I did actually. I knew him formerly from his role as Eomer in the last 2 Lord of the Rings movies, Vaako from Chronicles of Riddick as well as the Russian Agent from his role in the Bourne Supremacy."
Hah! Yes, Karl Urban. I see you have an eye for actors. I'm used to my wife who watches Dr. Strange and Sherlock in back-to-back weekends and doesn't make the connection.
What do you think of the return of Mystery Science Theater 3000?
"I'm indifferent to it honestly. Never took the time to get into it. I may very well like it but like I said I just haven't sat down and made it happen."
How could Toxie, James and bimmy be wrong?
My wife and I are binging Netflix since our kids were born. What do you recommend?
"Recommendations for you guys as a couple or for your kids?"
Us. Our kids are all under 2
"Well of course it depends on what you're into. We enjoy watching Walking Dead, Gotham, most of the Netflix Marvel characters (their production value is top-notch), Star Trek Next Gen, Blacklist and then a bunch of the myriad of movies it has. Heck, we even watched the original mortal kombat movie together within the last week. Annihilation, however, will not be next on the list. She's gotten into fuller house (I was kinda meh about Full House growing up so into didn't really do anything for me). We tried Frontier but that didn't stick after the first episode (at least not for her, I was ok with it but unsure if I wanted to continue on with the series). I've made it through the first season and few into the 2nd season of Marco Polo. I thought the Voltron reboot was fantastic (that is if she'd be into that sort of thing). I've not seen much if any of the following but she's really gotten into: Once Upon a Time, Vampire Diaries, Bones and some others. I didn't watch Buffy growing up and we're trying to watch that together (she's seen the whole series before). The first season has been pretty rough so far but I'm told it gets better as time goes on."
I finished Buffy a couple years ago and I'm most of the way through Angel. They're not the greatest shows of all time like some proclaim, but I'm glad I watched them. We will check out Gotham and Blacklist. She isn't much for anything horror-ish
"I also liked the first season or two of Arrow. By the time they got to season 3 it started going downhill some and then by season 4 I've just lost interest."
I'm gonna name a poster, and you say the first word that comes to mind:
mbd39
"Persistent"
skinnygrinny
"Grinder"
doug
"Cincinnati"
egaskrad
"awkward_name"
He's been popping in for years, posts a score, and then vanishes into the night for another week. And he has that mysterious avatar. And name. I don't know where I'm going with this...theories as to what his... deal is?
"No idea honestly. Maybe he in and of himself is an enigma. Maybe he's a monk that every great once in a while leaves the sanctity of Tibet and posts on here from an Internet cafe."
Richard
"Larry"
Jim
"Moe"
James
"Curly"
Why is James such a quitter?
"Because Richard won last year? Because Jim is better at designs?"
tablew/chairs
"impressive"
bert
"top_score"
Arnpoly
"puzzles"
Bea
"Brazilian_cyborg_drinker"
Brock
"empirical"
That's kind of a big word. For skinny's sake, we'll say that means "wicked awesome"
Guillavoie
"legacy"
What do you think guillavoie's first name is? Something cool and French?
"Man I certainly hope so. If not however, his username is pretty cool."
Ever watch Gloves and Toxie stream? Which one sounds more Canadian?
"I haven't seen either of their gameplay videos before."
It was a trick question. They're both so Canadian it hurts.
After reading his interview, sum up Mega Tank in 4 words or less
" ... how legends are made."
Do you like NASCAR like some of these rednecks?
"Umm no."
What about wrestling?
"I used to like it but stopped watching it when I was like 9 or 10 I think."
Have you ever thrown boulders around your yard?
"I can't say I have ..."
Does skinny play on his daughter's TV, in her room, sitting in her little princess chair, with a glittery name tag because he secretly wishes he was a little girl, or because he's hiding from his wife?
"Likely more hiding from the wife. Although I think part of it is the extra slap in the face being bragadocious. Like when he got quite far in the Turtles in Time contest on the princess TV using Raphael. Good times."
So you would say that Kawaii owns the pants in that relationship?
"Who knows what actually goes down in the Skinny household but that princess TV doesn't help his cause too much "
Life Cinnamon Cereal or Cinnamon Toast Crunch?
"Life Cinnamon Cereal"
Do you drink the sugar milk at the end?
"Absolutely, one of the main reasons to choose that cereal in the first place."
Do you lift the bowl up when you drink it, or use the spoon?
"Lift the bowl up."
(Redacted)
(Redacted)
Luckily that is as tasteless as this interview will get
*shakes head while laughing*
...
...
...hypothetical. If I felt like this interview was floundering a little bit because I had no chance to prepare and just have to shoot these off the top of my head, what would be a good question to ask you? Hypothetically of course.
"If I'd like to be part of the "mod" squad or how could I help give back to the NA community?
Well if the collective community thought I'd be a good fit then yes, I'd be willing to become a mod. Secondly, I try to help give back by helping/running scoreboards for the contests and also I've offered to help Dain a couple times with regard to web design and other website front-end management items to help take things off his plate but I understand if he's reluctant to hand over a level of control to someone he's never met before. Like many others on here, I very much enjoy this community and enjoy helping in whatever ways my skillset allows for that."
You'd have my vote
"Well gee golly, thanks "
Would you accept favors and/or bribes to torment skinny?
"I absolutely would not accept favors or bribes to torment skinny or anyone else. I do have to admit though that skinny does put himself out there for torment so easily though "
Beer, wine, or liquor?
"Milkshakes? Not a big fan of alcohol to be honest. If I had to choose between one of those three, I'd go with wine (white)."
Do games age?
"I certainly believe that they do. Systems like Atari 2600-7800, NES, N64 have already shown that their graphics age. I feel that the SNES sprite-based graphics have aged but aged very well and still are enjoyable to look at."
Shaq Fu or Pit Fighter?
"Yuck. Probably Shaq Fu. Pit Fighter is so awful."
Double Dragon or Double Dragon II?
"Double Dragon II. I like Double Dragon but feel they refined it more with the second release."
Double Dragon III or Super Double Dragon?
"Super Double Dragon. More fun for co-op mode "
Battletoads or Double Dragon?
"Double Dragon"
Think you'll ever beat Battletoads?
"Very unlikely. That is a really long game and the speeder and rat race levels are enough to make me not play it again for quite sometime."
GI Joe or Transformers?
"Growing up I would've said GI Joe, now I'll go more Transformers"
Canada or Brazil?
"Canada, gotta love Maple Syrup."
Zobber's beard or Odin's beard?
"Odins beard. Hard to beat the demigod of Norse Mythology's facial hair."
MULE or CHUD?
"I have to admit, I had to look up CHUD. Interesting ... I'd probably go with MULE."
It has Daniel Stern AND John Heard... just like Home Alone now that I think about it. How could you improve upon that?
"I've never watched it to be honest which is why I chose MULE instead."
MULE or MASH?
"MASH"
Bangers 'n mash or MASH?
"MASH"
MULE or a game of HORSE?
"HORSE"
HORSE the Band or Band of Horses?
"Band of Horses"
Man from UNCLE or Uncle Buck?
"Uncle Buck"
Rick Santorum or Rick Pitino or Rick Springfield?
"Rick Pitino"
Total Carnage or Super Smash TV?
"Haven't much time on either but I'm leaning towards Total Carnage."
Smash TV on NES or SNES?
"I don't know if I've played a game where (when applicable) I didn't like the SNES port better."
Richard, James or Jimbo?
"Probably Jimbo for his hilarious sketches."
Partial credit
Soup or salad?
"Salad, unless it's paired with a sandwich and then soup."
What's the best sandwich?
"Like one that I would get from a restaurant? Or one that I would make myself?"
All of the above
"I always really liked the originals at Schlotzsky's if I'm buying at a sandwich shop.
Making my own, it'd be some mesquite/cajun ham/turkey w/onion and sweet peppers toasted w/bacon, tomato, green leaf lettuce and some avacado with a light dressing."
Philly or gyro?
"Philly"
What is the best Philly you've ever had?
"Honestly it was probably one I made at home. I'd love to have one at some greasy spoon somewhere that would get the right blending of cheesesteak, peppers, onions and grease. Yummmmmmmm!"
We played several rounds of Werewolf together. Which player made you want to choke the life out of them the most?
"NESfanatic probably. Not because he was a jerk or anything but rather he was a really good player and on top of that got absurdly overpowered roles. Just when I thought the FF6 role he had was overpowered, then came Deadpool in the Marvel one which was over the top. After reading what all powers Deadpool had, I'm still not confident he could've been killed. Rigged man, rigged! "
NesKing80 is approximately 12 years old. How does he even know what a Nintendo tape is?
"Probably because he watched Youtube videos that featured peoples recordings of their recorded VHS tapes. It's archaic video-ception."
Did you buy a Switch?
"I did not. System looks cool. May be a down the road $150 or less / holiday pick up for me. Gamecube was the last nintendo system I got within the first year or so of its release. I just got my first Nintendo Wii a summer or two ago. Still don't have a Wii U. There are some fun games on it. I've heard nothing but praise regarding the new Zelda on it."
I stopped at GameCube, which I mostly bought for Ikaruga and Skies of Arcadia. What game would push you to get either a WiiU or Switch?
"I don't know if there is a single game that would push me to pick up either system, maybe a "well done" 3D remaster of Final Fantasy VI??? Or some new Top Gear games that followed the SNES formula? I am intrigued by how the PS4 has been getting some of the HD remakes/re-envisionings of older titles, like Wild Guns Reloaded for example.
Furthermore, I've never played Skies of Arcadia. Not on the dreamcast nor on the gamecube. Looks like a cool premise though.
When I saw "air pirates" I immediately thought of Talespin."
Yeah I don't have a PS4 yet but I have 4 games including Wild Guns and Shadow Complex Remasters. I'd kill for a remake of FF VI on 3DS. Square Enix has done plenty of them recently so hopefully it's on the horizon somewhere
"Yeah the Wild Guns one I got a chance to play at the game convention I went to last weekend, I died pretty quickly but it was fun.
Final Fantasy III... One can hope ..."
What other remake/remasters would you most want?
"I'd love to see HD remakes of some gradius games, like Gradius III and Gaiden specifically. I'd also love a HD compilation of the Giga Wing and Solider Blade series. I'd love to see a re-envisioning of Symphony of the night w/new enemies, bosses, items, spells, familiars, soundtrack, etc. I'd also like to see some gameboy games remastered, like Kid Dracula and all 3 Castlevania gameboy games. I'd also like ports of final doom (both TNT and Plutonia) onto XBLA so I could start working my way through that game in co-op as that's a fun way to play doom campaign. I'd also love to see Tecmo Super Bowl featuring the best team years representing each team (85 bears, 72 dolphins, etc.) So much more to list ..."
That would be amazing. Did you ever play the follow-up Metroidvanias? (the GBA and DS ones) Or... what's-its-face. The online co-op one. Harmony of Dawn or something, I can't keep all the damn sub-titles straight.
"Yeah I have played through all 3 GBA and all 3 DS ones and own all 6. I've also put a considerable amount of time into the online co-op one, which is called Harmony of Despair. I definitely am a fan of the Castlevania series."
What was your favorite of those 7 titles?
"My favorite out of them would be Aria of Sorrow for the GBA. Fantastic game!"
Did you play any of the Lord of Shadows games?
"I own Lords of Shadow for the 360 and have put minimal time into it. Just one of the titles that I haven't sat down to work on more yet."
There's also a really cool book about the series put out by HardCoreGaming101. You should check it out. I was gonna give one to Andy last year as a first place prize, but I couldn't figure out a reasonably way to get one to Canadia
"My buddy (who is a much bigger Castlevania fan than I am) introduced to the HardCoreGaming101 stuff recently. I have not checked out the Castlevania book though. Will look into that."
As to the custom Tecmo Bowl... I crushed Guts and Mega Tank in fantasy football to earn a fancy Tecmo Super Bowl 2016 cart. That's... maybe as close as I'll get to one of those. Jealous?
"Kinda, that sounds pretty cool. I do some programming but I wish I understood enough to make the proposed changes I was talking about."
I'm the same way. Putting more time into game programming is one of those backlog activities like playing my guitar. Somehow they always end up behind my video game queue for free time priorities
"I understand a decent amount about the process but the NES uses such a low-level language for coding that I don't think it'd be something I'd be up for getting into (without help I suppose). Even GBA uses C++ so that a higher level than what NES and SNES utilize."
See any wins on the 2017 slate? Did I ask you that already?
"You did ask that question already and I basically said that likely no, it seems unlikely unless I really put the time in during a given week."
Paperboy 2 predictions?
"I think Bea will take this one in convincing fashion. It's a game she's put time into and even though the Paperboy series is well known I don't believe it's a super popular title. I don't anticipate any earth shattering scores, outside of hers, of course. I hope someone proves me wrong here to make this more entertaining
Hypothetical. You can win Paperboy 2, but you have to play the game for 6 straight hours while enduring Moist Towellete whispering sweet nothings in your ear. Do you do it?
"Nope. I'd like a win someday but not at that price
Who did the best newspaper art this week?
"Lovin' the Paperboy memes. Guts has been knockin' those out of the park."
What's the game next week? If it's Bayou jerBilly then I'm amazed Michael is tearing it up. Think he'll get his first gold? Pegboy won BB in the past. Think he'll make an appearance?
"I don't think (no offense Michael) that he'll get his first gold, especially if Pegboy jumps back into the fray."
You any good at it?
"I've never played Bayou [Jer]Billy so I have no clue if I'm any good at it
First career gold; mbd or Krunch?
(Krunch's existing one barely counts)
"mbd. Every week it seems he tries so hard. I'd like to see him get a gold for all the effort he's put in."
Hypothetical. You get to win Bayou jerBilly, but only by sucking the gaming mojo out of zobber's beard for 20 minutes. Medium-level sucking. Do you do it?
"Absolutely not. G-R-O-S-S."
%@#*, marry, kill:
Bayou jerBilly, Bimmy Lee, Kick Master
Fancypants - Kick Master
Marry - Bayou Billy Annabelle
Kills (it with poetry) - Bimmy Lee
Clever. I have a tendency to do all-male FMK lineups. What does that say about me?
"You: Dudes > Dudettes?"
I can live with that.
2017 champ prediction?
"As long as he stays with it, I really do think that tablew/chairs has a legitimate shot at being the victor. He's a solid competitor and is known for putting up some very impressive scores. Unless something changes, I believe he's the man to beat."
Unofficially, there has been some talk about doing a bracket-style tournament at the end of the year. Which format do you think would be more fun? Who would you want to avoid like the plague in a bracket? Cue bimmy smacking me upside the head for being so presumptious about what's going on.
"I think the tournament bracket would add a fun element to it. It would give people motivation to be at the lower end of the upper bracket. In a 16 person tournament, the 16th seed is going to go up against the #1 seed. That could be interesting, especially to see upsets
I think who I'd want to avoid would depend on the title and genre. Arnpoly and puzzles. Bea and anything she actually claims to like. tablew/chairs always puts up a strong showing across multiple genres. There are other strong competitors but those three in particular would be rough to go up against."
Who would you most like to see interviewed?
"I'd like to see you get interviewed. I wouldn't even mind doing it."
You'd think it would be funny and exciting, like that movie... Spaceballs. But instead it would be painful and disturbing, like that movie Police Academy
"Mmmmmmm, dooooooonuts."
I'm a blood-relative to a famous (give-or-take) Michigan musician. I'll answer three yes-or-no questions to help give you a clue as to his or her identity. Go.
"Are they an actively performing musician whose music can be heard on current X (being a variable for any genre of music) radio station(s)?"
No
"Hmm, is the musician still alive?"
Yes, mostly
"Is it George Winston?"
No. Good guess but this will have to be solved by our next interviewee(s)
"Interesting. Curiousity is piqued."
If the Denver crew and the Michigan crew had a West Side Story-style rumble, who would win?
"Michigan of course
Which member of the Michigan crew would be the best dancer/fighter/singer though?
dancer: tablew/chairs. If his dance moves are half as good as his game playing skills, he should consider moving up from the amateur dancing circuit.
fighter: zombi. Anyone that fends off that many different craigslist crazies each month must be one tough dude.
singer: bimmy_lee. Anyone that well versed into poetry/lyrics has to be a closet singer and so he probably sings everyday
Final words?
"I, like I would imagine many other people, wish I would've become a part of this community many years before I actually did. I was unaware of its existence and never really thought about there being an area online with such fantastic and helpful members. I'm flattered, sincerely, to be chosen for this interview considering all the other potential candidates out there. I look forward to hopefully meeting many more of our members in person and welcome any PMs regarding questions members may have about any of the interview questions or would like to talk about any of the games that I've listed that they also really enjoy. It'd also be cool to have those that met me in person to chime in and share their thoughts about what I'm like, if anything that they read in the interview surprised them, if I'm different at all in person than my NA forum presence, etc.
I can't believe it's been almost 4 years ago that I joined. I still remember my first transaction on here (which I believe was acidjaguar) and I sent him videogame stuff via Media Mail and learned very quickly how that was a bad idea. One of the items I sent was a mint Conkers Bad Fur Day and well ... I didn't package as well as I should've and shouldn't have used media mail to begin with. Lesson learned. Fast forward to the present and here I am at 250+ transactions. Crazy how fast time goes.
I'd also like to thank you, Brock, for taking the time to interview me and come up with the myriad of questions that you have. I know with all the chaos (good stuff but still chaos) in your personal life, this was quite the undertaking. I very much enjoyed it, thank you for the opportunity.
He lives down the street from me (more-or-less). I'm sure he stole the games to feed his $2000/day skee ball habit
Thank you Stryphos
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Santa's 8-bit Xmas Hall of Heroes
bunnyboy, psychobear85, superbobby, captmorgandrinker, guillavoie, KHAN Games (backup from Jon Solo), fsped09 & zi
