Featured Gamer: Al CapOWNage
06.08.06
After a break from interviews, we are back in action with a nice little interview from one of our own, al capOWNage! He writes a ton of guides for us and we thought it was our duty to recognize him with an interview.
Why don't we start by finding out a little about yourself.
I am 22 years old with a B.A. in Political Science from Northern Illinois University. I got accepted to the UCLA School of Law about a month ago, and I am excited to attend this fall. I like to think of myself as out-going, adventurous, and cosmopolitan. That would probably explain my love to travel. I've been fortunate enough to travel to seven different countries, and I plan to travel to many more after I get done with school. Tokyo is next on my hit list. My parents own a family restaurant, and that's where I work as a manager/host/or whatever position needs to be filled. My family has always been in the restaurant business. My favorite show on TV is 24. I love the format of the show, and how it grabs your attention and keeps you on the edge of your seat. My other interests are reading, watching foreign films, and, of course, playing video games. It all started with Super Mario Bros. on NES, ahhh... the memories. My favorite video game of all time is Final Fantasy X. When I’m not playing video games, you can find me at my local Barnes & Noble sipping a vanilla latte and catching up on the latest non-fiction and foreign papers.
What is your gaming setup like?
My video is being displayed on a 52” Sony HDTV. I’m seriously thinking about buying a TV in the near future that can truly handle 1080p. My audio is coming out of a basic 5.1 Dolby Digital II setup. Of course, the most important thing about my setup is the mini-fridge at the end of my futon. I couldn’t get anything done without it.
What do you feel is the hardest achievement out there that you've gotten?
It’s a close tie between the achievements for beating D-Day on Veteran in Call of Duty 2 and Defeating Razor in NFS: Most Wanted. I knew beating Call of Duty 2 on veteran would be a huge undertaking, but I did not realize how hard the D-Day level was going to be. Nothing in the world is better than seeing the words ‘checkpoint reached’ at the top left of your screen, especially on that mission. As far as NFS:MW goes, I did not have a problem beating the races, but raising your bounty was defiantly a chore. It got to the point where I would be in a pursuit for over twenty minutes, and then suddenly I do something completely stupid like overturn a curve and hit the wall to find myself barricaded by ten cops in SUVs. All frustrations aside, I had fun with that game, and I was sad to retire it.
That you haven't gotten, but know is possible?
I would have to say any of the “A” rankings in Kameo. My best is “B” on the first level. With a little more work, I think I can net an “A” ranking. But then again, it’s hard to play a game that you absolutely hate. I was pretty disappointed by Kameo considering Rare’s other gems such as Donkey Kong 64 and other adventure games, but I digress.
What achievement are you going after next?
Currently, I’m working on the offline achievements in Rockstar’s Table Tennis. The achievements are easy enough considering you can unleash an un-returnable serve and acquire everything in the exhibition mode on easy settings. Just to add, who knew that the grandmasters of the go anywhere/do anything genre can make a decent sports game?
What is your favorite game on the 360?
My favorite game on the 360 is Oblivion. All I can do is marvel at that game. Because of over 140 hours of gameplay, I have managed to get my character up to level 50 with maxed out skills and over 1200 magicka. Every time I play an RPG, I feel as though I must “rinse” the game out, meaning collecting every item, having max stats, completing every quest, etc, etc. I don’t think I’ll even get close with Oblivion, but then again I haven’t put it on the shelf of retired games yet.
Least favorite?
Dynasty Warriors 5: Empire. A sub-par PS2 game ported directly to 360 is a recipe for failure. The premise of the game is okay, but the repetitive gameplay and horrible graphics do not do justice to most of the other, more dynamic and pleasing, 360 games. If it wasn’t for the achievements, I would have never put my 360 through the torture of running this game.
Favorite multiplayer game?
G.R.A.W. I liked the multiplayer aspect of this game because of the plethora of online modes, options, filters, and settings. Everything can by customized to your liking. And overall, it is a fun game to play with friends.
Are you a hardcore Xbox guy or do you dabble in the dark arts (re: other consoles)?
I might upset some people here because I am NOT a fanboy of Microsoft’s Xbox. I am a fanboy of every system. I like every system equally. What’s the point of loving one system and hating another? You’re only excluding yourself from console-exclusive games. Why be a Playstation fan and exclude yourself from Halo? Why be an Xbox fan and exclude yourself from a true Final Fantasy game? It doesn’t make any sense to me. I can’t wait to buy a Wii, and I can’t wait to experience the power of the Sony’s third console. However, with all that being said, Xbox 360 will still always be my buy-for system for multi-console games simply because of the awesome online functionality that is Xbox Live.
What will people find you doing most often on your 360?
Playing and talking to my friends. I’m fortunate to be involved in a great online community and have great friends such as N0VA 360, Stripclubdj, Intentfatal, Fall3n Angelz, Drakkenstrike, TheGrayWolf, IlLiquidSnakelI, A 3 Legged Hobo, MIKEY566, MABEN, and many, many more. If I missed you, please forgive me. Other than that, I’m always answering random questions by people I don’t even know!
What 360 title are you looking forward to next?
I can’t wait for Forza Motorsport 2. A first-party racing simulator with a ton of licensed cars and tracks, what more does a person want? I’m also looking forward to Halo 3 for obvious reasons. Splinter Cell: Double Agent and Rainbow Six: Vegas are also on my list of highly anticipated games.
Got a personal or favorite website you want to share?
www.drudgereport.com This guy always gets the scoop on what going on with the world. Matt Drudge was the one who broke the news of the Monica Lewinsky scandal. He’s got some pretty good sources that no other media outlet has. Other than that, everything you need to know is on a simple webpage with links to everything that is news-related important.
Thanks for the great interview!
Why don't we start by finding out a little about yourself.
I am 22 years old with a B.A. in Political Science from Northern Illinois University. I got accepted to the UCLA School of Law about a month ago, and I am excited to attend this fall. I like to think of myself as out-going, adventurous, and cosmopolitan. That would probably explain my love to travel. I've been fortunate enough to travel to seven different countries, and I plan to travel to many more after I get done with school. Tokyo is next on my hit list. My parents own a family restaurant, and that's where I work as a manager/host/or whatever position needs to be filled. My family has always been in the restaurant business. My favorite show on TV is 24. I love the format of the show, and how it grabs your attention and keeps you on the edge of your seat. My other interests are reading, watching foreign films, and, of course, playing video games. It all started with Super Mario Bros. on NES, ahhh... the memories. My favorite video game of all time is Final Fantasy X. When I’m not playing video games, you can find me at my local Barnes & Noble sipping a vanilla latte and catching up on the latest non-fiction and foreign papers.
What is your gaming setup like?
My video is being displayed on a 52” Sony HDTV. I’m seriously thinking about buying a TV in the near future that can truly handle 1080p. My audio is coming out of a basic 5.1 Dolby Digital II setup. Of course, the most important thing about my setup is the mini-fridge at the end of my futon. I couldn’t get anything done without it.
What do you feel is the hardest achievement out there that you've gotten?
It’s a close tie between the achievements for beating D-Day on Veteran in Call of Duty 2 and Defeating Razor in NFS: Most Wanted. I knew beating Call of Duty 2 on veteran would be a huge undertaking, but I did not realize how hard the D-Day level was going to be. Nothing in the world is better than seeing the words ‘checkpoint reached’ at the top left of your screen, especially on that mission. As far as NFS:MW goes, I did not have a problem beating the races, but raising your bounty was defiantly a chore. It got to the point where I would be in a pursuit for over twenty minutes, and then suddenly I do something completely stupid like overturn a curve and hit the wall to find myself barricaded by ten cops in SUVs. All frustrations aside, I had fun with that game, and I was sad to retire it.
That you haven't gotten, but know is possible?
I would have to say any of the “A” rankings in Kameo. My best is “B” on the first level. With a little more work, I think I can net an “A” ranking. But then again, it’s hard to play a game that you absolutely hate. I was pretty disappointed by Kameo considering Rare’s other gems such as Donkey Kong 64 and other adventure games, but I digress.
What achievement are you going after next?
Currently, I’m working on the offline achievements in Rockstar’s Table Tennis. The achievements are easy enough considering you can unleash an un-returnable serve and acquire everything in the exhibition mode on easy settings. Just to add, who knew that the grandmasters of the go anywhere/do anything genre can make a decent sports game?
What is your favorite game on the 360?
My favorite game on the 360 is Oblivion. All I can do is marvel at that game. Because of over 140 hours of gameplay, I have managed to get my character up to level 50 with maxed out skills and over 1200 magicka. Every time I play an RPG, I feel as though I must “rinse” the game out, meaning collecting every item, having max stats, completing every quest, etc, etc. I don’t think I’ll even get close with Oblivion, but then again I haven’t put it on the shelf of retired games yet.
Least favorite?
Dynasty Warriors 5: Empire. A sub-par PS2 game ported directly to 360 is a recipe for failure. The premise of the game is okay, but the repetitive gameplay and horrible graphics do not do justice to most of the other, more dynamic and pleasing, 360 games. If it wasn’t for the achievements, I would have never put my 360 through the torture of running this game.
Favorite multiplayer game?
G.R.A.W. I liked the multiplayer aspect of this game because of the plethora of online modes, options, filters, and settings. Everything can by customized to your liking. And overall, it is a fun game to play with friends.
Are you a hardcore Xbox guy or do you dabble in the dark arts (re: other consoles)?
I might upset some people here because I am NOT a fanboy of Microsoft’s Xbox. I am a fanboy of every system. I like every system equally. What’s the point of loving one system and hating another? You’re only excluding yourself from console-exclusive games. Why be a Playstation fan and exclude yourself from Halo? Why be an Xbox fan and exclude yourself from a true Final Fantasy game? It doesn’t make any sense to me. I can’t wait to buy a Wii, and I can’t wait to experience the power of the Sony’s third console. However, with all that being said, Xbox 360 will still always be my buy-for system for multi-console games simply because of the awesome online functionality that is Xbox Live.
What will people find you doing most often on your 360?
Playing and talking to my friends. I’m fortunate to be involved in a great online community and have great friends such as N0VA 360, Stripclubdj, Intentfatal, Fall3n Angelz, Drakkenstrike, TheGrayWolf, IlLiquidSnakelI, A 3 Legged Hobo, MIKEY566, MABEN, and many, many more. If I missed you, please forgive me. Other than that, I’m always answering random questions by people I don’t even know!
What 360 title are you looking forward to next?
I can’t wait for Forza Motorsport 2. A first-party racing simulator with a ton of licensed cars and tracks, what more does a person want? I’m also looking forward to Halo 3 for obvious reasons. Splinter Cell: Double Agent and Rainbow Six: Vegas are also on my list of highly anticipated games.
Got a personal or favorite website you want to share?
www.drudgereport.com This guy always gets the scoop on what going on with the world. Matt Drudge was the one who broke the news of the Monica Lewinsky scandal. He’s got some pretty good sources that no other media outlet has. Other than that, everything you need to know is on a simple webpage with links to everything that is news-related important.
Thanks for the great interview!
