Better Know a Gamer: Issue #18: DarkShine34


Nu: What’s your Gamertag, and what’s the story behind it?

Darkshine34. I tried to choose something that sounded “intimidating” and 2 things that didn’t go together. Darkness can’t shine! o.O

Nu: Excellent, I always enjoy gamertags with some thought in them! Where are you from?

East Coast.

Nu: How old are you, and what do you do (school, job, family, hobbies)?

19. I’m going to a technical school for computers. I have 2 jobs, one is an internship at as an I.T. person and the other is a Janitor :). I love video games, music (mostly metal but I listen to a ton of different stuff), and I love full contact fighting. I trained in it for 3 years but don’t have time anymore haha.

Nu: How long have you been gaming in general?

Since the original NES came out.

Nu: How long have you been a 360 owner?

Since they came out.

Nu: What was one of your favorite Xbox / Xbox Live moments?

Hmmm…owning people in Halo with my one friend was pretty grand, and freaking people out with my Guitar Hero-ness is entertaining.

Nu: Stay tuned, people – videos of his Guitar Hero-ness to come! Which Xbox 360 Achievement are you most proud of?

1000 Note Streak – Guitar Hero 3. Took me forever to get that.

Nu: Are you currently working toward any achievements?

All the crazy one’s for GH World Tour.

Nu: What game(s) are you playing the most now?

Guitar Hero World Tour & Fable 2.

Nu: What’s playing now (what music do you listen to when away from your Xbox or when listening to music ON your Xbox)?

Metal – Arch Enemy, Children of Bodom, As I Lay Dying, Between the Buried and Me, Megadeth, Slipknot…to name a fewNot-so-metal – Wolfmother, RAGE, Coheed & Cambria, Rush, Firewind, The Fall of Troy, and so on.

Nu: Do you try to stick with one Gamerpic, or change it frequently?

I’m stickin with my free original fable icon.

Nu: What is your current favorite Xbox related website to visit?

WinBreak because the creator is a total badass.

Nu: Whatever you say! What game are you looking most forward to in 2008?

Guitar Hero Wor… wait… I guess now it would be Fallout 3!

Nu: Do you have an all time favorite game, for any console or the PC?

Many. But if I had to choose I would say either Final Fantasy X or Chrono Trigger.

Nu: Do you have any gaming buddies you frequently play with / want to make almostas famous as you?

S7AY H16H 1N HAL0

Nu: Any parting words for the droves of readers?

Cinnamon buns.

Nu: Deep.

And thanks to DarkShine34 for taking time out of his class to ignore his teacher and respond to be a part of the latest BKAG!

Better Know a Gamer: Issue #17: Deadly Cyclone


First, let me start by saying that’s been over 3 months since our last Better Know a Gamer. Not for lack of trying, but for some reason, people are too shy to answer a few questions here! Meanwhile, I’m sure people are killing themselves to get on to Trixie’s spotlight segment on Inside Xbox! 😉 I would simply say “what can you do” – but I know exactly what you can do! If you are willing to answer a few questions, or if you want to nominate someone you know, please use this form to nominate somone to BKAG!

Alright, enough of a plug, let’s get down to business!

Nu: What’s your Gamertag, and what’s the story behind it?
GT: Deadly Cyclone. I am a student at Iowa State University and our mascot is the Cyclone, so my gamertag evolved from that.

Nu: Where are you from?
Born in San Diego, CA, but grew up in Iowa. I now live in Ames, IA.

Nu: Is this where I get to say I know someone from Iowa, finally!? How old are you, and what do you do (school, job, family, hobbies)?
I am 22 and a 5th year senior in Marketing at Iowa State University. My hobbies include gaming (of course), watching movies, TV, listening to music, and running my gaming blog GamePlay Unlimited.

Nu: How long have you been gaming in general?
Well casually since the original GameBoy and Sega Genesis. I started playing on a regular basis around the time the N64 released, and even more when the original Xbox launched.

Nu: How long have you been a 360 owner?
Since launch. I waited 18 hours in a Wal-Mart customer service department to get one of two Premium systems they had.

Nu: 18 hours? In Wal-Mart? That’s dedication. What was one of your favorite Xbox / Xbox Live moments?
Not really a single moment, but just gaming with friends. It is nice to get on and play with friends after a stressful day.

Nu: Which Xbox 360 Achievement are you most proud of?
It may seem easy to some, but the achievement in Halo 3 where you have to splatter someone on a mongoose. That achievement was difficult for me to get, I ended up getting it randomly one day.

Nu: To be honest, I don’t still don’t think that I have that achievement? Are you currently working toward any achievements?
Not really, just mainly playing through games. In a few weeks with the new games there will be some good achievements to get.

Nu: What game(s) are you playing the most now?
Well on the Xbox side, I just started Lost Odyssey and have been playing some Duke 3D and Halo 3. On the PS3 side, the LittleBigPlanet beta took up a lot of my time recently.

Nu: Not fair! Even though there were a few hundred thousand keys floating around, I never managed to get my hands on one! What’s playing now (what music do you listen to when away from your Xbox or when listening to music ON your Xbox)?
I like mosty rap/hip hop, some rock, and a bit of other genres. I hate country though 😀 . Some of my favorite bands/artists are Incubus, Ludacris, Eminem, Talib Kweli, Nas, T.I., Linkin park, etc.

Nu: Diggity. Nothing wrong with a broad taste in music. And let your inhibitions go with a little taste of Cowboy Troy and tell me you don’t like country! 😉 Do you try to stick with one Gamerpic, or change it frequently?
I usually change it every now and then when some good pics come out.

Nu: What is your current favorite Xbox related website to visit?
The Xbox.com Forums for sure, behind that Unscripted 360.

Nu: What game are you looking most forward to in 2008?
Hmm, there are a few including Fallout 3, Far Cry 2, LittleBigPlanet, Gears 2, and Fable 2.

Nu: Do you have an all time favorite game, for any console or the PC?
Not an overall favorite, but some of my favorites are Star Wars KOTOR, The Halo series, the Half-Life Series, Diddy Kong Racing, and Max Payne.

Nu: I was the only person I know who had to get Max Payne 2 on launch day. Still hoping this big movie deal brings back a third installment! Do you have any gaming buddies you frequently play with / want to make almost as famous as you?
I usually play with my GPU co-founder StingJR, and sometimes his brother JRay023.

Nu: Any parting words for the droves of readers?
Visit GamePlay Unlimited for all your gaming news needs! (Shameless self-promotion 😀 ) Also thanks to NuAngel and WinBreak for featuring me!

AND THAT’S ALL WE WROTE! Another one down, and hopefully many, many more to come.

Better Know a Gamer: Issue #16: PimpMethod


It’s been too long since our last Better Know a Gamer. I chatted with this guy for about an hour last night – one thing’s for sure, video games are a passion of his, not just something to do to pass the time!

Nu: What’s your Gamertag, and what’s the story behind it?
It’s PimpMethod, The Pimp comes from a nick name I had during my senior year from high school which I was called Pimp Daddy. The Method comes from my favorite rapper Method Man from the Wu-Tang Clan.

Nu: Where are you from?
I’ve lived in Lyons, Georgia (USA) for about 14 years but I’m originally from Bronx N.Y.

Nu: One of my closest friends lives in the BX! How old are you, and what do you do (School, Job, Family, Hobbies)?
I am 26 years old and work in a lighting assemble company for four years. I’m looking for a new job on the side. Outside of gaming I read, listen to podcast, occasionally go to the club, and hang out with family and friends

Nu: How long have you been gaming in general?
Since the NES with the orange zapper in the late 80’s

Nu: Ah, the system that saved the video game industry! How long have you been a 360 owner?
Since April 1, 2006

Nu: If someone gave me a 360 on April 1st, I would be afraid they would try to take it back! I hope you bought it for yourself! What was one of your favorite Xbox / Xbox Live moments?
Being in my first LAN parry / tournament on Halo 2 and made it to the second round. That moment made me get Xbox live in 04

Nu: Which Xbox 360 Achievement are you most proud of?
The Gluttony achievement on Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom. Hey I want it all LOL

Nu: Are you currently working toward any achievements?
Get the real estate tycoon and Extreme Collector on Test Drive Unlimited, Team Battle (10) (30) (50) on Ace combat 6, Get a million dollars on Saints Row. Story quests of every character on Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom, Walk Free on GTA IV, Ghillies in the mist, Deep and Hard on Call of Duty 4.

Nu: What game(s) are you playing the most now?
Army of Two, Forza Motorsport 2, Call of Duty 4 RB6: Vegas 2 and GTA IV

Nu: What’s playing now (what music do you listen to when away from you Xbox or when listening to music ON your Xbox)?
I listen to rap. From Wu-Tang Clan, Redman, Jay-Z, M.O.P. Nas, The Notorious B.I.G. Outkast, Etc. Also I listen to Chopped and Screwed rap CD’s from U.G.K. Mike Jones, Bone Thugs and Harmony. Some Old school R&B because most rap music use interpolations or samples of these songs.

Nu: Very true. Always good to know your roots. Do you try to stick with one Gamerpic, or change it frequently?
I change once a mouth unless it’s a play n win gamer pics, then I change back

Nu: What is your current favorite Xbox related website to visit?

Well your site, Unscripted 360, Konsole Kingz, Platform Nation, 360 Voice, 360 Rant Rave, Game Politics and Lagtv

Nu: What game are you looking most forward to in 2008?
Saints Row2, Gears of War 2, Unreal Tournament 3, Midnight Club: Los Angeles, Command and Conquer: Tiberium Wars, Mercenaries 2, Too Human, Tom Clancy’s End War. Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X., Street Fighter 4, and Kingdom Under Fire II.

Nu: Do you have an all time favorite game, for any console or the PC?
Killer Instinct from the SNES. It had the type of game play were it’s easy to play but tough to master. You can do quick styles combos to long and brutal combos. It give button massing a art form.

Nu: Classic. That game blew my mind when it came out! It’s still fun to play! Do you have any gaming buddies you frequently play with / want to make almost as famous as you?
Mostly I play with fourm members on Unscripted 360 and my clan members from the Deacon’s Deadly Blades. DT23LIVE and Johnny Whisperz from Konsole Kingz, Steve 519 from Platform Nation. One I want to make as famous as me is my friend Matt A.K.A. Shady357. He’s has a passion for video games and is very opinionated but can back it up with facts. He is the U.S. version of Yahtzee of Zero Punctuation.

Nu: Any parting words for the droves of readers?
Peace and more hair grease. LOL

Nu: lol, nice. Chalk up another one for Better Know a Gamer, folks. Thanks to PimpMethod for taking part. Let’s hope we can keep these things going!

Better Know a Gamer: Issue #15: ButtonMasher79

Nu: This week’s special guest makes no mention of it in her interview, but is uniquely connected to WinBreak in a way that nobody else can be: she’s my sister! She tries to play coy, and leave some kind comments in her answers, but I’ll let the cat out of the bag. Her gamertag is ButtonMasher79, she resides in California, and I’ll let her tell the rest:

How old are you, and what do you do (school, job, family, hobbies)?

28, Insurance fraud investigator, one cat, one turtle, one girlfriend and a roommate too.

Nu: How long have you been gaming in general?
About 5 years actively, though really I’ve always loved Dr. Robotnik (and I totally dig the 360 arcade version).

Nu: Is there a version of Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine on the Arcade? I don’t think so – I wonder if she means Puzzle Quest? Not my genre, I don’t know… So, how long have you been a 360 owner?
Roughly since launch, 2.5 years ago.

Nu: What was one of your favorite Xbox / Xbox Live moments?
When Xbox live arcade opened and I could get really cool retro games for cheap.

Nu: Your girlfriend’s addiction to Root Beer Tapper didn’t pass quickly. Which Xbox 360 Achievement are you most proud of?
I think it’s called “Almost Got it” on GHII for failing a song after 90% completion. Oops.

Nu: Ouch! Are you currently working toward any achievements?
I’d like to finish my characters careers on Rock Band.

Nu: What game(s) are you playing the most now?
Rock Band, American Idol, Zuma for arcade.

Nu: What’s playing now (what music do you listen to when away from you Xbox or when listening to music ON your Xbox)?
I stream from the crap that’s on my zune or home computer, depends on whose zune I ripped from lately.

Nu: Do you try to stick with one Gamerpic, or change it frequently?
I’ve always just had the one pink background with yellow skull & crossbones

Nu: What is your current favorite Xbox related website to visit?
This one and cheapassgamer.com for the sales of games in general.

Nu: Feel the CAGCast Love. What game are you looking most forward to in 2008?
Ghostbusters! (Who ya gonna call?)

Nu: I wonder if it will be bette than the Commodore 64 version of the game? I used to spend hours on that. Do you have an all time favorite game, for any console or the PC?
I’d crap myself to get a copy or emulator for Law of the West an old pc game like Oregon Trail. If you know how I can do this, message me.

Nu: Using me for piracy! …though I’ll be messaging you soon (Law of the West made my day about a month ago 😉 ). Do you have any gaming buddies you frequently play with / want to make almost as famous as you?
ixm and hotrodflames

Nu: Any parting words for the droves of readers?
I really enjoy the writing on this website and the ease of interactivity. I also enjoy the fact that it’s run by the coolest little brother ever.

Nu: Shucks! Thanks for taking part, sister-mine! 🙂 You have added to my goal of interviewing many millions of Xbox Live members – and have given my readers yet another girlgamer to be dumbfounded by!