Member Interviews: Pirelli913

[Charizarzar]

Hey PSNP, welcome back to another member interview! Our current interviewee is @Pirelli913!

 

Pirelli913

 

Standard Questions

How did you come up with your PSN name?

It’s funny, my favorite soccer team is Juventus and their biggest rivals, Inter, were sponsored by PIRELLI, an Italian tire manufacturer. As much as I hate Inter, I went with Pirelli. I guess it’s a bit ironic. The 913 is simply my birthdate: September 13.

 

What games convinced you to get a PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5?

I got a PS3, if memory serves, around December 20, 2009. At the time, I was debating between Xbox 360 and PS3. Xbox 360 had Splinter Cell Conviction, but PS3 had Heavenly Sword, God of War III and Blu-ray built in. I didn’t have Blu-ray at the time and with two games to one, it was a pretty easy decision.

 

What are your top 5 game series and why?

1. For me personally, the first series that comes to mind is Splinter Cell. It’s one of the few franchises where I’ve played all the mainline games and because I’m a huge fan of stealth, it ranks pretty high.
2. Another would be Mass Effect. Despite the graphical and gameplay limitations of the first, it still had an incredible story. And say what you will about how the third ended, the entire trilogy was remarkable. For me, it was never about the destination, but about the journey getting there. And whether you liked or hated the ending, the journey across all three games was phenomenal.
3. The three mainline Witcher games were also incredible. I started with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and because of it, I’d eventually buy a gaming laptop to play the first two installments. Just like with the original Mass Effect, the first Witcher had terrible gameplay and graphics, but that story was immaculate. I do urge people to play it, but I totally understand if they can’t get into it. And even the second game in the trilogy still holds up in my opinion.
4. A fourth series I’d say would be Tomb Raider. Though I do have a confession to make in that I’ve never actually played the original game. It’s one of only two TR titles I actually haven’t played (the other being Chronicles). The exploration was something I always enjoyed in the series and I have watched an entire playthrough of the first so there’s that at least.
5. Rounding off a top 5 is actually too hard for me. I have a lot of series I love like Assassin’s Creed, God of War and Resident Evil, and while one title each from the latter two series mentioned are easily tied for my favorite game on PS2, those being God of War II and Resident Evil 4, I can’t choose. And with the upcoming remake, here’s a tribute I made of the original Resident Evil 4:

 

 

Maybe I should make one for the remake, too?

 

What are your top 5 games and why?

This is just as tough to answer as the previous question. To make it more a bit unique, I’ll go with ONE game PER generation:

 

1. Sonic 3 & Knuckles (Sega Genesis) - Kind of cheating with this one as it’s pretty much two games in one (Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles) but in my defense, the developers meant for it to be one game, but split it into two instead. I personally loved the new features, new characters and the music.
2. Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation (PlayStation) - Aside from the opening two prologue missions, the entirety of the game takes place in Egypt. You would think that one setting would get boring, but they found a way to truly make it unique as it was lengthy and had a lot of variety, including enemies to fight, locations to explore and puzzles to solve.
3. Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (Xbox) - Most fans of Splinter Cell would probably agree that Chaos Theory was the pinnacle of the series. I’m no different. The banter between characters was hilarious, the setting was incredible, missions had optional objectives, and most missions let you choose how you wanted to play, be it guns blazing or complete stealth. I love stealth and always play that way on an initial playthrough, but even I loved replaying missions and switching it up a little. Oh, and three alarms no longer meant mission over! A plus for when you wanna kill everything with a shotgun!
4. Mass Effect 2 (PlayStation 3) - For the longest time, this was my all-time favorite game. It would eventually get dethroned by the next title on this list. It may not have had the story or RPG elements the first game had, but I fell in love with it. I can’t tell you how upset my other friends were when I got it as I played it for so long in 2011 making both male and female Shepards and doing everything I could in it. It’s why 2011 was such a poor platinum year for me as I spent most of my time on ME2. And let’s not forget that epic ending with the suicide mission...
5. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (PC/PlayStation 4) - I mean, when a DLC had numerous Game of the Year awards, you know this game was something special. I don’t think I really need to go into detail with why I love it so much as I feel many already know why it’s so good and share that opinion, so I’ll just say that if you aren’t that good at combat in the game yet, max out both Whirl and Rend. You’re welcome.

 

Which unreleased game(s) are you looking forward to the most and why?

The Splinter Cell remake! I've been dying for a new entry into the series be it a sequel or a remake. And it looks like I got my wish with a remake. I'm cautiously optimistic that Ubisoft will do it justice. The term “made for a modern audience” isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If a video game was made in the 80s about the Vietnam War and then remade in the early 2000s, you’d probably update it to be about the Gulf War. Keep that in mind when hearing that phrase. The CIA HQ mission will forever be my all-time favorite level in any SC game. To sneak through it with updated graphics and improved gameplay will be so fun! I wonder if this glitch I found allowing you to kill in the CIA level will return:

 

 

 Do you have any other hobbies outside of gaming?

Drums. I’m a drummer. I haven’t kept up playing as frequently as I used to, though. I also watch a fair amount of football/soccer, namely UEFA Champions League. And I got Scuba certified last year despite living in a desert (Vegas). About a week after I did training at the lake where I got certified, a body was discovered.

 

Top 5 TV shows, movies, and/or anime, why, and would you recommend them to people?

 

1. The Shield (2002-2008) - This show still holds up and I would 100% recommend the hell out of it. It has, in my opinion, the greatest series finale in TV history, period. I own the $100+ Blu-ray box set and watch it about once a year. Incredible writing, incredible acting, incredible cinematography. In fact, here’s a music video tribute I did for the show (only watch if you’ve seen it as it has major spoilers included):
2. 24 (2001-2010, 2014) - While I absolutely loved this show, I would really only recommend seasons 1-5. The series as a whole had incredible movie-quality action and suspense. Its low point, in my opinion, was season 6 and while the later seasons were better, I personally felt it jumped the shark with 6. Here’s another music video tribute I did (and while there may be some vague spoilers, I mainly used action scenes):

3. Animal Kingdom (2016-2022) - It’s about a family of bank robbers that pull off extravagant heists. Based on an Australian film and set in California, the cinematography is absolutely gorgeous. If you like shows like The Shield or Sons of Anarchy, definitely check this out. All seasons are available on Amazon Prime.

4. Jurassic Park (1993) - My all-time favorite movie, it still holds up to this day. I mean, it’s about cloned dinosaurs. What kid didn’t love it when they saw it? I still like the book it was based on more and am still holding out hope for an R-rated remake that more closely resembles the novel. If you read the novel, you’ll understand as it was graphic as hell. If Deadpool and Logan were successful as R-rated films, and with all the kids from 1993 now adults, we’d all flock to see it. (See what I did there?)

5. The Lord of the Rings: Extended Editions (2002-2004) - This is, hands down, my favorite trilogy. And while many who found it boring may say it’s just a walking simulator, just like with Mass Effect, it was never about the destination, but about the journey getting there and the friendships you formed along the way.

 

Top 5 favorite music bands/groups/artists/composers/OST?

Tool is #1 because Danny Carey is GOD. And if you asked me this ten years ago, I’d probably include the likes of Chevelle, Disturbed, Godsmack and Staind. Now I’d probably add A Perfect Circle as well. Difficult to really pick other bands. Those were all probably my favorites at one point or another. If I had to pick a composer, it’d be Thomas Bergersen (one half of Two Steps From Hell) and if I had to pick an OST, it’s probably 2007’s Transformers by Steve Jablonsky.

 

Your favorite platinum and why?

Probably Transformers: War for Cybertron because it was the first multi-player game I ever played and it’s where I met most of my gaming family. Most of us have been gaming together since 2010 on a number of games from PS3 to PS4 to PS5. I’ve even met three of them in person.

 

Your least favorite platinum and why?

Trine 2 on PS3 because it only had 13 trophies. Lol.

 

Have you ever been tempted to switch over to the Xbox/Nintendo/PC gaming ecosystems?

Well, I previously did say I got a gaming laptop to play some PC games. Though I primarily stick with PlayStation. I probably won’t go back to Xbox, though. I have a PC. There’s no need.

 

If you could have one game from any gaming generation be remade or re-released, which one would it be and why?

Dino Crisis for the original PlayStation. Fans, including myself, have been asking for it and there was a rumor that it would get made after the Resident Evil 3 remake and Resident Evil 8. Both have since been released, so fingers crossed.

 

 

How far are you willing to go for a platinum?

Pretty far. I’ve bought extra controllers and even a PS4 camera just to go after trophies. Even thought about buying a Vita for cross-platform play. I hate my OCD sometimes.

 

If you could give Sony direct feedback on business decisions in the last year, and the latest console generation, what would you tell them?

Remember why the PS4 won the last gen console war before it even started. I pre-ordered one because of THAT E3 conference. And understand your prices on PSN are trash. If a game/DLC is over 5+ years old, it’s time to permanently slash that price...

 

What is your favorite thing about PSNP?

I would have to say how nice most people are with gaming sessions. When you make a session, most people seem to show up on time. I've helped probably over 60 people complete the raids in Ghost of Tsushima over April/May 2022 and August/September 2022 and whenever I created a session, people were on point and showed up.

 

What is your least favorite thing about PSNP?

The fact you can’t share images without going through an image sharing site like Imgur.

 

Is there anyone in the PSNP Community you would like to give a shout-out to and if so, why?

Probably @oahjsu, though he hasn’t posted anything in the forums. In April of last year, he created a gaming session to complete the Ghost of Tsushima raids. I had already played the raids hundreds of times with my friends so I knew them well and fortunately (or unfortunately depending on how you look at it) offered my services to help others. Needless to say, I got like 40+ friend requests and over the next two months, I helped people beat the raids. And then I decided to do it again in August/September. But @oahjsu was the one who started it all.

 

Also, thanks to whoever gifted me a lifetime premium membership a few years ago.

 

 

Community Questions

You have 100%-ed Mafia: Definitive Edition and Mafia III on your PSN profile, when will you start Mafia II? 

Good question. I only played the other two games because they were free on PS+, so maybe when Mafia II comes to PS+ as well! Side note: 2K, the company that made the Mafia series, has a headquarters in Vegas and I did apply for a job there to be a game tester. They tend to hire people in the spring from what I’ve heard.

 

What do your gaming friends think about your trophy hunting?

They laugh and mock me! One friend who passed away in 2019 kept saying he would eventually plat one game. It never happened, but he did make a meme about me and another friend. The meme was basically a pic of my other friend with the caption “I platted a game!” with a plat symbol and below it was a pic of me saying “That’s cute” with a dozen plat symbols.

 

You haven’t written a guide since 2020. Any plans to write another one?

Honestly, I didn’t even realize that I had written one! And I have no idea where to go on this site to check! I had thought about writing a guide for Mass Effect Legendary Edition as I earned at least one trophy per day from the trilogy until I had 100%-ed all three games. Unless the game is like a little known gem, you have to be super quick in not only platting the game, but getting out a guide as I’ve seen some people like PowerPyx get up a guide before I even start up the game!

 

How does it feel like being interviewed?

Exhilarating and nerve-wracking. I have no idea what questions will be asked or if I’ll be able to answer them to the satisfaction of the person asking.

 

Thoughts on private servers?

Never gave it much thought. Honestly, if a company created a game that has online servers and then, many years later, they publicly state they’ll be shutting down the servers (most likely because it’s costing too much to keep active) that company has to realize they made a game that became loved and no one should get upset if someone else wants to take over to keep it alive. I may be old, but I’m not dead yet and I get nostalgic for older games (and consoles). Makes sense you youngins do too and want to keep the memory of your heyday alive.

 

Least favorite trophy DLC packs?

In general, I hate NG+ DLC because it’s usually just two trophies: Beat the game on NG+ and beat the game on insane super hard break your controller this mode is no joke NG+.

 

Favorite trophy DLC packs?

The two best DLCs I’ve ever played that had trophies were Citadel from Mass Effect 3 and Blood and Wine from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Both were fan service, worth the price and added unique content.

 

Have you ever met someone famous?

I don’t know if y’all know what LVL UP Expo is. It’s a convention in Vegas that focuses on anime and voice acting. One year they had Jennifer Hale (Commander Shepard) and Ali Hillis (Liara T’Soni) from Mass Effect. I went solely to meet Jennifer Hale because I’m in love with her. Both she and Ali did a Q&A panel together and then signed autographs. I have both the Collector’s Edition and standard edition of ME3 and had Jen sign both. Ali’s line was long and I didn’t feel like standing in it, though.

 

I don’t know if you’d really consider him famous, but I met Kevin Eastman, co-creator of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles at a Las Vegas Comic Con the same year I met Jennifer Hale. Thanked him for creating my childhood. He seemed genuinely touched by that and thanked me for giving him a job! Had him sign my 25^th Anniversary of TMNT: Volume 1. He said he hadn’t seen one of those in a while and when he said that, I about nearly fell over thinking this could be worth something now, especially signed!

 

Also, I met Peter Cullen (Optimus Prime) and Frank Welker (Megatron) at a convention. Peter is one of the nicest guys ever and genuinely loves his fans. Honestly, it’s way easier to meet famous people now because of all the conventions they attend to interact with fans.

 

If you had one wish, either for yourself or the entire world, what would it be and why?

Good, but tough question. Everyone always talks about peace on earth or similar sappy stuff. I never see anyone really be selfish with such a question. I’d have to say to find true love and have her be as invested in gaming as I am.

 

What’s the worst game you ever played?

Damn, this is beyond difficult. I’m usually very meticulous at picking games. In terms of games that have trophies, Mass Effect: Andromeda was a slog to get through and Tribes of Midgard is boring, too, but I intend on platting it one of these days. I’m going to kill my friend for recommending it just because it was free on PS+. (Side note: If anyone reading this wants to help me get the last few trophies for it, hit me up!) If we’re talking old school, American Gladiators on Sega Genesis, while a fun concept, was terrible.

 

What’s one game you wish was more well known?

A game I wish was more well known because I feel it deserves a remake due to its dated gameplay was a game called The Saboteur. A friend tipped me off to this game and it takes place in Nazi-occupied France during World War II. The entire game is in black and white with hints of color and as you inspire areas of France, they transition into color. It’s a sandbox RPG and while it has climbing up walls like Assassin’s Creed, the gameplay/climbing mechanic was poor by comparison.

 

An honorable mention would go to Styx, a stealth game with incredible verticality in its gameplay. It goes on sale in PSN a lot and the sequel has co-op. I can’t stress enough how incredible the verticality in the gameplay is though. You can go above or below enemies to reach objectives and the level designs are massive.

 

If you could live anywhere in the world, where and why?

Either Hawaii or the Cayman Islands. I’ve been to Hawaii three times (Oahu/Maui in 1994, Kauai in 1997, Maui in 2022) and Cayman Islands once (in 2000). I prefer Caymans because it has clearer, warmer water. I love the beach, I love the ocean and I recently got Scuba certified.

 

Do you consider yourself more of a hero, or a villain?

I like this question. I’d go with anti-hero. Although, I always told myself that if I ever had super powers, I’d use them purely for evil. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it) I have a heart of gold despite considering myself a self-proclaimed asshole.

 

Which football team do you support?

I’ve supported Juventus and the Italian National Team since 1997. I’ve seen Italy reach four Finals, winning two and losing two. I’ve seen Juventus win numerous Serie A titles and Coppa Italia titles and reach the UEFA Champions League Final four times, losing all four.

 

When did you start drumming and what got you into it? What sort of music do you play/listen to?

I began drumming in December of 1999 so I tell people just round it to January of 2000 and then you can just count the years.

 

It’s funny, throughout my childhood, I was the athlete of the family. I played football for years. My dad did play acoustic guitar and my mom and sister both played piano, but I never showed any interest in music. Then one day, Zombie by The Cranberries came on the radio as we were in the car and I leaned into the front seat and said, “Mom, I want to learn how to play the drums!” I think my mom was kind of taken aback by that as I had never shown any interest in music, but eventually set me up for lessons and six months after I began taking lessons, I got my first kit. The drums in my kit are still the same to this day, but I no longer have the “starter cymbals” I had when I began. I have much better cymbals now. You know your cymbals are good when even your drum teacher once asked to borrow them for a gig!

 

As to the type of music I play, mainly alternative rock/heavy alternative. Some metal and grunge mixed in as well. Here’s my old setup versus my recent one. I subtracted one of my toms and the three cymbals stacked on top of each other in the bottom pic aren’t as close as they look. I’m just bad at taking pix.

 

 

 

Do you have a single favorite piece of drumming? (Mine would be Lateralus by Tool, with the disclaimer that I know nothing about drumming other than what sounds good to my ears.)

I don’t think I mentioned anywhere prior to answering this Q&A who my favorite band is, but Tool is my favorite band! To pick out one piece of music from them alone is challenging. Danny has created a lot of iconic beats. Lateralus is a masterpiece, especially when you know the math behind it. I love the double bass polyrythym he does in The Pot. A polyrythym is essentially playing two time signatures simultaneously. In the case of The Pot, he’s playing 4/4 with both hands and 3/4 with both feet, so it takes three bars of 4/4 to line back up at the beginning again.

 

I love the opening drum fill in Sober and the drum solo/outro in The Grudge as well. One of my favorite drum beats is from Triad, though. Danny is playing Swiss triplets and it creates this tribal pattern. Normal triplets you play L-R-L or R-L-R (left-right-left or right-left-right) with your hands. Swiss triplets you play L-B-R or R-B-L (left-both hands-right or vice versa). Technically, you can put the B anywhere in said triplet, but just to give you an idea. The beat in that song is incredible.

 

Outside of Tool, I like the intro (which can be heard with minor changes in the verses) to Straight Out of Line by Godsmack. And the iconic drum break/solo in Tom Sawyer by Rush.

 

If you like Tool, check out the Marvel tribute I did featuring Tool’s Vicarious. Fair warning, I made it in 2008 so it only features two MCU films, but it was the most expensive video I made as I only own two of the movies featured and had to rent the rest. Then I recorded clips “blindly” as I was unsure which clips I’d eventually edit into the video. Therefore, I’m rather proud of the outcome.

 

 

It looks like you strive for a 100% account. Do you feel this limits the games you play? Or do you have an alternate account and/or play some games on other platforms to maintain your 100%?

Yeah, it does limit me somewhat and I hate that it does. Recently, and we’re talking about in 2022, I did create an alt account to play some online games (like Fall Guys) with friends. I don’t really use my alt account (or even other platforms like Steam) to go after trophies/achievements, though. My Steam library is really small and only has like one AAA title with a significant number of achievements, that being Rise of the Tomb Raider.

 

What’s your favorite game from each decade (80s, 90s, 00s, 10s, 20s)?

• 80s: This is honestly a really difficult one. I didn’t have an NES like some of my friends. One game that I loved playing on my old Apple IIGS was a game called The Black Cauldron based on the book of the same name. Despite playing it endlessly, I never beat it. Thanks to YouTube, I found a video of someone playing it and realized you can beat it in like 30 minutes though.
• 90s: This is also really tough. In the mid-to-late 90s, I had a flight sim called Jane’s Combat Simulations: Fighters Anthology where you could fly pretty much any jet aircraft from the Vietnam era through the Gulf War and even some up and coming jets like the F-22 Raptor. You could create your own quick missions or long missions, there were six different campaigns and you could even land on aircraft carriers! An honorable mention would have to go to FIFA Road to World Cup ’98 as I played the hell out of it, too.
• 00s: Probably Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory. I go in depth on this via a previous question.
• 10s: Tossup between Mass Effect 2 or The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, but I’ll go with the latter.
• 20s: This decade is only three years old and I currently don’t have a PS5 (yet) so I can’t really answer per se. I’ll cheat a little and say Mass Effect Legendary Edition. It did release in 2021 so it counts! I’m hoping a big title I’ll fall in love with does release this decade, though.

 

How would one go about creating the perfect sandwich and what’s on it?

First, you need Hawaiian sweet bread - two slices. Place both out in front of you. Make sure you have two knives. This is important. Dip the first knife in creamy peanut butter and spread evenly and thoroughly over one slice of bread. Now discard that knife. Take the second knife and dip it into jelly. Flavor is up to you. However, for best results, use strawberry. Repeat the process of spreading evenly onto the second slice of bread. When done, take the slice with peanut butter and flip it onto the slice with jelly. Jelly is runnier so by picking it up and trying to flip it, you’re likely to get some on the counter.

 

Now you have a choice. You can choose to cut off the crust. This, unfortunately, shrinks your sandwich by 20%. Or you can cut it in half. (The correct way is diagonally.) And thus, you have a perfect PB&J, the best sandwich ever created!

 

Who is your favorite professional athlete?

Paolo Maldini. Kind of funny considering he played his entire career at Milan and my favorite team is Juventus.

 

Do you think gamers are “spoiled” nowadays compared to the 80s/90s?

Yes. I was a kid when I played Black Cauldron and I couldn’t even beat it. A few years ago, I saw someone on YouTube beating it in like 30 minutes. With the help of sites like PowerPyx, PSNProfiles, YouTube, etc., you can find a guide on how to beat anything in gaming. We didn’t have that 20+ years ago. I mean, there were BOOKS (y’all remember what those things were?) like the Prima Strategy Guides, but you didn’t have access to them instantly like many guides are readily available today.

 

Aside from figuring things out (like with strategy guides) you have the ability to meet and interact with people from all over the world. I have a gamer friend from Germany who I’ve actually met in person. Back in the day, your gaming circle was limited to those in your neighborhood and you had to have a co-op game you both could play and you had to go over to play with them. And if it was a single-player game, they’d play it in front of you even though they owned it because you sucked and they were trying to show you how to play it and when you finally got a turn, your mom would be there to pick you up.

 

I swear that only happened to me twice.

 

What’s your opinion on chinchillas?

I actually had a friend who had one as a pet. (At least I think that’s what he had.) Judging from the pix and everything he’d post on Facebook, it seemed lovable. I don’t know enough about them to really provide decent insight, though.

 

What’s your opinion on the Witcher Netflix series, assuming you’ve seen it, (and is it worth watching if someone hasn’t read the books or played the games?)

You’re opening a can of worms here, my friend. For starters, I have seen both seasons 1 and 2. I have not seen the spinoff Blood Origin, though. My introduction to The Witcher, like I’m sure with many of you, was with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. After playing it endlessly, I got a gaming laptop to play the first two games and then I started reading the books.

 

I happen to have a really good friend who has never played the games, never read the books, but loves the show and somehow claims he was able to follow season 1 easily even with its timeline changes. To get off topic for a second (for comparison purposes) he was visiting when the first episode of The Last of Us dropped on HBO Max. He’s never played the game but enjoyed the show, too. I enjoyed that series as well, mostly. A number of my gamer friends who have played the game also have enjoyed the show. I’ve always considered myself a harsh critic (which is why, even though I’ve enjoyed the TV show for the most part, I feel a lot of it was rushed) but this is to show he liked both while I only liked TLoU mostly.

 

Back to The Witcher, I think the Netflix adaptation is trash. One of the great things about the books, especially the short stories, was that just about every single one had a twist near the end that made you go “Holy shit!” And it was clear this twist was planned from the start.

 

In one book, the first 50 pages follow a messenger before he gets killed and 200 pages later, the message he was going to deliver results in a coup because the recipient wasn’t informed to hold off the attack because the other side knew of the plans. This resulted in the infamous Thanedd coup pitting sorceresses and sorcerers against each other with Geralt caught in the middle. During this incident, Geralt destroys Dijkstra’s leg which Dijkstra later mentions in The Witcher 3 how it’s healed poorly. One of the former writers on the show said the other writers were openly mocking the source material and weren’t fans of it to begin with. How much of that is true, none of us will ever know.

 

What I do know is that the show, even season 1 based on the short stories, follows very little of the source material. Many of the incredible twists were replaced with gags like Geralt saying “Fuck.” It’s clear the show is one giant fan fic from showrunner Lauren Hissrich to Lauren Hissrich. The fact Henry Cavill left after saying he’d stay for 7 seasons is proof even he didn’t like the direction the show was heading.

 

So, to answer your question, I don’t recommend it whatsoever. However, you may like it, but the books are far superior in every way imaginable.

 

Ever played the Cyberpunk Table Top game?

No. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t partake in it if it was presented in front of me, though.

 

Which Mass Effect romance path was your first route?

So, because I have PS3, ME2 was the first game in the trilogy I played as ME1 wasn’t available on it yet. And as I previously stated, I love Jennifer Hale, so I played FemShep. Therefore, my first romance was Garrus.

 

In which game world would you least like to be a leader (Monarch/president/dictator, etc.)

Probably any of the Just Cause games because Rico would probably blow up my country!

 

You have one of the most impressive game profiles I’ve ever seen. How do you select the games you want to play? Is it by difficulty, franchise or genre?

Firstly, thank you. I must admit though, I’ve seen some other impressive profiles where I see someone has 200, 300 or even more plats and I think “Damn, I thought I had no life!”

 

Regarding how I select a game, it’s really a mix of everything. If I buy the game myself (i.e., not part of PS+) I’m not afraid to start it on the highest difficulty, but I’m not getting any younger and I have broken controllers over difficulty. The most infamous time was when I was playing on Titan Mode in God of War II. I broke a PS2 controller fighting the Barbarian King. Not my finest moment.

 

I like playing on the highest difficulty for two reasons: 1) Challenge and 2) Games are $60-$70. I don’t want to blitz through it. In the past few years though, I mainly try and have fun. But there are certain franchises or genres that I absolutely love. The stealth genre is a favorite of mine. One of my gaming friends that I’ve known for over a decade knows my tastes well. Off the top of my head, he’s recommended three stealth franchises and I’ve enjoyed them all: Dishonored, Ghost of a Tale and Styx. The latter he recommended because I showed an interest in the upcoming The Lord of the Rings: Gollum.

 

In terms of franchises, it can vary. I love Assassin’s Creed, but even I grew sick that Ubisoft only focuses on it while other titles from them (like Prince of Persia or Splinter Cell) get ignored. I didn’t even get Valhalla because, while I enjoyed Odyssey, a lot of the stealth was removed for bullet sponge enemies. But I am looking forward to the Splinter Cell remake.

 

Have you pre-ordered any games?

In the past? Yes. Currently? Yes and no. I pre-ordered the Digital Deluxe version of Hogwarts Legacy for the PS5 and PS4, but I’m a lowly peasant who has to wait for the PS4 version. I got the Digital Deluxe version so when I do get a PS5, I can play it on that as well.

 

Personally, I hate pre-ordering though as most games release unfinished nowadays, but developers know consumers will hastily buy things. And I don’t really think it’s entirely the developers’ faults, as it’s the greedy investors who keep pressuring them to release the game they put money into.

 

Do you pre-order games to get the added content?

Sometimes. And that’s another thing that annoys me about pre-ordering is the pre-order bonuses. If there’s enough backlash (like there was with the pre-order tiers for Deus Ex: Mankind Divided) they may remove it or put it all together in one package. Say what you will about CD Projekt Red, at least they’re consumer friendly, even after the poor launch of Cyberpunk 2077.

 

Do you have any pets?

Currently, no. However, I am a dog person and I had two English Springer Spaniels in the past. The first was actually born on Christmas Day!

 

Here’s a pic of my first fur-angel after she had just gotten out of the pool. PS - No need for sympathy. She passed away in 2002.

 

 

Are you happy you have stayed with PS consoles or are you tempted to jump over to PC for the add-ons?

I assume you mean mods? If I can stay on PlayStation, I will, but I’m not opposed to getting a game on PC for mods. After buying The Witcher and The Witcher 2 on PC, there was no way I wouldn’t get The Witcher 3 again! Only this time, I delved into modding and not just with 3, but the first two as well.

 

Here’s the default versus the mods I added to Triss, Ciri and Yen in The Witcher 3 on PC:

 

 

 

If you’ve read the books, you’ll know Triss has a massive scar on her chest she keeps covered, Yen wears only black and white and well, I just really liked the Witcher armor on Ciri.

 

What are your thoughts on Cyberpunk 2077?

 

Honestly, I like it, but I do have criticism for it. People seem to forget that when The Witcher 3 released, it was riddled with bugs, but over the next several months, these issues were fixed. While I can’t play Cyberpunk on PS5 yet, I have heard that it’s really good on PS5.

 

That said, a few criticisms I do have include old gameplay footage showing third-person cutscenes while the actual game has everything in first-person. What’s the point of character customization if you can only see your character in a mirror and only when you press a button to interact with that mirror? Older games like Marvel’s Spider-Man and even Mass Effect can have you walk past a mirror and see your reflection (the latter with a customized character) without having to press a button to “activate” the mirror.

 

Another albeit minor criticism I have is the fact you can’t use mantis blades to climb up the sides of buildings. Also, I wish they didn’t show Jackie’s death in a trailer as the game hinted at choice and the choice in that trailer led to his death, but it happens no matter what you do. Finally, and if you’re under 18, turn away now kids, but what’s the point of full nudity if 1) all the options look terrible and 2) outside of character customization, the game forces you to wear underwear?

 

Criticisms aside, I do enjoy the game. It’s fun for what it offers and I like a lot of the missions and romances. I do blame the investors more than CDPR for its poor launch, though.

 

What’s your favorite weather and why?

I live in Vegas. It gets to be over 100 degrees during the summer. When you step outside, it feels like that scene from Terminator 2.

 

 

Because of this, I love when it rains. Sadly, because it rarely rains, when it does, the oils from the roads accumulate at the surface making it slick to drive and people don’t know how to drive when it rains in Vegas. To be fair, people don’t know how to drive anywhere, but that’s beside the point.

 

Do you drink coffee?

Rarely. I’m what you’d call a “holiday” coffee drinker. I like pumpkin spiced lattes and gingerbread lattes from Starbucks, but I don’t really drink coffee outside of those 3-4 months.

 

Do you drink alcohol? If so, what’s your favorite?

Just like with coffee, the answer is rarely. I do like rum, but I prefer mixed tropical drinks with my favorite probably being Malibu Bay Breeze (Malibu coconut rum, pineapple juice, cranberry juice).

 

Who’s your favorite James Bond?

Sean Connery because he talksh like thish.

 

Can you think of a character in any TV show that has worse luck than perpetual victim Kim Bauer? The sheer number of times she was kidnapped or placed in harm’s way by sheer luck or happenstance was astonishing.

Lmao, I like this question if for no other reason that it’s hilarious, but I agree. I loved 24, but the issue with the show as a whole is that once a character ran their course, the writers felt bad that by writing them out of the show, it’s the equivalent of firing them. So, they’d bring them back. But then they’d have to find something for them to do.

 

Kim is a prime example of this because after the events of season 1, she’s estranged from Jack. Having Jack meet with her for five minutes in the first episode of season 2 would’ve been fine and let that be it. But no, she had to appear in the whole season and as such, the family she babysits for has an abusive husband who kills the mother of the child she cares for and she later encounters a cougar in the forest simply to “shock” the audience.

 

The cougar encounter is one of the lowest points in the series. The writers should’ve grown some balls and been like “You’re fired, Elisha, but if we need you for a cameo, we’ll give you a call.” Which is exactly what happened in season’s 5 and 7.

 

At least with season 3, she worked at CTU, but even that didn’t keep her out of harm’s way as she had to double for Saunders’ daughter which made her a target again. I think by that point, the writers realized they couldn’t keep writing the character so they let her go. And it’s funny, I’ve even played 24: The Game on PS2 and she gets in trouble in that, too! (She has a stealth section in CTU because of course, CTU gets attacked like always.)

 

I’m sorry for the loss of your friends. Do you have any favorite memories (could be gaming-related or otherwise) you’d feel alright sharing?

Thank you. And absolutely! I’ll start with a story that included both of them. I met both of them (at separate times) on a game called Transformers: War for Cybertron. One of them (we called him G because his PSN ID and real name both began with G) never used a mic ever, even when PS4 came with a mic. The other used a mic but it was almost sometimes difficult to understand him because he sounded drunk half the time.

 

So, we were playing a 2v2 private match, myself and another friend against G and we’ll call him M. I was using the scout class which has the ability to cloak. M was playing his favorite class, the soldier which is a slow moving tank. I killed him so many times by cloaking, running up to him, point blank shooting him and then meleeing him. After the match, G messaged us saying he feared for his life because there was a demon on his team who began raging after constantly being killed by scouts who’d cloak and subsequently melee him. My friends and I dubbed this term “cloak/stab.”

 

Because G never used a mic, there was one time that a friend pissed him off so bad that all you hear is the static click of someone trying to turn on a mic. Then G messaged me because he was trying to connect the PS4’s wired mic into the controller and couldn’t get it to “snap” in place. He said, “How the hell do I turn this thing on?” I died from laughing because he got so pissed at a friend he was willing to turn on a mic to yell at them but couldn’t figure out how to work it.

 

One more story was when G, myself and another friend were playing the beta for Ghost Recon Wildlands and we were all in a helicopter. What my other friend and I didn’t tell G is that we both had parachutes. When we got high enough, my friend who was piloting the chopper jumped out and I followed shortly after, yell/laughing “Bye, G!” After I opened my chute, I see the helicopter spinning out of control with G’s name right above it as it crashes into the ground.

 

Being a completionist, were there any games you really had to push yourself to finish in terms of boredom or difficulty?

Difficulty, not so much. If I own the game, I’ll finish it. However, if it’s free on PS+, I may add it to my library, but I’ll hesitate in starting it if I know it has a difficult trophy.

 

Boredom is another story. When I played Mass Effect Andromeda, I remember as I was playing the PROLOGUE I was bored. It’s not good when the opening mission bores you. Another friend didn’t even finish the prologue. However, I got all but the last trophy between March 21 and April 10 2017 (so like a three week span) before I took a two week hiatus from the game because I didn’t wanna go after that final trophy. Someone eventually told me an easy way to acquire it so when I went back to try it, I was successful and was like thank God, I don’t have to play this again.

 

Another is a game I don’t have the plat for yet, which is Tribes of Midgard. The guide on PSNP states it’s a 3/10 in terms of difficulty. What they didn’t mention is that it’s a 10/10 in terms of a boring grind. As stated in a previous question, if anyone wants to help me grind out the final few trophies, hit me up! A few more would be Minecraft and Minecraft Dungeons. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy both, but I get annoyed that Mojang constantly updates and adds additional trophy packs for each causing my 100% to decrease, at least temporarily.

 

I’d like to thank you for all the helpful tips you gave for Jurassic World Evolution! Does the second game interest you at all, or any other building/management sims?

You’re welcome and thank you for the acknowledgement. I’ll start with the second half of the question. I actually do have another park building sim on PC called Prehistoric Kingdom. My only gripe is that it doesn’t have controller support, but it has way (and I can’t stress this enough) more options than Jurassic World Evolution. Another sim I’ve thought about is Zoo Tycoon, but it has a lot of DLC packs that I don’t feel like buying them all because they’re all expensive.

 

And this actually connects to the first half of the question on if I’m interested in Jurassic World Evolution 2. Yes and no. See, the first game had a bunch of enjoyable DLC, but they were ALL overpriced. To give you a comparison, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt had two paid expansions: Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine. The first was $10, the second was $20 or you could buy both in a season pass for $25.

 

I make this comparison as an example of what to do and what not to do. On average, if you do everything in Hearts of Stone, it’ll take around 10 hours. That’s one dollar per hour. On average, if you do everything in Blood and Wine, it’ll take around 20 hours. That’s one dollar per hour. Frontier, the company behind Jurassic World Evolution, charges around $15 for each paid DLC and you get maybe 4 hours of playtime.

 

I call that greed personally.

 

Now, you can argue that Frontier is an indie developer while CDPR is a AAA developer, however, that wasn’t always the case. CDPR built their company to be a AAA company, but they started as an indie developer with The Witcher back in 2007. The first game even had free DLC. You build loyalty by continuing to support the consumer.

 

Frontier has not learnt this yet. Case in point, they charge $2 for a Raptor Squad skin pack consisting of the four raptors from Jurassic World: Blue, Charlie, Delta, Echo. Now, you might think $2 isn’t much, but then I refer you back to The Witcher 3 where they released alternate appearances for Ciri, Triss and Yen free of charge and then with the next gen update SEVEN YEARS LATER, they release an alternate appearance for Dandelion free of charge as well.

 

So, while the sequel game does interest me, I can’t in good conscience support Frontier for overpricing everything. Even the Arrival DLC for Mass Effect 2 by BioWare was $7 and you’d get a good 2-3 hours of playtime out of it!

 

What are your thoughts on the most recent Tomb Raider trilogy? Are you hoping for a change of direction now that it’s over, or more of the same for future games in the series?

This is an interesting topic of discussion. I have played Rise and I’ll delve more on that in the next question, but overall, I did enjoy the trilogy and I thought the gameplay was really smooth. My biggest gripe was with Shadow. It was fun and I really enjoyed the opening, but I felt it didn’t have the quality the previous two installments had. The biggest issue I had is the face model used for Lara. I thought she was really cute in the first two games, but they did something in Shadow that makes me raise an eyebrow and go that’s not the same person. Also, there are certain parts where you have to wear a certain outfit and if you’re not wearing that outfit, they won’t let you pass so you have to go find a base camp and change.

 

In terms of direction, yes, I want it to go back to its roots. While I enjoyed the most recent trilogy because it had smooth gameplay and the stealth was fun, I loved the animal encounters in the games on the original PlayStation. And while we already had one remake of the original game being Anniversary, I wouldn’t mind if Crystal Dynamics and Square do what Capcom is doing with Resident Evil and decide to remake all the original games again. There actually was a fan made demo on PC of the Great Wall level from Tomb Raider II that I did download and play and if a group of fans can make that, imagine a full team of actual developers! I can’t be the only one interested in remakes of those games.

 

Also, I noticed you’re missing Rise of the Tomb Raider from your list. Are there any reasons for that or plans to play?

You are correct in that I haven’t played it on PS4. However, I have played it on PC and honestly, the only reason I chose not to play it on PS4 is due to it having the maximum number of trophies a game can have. I think that’s like 128 or something. But like a year or two ago, Tomb Raider was actually giving Rise away for free. I’m like “Free content? I won’t say no to that!” So, I got it on PC. I actually double dipped and got the 2013 TR on PC, too. But it’s not really double dipping since it was free as well.

 

What would be the most interesting mythology for the God of War series to take on next?

Honestly, I loved the Greek mythology the original trilogy had. It actually got me interested in learning more about the monsters featured in that world. Because of it, I learned that Euryale, a gorgon Kratos fights in God of War II is the sister of Medusa who Kratos killed in God of War and I looked into their history to learn that they have an older sister as well.

 

I’ll probably get some hate for this, but I just wasn’t as invested in the two most recent entries featuring Norse mythology. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed both games, especially the conclusion to Ragnarök and the depiction of Thor, but something just felt “off.”

 

All that said, I see two possible routes they could go: They could reboot/remake the original games. I know some are growing tired of remakes, but if the game is old enough, a remake would sell. If it’s from the PS2 generation and before, I personally don’t mind a remake. Unless it’s Resident Evil 4 over Dino Crisis. C’mon, Capcom! (I jest.)

 

The second route is a new mythology. However, Kratos has already conquered both Greek and Norse mythologies and one of my favorite parts in the recent God of Wars was all the dialogue callbacks to his time in the original God of Wars. But is he going to jump to another mythology now? And since Atreus isn’t dead, is he going to tag along, too? What about the other characters who are still alive? I mean, Kratos pretty much killed everything in Greece, but he still has a lot of allies in the two recent games.

 

I hate to say it, but let the franchise rest for a while before deciding on the next course of action, be it a reboot/remake or continuing Kratos’ story in a new mythology. However, Egyptian mythology has recently interested me thanks to Assassin’s Creed Origins.

 

If there was a remake of the OG Splinter Cell, what sort of improvements or additions would you like to see?

Another can of worms is about to be spilt. For starters, Sam needs a new move set - a balance between the first game and the sixth game. In the first game, he moved like molasses and had a “bitch slap” melee where attacking from the back or side would take one slap, but attacking from the front would take two agonizingly slow slaps during which enemies could shred Sam between slaps which’d kill him.

 

By the sixth game, Sam can run up to an enemy, tap a button, instantly take them down and keep running. It’s very smooth gameplay, but it’s way too quick to “hug” an enemy which knocks them out. In the novels, Sam studies Krav Maga, so yes, give him hand-to-hand instant takedowns, but make it a last resort allowing the player to stealth nearly the whole game.

 

In addition, while he’s in peak physical condition for being in his mid-40s (during the first game) make the gameplay smooth for the player, but give the character animation a bit more clunkiness if that makes sense. An additional move should be the ability to go prone (i.e., lying down). He can technically lie down when crawling through vents anyways. Allow this outside of vents as well.

 

Now, if they give the player the ability to stealth nearly the whole game, remove the staged combat scenarios the first game had aside for a few. Honestly, I think the only two that should be kept in the game are the one during extraction of the Kalinatek building as the cutscene at the end has a tragic story-related outcome, and the one in the basement of Presidential Palace as again, it was story-driven, really well done and one of my favorite parts in the game.

 

Also, remove the “cheat” known as Mark and Execute. I realize it was introduced in Conviction and carried over to Blacklist, but don’t bring it back in a remake. You’re Sam Fisher, not John Wick. And streamline the inventory. The entire inventory wheel in Blacklist was clunky. I don’t need all those gadgets if given the ability to sneak past 99% of hostiles. Sam’s arsenal of weapons should be a last resort. He uses them as a “get out of jail free” card. Speaking of, don’t allow the player to restock during the middle of a mission like in Blacklist.

 

The first two games were very linear. For the most part, keep this, but provide alternate paths if the opportunity presents itself. The CIA HQ mission had two points of entry. But just about every other mission had a singular path. With a remake, make the player work for that 100% stealth run.

 

While the entire first game was single-player, Pandora Tomorrow introduced Spies Vs Mercs. And while I wouldn’t mind if this was included, please also include a separate co-op campaign. Chaos Theory, the sixth gen version of Double Agent and Blacklist all had co-op missions. And I played the Blacklist co-op missions with no fewer than four different friends.

 

Oh, and this should go without saying, but bring back Michael Ironside!

 

Are there any other stealth games/series you’d recommend?

I’ll start with one that I mentioned previously that goes on sale often on PSN and that’s Styx: Shards of Darkness. The first game, Styx: Master of Shadows, I’d also recommend, but the second clearly had a bigger budget and also included co-op. You play as a foul mouthed goblin with hilarious one-liners. And while you can kill enemies, it’s best to sneak past them as they can usually one shot melee kill you or take you down with a couple thrown projectiles.

 

One of Styx’s abilities is the ability to clone himself and the developers decided to utilize this in creating co-op as you’re essentially a clone of your friend. The level designs are MASSIVE with an insane amount of paths to take. You can go up, you can go down, you can go left, you can go right, you can go over, you can go under, you can go through - it’s a stealth addict’s dream.

 

What’s unique about both games is you play about five missions, but then you play those same five missions again in reverse. It’s like you’ve been there before, but you haven’t. There’ll be newer, stronger enemies in the reverse layouts, enemies will be located on different patrols when you revisit the areas, there will be different objectives that need to be completed, etc.

 

Another indie game I’d recommend is Mark of the Ninja: Remastered. It’s a side scrolling game where you take the role of a voiceless ninja and has some really fun level designs and gadgets you can use at your disposal to stealthily dispatch enemies. You get a higher score for sneaking past all enemies, but I still enjoy occasionally throwing a dead body at another guard to freak him out.

 

A third indie game I’d recommend is Ghost of a Tale about a mouse who gets thrown in jail and his sole mission is to reunite with his wife. Fair warning, there’s no voice acting in the game. It’s all text you read, but I heard it was developed by one guy and if that’s true, it’s pretty impressive. However, because of this, players may encounter bugs or issues. I personally didn’t encounter any though. And the mouse you play as is really cute and looks adorable when you equip the suit of armor and waddle around.

 

If you want a AAA title, I’d go with Assassin’s Creed Origins. I could’ve gone with any number of AC games, but I chose Origins due to its setting and the fact it was probably the last actual stealth AC game. No offense to Odyssey or Valhalla, but Ubisoft dropped the ball creating bullet sponge enemies. If I attempt a takedown, I expect to be able to instantly kill them, not do 75+% damage and then have to melee them causing other guards to hear the commotion and investigate.

 

At least with Origins, once you acquire the hidden blade, you can do instant takedowns. And to be honest, I find clearing out question marks/bandit camps/forts more enjoyable in Origins than in other games that have question marks scattered around the map. It’s like an endless supply of stealth fun!

 

Another AAA title which has some verticality and multiple routes to its stealth and is good is Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. Now, I would’ve gone with Human Revolution as I like it more, but it’s only available on PS3 so I doubt many would be willing to go back that far for a game. It’s funny, Mankind Divided does have NG+ so you can start with all weapons and ammo you finished the previous playthrough with, but I still prefer to do things stealthily when I play.

 

I’d like to thank everyone who took the time to ask questions. I don’t really talk games with friends or family in my personal life (outside of my gamer friends I mean). I tend to get flustered and always think they’re not really interested. That’s why I appreciate gaming communities. I'd say my favorite community questions were 8, 15, 16, 23, 27, 31, 37, 38, 40 and 44. Huh, those could be winning lotto numbers right there. Anyway, thanks PSNP! 

 

And I’ll leave y’all with one final tribute video I did for 2007’s Transformers:

 

 

 

____________________________________________________________________

Thank you to all who participated in asking questions in this interview! See you soon for the next one.

Spoiler

@zizimonster @serrated-banner9 @Baranov_925 @Infected Elite @coldhardcrash_ @ZitMeatloaf @Beyondthegrave07 @breakingthegreen @DatZoolander @DoctorDrPepper

Edited March 19, 2023 by Charizarzar

[Beyondthegrave07]

Nice read! Thanks for the interview!

 

The answer to "Do you limit what you play?" was interesting because you do have some tougher plats on your profile.

 

Part of me wonders if you sweat out buying and playing games that may get DLC in the future, but maybe you are choosy enough to avoid that. ?

 

[GT__Jedi]

@Pirelli913 Wow. What an enjoyable read and thank you for seeing another side of you!  I do agree about the Cayman Islands; definitely the place to go to scuba dive and play with the rays. I have a friend that is an underwater photographer that shot the Bloody Bay Wall there, and it is fantastic.  It also made me smile to see someone who respects and uses Zildjian cymbals!  

 

And, yes, your game profile is one of the best out there - you have inspired me! 

Edited March 19, 2023 by GT__Jedi

[ZitMeatloaf]

Thanks for the good interview and for answering my questions! I knew I had awesome taste in music, well done me! ?

[Pirelli913]

5 hours ago, Beyondthegrave07 said:

Nice read! Thanks for the interview!

 

The answer to "Do you limit what you play?" was interesting because you do have some tougher plats on your profile.

 

Part of me wonders if you sweat out buying and playing games that may get DLC in the future, but maybe you are choosy enough to avoid that. 

 

Thanks for participating!

 

I'd say my toughest plat (although others may disagree) was LittleBigPlanet because you have to ace all levels without dying including the infamous spinning wheel of death. Although, Trine 2 on PS4 was pretty challenging, too.

 

I actually don't think much of it until I've already played the game and only then when rumors surface that it'll get DLC do I go, "Son of a biscuit!" I should clarify that if I bought the game, I don't mind, but if I got it free on PS+ and it gets DLC, I'm like, "Crap weasel!"

 

3 hours ago, GT__Jedi said:

@Pirelli913 Wow. What an enjoyable read and thank you for seeing another side of you!  I do agree about the Cayman Islands; definitely the place to go to scuba dive and play with the rays. I have a friend that is an underwater photographer that shot the Bloody Bay Wall there, and it is fantastic.  It also made me smile to see someone who respects and uses Zildjian cymbals!  

 

And, yes, your game profile is one of the best out there - you have inspired me! 

 

Glad you enjoyed it. Thank you and you're welcome.

 

Thanks! I have been to Stingray City and off the sandbar there's a drop off to a reef and I saw a scuba diver about 8 feet down feeding a moray eel so I free dove down next to him for about a minute before I had to resurface.

 

I met Godsmack and showed them a pic of my kit. Lead singer Sully Erna jokingly said, "You gotta get rid of those Zildjians, man!" I'm pretty sure both he and drummer Shannon Larkin play Sabian. Danny Carey of Tool plays Paiste. Neil Peart of Rush played Zildjian until the early 2000s before switching to Sabian.

 

2 hours ago, ZitMeatloaf said:

Thanks for the good interview and for answering my questions! I knew I had awesome taste in music, well done me! 

 

Anyone who likes Tool has good taste in music. ?