Better late than never. First things first - apparently a few of you fell for my little joke about last week's Member Herding being the last one. For the record, that was just a joke. I wanted to see who was paying attention. As long as there is an interest in this blog, I'll keep pumping them out...until every GIO Member is herded if need be. Okay, maybe not that long.

Next item...the Member Herding is late for the simple fact I had a pretty rough week. The real world wasn't playing nice. Specifically, my job kept me extremely busy and I had to work a few late nights, so the questions were delivered to this week's nominee very late. It's not his fault...it's all mine.

Speaking of this week's nominee...his selection came about under some most unusual circumstances. As you know or should know, the last few Member Herding candidates have been selected by answering a trivia question I post in my profile status on Friday (This week's is still unanswered). Well, the correct answer was provided by born4this, but as you may recall, born4this has already been herded. So, he was given the opportunity to pick someone. And he picked this week's person.

Last issue and then we'll get down to business. The previous week's Member Herding blog sported a new image created by ~Kyl3~ and this week's member herding introduces another community driven feature. A bonus question provided by someone from the community. In this case, I just let born4this ask a question. If anyone is interested in contributing a question to be asked or a picture to be used for the Member Herding blog, send them my way and I'll see what I can do.

GIO Name: Colton

GIO Rank: Veteran Member - Level 14

Gaming Experience (Years playing): I got the Nintendo 64 on my seventh birthday, before that I had only played a PICO.  The second I saw Mario jump out of that pipe for the first time I was hooked.  I’ve been playing games for 13 years, and I’m still passionate about my hobby.

Last Game Completed: Halo: Reach

Currently Playing: Red Dead, and catching up on other games that I haven't beaten.

Randomly Generated Questions:

1. As a fellow Mass Effect player, who is your favorite and least favorite selectable character (Ashley Williams, Liara T'Soni, Kaidan Alenko, Garrus Vakarian, Urdnot Wrex, Tali'Zorah Nar Rayya) and why? When preparing for a mission, what two characters do you normally take along with you?

It's been a while since I've play the game, but when I would gear up for a mission I'd bring Garrus and Urdnot because I always thought those guys looked awesome.  But I never brought Liara and Tali'Zorah, I just thought those tentacle head chicks looked goofy and I didn't want goofiness on my team!

I was a weirdo when it came to that game; I was more about looks than stats so I picked the cool aliens.

[SAINT: When I saw this listed in your profile I decided to ask a question about it because I just happen to be playing it right now. I take a similar approach in that I don't really base it on skill or ability but looks. However, we differ in that I kind of liked the female aliens so always brought them along. Another habit I seem to have is I always use the same members and seldom ever change it up, which isn't the best tactic because you don't really spread the experience among the group. Oh well. I think the game makes everyone a weirdo...you're not alone.]

2. As a self described writer, if you could be a game writer for any company and franchise, what company would you want to work for and which title would you want to work on?

Oh man, if I could write for any company I would want to work with Irrational Games. I love video games just like the next guy, but I strongly feel those guys' games go beyond the normal playing field in their story telling abilities. Their worlds are so vivid and detailed; they also know how to make the most basic things scary, like human nature and solitude. It would be cool to be a part of that process and lend what I could to make it even better.

[SAINT: Sounds like you've already given this some thought. Bioshock was definitely a great story and fairly original for the most part. I looked them up just to see what other games they had done because I couldn't remember off the top of my head. I didn't know (or didn't remember) that they did Swat 4. Cool. The whole back story of Bioshock was pretty neat. I thought the first 15-30 minutes of the game were sensational.]

3. You have had the pleasure of experiencing the mystical world of New Zealand, land of the hobbits. If you had to compare a video game setting to New Zealand, which game would it be (assuming any of the Lord of the Rings games are ineligible from being chosen).

I would definitely compare New Zealand to the 'Uncharted' series. You can be in a city and turn a corner to be faced with a lush jungle. You could walk to a black sand beach and follow the shore line to a secluded portion of the beach surrounded by rock. I really is a life changing place and I would love to go back. 

I never thought of the comparisons but Zorbing is exactly like 'Fusion Frenzy' so if imagine how fun it would be to run around and roll down hills in a giant hamster ball then you know you would totally love to Zorb.

[SAINT: New Zealand and Zorbing sound like so much fun...I'm jealous. I've been a lot of places around the world but always wanted to go to New Zealand. I've never played Uncharted but have read a ton about it and mentioned it in a few of my blogs, so hearing it looks like New Zealand makes me want to break down and get the game...or the game and a system to play it on.]

4. What do you like most about Game Informer and Game Informer Online? What do you like the least?

I never got involved with commenting and stuff on a website before I stumbled upon Game Informer earlier this year. I think my favorite part of this website is getting to know the editors that I've been reading for years. Now my favorite part of the magazine would be the reviews, I feel they're honest and never altered by people's outside opinions. It's good to see that kind of honesty and passion for the market. 

I'm one of those members that doesn't really have a problem with the site at all, but I guess if I had to pick one thing, I would like the mobile site to let me do anything I can do on the regular site, like comment and watch videos. It would be cool to be able to access the site on the go; or when my professor gets a little too boring.

[SAINT: Yeah, I'm like you...I don't have very many issues with the site and the things I do are very minor. There are so many great things about Game Informer and Game Informer Online that it's easy to overlook the minor nuances I might have. Obviously, my favorite part is the blogging component, heh heh.]

5. Compare and contrast "The Road" (book and/or movie) to any of the numerous post apocalyptic video games that exist? How would "The Road" video game (assuming one existed) compare to these games?

In my opinion the only similarity with "The Road" and the post apocalyptic genre is the fact that they both take place during the end of the world.  But the similarities stop there.  "The Road" is all about solitude and the journey, along with the bond of father and son, in the real world.  While other games like Borderlands or Fallout might portray solitude they're a lot more fun that a videogame would be about "The Road." 

If that game existed I don't think it would be very good at all, that is, if it was done right.  For it to be done right it would have to have as little action as possible.  I love the book but I hated the movie, and I don't think I would want to see a game transformation.

[SAINT: This was kind of a long shot question. I noticed you were a fan of Cormac McCarthy so I wanted to ask about "The Road" since it's fairly new and a bit of a different kind of story. I never really looked at The Road like you did, but completely agree with your assessment. I guess the part that kind of reminded me a video game scenario is when they found that "bunker" or storm shelter with all the supplies. That definitely seemed like a video game moment. Certainly a game would have a difficult time trying to capture the atmosphere the movie projected. It was a one of a kind. I've never read the book, but if it was as dreary as the movie I don't know that I could make it through it.]

BONUS:

Born4this asks, "Making up a smaller percentage of the market, there are a handful of video games based on classic movies. A few examples: Scarface, Evil Dead, Ghostbusters, Back to the Future (in the works), and of course... Star Wars. Unlike most movie games, these games were created long after their source movie was released. Which classic movie would you like to see adapted for a new video game?"

That's a good question, but I wonder what constitutes classic, how much time has to go by to be classic?  I've never read them but wasn't there an old book turned movie called Dune?  With big sand worms and stuff?  I bet that would make a good game.  It worked for Lost Planet.  But let's see, a classic movie that would make a good game.

I have never played Resident Evil 3, but isn't the character constantly stalked by Nemesis?  Wasn't Bioshock 2 supposed to be that way, before they changed the formula, you were supposed to be going through the motions of game play but there is that fear in the back of your head that a Big Sister is right on your tail? 

I thought it would be cool to have a mystery/ survival horror game centered on Frankenstein. Possibly the main character is investigating the rumors of the mad doctor and his creature, but 2 hours in he discovers the monster and have unveil the secrets while he stalks you.  It would be a cool concept to only have one scary beast instead of millions of necromorphs or zombies. You'd probably have to throw zombies in the mix to keep the pace up but I thought that would be a cool idea.

[SAINT: I think Frankenstein is brilliant. Actually, a game with all of the classic horror movie/book characters would be interesting. I don't normally like scary games, but this has potential.]

A special thanks to Colton for spending some time with us while divulging a few details about his gaming personality. To read more about Colton, view his GIO profile here.