I'm going to be honest...I thought this week's trivia question to pick the next contestant for the Member Herding blog was going to be cinch. I thought someone would have an answer minutes after I posted the blog that contained the question. I was wrong. I got a lot of responses. Perhaps the most I've ever gotten for one of my trivia questions. Unfortunately they were all wrong. It wasn't until the following day somebody got it right. Actually two people got it right, but alas, this is Member Herding not Members Herding. So, it was the first person to answer. The question was...

The (blank) (blank) was a great gaming system and my first "console".

Hint #1 - It's a Team Fortress 2 class.

Hint #2 - A number + the letter "er".

And the person that is going to be herded this week responded with, "Is the answer for this week's Member Herding the Heavy Sixer...aka the Atari 2600?"

I dunno...is/was the Atari 2600 ever called the Heavy Sixer? It seems to align with those hints. The answer is yes...certain models of the Atari 2600 WERE called the Heavy Sixer and yes, this was my first "console".

So who got it right? None other than...

GIO Name: ~Kyl3~

GIO Rank: Power Member - Level 10

Gaming Experience (Years playing): 13 years

Last Game Completed: Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 (PS3)

Currently Playing: Dragon Age: Origins: Ultimate Edition (360), Final Fantasy XII (PS3)

Origin of GIO Profile Name: Though I'm currently ~Kyl3~, I'm usually Kyl3dk05, so I'll just describe that since the origin of ~Kyl3~ is contained in Kyl3dk05. My first name is Kyle and the initials of my last name are D.K. So there's the Kyledk. I changed the "e" in Kyle to a "3" because I was really into talking l337 for a while (I'm just that cool, right?). And the 05 is because my birthday is one the 5th of October. Put it all together and you've got Kyl3dk05.

Five Randomly Generated Questions + 3 Bonus questions

1. If you won an all-expense paid trip to E3, but the only catch is you have to wear a costume (COSPLAY), would you go and who would you dress up as?

I would go in a heartbeat. Just to clarify, I'd do so many terrible things to have the opportunity to attend E3, so having to COSPLAY wouldn't be too much of a deal breaker for me. As for the costume itself, if I don't actually have to create the costume myself, I'd go as Isaac Clarke from Dead Space 2. The new armor he wears in that game just looks amazing and I'm pretty sure that, if I arrived at E3 in some wicked Dead Space 2 armor, I'd immediately have the most bad*ss costume in the place. However, if I do have to create the costume myself, I'll just slap on a muscle suit and some red spandex and go as Kratos; I can't design costumes.

[SAINT: Yeah...I don't know that I would do "anything" to go...but I would do things I probably shouldn't do to go. I'd climb a few fences; sneak past a few guards, open a few doors to get in. I don't know what I would dress up as. I like the Punisher, but he's not very popular. I'd probably want to go as the Medic from Team Fortress 2.]

2. Do you always, sometimes or never play the demo before you buy the game? How much do review scores influence your buying decision? Is it possible to review all games using the same criteria or standards?

For demos it depends. If a game I know I'll love is coming out, I'll go ahead and pre-order it without playing any sort of demo. I don't do that for a lot of games, though; just the ones that are really, really special, like Halo: Reach and Mass Effect 2. If it's a game I'm not completely sold on yet, I go ahead and play the demo. I honestly think that downloadable demos are probably one of the best things to happen to gaming in recent years. In fact, Bayonetta and Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 are two great games I wouldn't normally have bought if I hadn't had the opportunity to download the demos.

As for reviews, they affect my purchases to a certain extent, but not to the point that I'll buy a game I'm completely not interested in, even if it gets a 10/10 (i.e. God of War 3, StarCraft II). On the other hand, if a game in which I'm very interested gets terrible reviews, I'll tend to take it off my list. That's what happened with Alpha Protocol; it was my most anticipated game for about a 1 ½ years until I saw the first few review scores. Generally, though, I try to keep an open mind towards games that receive at least a 60/100 on Metacritic.

The part about using the same review criteria is kind of difficult for me answer. On one hand, I think it would be possible for all games to be reviewed similarly in a perfect world. However, different gamers have certain preferences for emphasis on story and gameplay, so I think it's kind of hard to balance those in a way that makes everyone happy. I honestly think it kind of would be better if game reviews didn't exist at all, because gaming is one of those few industries in which sales are so heavily influenced by review scores. Honestly... I don't know.

 [SAINT: I'd say I'm pretty much the same. Every now and then I'll play demos for games I have no intention on buying...just for blogging inspiration or to see why everyone is making a fuss about a particular game. Sometimes I even stumble on to some jewels like Dead Space. I seldom if ever use reviews to influence my buying decision, but that's just because I read and follow so much of the chatter before the game is out, I usually already know if I want it or not.]

3. Who is your favorite and least favorite Pokemon? Do you think the Pokemon craze is over or will we ever see their popularity return again?

Eevee, without a doubt is my favorite Pokemon. At first you think it's just a super-cute rabbit-thing. All of a sudden - BAM! It's evolved into one of seven equally awesome forms, depending on different actions made/items used by the player. Too epic.

As for my least favorite Pokemon, it's gotta be Hitmonlee. That thing just looks messed up. I mean, it's like a steak with incredibly muscular legs. It's creepy.

Or Jinx, because I heard she's supposed to be a blackface caricature, which is NOT OKAY.

 [SAINT: I pulled this question out of my rear because on your profile you had a few Pokemon games listed. I honestly don't remember a whole lot about Pokemon anymore. I used to like Pokemon Snap...but other than that, I just tried to get the foil cards to sell on eBay. Actually, truth be told...I was thinking about asking, if you were on a plane full of Pokemon that crashed on a deserted island, and you had no food...which Pokemon would you eat first and what do you think it would taste like...but I figured that might not go over very well, so I decided against asking it.]

4. Halo Wars was a rather unsuccessful attempt at transitioning the Halo universe into an alternate genre. Do you think game developers should ever consider doing this? Would you rather see a Mass Effect First Person Shooter (FPS) or a Gears of War Roleplaying Game (RPG)?

I originally thought it would be kinda cool if developers switched the genre of an established series, but now I realize that if the change is too drastic the developer just risks alienating the existing fans of the series who may not be into the new genre; I'll use the Halo Wars example you gave me; I like Halo enough that I buy every new release in the series, but I don't like the RTS genre, so there's no way in hell I'm buying Halo Wars. I think that, rather than switching the genre completely, developers should sprinkle in elements of other genres to reinvigorate games in which the traditional formula is becoming stale. Actually, I think the combination of ideas from different genres is just a good idea in general. Kinda like how Mass Effect is very much an RPG, but is just as much a third-person shooter.

To the Mass Effect FPS/Gears of War RPG question, I'd definitely prefer a Gears of War RPG. Don't get me wrong, I loves me some Mass Effect, but I don't think that it would be able to achieve the same gameplay and storytelling elements that made me fall in love with the series if it were an FPS. However, I do genuinely think that Gears of War has an interesting backstory that, with a better script, could make for a really interesting shooter/RPG experience.

[SAINT: Well, I hate RTSs too! But I bought the game and literally played it for like 30 minutes and don't think it ever got touched again. I think it is the only Halo game that I could admit not liking. I'd also have to agree that I would rather see a Gears of War RPG than vice versa. I actually think a GoW game in this format would be pretty flipping sweet.]

5. If you could be an artist for any video game company who would you want to work for? Which comic book company? Now if you had to choose one or the other which would you pick? Would you want to create your own character or work on an existing one?

Bioware! This has been my dream for a little while now. Before Mass Effect 2 released, some videos called "The Art of Mass Effect 2" were created and they really inspired me to want to become a concept artist for Bioware. They're probably my favorite developer right now and it would be amazing to be able to work for them. I also think it would be awesome to work for Bungie or Blizzard, as I really admire the artwork in Halo and the Warcraft games.

If I could choose a comic company, I'd probably choose Dark Horse Comics or Oni Press, since they seem really tailored toward publishing independent comics, which are the types of comics I'm really into and could see myself making. If I ever got the opportunity to create comics for a living, I'd probably want to create my own characters so I could start my own "legacy" rather than continuing from someone else's.

Having to choose between these two opportunities would be so tough.... I'd probably die from the stress. But if I have to choose one, it'd probably be working for Bioware since I think it would be really rewarding to see my work get modeled and animated and become part of a full-fledged game that millions of people might play.

 [SAINT: That's pretty cool! Well, you never know what will happen in life. You could end up there one day or you could publish your own comic book. Aim high and give it your all! And if you do get a job at Bioware...perhaps you could hook me up. Please. LOL.]

BONUS Questions x 3:

Fife asks, "Chipotle or Qdoba? Please explain, in detail?"

I have very little experience with either restaurant, but I have to go with Chipotle since I've never actually eaten at Qdoba before. Maybe I'll check it out soon.

 [SAINT: I don't think I've ever seen either of these...so I'm going to go with D, none of the above.]

Fife asks, "What is the one thing you hate most about your favorite console?"

I have a PS3 and a 360 and I don't really prefer one over the other too much, so I'll just say what I hate the most about both of them.

360: I hate all of the douchebags on Xbox LIVE. I've heard people of all different races and nationalities victimized on LIVE and it's just annoying and frustrating to listen to. Also, the fan is loud as hell.

PS3: Downloads and installs take forever. I downloaded the 1.24 GB Dead Space 2 demo on my 360 in less than an hour. I downloaded the 2+ GB Mass Effect 2 demo on my PS3; it took over 3 hours. As for the installs, when I bought my PS3, instead of getting to play my brand new game console right away, I had to sit for 10 minutes at a mandatory install screen. It's especially annoying with multiplatform games, when I know that if I'd bought the game on 360, I'd have been able to play right away.

 [SAINT: Hah Hah...that is a noisy fan...I'd have to agree.]

Saint asks, "Who is your favorite Toy Story toy?"

It's been a pretty long time since I've seen Toy Story or Toy Story 2 (I've yet to see Toy Story 3, sadly), but if I remember correctly, I really liked those green alien things that you see in the arcade in the first movie. I always thought it was really funny how they always made weird sounds simultaneously and how they always seemed amazed by everything.

[SAINT: Well, according to the Oracle known as Wikipedia...those toys you speak of are called Squeeze Toy Aliens. I like them. They are funny...but I'd have to say I'm rather fond of the green Army Men...just because I had them...played with them...tortured them...sorry Sarge!]

A special thanks to ~Kyl3~ for spending some time with us while divulging a few details about his gaming personality. To read more about ~Kyl3~, view his GIO profile here.