It's Thursday and as such, you all know what that means. Well, in this instance it means it's time for another episode of Member Herding. Once again, I resorted to using a trivia question to determine the contestant. I had quite a few guesses, but only ONE person guessed correctly. The question...

Solve for ? (Hint: The Answer is a Letter)

D B M S D M S D T E H S C T H T T B C X W M E W M K F ?

There are a couple of ways you could've solved this...but perhaps the easiest was to count the letters (28) and hope to recognize that there have been 28 members herded. I'll let you figure out the rest.

The winner responded to the trivia question with, "I'm going with K as the answer, as you say it's a letter (otherwise I'd go with a ~ )." Obviously, this person was fairly certain they had the answer right. Figure it out yet? I think you probably have. Anyway...here he is...this week's newest member of the herd. None other than...

GIO Name: Fever Ray

GIO Rank: Veteran Member - Level 13

Gaming Experience (Years playing): 20+ (edging in on 25)

Last Game Completed: Pac-Man Championship Edition DX (quite the mouthful) was the last game I got 100% completion on for achievements. Heavy Rain was the last game with a proper narrative I completed (as Pac-Man is just a series of score attack/time trials).

Currently Playing: Still playing Blops (seems like I'd lost steam with MW2 at this stage- only to come back later). I'm just lacing up with NBA2K11, and after about a week I'm finally getting somewhat proficient at shooting without total wimp-out game settings. Also just started playing Cthulhu Saves the World, which is a nice Lovecraft-flavored poke at your standard JRPG fare (it's on XBLA's Indies tab, dunno if it's on PC or other consoles).

Origin of GIO Profile Name (including the significance of akbirdman): Fever Ray is the name of one of my favorite music acts. The group's proper name is The Knife, and Fever Ray is the name of the singer, Karin Dreijer Anderson's "solo" project, which incidentally features the rest of The Knife (one other person) on every track. Anyway I like the name because in my mind in sounds like a kind of invention that an evil genius might have: a ray-gun that would cause victims to become feverish.

Akbirdman is my usual handle on everything anymore, and it's just my State (the AK bit) + my nickname, which is based on my given name: Raven. Easy peasy. I changed my GIO sig to Fever around a year ago, just because I got tired of everything being birdman.

Five Randomly Generated Questions + x Bonus questions

1. With a GameStop on every corner, how many different GameStop's do you think you've been to? Which one is/was your favorite and why? Do you know your local GameStop employee? Describe him or her.

I guess I've probably been to 5 different GS locations: 2 in Anchorage where I live, 2 in Bellingham, WA where the 'rents live, and one (possibly more) in California. I suppose my favorite is whichever is closest my house generally- I haven't noticed too much to suggest one over any other. The location I usually go to has had most of its current employees for 3+ years, and honestly I'd say it's a bit of a crap-shoot as to whether or not you'll be served in a timely manner. If the main manager is working, usually it's smooth sailing; if the store has been left to one of the younger kids who is apparently the most-senior supervisor/assistant manager, I'd better be prepared to wait while he chats up regulars he plays WoW with about how Mages PWN, or whatever.

Now that I think about it, the one GS in Bellingham is not in a mall, and therefore doesn't suffer from the same problems of every other GS I've been in, which are problems most mall stores have: there's tons of kids hanging around taking more of the clerks' time than their intent to spend should warrant. Add into this that Gamestop seems to have a bad habit of hiring for knowledge of gaming BEFORE knowledge of retail, and you get all these kids who know how to chat people up about games, but can't keep a line moving.

To be fair to GS, I'm too grumpy for most retail experiences these days.

[SAINT: Interesting. Very Interesting. I have been to 4 Game Stop stores where I currently live, heh heh...but I suppose you are in Alaska so we won't hold that against you. I'm actually going to do a blog series on my visit to a different Game Stop each month for a whole year...maybe longer. I think I can easily get 12 in and since I'm away from home, it's an excellent opportunity to get one I wouldn't normally get - good ole Tennessee. Run, I hear banjos.]

2. I see Limbo is listed on your favorite games. I couldn't agree more. Did you find any of the scenes or death sequences particularly gruesome and if so, which one? I have my own thoughts on the plot of the game...without spoiling the game for those that might not have played it, give us a quick summary of what you think the game is about. Did any of the puzzles stump you?

Hmm, well a good many of the deaths were pretty gruesome- and I must admit I sacrificed "the boy" quite a few times just to suss out some of the various ways he could die. Probably the most disturbing were the "Lord of the Flies" type deaths and the brain-slugs (though I guess I was more weirded out finding previous slug victims). The spider in general was just creepy- it kills you= creepy, it stalks you = creepy, and even when you finally kill it = creepy. There are several reasons, but the spider portion was one of the strongest, for the recommendation that LIMBO be played with max volume (I went the headset route) for full immersion.

As to what it was about, I guess it could be seen as being pretty esoteric, or rather straight-forward. It seemed to be a simple tale of a boy looking for a lost sibling, but it also generated many more questions than answers- and the highly dangerous setting with death around every corner, and threats coming from surprising players, would seem to suggest that the world of LIMBO is perhaps parallel to our own, which is at least slightly less fatal. The name Limbo, in light of the goings-on of the game, might suggest that the boy has died and his journey represents more than the standard quest to save the damsel in distress.

Or it could be none of that; it's amazing how much literary reference one (in this case ME) can derive from a narrative with no dialog.

Lastly, I can't remember too many portions that I was hung up on overly long. For the most part the puzzles seemed more like a challenge of getting the game's great physics to work for you, and this generally called for a mix of planning and precision, and less so did it require a great mind for solving riddles. For me this worked to the game's credit; the pacing was good and the puzzles were challenging, but not stumping- and again this is because they more often called for skilled/precise action than figuring out obscure puzzles. The few parts I was caught up on were because I kept dying until I found a more ideal path.

[SAINT: All great points and I couldn't' agree more. The spider didn't bother me so much, but the "Lord of the Flies" scene was disturbing, especially with the hanging body. The glow worms were mildly disturbing. When I got to the end, I just felt kind of like it was a little boy searching for his sister, and the whole "quest" was the exaggeration of an imaginative little boy. Heck, I played in the woods like that and "fought" all kinds of imaginary creatures. Who knows though, maybe I'm reading too much into it. I love this game!]

3. The months of January and February are touting some pretty big video game releases. Anything you are particularly interested in obtaining? Do you think it's smart to release games so soon after the holidays and early in the year or does it matter?

I'm not sure what the answer from the publisher/dev standpoint of getting games to market when they're most likely to get their due notice. 2010 was so jam packed full of AAA titles that even they couldn't all turn a decent profit, let alone the little guys and the me-toos of the industry.

Personally I'm way behind, and so I'm going into 2011 with far fewer reserves than I went into 2010 with. My wallet hasn't recovered from the holidays, AND I'm still catching up on games like NBA2K11 that came out in the fall.

There's some big stuff hitting PS3 this week, but I still haven't finished the first batch of games I got when I got the Sony box in October.

So I guess I don't know- at this point my #1 most wanted for 2011 is The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. For the first part of the year, the game I'm most likely to get on launch is MvC3- though I'm not totally sure on that, as GS wasn't taking reserves for the Collector's Ed anymore.

In general, I certainly feel like there's the potential for "must-have fatigue" this year; where if people are thinking with their wallets first, they'll probably realize there are more games than there is time to play them or money to buy them this year.

[SAINT: Well, there are a few I'm watching...but there are just as many that are already out that I have to get off of my butt and play. Which means I have to buy them first. Argh. Games like Deadspace 1 and 2. I played the demo for the second, and now I want to  go back and play the first. Sometimes I think I intentionally avoid games just so I don't find more that I want to play. Anybody else have that problem?]

4. The what I will call "Tron Effect" has left you living in the world of Red Dead Redemption as yourself. Describe your attire and weapon load out as well as what persona you would take on (lawman, rancher, outlaw, etc.). Would you tie a nun to the railroad tracks? Assuming you could take on any of the missions or meet any of the people, describe this event.

I'd be a train robber with the requisite red-kerchief mask obscuring my bearded face. I think Marston's pinstriped suit-pants are pretty keen, so I'd rock something like that with some simple but sturdy boots. A maroon-red cotton button up shirt and a 5-pocket black wool vest. I'd top that off with a black Stetson Wagon Master. I'd hole up in Ojo del Diablo down in Mexico (the archway rock formation).

My loadout would be: LeMat revolver, Bolt-Action rifle, Pump-action shotgun, and lots of dynamite. I tend to ride the Kentucky Saddler (the 'blond' horse). Also can't forget the lasso. Never know when someone needs to learn a lesson that can only be learned while being dragged at a gallop.

I wouldn't put women in front of trains, because I'd be too busy robbing trains.

I guess the mission that'd be most instructive to my career as train-robber would be The Great Mexican Train Robbery; however, the mission I'd like to see for the sake of interest is We Shall Be Together in Paradise, in which Marston and Irish escape to Mexico on a raft. My primary reason for picking this one is that I found Irish to be one of the funnier, if at times infuriating, characters in the storyline, and it'd be nice to get some one-on-one time, under heavy fire on a cramped raft :P

Because I actually enjoy them, I also wouldn't mind just riding around vast parts of The American Western Frontier and Mexico hunting various animals on horseback.

I don't think I'd want to experience first-hand any of the Undead Nightmare missions unless video-game laws applied as far as dying and all that.

[SAINT: What a fantastic answer and I enjoyed every little detail of it. It almost sounds like you've given it some thought before, heh heh. Dynamite! Lasso! Yes! As far as being a train robber, who doesn't love galloping at full speed until you catch up to the train and making that leap across. I think I'd have to be a lawman though...so you better watch out.]

5. Do you think the warning label "Gameplay may change during online play" is enough or should more be done? Do you think it is okay for video games to collect information about the end user, even if it's used to customize their in game experience? If so, how much information should they be allowed to collect? Do you notice in game advertisements or commercial products?

On the one hand the warning might not clearly spell out the depths of the depravity to which a parent's child may be made witness by taking a game online; on the other hand, I'm not totally sure/decided to what degree I think game makers can be held responsible for the morons of the internets.

As far as the collection of information; I don't really have a problem with it so long as it's all done above-board with due transparency (that is the user should know what information is being gathered, when it's being gathered, and what the intended use of that information is). I suppose there are additional levels of considerations which must be taken with dealing with minors- in that department, I don't really think it's ethical of corporations to accept a minor's word as appropriate authority signing off on the rights to their own privacy.

In-game advertising seems to never have come in line with the doomsday, "big-brother" prophecies, and I think that's because (as a few industry execs have been quoted as saying) in-game advertising has mostly proven ineffectual from a business standpoint. I do notice it in the games it appears in, but honestly I'm not overly bothered by in-game billboards in a racing-game having car commercials (commercials for shaving cream seem a bit out of place/ overdoing it). Most sports games  (including many racing titles) tend to have all the branding you'd expect of their real-life counterparts and I think this does serve to strengthen that link (the "realism" of the presentation) as it also serves as actual advertising- so I don't really see it as a negative in that context.

When car commercials started popping up in Crackdown, a game set way in the future, that was crossing the line for me, as it broke the fiction (as they were commercials for regular, non-flying cars of today, not cars you'd expect advertised in 2210 or whatever).

 [SAINT: I just love the wisdom and experience of your answers. This edition of the herd kind of strayed away from some of my normal bizarre and funny question...well, except for the RDR question...but I think they suit your personality perfectly and appreciate the articulate and           eloquent responses. You rock.]

BONUS Questions x 3:

~Kyl3~ asks, "Do you think movies based on video games should stay close to the original source material? Or should directors try to branch out and create an original story based in the same universe?"

That's a tough question because I've seen films that have taken both approaches, and yet there are few notable video game based films of worth. I thought the Final Fantasy movie did a good job of "seeming" like a FF story, but since it didn't have a plot/characters from a FF game, it could've really been anything and might have actually done better without the FF name and the expectations that brings.

I think if you go too far the other way, if you're worried too much about making a good game movie that's true to the game, you may well lost sight of the differing strengths of the mediums and what makes good film (which is NOT the same as what makes good gaming).

Probably my favorite game based movie is Silent Hill; which was fairly close to the story of the first or second game, but I felt, stood up on its own as a horror film.

Probably the best movie that captures the spirit and various elements of gaming, was Scott Pilgrim. Also I guess if I think about it, I've said before that Cranked seemed like a better video game movie than most movies based on actual games.

I think for a movie based on a game to be successful it must be somewhere in the middle of being concerned with staying true to the source material (the game) and staying true to the medium (cinema). I'd rather see a good movie that had the spirit or feeling of a game than an exact retelling of a game's story.

 [SAINT: Too easy for me. You either recreate the story exactly or not at all. What I hate is when they'll use the same characters and some of the same elements, but they change it just enough to be annoying. I'll say it again, if you're going to recreate the game, then make every little detail exactly the same...and if you can't achieve this, then just use elements from the same universe. I think this is the main reason why video game - movie crossovers fail so bad...because the gamers are always picking out the disparities and it ends up ruining the overall experience.]

~Kyl3~ asks, "If you could create a console to compete with the Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii, what would it be called and what features would it have to differentiate itself from the competition?"

Something with PS3's chipset, Live, Kinect + some sort of solution for movement that is not on-rails, and the 360 paddle with the PS3 paddle's d-pad. I'd call it the Xbox 540 (okay, that's not really where I'd go with an ideal name, but it fits what I've described here).

 [SAINT: I'll stick to my PC, thank you very much...although I will probably break down and buy a PS3 eventually. The Wii and the Xbox 360 are bored with one another and want a new friend to play with.]

Saint asks, "What's your favorite cereal? If you were going to create a video game inspired cereal, what would you make?"

My favorite cereal when I was a kid was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Cereal, it had "crunchy, sweetened 'ninja nets' with 'ninja turtle' marshmallows," and for a while there was a golden ticket like contest, in which you could win all the existing TMNT action figures if you found the ticket. No luck there, but damned if I didn't try. These days I occasionally go for some Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I used to like Honey Bunches of Oats as my more healthy choice, but nut allergies prevent the enjoyment of the kind they carry at Costco.

I'm sure he's had one already, but I'd make Pac-Man's Power-Pellet Crunch, which would have Pac-Man, Ms. Pac Man,  Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde shaped marshmallows, and Kix type puff balls for the power pellets.

[SAINT: Uh...they did make Pac Man cereal. I actually remember it. That was such an   iconic character though, so it's no big surprise. I'd like to see some Angry Birds that resembles Lucky Charms. I'm on this Angry Birds kick right now.]

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