Don’t ever sit back and relax is the theme so far with U360’s Showcases.  Guess who was invited to play this time?  Our first and quite possibly, our only Sweden Unscripted 360 Showcase.

Who’s the leader of the pack in Sweden?  Is there even a pack to lead?  Take a seat….look who’s got next.

First off, tell the world a little bit about the person behind the Gamertag?

I’m a 27 year old Swedish guy that is maybe just a bit too addicted to pc/console-gaming, anime and collecting anime-related figures. Just as my Gamertag motto says, “Anime. Games. Life”.  The answer is that simple. I’ve been playing games for at least 20 years now, and I dare say I’m even more into games now than ever before. It all began with the Commodore 64 and NES, so it’s been very fun to follow the evolution of the gaming industry.

For those who may not have guessed it by now, how did you come up with your Gamertag?

For those who guessed, yeah you are most probably right. It is Her. The one and only,
the incredibly loveable Rei Ayanami from the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion. May i also mention that it’s because of her that I began collecting figures. The 79 at the end was added because Ayanami was already in use. (I was born in 1979)

Has anyone bothered to mention to you that according to certain stats, you have the highest Gamerscore of all Sweden players?  Is Gamerscore something you make a point to play for?

Some have mentioned it. But to tell the truth, I would say that it’s nothing special. It’s a bit fun, I can confess, but it isn’t exactly something I would include in a job-application.  Gamerscore is only a number, gained from the interesting part of it all. Achievements. That’s what it’s all about.  So make a point to play for Gamerscore? No. But for Achievements, yes. It’s always nice with a good challenge, and I believe that’s the main purpose of many Achievements. Some are incredibly easy, but anyone with “Completed Single Dark Agent” in PDZ or “No Crash Victory: Single Races” deserves a lot of respect. Those two are beyond my abilities, but from time to time I still try.

Most of them are beyond my abilities.  What’s a typical gaming session like for you?

The “unhealthy” session. Around 5-7 hours a day, even more on weekends. Been like this for several years, but the social bit has changed with the Xbox360. You’re not alone anymore when playing games, one button away is your list of friends, a possible game invite or a chat.  That’s what I like to call “next-gen gaming”, the improvement of the social possibilites.

A lot of people with high Gamerscores are criticized negatively more so than other gamers. Does that bother you or have you received any negative criticism?

What bothers me is the people that yell/point “Gamerscore = money”. Yeah? So what is so bad about me spending my money on what I like the most? I dare say that everyone has something they spend their money on. Be it a car, motorcycle, golf clubs, fishing, computer, pet, summer-house, the list is endless. But it seems like it’s not very accepted to spend money on games?

A hobby is a hobby no matter what you choose I say.  How has the Xbox 360 experience been for you?

Wonderful, and I must praise whoever designed the 360 controller, it is THE game pad!  It has a nice lineup of games so far, and incredible reinforcements arriving in the coming months.  To be honest I was not planning on getting an Xbox360, but December 2nd I simply couldn’t resist and bought one along with PDZ, Call of Duty 2 and PGR3.

Now, 40 games later, here I am begging for more!  To give a short answer, the Xbox360 experience so far has been awesome, maybe expensive but well worth it.

What game have you been the most impressed with so far on the 360?

I really can’t decide a single game that has impressed me the most so far. A few games are really worth mentioning, like the obvious Oblivion, but also Kameo, PDZ, Over G Fighters and Chromehounds.  The biggest surprise has to be Rockstar Table Tennis. Most “great” games on the Xbox360 are sequels and if you know the prequel you know pretty much what to expect… hence less impressive. And Rockstar TT must have been a very wild shot, but a shot that scored with its solid gameplay. That is impressive.

Everyone has a game that they wish they could erase from their memory.  Is there an Xbox 360 title that was an awful experience for you?

No game so far that has been an “awful” experience, but there has been one disappointment.  And that one is Condemned. Seemed like a scary game but when I played it I ended up laughing at it instead…yeah, good work

Condemned?  That was my favorite!  Which title is on your most-wanted list for the holidays?

The most-wanted game would be Ninety Nine Nights. I need it now! And I really hope they keep the Japanese voice-cast in the European release! Other games I’m really looking forward to is Viva Piñata, Dead Rising, Saint’s Row, Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 and Forza 2. To mention a few.

Is there a feature on the Xbox 360 that you use more than any other feature?

Streaming music from my PC…can’t live without it. Custom soundtrack was one of the things that made the original Xbox so great, and now with the Xbox360 it’s been taken one huge step further. Thank you Microsoft!

What genre of game do you think the 360 needs improvement on?

Arcades. There is a huge heritage out there just asking to be brought back to life. To Live! Even.  One game that I think many of us would like to get is Worms (the classic 2D). With four player Live support, it would be great. Digital Illusions CE should bring their awesome Pinball trilogy (Dreams, Fantasies, Illusions) to the Arcade. I also find it very strange that there is no Chess game available yet.

It’s sad that many great games from the past have been forgotten, so lets hope the Xbox360 Arcade can awaken at least some wonders from the past.

Do you see any glaring differences between players from the US or any other country compared to Sweden?

The US fellows tend to add some “spice” to their language, but apart from that no. Games are for anyone, anywhere.  It doesn’t matter who you are, what or why you are, as long as you play fair anyone should be welcome.

How would you say the overall response to the Xbox 360 has been in your area since releasing there? 

In my particular area…I actually laughed reading that question. Why? It’s because I’m the only one, as far as I know around here that actually has an Xbox360. I do live in a pretty small town, so I guess that’s the reason for it.

My calculations are off…I thought there were at least 2 in Sweden who owned one. lol Some people have suggested that Microsoft make a reward system, perhaps giving points, for Gamerscore.  How do you feel about that?

No rewards for Gamerscore, no. For a selected Achievement in a game maybe, but not Gamerscore.  Gamerscore is the combined result of one’s Achievements, and I believe that it’s the Achievements alone that should be in focus. Once again, let’s use the PDZ Complete Single Dark Agent as an example. That one could be one of the reward Achievements. But to be honest, I really don’t know what to say about it all.

Marketplace content and its pricing.  How do you feel about the cost of some of the downloadable content?

Nice contents so far, but I wouldn’t mind seeing some Dead or Alive 4 / Xtreme 2 Gamerpics or dashboard backgrounds.  When it comes to cost, the only one I think is overpriced is the GRAW update. 1200ms points for a patch?  No thanks. I can get one to three Arcade games for that.

One game.  One shot.  You against Bill Gates.  Who wins and what game are you playing?

MotoGP 06. Mazda Laguna Seca. After three incredibly even laps… right after the final corner, I get passed by Gates doing a wheelie. Can I say, owned?

Nice!  Any parting comments from the Swedish leader?

Writing this was actually much harder than I first thought. So to anyone that reads this and found it boring, please forgive me! But to everyone who read this, thanks for your time.  Thanks to Unscripted360.

And last, a few words of inspiration:

Live life your own way, because no one else can be you.
If you like something, go for it! All the way. Keep your fire burning!

Anime. Games. Life.

The Swedish dominator has spoken.  Thanks for taking time out for our first Swedish Showcase!