See what showing some love to U360 gets ya…it puts you in our first Canada Unscripted 360 Showcase.

He’s young…a silent assassin…he’s up next!

First things first ofcourse.  Tell the readers who it is that games behind the Gamertag.

I’m a 15 year old Canadian teenager that loves to play video games in my spare time. I live in the province of Ontario and am proud to be Canadian! Gaming isn’t my life but I do enjoy playing with my friends on Xbox Live. I also love to play soccer in my spare time as well as many other sports. I like to be fit and healthy and then sit down and game. I have been playing ever since the Nintendo 64.

Canada is amazing! What’s the story behind your Gamertag?

Well before I had Xbox Live for the original Xbox, we had a computer. We didn’t have a computer desk yet so we setup our computer on our air hockey table. On the side of the air hockey table it said “minikit”. I didn’t really know of a good name so I went with that. I just added the 99 because this is one of my favorite numbers. Some people on Xbox Live misspell my name or mispronounce my name and some of the names they can think of are quite funny. 

A hockey table for inspiration. At what point did you decide to ‘Jump In’ with the Xbox 360 and why’d you make the 360 choice?

Well, as many other gamers got the 360, I decided to go with the Xbox 360 because it was the “Next best thing” in gaming. The graphics and games would be amazing. I ”jumped in” in January of 2006. I purchased the Core system as well as Madden 06, the HDD and a headset. 

Hey I got my 360 the same time as well. Which title are you giving the most play time to?

Well I have enjoyed a numerous amount of games but the one game that I gave the most time to would have to be a tie between Fifa World Cup 06 and Hitman Blood Money. Since I love sports in real life (especially soccer) I loved this game. I actually entered a contest for this game and won a free faceplate! But this game was really frustrating in certain situations. This would have to be the best sports game for the 360, no questions asked.

At one time I was ranked 25th in Canada on the leaderboards. One of my personal favorite games [Hitman Blood Money], this game comes packed with hours of enjoyment.  I completed the game on all difficulties not just to get the Achievements but for the fun of saying “IM A SILENT ASSASSIN!” lol. This was one of the games that I thought was really fun and enjoyable. 

Is there one title you’d like completely erased from your games played history?

Yes, the game that I would love to erase from my games played history would be X-Men: The Official Game. This game was too repetitive in my opinion and was just plain boring. I did not enjoy playing this game.  

One game.  You’re stuck on an island and only one upcoming title will be sent to you.  Which one is it?

If I was stuck on an island and only had 1 game that I could have I would definitely pick Halo 3. No doubts that this game will be the BEST game of 2006 / 2007 (depends on when it comes out). I loved the first 2 Halo games and I’m sure I would love this, both offline and online. Halo is one of those “must have” games for everyone. 

True indeed. Walk everyone through a normal gaming session for you.  What are you playing on?

A normal gaming session for me would be this; wake up, eat breakfast, play a little on Xbox Live, go out on a 2-3 hour bike ride, eat dinner and then play for the rest of the night. This is my daily routine on weekends. I game on my 23″ LCD HDTV which is in my bedroom. I usually game from anywhere like 2 – 7 hours a day, maybe less, maybe more. Just depends on what I am doing. 

Your Gamerscore suggests you are what some would say ‘not your casual gamer’.  Do you follow your Gamerscore closely?

Well when I first got my Xbox 360, I thought Gamerscore was everything. Now I have come to a conclusion that I only play video games now for the fun and enjoyment of them and if I gain Achievements when I am gaming, that’s an extra bonus. I love to play and get those Achievements that are “hard to get” in some games, such as Complete all Scenarios [Completed all the Challenges in Global Challenge] from the game Fifa World Cup 06. That was the longest time I had spent on gaining a single Achievement before.

But now I am starting to become a “casual gamer” because with the release of NCAA, I have most of the Achievements but that doesn’t mean that I am going to go out and buy some other game. No, I am not like that. I play NCAA online against other people for competition and for fun. Xbox 360 isn’t about Gamerscore. It’s about fun and playing with your friends. 

What do you think the 360’s best or worst feature is?

Ok, I think that the best feature on the Xbox 360 would have to be the Gamercards and Gamerscore. Both are great ideas. Gamerscore makes games have more replay value in them. The Gamercards show you who you are playing, their reputation and where they are from in the world.  

Do you anticipate that you’ll make good use of the Vision Camera when it releases?  Any other peripheral?

I myself will not abuse the privilege of the Xbox Live Vision Camera even though I know already that some people will. I like the camera because it adds a whole new “level” to gaming and chatting. I personally want to get one to show them who I am and what I look like. I also would love to see some of my friends that I have been friends with over Xbox Live now for 2 – 3 years! On a side note I hope that the people who abuse this camera (inappropriately) will be banned from Xbox Live so that they learn a lesson. 

Recently there’s been a lot of buzz about Gamerpics.  How do you feel about paying for them and whether or not custom ones are a good idea?

I don’t mind paying 80 Microsoft points for a picture pack that looks good, but I don’t want the prices to get out of hand and start paying 200 Microsoft points just for a picture pack. I think that custom pictures won’t happen just because of the fact that there are immature people (of all ages) that will make inappropriate gamer pictures. I would love to make my own design for my Gamerpicture but I don’t think it will happen. 

Being the first Canada Showcase, can you tell us how the 360 experience has been not only for you but for Canadians as a whole as you see it?

The 360 experience has been amazing for me and I’m sure for everyone (including Canadians). But I think that we get the short end of the stick when it comes to receiving special Gamerpics (we were supposed to get a Canadian Gamerpicture awhile ago). Also, we don’t receive a Diamond Card (not that it does much but we don’t get any tournaments either that includes Americans). I just wish that they would include us Canadians in more since we are gamers too. Not to complain or anything but when I go onto certain video games via Xbox Live or even make a thread on the http://www.xbox.com/ forums, people don’t really seem to care about us the same way. But all in all, the experience is fantastic! 

Is there any glaring issue that you want the Xbox 360 to change as it pertains to Canada versus any other country?

Yes, I hate how in Canada we don’t get any “free Microsoft points” giveaways! Also I want the Canadian Gamerpics!!!! Just spread some of that love to Canada and we will be fine.

Haha.  Blame Verizon. What does the Xbox 360 have to do in order to beat its competition this holiday season in Canada?

I think that the Xbox 360 has to start doing more promotions in Canada if possible, maybe starting a tournament in Toronto (one of the major cities in Canada) to get more people interested. The 360 was a huge success in Canada as well in the US but they need to have a “Canadian only” event of some kind. This would really get people in Canada thinking about getting one. Also they should have some seasonal package / deal – like a bundle with games or something. That would stir up some action. 

Ok.  One game.  One shot.  You against the Master Chief.  Who wins and what are you playing?

Me against Master Chief? We would have to be playing Halo 2 online! I would win lol. We play 1 vs. on Lockout. I won 10-9 and it was an intense battle. 

Any last shouts?

Thanks for the interview DeaconBlade 360 and I hope to play with you online soon!

You’re welcome minikit!  Thanks for taking some time to shine!