Welcome to another Unscripted 360 Showcase!  Don’t get confused with the name…it’s not Snoopy.  Sit down, get your eyeglasses on and enjoy a little sloopiness.

Tell us a bit about the person behind the console?

I’m a longtime gamer, having gamed pretty hardcore since the Atari 2600.  In my free time I work as a Help Desk Team Manager for an insurance company.  The best thing to happen to me all year was in June when I asked my girlfriend of two years to marry me and she said, “Yes.”

Well, that and earning the “Karate Champ” achievement in Dead Rising.

What’s the story behind the Gamertag?

The “Sloopy” part of the tag is a funny story, but wouldn’t translate well to anyone who wasn’t there at the time.  I have no idea where the “Drew” part came from.  I’ve been using the nick for over a decade now, and unfortunately it’s started to catch on and I’ve found other people using it.  Both sloopydrew@hotmail.com and sloopydrew@gmail.com were taken before I had a chance to snag them for myself.

You’re a part of the 360 community. Why?

The 360 community is the best there is online.  The members know their gaming history and a surprising number of them have been gaming since the Pong days.  The Xbox team has created something special in that you can post with friends in the forum during the day and game with them on the Xbox in the evening.  “Live Anywhere” hasn’t officially launched yet, but in a way the 360 community embraced a “Live Anywhere” philosophy from the beginning.

Has the Xbox 360 experience been a good or bad one for you?

It’s definitely had its ups and downs.  I’ve had some problems with the hardware side of the console.  But overall the experience has been a good one.

Describe your gaming setup and your routine for getting your game on.

I have a 42″ Panasonic Plasma Television hooked up to a Panasonic receiver, which blasts over 600 watts of zombie and locust killing goodness through 6 JBL speakers and a Kenwood powered subwoofer.  I may go deaf, but what a way to go!  My routine for getting my game on?  Um … stretching exercises?

In your stretchy pants?  Which title is getting the most playing time on your Xbox 360?

Without a doubt, Gears of War.  I was only mildly interested in online gaming before Gears came along.  I tried it with every game I bought, but never really got into it as much as I did campaign mode or offline multiplayer.  Gears has made me an addict.  The disgusted look my fiancée gives me before asking, “Are you still playing that?” is the only downside.

There are plenty of games that people simply wish they never had played. Which is yours?

F.E.A.R.  I know that answer is going to drop jaws, but the game came as such a disappointment to me after playing Condemned.  Condemned is still one of my favorite 360 games and remains one of the freakiest games I’ve ever played.  F.E.A.R. seems like one big level with almost no variety and almost no scares.  I’ve never gotten into the whole “little girl with long dark hair” trend in horror.  Now that dude with all the spikes and chains in Condemned?  That guy’s scary!

What’s your most anticipated 360 title?

Of the confirmed 360 releases, I’d choose Bioshock.  The 15 minute video presentation that hit the ‘net a while back sold me on the game.  Not to mention, if it’s even half the game System Shock 2 is, it would be twice the game most other titles on the market manage to be.  As far as games in general — confirmed or unconfirmed for the 360 — I’d have to say Resident Evil 5.

What’s the best feature on the Xbox 360 in your opinion?

Xbox Live.  No question.  The way online gaming and voice chat tie in with the 360 community on the ‘net is ingenious.  Stat sites such as Top360Tag make the community that much more interactive.  Not to mention Trixie’s blog, Major Nelson’s podcast and, of course, Unscripted 360.  The 360 is a hell of a lot more than a box that plays games and the community that has formed around the console will be damn near impossible for the other guys to match this late in the game.

Would you like to see the Xbox 360 offered in different colors?

Giving the consumer more choices is always nice.  I personally like the color we’ve been given, but I’m not above buying a second console if I like the looks of it enough.  I couldn’t resist the limited edition green Halo version of the original Xbox when it was released.

Have you purchased any of the new Xbox 360 accessories?

I gave the wireless headset a try but could never get it to work correctly.  I have bought a few extra controllers and am still thinking about picking up the HD-DVD player.

How do you feel about the Marketplace and what it’s offered so far?

I feel that the Marketplace is both a blessing and a curse.  I don’t like the direction microtransactions are taking.  It feels like games are sold incomplete.  At 60 bucks a pop, a full game isn’t too much to ask for.  On the plus side, I’ve loved quite a few XBLA games and think the new maps for Halo 2 will be great!  I think ideally Marketplace should be used to extend the life of a game that’s been out for a while, such as Halo 2.  And I’m still excited about the user created content J Allard talked in detail about at E3 2005.  That would give even more life to this already vibrant community.

Gamerscore or Achievements? Which do you play for?

More than anything, I play for fun.  But between Gamerscore and Achievements, I definitely play for Achievements.  I know it’s hip to hate on achievements lately, but they really do add to the replay value of the game, and it’s really fun to earn them.  They also make great conversation starters while gaming.  A question such as, “How did you earn that achievement?” can lead into a full-fledged conversation and maybe even a new member to your friends list.

What’s the best Xbox Live Arcade title and why?

Marble Blast Ultra.  Because my brother and I had an absolute blast (get it?  “Blast?”) playing through the game together and trying to earn all the achievements (we never did get all 12).  It took us both back to our days gaming on the Atari 2600.  The game is incredibly challenging and amazingly fun.  It is the embodiment of the perfect XBLA game, to me.

Is there any one thing that you think the Xbox 360 does better than its competitors?

Everything I’ve said about the online community and Xbox Live.  I also think the controller deserves mention.  I’ll buy the 360 version of any game that is released multiplatform, just to play the game with that controller.

If you were a game developer, what type of game would you make for the Xbox 360?

Survival horror.  It’s my favorite type of game.  I’d also like to try my hands at an adventure game such as Grim Fandango.  Bring the adventure genre back from the dead.

Ok. One game. One shot. You against anyone from Treyarch. Who wins and what game are you playing?

I win and we’re playing Dead or Alive 4.  Because I’d like to virtually pound on them for making me have to bypass my router to play CoD3 online.

I knew you’d like that matchup.  Any parting words?

I look forward to the future of Xbox 360 gaming and know there will be plenty of great games ahead and hope Microsoft will give us the ability to save our games and Marketplace content on an HDD of our choosing.  Until then, who’s up for a game of Gears of War?

You’ll be having a curb stomp on me soon.  Thanks Sloopy!