Latest Canadian Gamer Spotlight

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Canadian Gamer Spotlight – Halflife84

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Canadian Gamer Spotlight – Halflife84

Next up in our Gamer Spotlight is a very active member of the Xbox community here in Canada, known for his sense of humour and positive forum attitude.  Organizer of tournaments, sharer of Xbox knowledge, Halflife84 embodies everything we look for in the Gamer Spotlight.  I sat down to get to know this Burlington, Ontario-based gamer a little better.

Jade: Halflife, you are definitely one of the more active gamers in our Canadian community. How did your love affair with Xbox get started?

Halflife84: I have had my Xbox 360 since day one - launch day! I was the first pre-order at my local EB Games and that basically meant I was sure to get one...I ended up pre-ordering roughly $2500 worth of Xbox 360 games and accessories (I had four wireless controllers day one, four play and charge kits, all the big launch games - I went a little overboard). As far as original Xbox? hmmm since I traded mine in to help pay for the Xbox 360, I didn’t have it for a long time - played all the big games though.  And I've been on Xbox Live as early as I can remember owning my Xbox. I thought it was great and I still do!

Jade: You do a great job organizing tournaments to keep the Canadian community entertained.  How did you get involved?

Halflife: The tournament activity all got started after meeting a few fellow gamers at some of the Xbox community events.  To be more specific, I met KowZ...and I've been helping out ever since. I see a tournament going on, I offer to help if they need it. As long as I have time.

Jade: What do you like best about the Canadian Xbox Community?

Halflife: Some of the best things about being part of the Canadian Xbox Community are definitely the events.  To me, they are like large social gatherings where you can meet new people who just happen to play Xbox! Looking back at E3 last year, it was so exciting because I was lucky enough to be part of the community event at the show. Now whenever I hear EVENT and XBOX - I think - Where, when and can I go? And the personalities are a blast, yourself Jade and Sinnix are my two favs at the moment.

Jade: I’m blushing!  But if you had to pick one of us, it’d be me right? ;) What other communities are you active with?

Halflife: Hmmm, this one is a tough question since I'm mostly active on the Xbox forums...I am a news admin at www.csnation.net (although I haven't posted anything in a while). I use Facebook a lot to keep in touch with all my friends, and as a gamer I also check out the main websites regularly - IGN, Fileplanet, Majornelson (yea, I do)....

Jade: Who are some Xbox Community members you admire most and why?

Halflife: Community members I admire eh? - I guess it can't be myself......lol....I'd probably have to say Greenskull. He's a young guy but he's arranging tournaments and running the XCT website. A lot of work to be done, and yet I still see him online playing games a whole lot (he likes to kick me off rooftops while playing Crackdown in co-op).

Jade: Dirty play by Greenskull, but oh so much fun.  What is your favourite game on Xbox 360?

Halflife: My all time favorite as of yet? - AS OF NOW -- I'd probably say it's a tie - between Crackdown and Dead Rising....both are games that I can play for hours.  Dead Rising because it’s just an overall fun time – I could spend hours in that mall just messing around. And Crackdown for almost the same reason. I could spend hours just jumping around, climbing different buildings, trying to find that next orb that beckons me....and Oblivion still makes me play it from time to time....it tells me things.. lol

Jade: When you’re games talk back, and they aren’t in the console, you might have a problem Halflife.  In your opinion, what’s the best multiplayer game right now on Xbox Live?

Halflife: Tough question. Gears gets a nod for being the game that EVERYONE is playing. Personally - I'd have to pick Rainbow Six: Vegas for the fact that it is a tactile shooter. The leveling up system they built is really fun too, and the big one for me - the co-op ... You can actually play co-op with several of your friends, not just one (like Crackdown and Gears). I will always give a nod towards the game that has multiple player (more than 1 other) co-op online.

Jade: Since we’re talking multiplayer games, what’s your favourite custom Gears of War set up on Xbox Live?

Halflife: Well my favorite way to play Gears is co-op, but since no one ever plays that with me, (and I've been playing a lot of Crackdown), I'd have to say Execution, with a 5 second revive time, 3 - 5 rounds depending on my mood, no weapons switched. 

Jade: Okay Gears co-op fans, if you are looking for someone to play with, Halflife’s your man.  There, don’t say I didn’t try to help you outJ  What’s the game you are most looking forward to this year?

Halflife: The game I am MOST looking forward to this year, no contest, hands down - Halo 3. I think nuff said... (if I could choose more, I'd still choose Halo 3 first, but it would be followed by - Half-Life 2 (even though I do have it on PC), Army of Two, Fable 2...there's a lot, so I'll leave it at that).

Jade: Your gamertag might give it all away, but I’ll ask it anyways - what’s your favourite video game of all time?

Halflife: You nailed it.  This question is one I can answer in complete confidence, but it's a straight toss up for me...well not really... The Half-Life Series as a whole has got to be at the top of my list, followed, if not tied with, the Halo series. (and if I had to choose a non-shooter - then Fable is tied with Oblivion). 

Jade: And if you were deserted on a desert island, what one item would you bring to entertain yourself?

Halflife: If I had one item to entertain myself....I'd probably pick... The Hitch Hiker’s Guide To The Galaxy book series (you can buy ‘em all as one, so it counts!) 

Books…wow that’s a refreshing first for the desert island item, love it! Thanks Halflife for taking the time to chat with us.  Keep an eye on the forums for more Xbox 360 tournaments, complements of Halflife84 and his partner in crime Kowz.  And to nominate a gamer making a difference for the Canadian Gamer Spotlight, send me an email to jade@microsoft.com.