Gamertag: HitmanNY
Superhero: Batman
Inner Rock Star: Dave Grohl
Film: Pulp Fiction
Album: Sergeant Pepper by The Beatles
TV show: Seinfeld
Last Book Read: Freakonomics

I have your next gamer spotlight, TriXie: HitmanNY.

The who? My brother in-law.

The why? Yours truly had fallen on some hard times some time ago and was effectively homeless (damn the man!). My brother in law took me in and dusted off my shoulder. He gave me some great advice and now I am on my way to the good life … and if that weren't enough, wait for it …

He gave me an Xbox LIVE subscriptionn for my birthday, and while carving out my new life, we have become quite the formidable duo on Gears of War.

— the last CUJO

Gamer Spotlight:

TriXie Interviews HitmanNY

Published August 10, 2007

He's a computer programmer in San Diego, a Tarantino fan, and an awesome brother-in-law. Say hello to HitmanNY!

TriXie: What's the story behind your Gamertag?

HitmanNY: Well, the name started in college during lacrosse practice. All I liked to do was run around and hit people and so the name of "Hitman" was born. After college I moved to NYC and when we started playing Unreal Tournament online, I used the NY to differentiate myself from all the other hitmen out there. The funny part is that on Xbox LIVE®, some people think my Gamertag is pronounced hit-MANNY. They think my name is Manny. So I hear, "Hey, what's up Manny?" Took me a little while to learn to answer to Manny also.

TriXie: What's the worst or weirdest job you've ever had?

HitmanNY: I answered an ad in the newspaper for a delivery guy. I showed up, they hired me and wanted me to start working on the spot. Before I started doing pickups/deliveries, they told me I had to call people up, shake them down for money, and then go pick it up. It seemed a little shady to me, but I went with it 'cause I was broke. I arranged some pickups for the next day from some reluctant people on my phone list. The next day when I showed up, the door was locked. The office had been cleaned out and they were just gone. All the computers, phones, were all gone. They just disappeared. I never got paid. I was bummed. 

TriXie: That's messed up. How long have you been on Xbox LIVE?

HitmanNY: Since November 2005. My wife bought me Xbox® for my birthday (I didn't even ask for it, but I really wanted it). She got me Xbox, Halo® 2 and Xbox LIVE. What a wife. I already had a PS2 (online was terrible) and was playing some games on the PC, so I didn't even bother asking her for a Xbox. She knew I wanted to play Halo 2 and she went ahead and bought everything for me. Total surprise. I have been online ever since.

HitmanNY's wife set him up with a system and Halo 2.

TriXie: Do you have an archenemy on Xbox LIVE?

HitmanNY: the last CUJO. That dude knows my every move. When he is on my team he is my best friend. When he's on the other team, he's my archenemy. He knows my every move, it's like he is watching me. It doesn't help that we split screen and he actually is watching me, but still, when we face off, it's always an epic battle. We both know each other so well and so it always turns into a showdown.

TriXie: What's your Xbox setup like?

HitmanNY: Sony XBR 46-inch LCD, Denon/Polk audio with 7.1 surround and a kick a$$ woofer.  With that Denon and that woofer, you can feel the action when you drop a boom shot on somebody. Also have the Harmony remote which has made the system user friendly for the wife.

TriXie: Boobs and multiple buttons don't mix?? What is your favorite LIVE-enabled game?

HitmanNY: Gears of War™. There is nothing like sneaking up undetected on your last opponent and delivering the game winning chainsaw when he least expects it. Hearing the cheers/boos of the lobby when the game is over is very rewarding. Gears of War online is always an epic battle. Online, every game is different. And most importantly, it doesn't matter how many kills or downs you get if you don't get that last kill for the win.

TriXie: What is your favorite offline Xbox game?

HitmanNY: EA SPORTS™ Fight Night Round 3. I know you can play online, but I really enjoy this one solo against the computer. I enjoy playing the sports games against the computer. Have been playing the EA NHL hockey games since about '92 on the Sega. Every year my Mom sends me the new one for my b-day.

Knocking someone out in Fight Night.

TriXie: What do you think is the best game of all time?

HitmanNY: Tough call. Halo® and Halo 2 are contenders, Gears of War is my current fave, but all time, might have to go way back to either RBI baseball or Tecmo Bowl on the Nintendo. Spent countless hours racking up 1000 yards a game passing with Steve Young and the Niners. That game was a blast. A few of those games between my brother and roommates ended in fisticuffs.

TriXie: What's the funniest thing you've ever heard on Xbox LIVE?

HitmanNY: "Stay away from Oprah!!!" Some dude was screaming this every time he got a kill on Gears of War. Even in the lobby, you got this high-pitched shrill, "STAY AWAY FROM OPRAH!!!" I have no idea what the significance of this was, but it was pretty hilarious.

TriXie: What is your greatest Xbox LIVE moment?

HitmanNY: You know what, any time you get the final kill in Gears of War and win the match, it's a new greatest moment for me. It's just so rewarding. It's not about the stats, it's about being better or smarter than your opponent.

TriXie: If they made a movie about your life, who should play you?

HitmanNY: The shirtless wonder, Matthew McConaughey. Maybe if he played me people would think I had abs like that. That clown has the life. I doubt he would even take the role, he is too busy surfing, hanging out on the beach all day. Does that guy even work?

TriXie: It's probably exhausting being that hot. What's your karaoke song?

HitmanNY: Beastie Boys' "No Sleep till Brooklyn." I spent 5 years in Brooklyn and used to sing that one in karaoke bars while living in Japan one summer.

TriXie: What cartoon character do you think is most like you?

HitmanNY: Mr. Burns. Gotta love the evil ogre.

TriXie: What superpower would you like to have?

HitmanNY: I would have to go with time travel. I would make some serious bank on last year's Super Bowl and maybe last week's lottery. I'm sure I would do some good with this power, but I gotta take of my bottom line first.

TriXie: If you could trade places with anyone for one day, who would it be?

HitmanNY: Gavin Rossdale. The dude is a rock star AND married to Gwen Stefani. Not a bad setup, I'm sure it doesn't get much better.

TriXie: What celebrity would be the worst roommate?

HitmanNY: Lindsay Lohan. That broad is a mess. All strung out, crashing cars, probably leaves butts and beer cans all over the house. First time she lost the Harmony remote, I would toss her out on her ear.

TriXie: Good. She needs some discipline. Hot celeb you'd like to be stranded on a desert island with?

HitmanNY: Easy one. Gwen Stefani. Great voice and seriously HOT! Gotta be the coolest chick out there, no question.

TriXie: If you could be any video game character, who would it be?

HitmanNY: HitmanNY from Fight Night. That dude is ripped and is champion in 3 weight classes. Pretty good looking too ;)

TriXie: What's the worst food you've ever eaten?

HitmanNY: I spent a summer in Japan, so take your pick. I have a whole list of things that I ate that were inedible including lobster heads, raw eel, chicken kidneys, necks, feet, skin and a whole host of raw swimming/crawling things. Those were all pretty awful.

TriXie: Yuck. I don't eat feet. If you could go on tour with any band, which would it be?

HitmanNY: No Doubt. Great music, great band, hot singer, seems like a very cool group of people to hang with over the course of a whole tour.

TriXie: Plus, it'd be easy to stalk your girl Gwen. What do you predict will be the "next big thing" in gaming?

HitmanNY: Well, I think one of the big things is here now with the cover system in Gears of War. I think it's going to change the first- and third-person kind of games. Much like the way Castle Wolfenstein and DOOM changed the way games were played. After playing games where you to take into account taking cover behind rocks and walls, games like Halo make you feel so exposed and not as realistic. While I am looking forward to Halo 3, my concern is that the lack of being able to take cover is going to be an element that is missing. We will see how that plays out. The other big thing is going to be the cross-platform online. Really, online is what makes these games special. It's not so much just the campaign modes, 'cause that gets old after awhile. It's being able to play people all over the world and test your skills against a real opponent. When I think back to the great games I have played over the last 20 years, it's always about the game and the opponent, not just playing the computer. With cross-platform connectivity, it's putting more gamers together.

TriXie: What do you think is the best thing about Xbox 360?

HitmanNY: Online and the wireless controllers. Really like how well the system is put together and the fact that I don't even have to leave the couch to play (if nobody has moved the controller).

TriXie: What is the Xbox 360 Achievement that was hardest to get?

HitmanNY: Probably undisputed champion on Fight Night with my own fighter. I spent some time on that one, some epic battles, but ultimately I prevailed. *BUT*, when my brother-in-law set up his account online, somehow he acquired my achievements. I have no idea what he did, but somehow, now he has my achievements. That's another reason the last CUJO is my arch enemy. He has even resorted to stealing my profile.

TriXie: That explains why your Gamerscore is even lower than mine! What would you like to be doing in ten years?

HitmanNY: Well, I just got back from Las Vegas where my wife and I renewed our vows in a stretch Hummer at a drive-through wedding chapel with a Hawaiian witchdoctor/minister. I get to surf everyday after work and play Xbox every night with the last CUJO on an awesome setup, what could be better? I want to be doing the same thing I am now, life doesn't get any better. Ok, maybe less work and more money, but everything else just the same ;)