Gamertag: Anchorman Mazda
Superhero: Spider-Man
Cartoon Character: Bender
Band to tour with: Disturbing Tha Peace
Film: 2 Fast 2 Furious
Album: Release Therapy by Ludacris
TV show: Scrubs
Xbox LIVE game: Project Gotham Racing 3
Offline Xbox game: Saints Row

Hello TriXie,

I would like to nominate myself for the next Gamer Spotlight. Here is my explanation. My Gamertag is Anchorman Mazda and I am a 16-year-old from Sydney, Australia. I have been a gamer for 10 years but an Xbox gamer for just over a year now ... and I am loving it. I like to spend a lot of my free time helping the community on Xbox LIVE and the Xbox.com Forums. My preferred genre is Racing and I belong to an online Racing Team called "DTP Racing Team" which a fellow Xbox friend of mine and I created. I would love to be the next Gamer Spotlight, so I can formally introduce myself to the community and I would also find it a great honour. Thank you for your time ... and hopefully you will consider my application.

—Anchorman Mazda

Gamer Spotlight:

TriXie Interviews Anchorman Mazda

Published October 5, 2007

He's a student in Sydney, Australia who loves PGR 3, 2 Fast 2 Furious and would rather not eat snails. His Gamertag has nothing to do with Will Ferrell. Say g'day to Anchorman Mazda!

TriXie: What's the story behind your Gamertag?

Anchorman Mazda: Well, there are two parts behind it. Something that I enjoy doing is researching the latest news and information, whether it is local news or information on an upcoming game(s). Hence, the "Anchorman" part. "Mazda" comes from my passion for automobiles and racing, but in particular the Mazda RX-8, which is my favorite car of all time. Together it forms "Anchorman Mazda" which I now use for my gaming identity, but also as a tag which I assign to all my work.

TriXie: You live in Sydney … What do you do down under?

Anchorman Mazda: I am currently in year 12 of high school. In particular, I am studying Economics, Business and Computing. Hopefully by 2009, I will be studying at University for a Bachelor in Commerce.

Anchorman Mazda loves the challenge of Need for Speed Most Wanted.

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

Anchorman Mazda: I have never had a "weird" job so to speak, but the most difficult job I have ever had was working as an assistant tradesman for my father. He's a carpenter, and it can get extremely difficult when you have to carry up to forty wooden doors, one at a time, sometimes up two or three story buildings, starting as early as six in the morning and finishing at five in the afternoon.

TriXie: How long have you been on Xbox LIVE®?

Anchorman Mazda: I have had my Xbox 360™ console since June 2006, however I have been on Xbox LIVE since December 2006. The capabilities of Xbox 360 and LIVE have definitely made gaming more competitive and enjoyable.

TriXie: Do you have an archenemy on Xbox LIVE?

Anchorman Mazda: I do not have an archenemy, but the gamer that I compete with is CU1BY. We are great friends outside of Xbox LIVE, so it is great to take our competition online. We do not play against each other often, but when we do, it certainly makes for some excellent gaming.

TriXie: What's your Xbox setup like?

Anchorman Mazda: My Xbox 360 is connected to a 26-inch Panasonic LCD HD-TV. It has a resolution of 720p so the games look excellent. The LCD houses Dolby® Digital 5.1 Surround Sound which can be heard and felt around the house when at maximum sound. The entire setup definitely makes for some great racing, especially when online against friends.

TriXie: What's the best feature of Xbox LIVE?

Anchorman Mazda: The best feature of Xbox LIVE would most definitely have to be the Gamertag. It allows every gamer to express themselves with a name, motto, gamer picture and gamer zone which best describes themselves. It takes gaming even further when we have the ability to send messages and Friend Requests to other gamers. It has taken interaction and identification between players to a whole new level.

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

Anchorman Mazda: The best game of all time would have to be Need for Speed™ Most Wanted. The game had an excellent Offline Mode, with a great storyline, well designed map with Free Roam, excellent soundtrack and an A.I. difficulty level which offered a challenge to even the most talented gamers. I have completed Offline Career six times, each of which just as enjoyable as the first. Online also had a few race styles with numerous tracks to choose from. The combination of both Offline and Online truly do make this game the best of all time.

Anchorman Mazda has defeated "Razor" Callahan six times.

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

Anchorman Mazda: It was during a game of Cat & Mouse on Project Gotham Racing® 3. I was in an All-Star team where I was driving as one of the Cats in the RUF Supercar Concept. We had the opposing Mouse boxed in on one of the bridges on the New York tracks. There was no way he was getting out, and all he was saying was, "Damn it! Let me go for crying out loud." We showed no mercy, naturally, and we ended up winning the match. It was hilarious when we did the same thing again in the following matches. Of course, the gamer repeated the same line again.

TriXie: What is your greatest Xbox LIVE moment?

Anchorman Mazda: Again, my greatest Xbox LIVE moment was during rounds of Cat & Mouse in Project Gotham Racing 3. A few good mates of mine had assembled a great unbeatable team. We played until 3 a.m., winning every match. They were some excellent moments, with such great competition from the opposing team.

TriXie: Who is your inner rock star?

Anchorman Mazda: Rather than have an "inner rock star," I would say I have an "inner hip-hop star." I would say it is Kanye West. Listening to his music, I can say that I have similar passions and attitudes towards life. Everything has to be of the highest quality.

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

Anchorman Mazda: If I had to choose one person to play the role of me, I would choose Vin Diesel, in the character of Dominic in The Fast and The Furious. Even though I might not have the same build (all in due time), and have a lot more hair. I take life seriously and am passionate about automobiles and racing. I believe that he would be a great actor to star as myself, as an adult.

Once Vin Diesel escapes from Butcher Bay, he's got a new movie role lined up.

TriXie: What's your karaoke song?

Anchorman Mazda: "Makes Me Wonder" by Maroon 5. Despite the fact that I cannot reach the high register in which Adam Levine sings, it is still a great song.

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

Anchorman Mazda: Christopher "Ludacris" Bridges. He has been my idol for some time now, and it would be great to live the lifestyle that he has. He has it all, fame, fortune, houses and cars, just to name a few. In my opinion he is the greatest artist of all time, and it would be awesome to live a day in his life.

TriXie: What celebrity would be the worst roommate?

Anchorman Mazda: Paris Hilton. Her lack of morals and total ignorance would drive me insane.

TriXie: Hot celeb you'd like to be stranded on a desert island with?

Anchorman Mazda: Jessica Alba. She is extremely beautiful and intelligent at the same time. I also admire that she takes her public image seriously and does her best to uphold an excellent reputation. She really is a great person.

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

Anchorman Mazda: If I could be any videogame character, it would have to be Mario. With the simple leaf, mushroom, or fire-flower, I would be able to grow double in size, fly, and throw fireballs from my hands. Who wouldn't want that?

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

Anchorman Mazda: Snails. During my overseas visit to Macedonia, I tried a traditional dish which is comprised of snails flavored with pepper and garlic. They were bland, chewy and well, I would rather not recall it. Something I would not rush out to try again, but definitely an experience I can cross off my list.

TriXie: What's the last book you read?

Anchorman Mazda: Mary Shelley's classic Gothic Horror novel, Frankenstein. It was a great read.

TriXie: Yeah, that's an awesome one. If you could go on tour with any band, which would it be?

Anchorman Mazda: Although you would not call them a "band" but rather a group, it would be a great experience and honor to tour with Ludacris and other members of DTP. They are definitely the greatest hip-hop/rap artists of all time.

TriXie: What do you predict will be the "next big thing" in gaming?

Anchorman Mazda: Downloadable content becoming more in-depth and detailed. It would be great to see games do away with the current DVD medium and become available for download, of course still being sold for a reasonable price. Even so, I would like downloadable content to include updates to make graphics even better than what they are now, bringing gaming even closer to realism.

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

Anchorman Mazda: The game library and titles. Xbox 360 has the best game library across all platforms. The console allows these games to feature excellent graphics, additional downloadable content, and overall great gameplay. It is a combination of the excellence of game developers and the capabilities of the Xbox 360. They come together, along with the other features of the console to make one amazing gaming machine.

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

Anchorman Mazda: The Xbox 360 Achievement that took the most time to get was the "EA Moderator" achievement for Need for Speed™ Carbon. It was about a month of planning, then another three months trying to get into a race with an EA Moderator. It was a great relief to finally unlock that Achievement. The "Platinum Champion" on Project Gotham Racing 3 was however an Achievement that took the most patience and skill. The last two Cone Challenges took me about five hours to complete each! That Achievement allowed no room for error.

TriXie: What would you like to be doing in ten years?

Anchorman Mazda: I would like to have completed my Bachelors in Commerce, and then be working as an Economist. I would like to purchase a house and a Mazda RX-8 and then in my spare time, continue to game and assist the Xbox Community as much as possible. There are of course other plans I have, but those are the most important as of now.

I would like to thank you TriXie, and the entire Xbox Community, for providing me the opportunity to introduce myself and be in the Gamer Spotlight. Thank you.

Interview by TriXie