This week, we get to meet one of our regulars over the last two years, topgearsam. You might think the origins of his user name are obvious, but you’ll have to read on to find out, if it really is!
[drop2]We’ll start with the usual trio of questions: Who are you, how old are you and where do you come from?
My name is Sam Johnson, I’m 15 years old and I come from the little town of Bewdley in Worcestershire.
Only 15? I had you pegged as a few years older!
I do sound a bit old for my age, I’m also a quite tall for my age as well I’m 6′ 2″ and hopefully still growing.
I’m sure I’m dodging several innuendos by moving on and asking about your user name. How did you decide on topgearsam? Are you a devout Top Gear fan?
There’s no special story about my username, I just got round to making it on PSN and thought I like Top Gear, my name is Sam, and put them together.
As for Top Gear yes I’m a huge fan of it, and I own almost every series in one form or another.
Well that sets up an interesting twist for later down the line. However, we’ll move on to your gaming history. When did you first get into gaming?
I first got into gaming when I was around 8 when I first started watching my Dad play Quake and Doom on his PC. Which then lead to me wanting to get a games console, so then my Mom managed to get me a Sega Mega Drive with the first game I played on it being the first Sonic the Hedgehog.
That’s one awesome start to a life in gaming! Does your dad still play games? Perhaps he joins you for some of the recent co-op shooters?
No he usually prefers to play single-player shooters on his PC. While I keep to playing games on my PS3 and all the other consoles I have.
Speaking of which, by my rudimentary maths, you only got your Mega Drive in 2004! How did you get from there to the PS3? I’m sure you must have skipped a generation or two.
My Mega Drive sadly died about a year after I got it, which then led to me wanting a new one. Instead my cousin suggested I should get a PS2 which I did, then I remembered being blown away when I started playing Wipeout on it, as it was a big leap in graphics from the Mega Drive to the PS2.
A few years later I got enough money together to get a PS3, and then similarly to the PS2 my mind was blown at the graphics when I started playing Resistance: Fall of Man. Then I got round to getting almost every console from the current generation.
I’d bet it was a mind-blowing jump up to a PS2! So you’ve got a PS3, 360, maybe even a Wii? Which gets the most play time from you?
I have all three, but the PS3 gets the most use. With the 360 and the Wii being left for the rest of my family, or whenever I want to play an exclusive.
Since you’ve only got quite a limited range of experience, I’m quite curious what you consider to be your favourite game? Is there something from the PS2, or even Mega Drive that is still right up there for you?
Sonic was great on the Mega Drive, and I very much enjoyed the Kingdom Hearts games on the PS2, but most games I consider to be my favourites are from the current generation. I actually don’t know what is my all time favourite game. I guess it would have to be between one of the Pokémon games or Oblivion.
Do you find yourself tending towards playing a certain genre? I notice you just mentioned three RPGs in that last answer.
Yeah I do love a good RPG, and I also like strategy games, but I’ll play a game from any genre if I’m interested enough in it.
Good answer. Have there been any absolute clankers in your gaming past? Something your utterly embarrassed to have played? Perhaps you even enjoyed playing it?
No game I’ve been embarrassed to play, but when I first signed up for Facebook I started playing Farmville, I have no idea why but for some reason I kept wanting to go back to playing it. For a whole year I would play it almost everyday and make sure I harvested all my crops and looked after my animals. Thankfully I lost interest in it and started playing good games again.
Farmville is particularly evil, I hear, for sucking away time. Before we move on to other topics, what games are you most looking forward to from the last few months of this year?
Quite a few actually but now Resistance 3 has come out, I’m probably most looking forward to Uncharted 3 and obviously, being a big fan of Oblivion, I’m looking forward to Skyrim. I will lose hundreds of hours to that game. Maybe even thousands.
Have you got your hands on Resistance 3? What are you first impressions of it?
Yes I’ve actually just finished it, and it’s amazing. It’s the best in the series by far in my opinion. The story was great and actually shocked me at some points with some good twists, and the gameplay was really good. I never got bored during any part of it and overall I think it’s a brilliant ending to the trilogy.
I think it’s interesting how Insomniac have never sat still with the gameplay of the series. Each game in the series has had a very different feel to it. Have you taken it online yet? Did you get much time with the beta?
I didn’t play too much of the beta but it’s still very good. I thought it was good idea for Insomniac to cut down the amount of people in each game, because it was quite mental at times in Resistance 2, and far too many times would I get killed by a sniper from the other end of this huge map.
MadJunkBoy
nice to meet u TGS!
and a really nice interview…
havn’t played so many games with u TGS apart from the ModNation Times… =D
and ur only 15!!?? OMG… thought u were much older! =D haha
Origami Killer
really Interesting read, I also had you pegged down as older, I remember seeing you in the Uncharted 2 competition. On the subject of searching history on Wikipedia, I also do this but tend to go down the route of more ancient and sometimes religious history, such as the Byzantium empire, Templar’s and of course who doesn’t have a look at the city of gold and all other legends like it. Having a surname as Jones as well, being called Indiana wasn’t too much of a surprise when I was younger.
Topgearsam
I just find the medieval period onwards more interesting mostly because there tends to be more stuff about war in more recent history. I have looked at ancient history stuff though, like the city of gold of course and the aztecs and it’s really interesting.
Origami Killer
I’ll have a look into slightly more recent stuff then, broaden my knowledge up a bit :)
aerobes
Always surprised by the level of maturity shown by the majority of the younger members here on TSA. Good read and a great gaming history for someone of such a tender age.
Nice to meet you, young gent. I, like you, await Skyrim with blatant awe and a dropped jaw. :)
ProjectJAY
Haha, I love that, “blatant awe and a dropped jaw.” I’m gonna start using it more often. Without your permission, of course :D
SpikeyMikey23
Howdy sam, also had you down for older. The paedos on this site will get quite excited now i imagine ;) lol just teasing
The Lone Steven
As long as he avoids general chat, he should be safe unless they are let out of their cages and onto the front page. :p
Kitch
You rang?? Someone left the cage open again. Oh and good read Sam pleased to meet you. And yes you are indeed the Victor Meldrew of your generation. Mike should be scared. He has always been the elder of the site!
SpikeyMikey23
Haha, knew it wouldnt be long before youbg blood was smelt!
XisTG
Hi!
From the Mega Drive to PS2? That must have been quite a leap!
Topgearsam
Hi *waves*
It was a huge jump. My mind was blown by the graphics but my mind was blown more by the fact that it was a dvd player!!! I was very easy to please back then.
DrNate86
That was the main thing I took away from the article as well, what a difference it must have been, I remember being gobsmacked at the leap between ps1 and ps2! Did you ever go back and experience any of the ps1 classics? FFVII and FFVIII would be two I would recommend if you are an RPG fan, the Final Fantasy games have never been as good since (in my jaded, rose-tinted opinion).
Topgearsam
I haven’t gone back and played any PS1 games the whole way through, as for Final fantasy I played the first part of FFVII but apart from Pokemon I don’t like Turn based fighting games like FF I prefer action RPG’s.
Charmed_Fanatic
HI, i cant help but read your name every time as TopOrgasm. Sorry :(
Topgearsam
lol its ok but I don’t know how you would read it like that, I don’t think it looks that similar.
teflon
Something on you mind, much, CF?
Jakster123x
Yeah, CF, I think you should maybe calm down a little there ;)
DrNate86
Giggidy!
The Lone Steven
I thought you were 18-20 years old Sam. :O Anyway, it’s nice to meet you. I remeber when you killed me and Tef in a funny way on uncharted 2 back when he could be bothered to host them.
I think Tuffcub would be happy that you love his pole. ;-) or he may get a restraining order against you.
Topgearsam
I’m betting on the latter.
jediryan123
anyone else read topgeargasm?
Charmed_Fanatic
Seeee im not the only one! ;)
Rocket_345
I thought you was much older than 15. I had you down as 18 -21. I think i’ve played a bit of UC2 and a bit of KZ2 with you but thats about it.
TSBonyman
Great read and nice to meet you kid. I can get away with that as i’m positively ancient in comparison :P – still enjoying video games though and i hope you do too for many years into the future.