Meet the Reader: C_Stewie15

It’s about time that I fudged with the interview order, and plonked some unsuspecting TSA member in the hot seat by surprise. So it was that after a game of Left 4 Dead, in which Stewie had joined us for the very first time, I proposed to him…

That he should do an interview. Not marriage or anything like that. That would be illegal.

No, not because we’re both men, that’s legal.

Look, just read the interview.

Like at border control: Who are you, how old are you, and where do you come from?

I am Stewart or Stewie Hitchcock, I’m 21 and I am from Harlow in Essex.

Any relation to Alfred?

Unfortunately not. I have been asked that quite a lot, actually. Hitchcock isn’t used all that often, I suppose! One of a rare breed, or something.

I tend to make the obvious jokes. Of course, this next question will inevitably lead to a mundane answer. Where did your username come from?

You’d be surprised! I get asked what the ‘C’ stands for, so you could make an interesting question out of that.

I can only think of rude words right now. So please, enlighten us?

I get sworn at enough without a prefix to my name! Anyway, the ‘C’ stands for Chewie. So, Chewie_Stewie15. Chewie was my nickname at school because of my immense amount of facial and head hair resembled the Star Wars character. The ’15’ was my rugby number, when I used to play.

In the post-Left 4 Dead chat the other night, you did show us a photo with some pretty immense facial hair. I was impressed!

My face thanks you.

Were you aiming for the homeless look?

Wasn’t aiming, just sort of lazily shuffled over to it, I guess.

It’s easy to head down that route. Enough beard love, though. How did you first get into gaming?

You can never get enough beard love. I first got into gaming round a friends, when his older brother was playing Jurassic Park on a Sega Mega Drive. It looked so much fun, so I hounded Santa for a Sega Mega Drive for Christmas and ended up getting a Sega Saturn. Silly Santa. First games I ever had were Bug!, Gex the Gecko and Sonic R. All so much fun, and I’ve not stopped since.

Aw, bless Santa. Then again, how could he predict the Saturn would flop? Did you stick with Sega after that for the Dreamcast, or quickly jump ship?

I went onto the Gameboy, specifically Pokémon, which was a huge hit at my primary school. Then we got a PC and I played the likes of Unreal Tournament and Age of Empires. We then went towards the PS2 and finally the current gen of consoles.

How did you first discover Pokémon? I ask because I remember the first I ever heard of it was from huddles of kids on the playground with their gameboys in December, before getting it for christmas. Santa was spot on with that one. Was it just playground chatter for you too?

One kid from school randomly just brought in a bunch of Pokémon cards. It kicked off from there really. The whole school went insane with them to the point that you weren’t allowed anything Pokémon on site.

We had the exact same thing with the Pokemon cards. I’ve absolutely no idea how that game works anymore!

I remember one kid wore a Pokémon t-shirt and got sent home. Bonkers. I’ve not played Black or White, but the formula seems to have worked throughout the generations. The only complaints I see still are just how many Pokémon there are. None of them will beat the original 151!

I was talking more about the cards, where you had little gems and stuff. The video games, I don’t think have evolved that much… Get it? Evolve?

Oh! Yeah, I only collected them, never battled them. No idea how the battles in that work.

Best shiny card you had?

Definitely Shiny Raichu. I was the envy of my classmates when I got that. We all hunted for that elusive Shiny Charizard though. If anyone has seen the Youtube video of that kid going nuts when he gets Blastoise in one of the packs, I imagine that’s how we’d act if we got it.

I’ll have to look that up. I think I’m going to have to figure out where I stashed those cards now! Sure I’ve got a few good ones left. Dragging us back, kicking and screaming to something other than Pokémon, it’s time to ask what your favourite game of all time is? I bet you now answer with Pokémon.

Pokemon! Nah, just kidding. It’s definitely, without a doubt, Metal Gear Solid 3. It was the first game that ever made me feel something other than shock and awe. I cried at the ending and fell in love with the series. Without it, I wouldn’t be enjoying so many games as I do.

Was that the first experience you’d have with Metal Gear Solid?

I had played MGS2 before hand, but I wasn’t really old enough to understand some parts. Not having played MGS1 before it also didn’t help. I ended up watching all of MGS Twin Snakes cutscenes on the internet so I could understand it better.

It’s a tricky series to get into. I imagine you’re all sorts of excited about the HD collection’s upcoming release?

I’m very excited! Since my original 60GB died, I’ve had no real way to play them and I’ve missed them so. The fact it’s tricky shows how deep and complex it is! Something not a lot of games can boast about. I’d stick my neck out and stay it’s (probably) the cleverest game series there is.

Some would say that it’s just nonsense.

Would that “some” be you, Tef?

Actually I really enjoyed MGS4 and MGS1, that being the order I’ve played them in. On to a less dignified topic, though. Are there any games you’re actually a bit embarrassed to have played? Maybe they’re even guilty pleasures?

I suppose the stock answer here would be Terminator: Salvation, but I really liked the cover system in that. Probably Matt Hazard, as that game was just horrific. Like Duke Nukem Forever but worse.

Oh dear, that’s a game that really did not review well! We’re just getting into the swing of the busiest release window of the year. Are there any games in particular that you’re looking forward to?

I don’t blame them for reviewing it poorly!

You’re not allowed to say MGS HD Collection.

Absolutely! Battlefield 3, Modern Warfare 3, MGS HD (You’re psychic, I swear), Uncharted 3, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations and probably a few others that I neglect to mention. I’m excited for Skyrim, but not in the way everyone else seems to be; I’m more excited to see a Fallout game on that engine!

I actually can’t wait until the next generation now. Graphically, the current generation’s getting very long in the tooth. Just look at Battlefield 3, where they’re making compromise after compromise to get it onto consoles.

I saw the Xbox trailer, their faces look like clay! I think there’s still a bit of life in the PS3 yet, but the Xbox really a needs a new console soon, I feel.