Hello again! This week in the hot seat is Katherine, who you may know as 8_Bit_Hero in the digital world.Â
However, before we get to the interview, a quick announcement from me. Meet the Reader was an idea that sprang from Solid Steven’s… brain, I guess, with the first interviewee being SpikeyMikey23 back on the 5th of June last year. Since then we’ve been on a five year mission to meet strange new readers, seek out long term regulars, to boldly go where no man has gone before. Just like Star Trek’s original series, it’s time to bring it to an end before those five years are up.Â
So, this interview will be the penultimate in the series, and the final interview will come along next week. Now, everyone say hello to Katherine.
[drop2]Alrighty then, who are you, how old are you and where do you come from?
Well that’s direct!
It always is!
My names Katherine Harrap, I’m 17 and I come from Cardiff.
Iiiinteresting.
I think there’s few to many I’s there.
I was kind of going for a pantomime villain voice. I guess it didn’t work…
Bingo.
Haha. Well fine, I’ll give up on that particular line of work. So anyway, whilst many a person has their name followed by a few numbers, you’ve managed to pick out for yourself quite an individual user ID on PSN and TSA. What’s the origin story behind these?
Haha, not that interesting really. Rainydays458 came about when I was first picking out an email address, and me not being all that creative. It was raining at the time, so I went with that and choose a random set of numbers to go with it.
My PSN account ID came from a bit of a joke from me and my sister, we were playing one of the older Legend of Zelda titles (they came in a collectors edition which had Legend of Zelda 1 and 2, Ocarina of Time and Mojora’s Mask) and I remarked that Link couldn’t swim in the older games, but could in the newer ones. So, since they were 8 bit, we used to call any character we came across that couldn’t swim an 8 Bit Hero.
I quite like that one! The silliest semi-sensical jokes with siblings are the best ones.
Hehe.
I’m trying to think of other examples… I mean, sometimes it just depends on the level, right? So Sonic sometimes just dies, but then he’s got water levels, and he’s fine? Happy as a hedgehog in a swimming pool.
Yeah, but then that terrifying music would play and he would end up dead…
Can hedgehogs swim?
I really doubt that was Sega’s main concern.
Well, I guess they bend reality a teensy bit to fit.
If hedgehogs could move that fast you wouldn’t find so many by the roadside.
Yeah, hitchiking hedgehogs are lame. So anyway, being really young when compared to all the old fogeys I usually get to interview, I’m quite curious to ask how you first got into gaming?
Umm…I think I was 6 or 7 at the time and we were on a carvan holiday, the best kind of holiday. I had fallen of my bike and I landed face first on the pavement, which broke my front tooth, so while trying to find something to calm me down we found an old Sega Saturn in one of the cupboards (it was my grandparents caraven), it was plugged into the TV, and I absolutely loved it.
Ouch! That must’ve really quite hurt…
Yes it did. Really not something I’d want to go through again.
At least it was presumably still a milk tooth?
Nope, full fledged adult tooth. I’ve got a cap over it now, so it doesn’t look like there been any damage to it at all.
Teeth are rubbish, anyway. Always going and getting themselves broken. Useful, yes, but so troublesome and really high maintenance.
Who needs teeth anyway? It’s not like they’re needed for anything useful, like eating.
Mashed up food for the win.
Yeah!
Haha. So a Sega Saturn, eh? Certainly not the most popular console of its generation, but it did have some choice titles on there. What did you get to play?
The game I remember playing most was Sonic R, and then once we got a second pad I would play that with my sister. Same goes for WipEout and also Virtua Fighter 2, where we had the manual, so all we would do was pick our characters, look at the move set from the manual and then just pull off all the combos. Then there was also Virtua Cop, which used a light gun so that was tonnes of fun, and one of the Alien games, but I never actually played it, since I found it so scary.
Sounds like quite an introduction to gaming! How did you get from this old Saturn to where you are now with the PS3?
Well between the Saturn and getting the PS1, I got into playing quite a few games on PC. Things like Warcraft 2 and Alexander, amongst loads of other games.
Then, once I got a PS1, I played a lot of the Final Fantasy games. I think I’ve got almost all of them. The one I enjoyed the most was Final Fantasy IX, because of how harming all the characters and world was. I got really pissed once I got to the 3rd disk and *spoilers* I couldn’t get past the cinematic at the begining, where Kuja destroys Alexandria…
Final Fantasy VII, which many people cite as the best game ever, I found quite dull.
Sorry, you’ll have to help me fix “harming all the characters and world was.” I don’t think I can figure that one out!
Oh! I meant “charming”!
Hahaha. I’ve never played it, so thought there might be some crazy game mechanic in there?
Not really, just all the characters in FF7 can be summed up with one word, FF9 characters are a lot deeper.
I think there’s a few other Final Fantasy fans on here that hold FF9 up above all the rest too. So, you like your RPGs quite a bit, then? Do you find yourself drawn to that genre over others?
I guess looking at my game libary you could say so.
Is there something about RPGs that you find really draws you in more than other genres?
I guess it’s the story and how you can get attached to the characters. With a lot of games from other genres the story feels like an after thought.
So with that in mind, what would you say are your three favourite games of all time?
That’s a hard one. I’ve played a lot of games!
It’s always a tough one to answer. Is there anything that you think you could just go and play 3 or 4 times through and not get sick of it?
I guess based on that, it would have to be Final Fantasy IX, Deus Ex: Human Revolution and The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker.
Going against the grain with the hardcore series fans a little there, but it’s such an individual thing.
Go me!
Can Adam Jensen swim?
I don’t think there are any opportunities to do so in the game.
I’m slowly working through it a moment, and haven’t seen any. What about Link in Wind Waker? I mean, he’s always on that boat, isn’t he?
I think he can swim for about 30 seconds or so?
So, I guess he’d be a 16-bit hero?
Hehe.
Cue Sonic’s drowning music!
Don’t do that, it’s bloody terrifying!
Deathbrin
No more Meet the Readers? Nooooo
Origami Killer
Yay another Cardiff person :P Nice to know a bit more about you.
Shame there won’t be MtR any more I’ll miss Teflon’s segue’s
The Lone Steven
No more MTRs!? Wait, did i include a one year only run time in the contract then? *digs out the file and goes over the contract* There may be a spin off in the works followed by 7 films then a new series, a few games, a remake and lots of toys.
Rainydays, you may want to hide as Roy has been known to kill if someone doesn’t like a FF game. ;)
We had a ton of fun during the UC meets. :)
Sympozium
I can say the same with FFXI it was a wonderful and very captivating game to experience the characters where so interesting. Some of the scenes was tragic but most of all the worst I’ve got is losing save data at the 3rd disc T_T…*quote* “Death would be a release next to this travesty”
Anyway its nice to read about you :3, it was good and a bit insane lol.
Deathbrin
I think you mean 9, not 11 ;)
Sympozium
I knew I’d done that :/ hehe
wonkey-willy
ohhhhhh! 8-bits a girl…
my friends list has an ever expanding female vibe..
must be the you know?
yes the charm and wit and my gaming skills not the other you pervs.
Sympozium
looool
theberzerka
I good read and nice to meet you/read about you rainydays. Why no more? Sunday will be soooooo boring now :(
teflon
Just time to bring it to an end, for me. Just quitting whilst we’re ahead in many respects, and I still have a shred of insanity.
I’m sure there will be something new to come along and fill the space left by it in the not too distant future.
theberzerka
I get what you mean. Still sad to see it go, I’m assuming nothings really lived up to my interview ;)
I might start interviewing Harry once a week for his views on the latest child friendly game, might be interesting to have a nut job of a four year olds opinion on gaming.
McProley
That is a great idea!
Death_In_Flamez
NO more MTR? 0_0 Why? What happened to me year on inteview? ;)
Great read :) What about those Brotherhood times with my bushes! STAY AWAY :P
TSBonyman
Nice to meet you Katherine – Douglas Adams fan i see.. :)
I’ve enjoyed the MTRs although i’ve missed a few.. no hard feelings to those i missed.. just felt conscious of repeating the generic response even though the sentiment was genuine. :)
It was a great idea and thanks to Steven, teflon, bunimomike and indeed all those who were brave enough to take part! :)
blast71
Hello :) Still hungover so car b arsed 2 think of anything witty 2 say
teflon
Haha. Good effort, regardless. :D
Shakugan
Nice to meet you Kat! Honestly i choose Katherine over Catherine. :]