Thanks smooth. Before i start, ust wanna say hi, my name is John. I had a lot of people i want to pick for the next round but the person i chose was because he is a person which i have a lot of respect for and he is a person who will actually listen to you should you have any concerns.

When did you start gaming and what was the first game you played?

My first console was an atari 2600 i played this from a very young age, probably around 2 or 3. But the nes was the first console i remember playing properly i was 5 years old. As a family we use to complete the games such as Super Mario Brothers and the original Zelda. For that reason no Zelda will be as great as that was for me.I remember even having that map that came with the original Gold cartridge and we had to pencil draw the layout to the secret forest and the hills that lead to Dungeon 5.

What's your favourite game of all time?

Thats an easy pick for me and im sure everyone already knows what it is.

Final Fantasy VIII gets that pick. It is the first game that i spent a good 40 hours straight playing it. It was also my first Final Fantasy game ever. The theme of the game was very teen focussed (I was 16 at the time) and it reflected alot of things which we went through in high school such as teen love, bullying, coming to terms with life/puberty etc. It also had some of the best and memorable characters for me including Rinoa, Squall, Seifer and Laguna.

Acquiring GF's were great as well, such as getting Doom Train by synthesising materials, or fighting Ultima Weapon to extract Eden getting Tonberry king by killing a heap of Tonberrys.

It would be hard for a game to beat that for favourite game ever but there are games which come close such as Call of Duty 4, Castlevania: SoTN and Street fighter

What's your favourite console of all time?

I was surprised it hadn't been mentioned honestly But it is the PSX. For me its what started my favourite series. And its what also got me into mainstream gaming. Some of the best franchises started here such as Tekken, Silent Hill, Resident Evil, Time Crisis (at the time) etc. and also brought franchises to the Europe Australia scene such as Final Fantasy. It was also the first console to render 3d sprites on a 2d plain and FMV (Im not 100% sure but its release in 1994[Japan] 1995 [Europe] meant it was the first console of the 5th generation).

If you could be any character in a game, who would you be?

Laguna Loire. He is the father of Squall Leonheart in Final Fantasy VIII.

This character defines the way I see myself. He went around helping people in need and was also a little bit on the shy/withdrawn side. But his purpose was always to ensure safety to those important to him. And to me my family mean more to me than anything else.

:P So no Sephiroth wasn't my pick.

Do you prefer to play the single player mode over multiplayer, or vice versa?

Single player. A great story will always be memorable, while multiplayer you play just to kill time.. and with the current wave of minors with squeally voices playing on most multiplayer games it really puts you off playing.

What do you enjoy about gaming the most?

Gaming like most of us started as a hobby. But for me it developed into a medium with great story telling, a medium with characters you can relate to and a medium where we break out from the stressors of life and just relax while enjoying the game that is on display. Sometimes if i get frustrated with someone or something i put a game like street fighter and vent off, where other times when life just gets too complicated, playing something like Flower or Tetris lets you just relax a little.

Have you ever listened to a game soundtrack outside of the game? If so, what game?

Yeah here is like my fourth reference to Final Fantasy. But it does have beautiful music, One winged angel from FF VII, Man with the Machine gun or Eyes On Me from FF VIII, Melodies of Life FFIX, Suteki Da Ne or To Zanarkand in FF X.

Also i listen to alot of Castlevania soundtracks.

When and why did you originally use GameSpot?

I browsed since 2001 when i first started to search a video clip for FF X ^_^. Then in 2003 i joined the website.. Soon after to only get moderated twice in an hour for creating stupid threads. I really didn't participate in the forums actively until 07/08. Since then i have come to think of this as my online home. The users to the most part are really great people. I've made accounts in other forums but this is the only one i regularly visit. That is particularly thanks to our great community. I know we have had patches of sadness when a great regular leaves, but at the same time we get enjoyment out of some new and great users.

What other activities do you like to get up to outside of gaming?

Rifle shooting and clay target shooting- This is a great hobby, even though it can be expensive. But it lets you meet lots of people made a few friends from that as well and its really awesome to blow things up hehehe.

Anime- I have had a quiet period this 8 months but i really enjoy watching a good anime.

Technology- Even though im not up to date with the latest specs for pc and tv's etc I always read reviews for the latest gadgets and where possible buy them and fiddle around with them as much as possible. I also love telling the "techsperts" that their information is wrong, naturally providing evidence. :x especially when it comes to the iPhone.

List three awesome skills you have? Like bow-staff fighting or something...

Im actually a pretty good shooter. I won a few competitions in my local clay target club club. Its been a few years since i have done this so its more like an ex-skill i used to have.

I think my life saving skills are relevant. I have to keep these up to date as it being part of my job. Ive revived a few patients before, The feel you get is very rewarding.

I cant think of a third.

Up next?

mjcowley

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Awesome profile Mystic. It's cool to hear bits about you outside of your gaming :)

[QUOTE="black__bunny"]

Always nice to know more about u John :)

[/QUOTE] As if you didn't know all that anyway. :P

Thanks to everyone for your responses.