Interview with Nelson S.

Hey gamers, fellow competitors, and...all you other people who happen to read my blog. How's everybody doing this fine day? Well, at least I hope it's a fine day. For the post of the week, you're going to get another little change up. It can't be all fun and games can it? As promised, I bring you that interview I mentioned not that long ago. More interviews with the other competitors are likely later.

This time, I was able to have a few words with Nelson. S, who currently holds 6th place in the contest. The big thing with him is that he set what, I think, has to be a real record with one of his wins. We'll cover all of that later on though, but anyway, here's what we had to say:

SG: Nelson, my man, first off, how are you?

Nelson S.: I'm doing well, man. Chillin' in my room listening to some music.

SG: Good to hear you're doing well. Nothing wrong with a little music. Who's your favorite artist?

Nelson S.: That's a tough one. I like so many different genre's. But I guess I would say Pegboard Nerds or Shingo Nakamura. Neither of them can make something I don't like.

SG:  I know what you mean by it being a tough one. I don't think I've ever heard of them. I'm more of the oldies type myself - 50's and 60's and all that. But I digress. So, tell me, how long have you been a gamer?

Nelson S.: I've been a gamer ever since Christmas 2002 when I got my first Game Boy Advance (Indigo).

SG: Nice. The Game Boy, no matter what version is always a good one, although I'm more of a nostalgic guy myself. What was your first game on that?

Nelson S.: My first game was Shrek: Hassle at the Castle. I remember playing the game so much. I surprisingly still have the cartridge. Still really fun from time to time.

SG: I remember that game myself. I mean, it wasn't my first. I was playing some pretty old-school games for my first few. But yeah, it's a fun game to play. One of the few movie-based games that did, I'd say.

SG: So, let's get down to it. What made you decide to give this challenge on Guide2Games a go? I mean a year's worth of playing sounds pretty long and drawn out to me. Heck, I almost didn't enter because of how long it was.

Nelson S.: I decided to enter the challenge because I had wanted to play more games near the beginning of this year (2014). I used to buy a game every couple of months or so, if that. But now I buy one or two a month. I really started to appreciate gaming and gaming news (Nintendo especially) after listening to Nintendo Voice Chat Podcast by IGN for the past year and a half. And over the past 9 months, I've played some of my most favorite games ever, including Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Medal of Honor: European Assault.

Thinking about it being a whole year worth makes it sound pretty long, but this year has actually gone by really fast for me. This year is probably the best year I've had! Getting some gaming in, plus getting my drivers permit, meeting new friends. Just some of the many blessing's God has given me. And for those gifts I'm grateful to Him.

SG:  *laughs* I think the year goes by pretty fast for everyone. Sounds like some good times for sure this year, and I'm glad that you know Who to point to for it. So, the big story for me is your very impressive win of Skyward Sword. Even for a Zelda game, that was a tough one. It took me months to beat it. Overall, how was your experience with it?

Nelson S.: My experience was relatively enjoyable. I enjoyed the game for what it was. Certainly not the best LoZ game out there, but fun nonetheless. I think the reason I beat the game in such a short timespan was I didn't do a collect-athon. I did collect some stuff; you know, the stuff along the trail you sometimes can't avoid, plus a few goddess cubes. But overall, I mostly just played the storyline. The game could have been a little shorter. A few parts felt like they dragged on for far too long. But then the parts I enjoyed, I wished had been longer. Guess we can't have everything we want! Haha!

The pastel colors were quite beautiful. Zelda in this game is by far my favorite Zelda in the series, aesthetics wise. She's just so cute! She could be a little bossy at times, but it didn't affect my perspective of her.

I think that there could have been a little more diversity between Eldin Volcano and Lanayru Desert. Both weren't that fun to run around, were way too long and the colors were pretty much the same all around for each level; especially Lanayru Desert. Faron Woods is definitely my favorite place to hang around in the game. All of the Silent Realms were my favorite. The constant stress of running out of time and Guardians chasing you was great! Loved every minute of it!

SG: That would be the way to do it. So, what parts do you think were the easiest and hardest?

Nelson S.: There weren't a lot of easy parts in the game! I think that the Sandship in Lanayru Sand Sea was the easiest. Sure there were difficult puzzles that made me scratch my head. Overall, easiest part of the game and really fun. 

The hardest part... that took me four hours to conquer... Demise. Honestly, when you know how to beat him, it's a cinch. You really learn a lot of side stepping and backflipping when fighting him. *sigh* That part made me very upset. Haha! 

Wow. That was pretty long.

SG: I don't mind the length one bit. I'm with you there on the fact that there weren't a lot of easy parts. Kind of surprised you picked Demise (yes, I know I just spoke in rhyme lol). I would have thought the Silent Realms would have been hard enough. But either way, that was a tough game. And between you and me, I had to take two goes at Demise before I could defeat him. To this day, I can't land that last blow in one shot.

SG: So, lets talk about the contest for a bit. Won't be long before we have a winner. I'd say we've had some stiff competition in this little challenge. I know it's all in fun, but what do you think of the competition?

Nelson S.: I think it's great! It's really given me the incentive to play more games! I've probably played more games this year collectively than I have over the past two years!

SG: Yeah, that is some pretty good incentive. I know I've played more games myself this year, over the past six years. My gaming really took a tumble in my college days. Did you expect to see the kind of numbers we're seeing? 

Nelson S.: I certainly didn't! You already have 70 games beaten! That is ridiculous! I'm very impressed! My 14 wins seem very small in comparison, but hey, I'm not complaining. I've loved all the games I've beaten this year! I'm looking forward to playing more!

SG: Well, thank you. Imagine how surprised I was. Believe me, I didn't expect to reach that number either, although now it's 71. *laughs* That's the main thing though, playing games that you love and getting them out of mothballs too. So, tell me, would you consider Skyward Sword your hardest game in this contest, or do you think another one would take that spot.

Nelson S.: Skyward Sword is definitely the toughest. I've played some challenging games this year, but nothing like Skyward. The toughest part about it I think was sticking with it. Running back and forth between levels made me want to just put down the game and never play it again. But I'm glad I stuck with it.

SG: I think you summed up my thoughts on it too. There's nothing quite like Skyward. That really is an impressive win whether you've beaten a lot of games or only a few. Speaking of which, out of all your wins, which one has been your favorite so far?

Nelson S.: Out of the games I mentioned earlier... I'm gonna have to go with Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory. It was just so much fun! The levels are fun. The controls are flawless. It's only been a couple of months since completing it and I want to play it again!

SG: Well, that had to be something. I've never played a Tom Clancy game before, but I've heard of them. In fact, Chaos Theory was actually listed as one of the 1001 video games you must play before you die. From the sound of that, it must be true. We're just about finished here, so I guess the last big question would be if Guide2Games were to hold another competition like this next year, would you enter it?

Nelson S.: I definitely will! Even if the competition doesn't happen next year, I'll still keep track of games that I beat. Can't believe I never did it in the past!

SG: Well, then I wish you good luck if they do. And I wish you good luck for the last of this contest. You've been a real good sport about this, so do you have any questions for me, game or contest wise?

Nelson S.: Yeah, no problem, man! Thank you so much for interviewing me! I had a lot of fun! And I wish I had a question for you. I'm not thinking of any at the moment. But as it would happen, I'm sure I'll think of something after you post this interview. 

SG: *laughs* Well, maybe we'll have to do an interview segment with me then. Thanks a lot for taking the time to answer all these questions, and I can't wait to see what you play next.