Issue 095
December 2012
What was the first game you remember playing?
“The first game I remember playing was Combat. That was back in the Atari days. And Castle Keeper too… Then in junior high school I moved on to Zelda, which I still love to this day. But I started playing in the arcade. I used to work as a kid and earn a couple of bucks so I could go and play video games all day. Street Fighter used to be my favorite then I think, with the big huge buttons on it. The harder you’d hit those buttons the harder the character would punch and kick. It was awesome.”
Home systems revolutionized gaming in the ‘80s. What kind of systems do you remember owning?
“I had a Nintendo, a Sega and I jumped on the Xbox when that first came out too.”
Are you a sports game, shooters or RPG kind of guy?
“I do like sports games, and I play them a lot, but I really love discovery games. I like getting stuck into a good RPG. I grew up playing games like Dungeons & Dragons, going on adventures.”
What games are you playing now?
“Nowadays its stuff like Modern Warfare. I started playing that right before the second Forrest fight at UFC 106, playing Modern Warfare 2. And I’ve not really played too many other games since. It’s either that, or Black Ops or Modern Warfare 3 – and I can’t wait for Black Ops 2 to come out. I’m a big Call of Duty player.”
Do you ever play again fans online?
“Yeah, all the time. I always Twitter about it. Fans come in, we play, and whoever comes last gets kicked and the next guy comes in.”
What is your favorite game of all time?
“I’d have to say Zelda, that really got me into games. And you can play it today and it’s still as good as it ever was, it’s a great game. But Modern Warfare is ridiculous too; it’s like a movie.”
QUICK FIRE
PC or console gaming?
“Console.”
Sonic or Mario?
“Mario.”
Nintendo or Sega?
“Sega, just because of the graphics.”
Three games on a desert island?
“Black Ops 2, which isn’t even out yet! Modern Warfare 3 and Mario Bros.”
SEPARATED AT BIRTH
Nina Williams and Ronda Rousey
The Williams clan were known for their bone-breaking assault during the Tekken Iron Fist Tournaments of the late ‘90s, and it’s a baton the ‘Rowdy’ one has ran with to some degree of late. Both enjoy non-therapeutic joint manipulation and general ass kicking.
So, a piece of advice: don’t get in the middle if they both get the wishbone at Christmas.
BACK TO THE FUTURE
Video Game History of MMA: King of Fighters
Like a handful of other defining moments of a generation, we all remember where we were when the UFC bought out Pride. It was the end of an era, but also marked the start of another as UFC top brass promised to keep the Pride spirit alive and coined the now famous ‘Super Bowl of mixed martial arts’ phrase.
If they’d checked back in the video gaming history books, however, they’d have realized Rugal Bernstein had beaten them to it with his audacious The King of Fighters tournament.
The King of Fighters was an invitation-only tournament featuring the best combatants from around the SNK galaxy to compete in a no-holds-barred extravaganza. Perhaps best, though, was the truly Sonnen-esque promo work that the various teams put in both before and after the bell.
The greatest fighters from all four corners of the globe were invited to fight for fame and fortune in a tournament that ignited great rivalries which made Chute Boxe vs Brazilian Top Team seem like a Facebook quarrel in comparison.
LAUZON’S BEST BITS
UFC lightweight contender
Joe Lauzon shares the best from his life in video games...
Lauzon on: The best game ever
“That’s not even a tough one. It’s Zelda on the N64. It’ll always be Zelda on the N64. Go back and play that game and you’ll be amazed how it holds up and just how complicated that was at the time. Me and my friends lost days to that game and, looking back, it was definitely worth every second.”
...
