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Member of the Month - October 2014


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A new month, a new beginning and now a new Member of the Month. With THL just finishing up we thought it fitting to commemorate a member from THL6 whose team made the event such a delight to see. This member has been around for a long time and has always been helpful to his fellow members. He has done several guides like the recent inFamous: First Light and Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes and if anyone looks around the The Last of Us forums you may see his name pop up a lot :p.

 

An avid Metal Gear Solid fan and a great lad all round, congratulations to Keyser Soze for becoming October's Member of the Month! :applause:

 

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Can you tell us a bit more about the person behind the PSN ID, ignoring that fact that I totally thought it was meant to be German:whistle:?

 

My real name is Karl and I've heard a lot of theories as to where my ID comes from with most of them being that I'm German, so you're not alone. The name comes from the movie The Usual Suspects and anyone who hasn't seen it should stop reading and go watch it now. I got the nickname in high school for having an uncanny ability to always come up with a believable story to get myself out of trouble for every stupid thing I got caught doing . The name just stuck and I have more friends and family that call me Keyser than Karl.

 

I'm 36 so I'm probably one of our older members. My 9-5 is working for a fairly large construction company as a field supervisor which is a fancy way of saying I spend a lot of time babysitting a bunch of carpenters. We build high end houses and I've done work for some pretty cool people including a NY Yankee and former NY Giants head coach. We do a lot of work out of town which means a lot of free time in the hotel room for gaming. Add to that my insomnia and I usually wind up with more time to play than someone with a part time or no job.

 

Outside of work and gaming I'm an avid G.I. Joe collector with an enormous collection. I have at least one of every figure, vehicle and play set from 1982-87. I've also started collecting some of the modern era figures, with complete 25th anniversary and Retaliation sets.

 

Why you are such an avid G.I. Joe and what is your favourite piece?

 

I was a huge fan of the show and toy line as a kid and 20 years later I fell into collecting by accident. I was helping clean out a basement when I came across a box of Joe figures. Nostalgia kicked in and I rescued them from the dumpster. I started searching around online and saw how much they were selling for and figured I could make a quick buck selling them off. I dug out my childhood collection- thanks for being a pack rat mom- saw that between the two boxes I almost had two complete years of figures and decided to pick up the stragglers and sell them as a complete set. I started buying and just never stopped.

 

There's a lot of great figures and vehicles, especially from the first five years and it's tough to pick a favorite. If I had to pick one I would probably go with the USS Flagg. It's one of the three “holy grail” pieces among collectors and for good reason. With over 150 easily lost or broken pieces, almost all prone to sun fade and discoloration, it's very difficult to find one in good condition. I have one in near mint condition and I'd love to have it out on display. But at 7 ½' long and 4' tall I don't have anywhere to put it right now so it just sits in a box.

 

http://www.oafe.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/flagg.jpg

 

What sort of setup do you have going back home for your gaming?

 

Every tv in my house has a PS3 hooked up to it but my basement is my gaming room and that's where I spend most of my time. Down there I have a 46” 3D Bravia, Sony 5.1 surround, PS4 and a super slim PS3 connected to a Hauppauge HD PVR 2, all on a wall mount stand. I have a second screen in the corner in case I want to watch tv while I'm grinding or playing something boring. The Vita is on the stand next to the recliner along with my laptop open to this site.

 

How long have you been gaming and what made you decide PlayStation as your gaming companion?

 

I was never really into gaming as a kid. I had a friend with an NES so I played a bit of Mario and Duck Hunt and I had a couple of stand alone hand helds but that was about it. When I was a senior in high school I picked up an NES of my own with a big box of games but gaming was still just a distraction more than anything.

 

That all changed when I went away to college. The guy across the hall had a PlayStation, which I'd never heard of at the time, and two games, Twisted Metal and GameDay. I spent almost every night of the next two semesters in an overcrowded dorm room alternating between driving through houses as Warthog and taking on all comers with Green Bay. I was hooked.

 

I picked up a PlayStation and a handful of games the next summer and I've bought every Sony console since. I've owned other systems but PlayStation has the exclusives I want to play and that's what keeps me coming back.

 

What was the last game you bought, and what's the next one you’re looking forward to even though I could guess the one:p?

 

The last purchase I made was a bulk buy. I picked up Borderlands The Pre-Sequel, The Walking Dead season 1 and preordered season 2. Borderlands has been hands down the best out of the bunch. I hadn't planned on picking it up until the price dropped but I'm really glad I did, it's turned out to be the most fun I've had gaming in a while.

 

As far as upcoming games I'm sure you'll be shocked to learn Metal Gear Solid V is my most anticipated. It's not just at the top of my list, it's the only thing even on my radar right now. It's been an agonizing wait, one I haven't experienced since, well, MGS4.

 

http://cdn.bgr.com/2014/06/snake.jpg

 

So you seem to be a pretty big fan of the Metal Gear Solid series, why would this be and what makes the series so awesome ;) ?

 

Mostly because of the simple control scheme (especially in the early games) and easy to follow storyline. :p

 

I played one of the first two Metal Gear games on NES and I kind of liked it but it was way over my head. What got me looking at MGS was I had just played Syphon Filter and really enjoyed it, especially the stealth sections. I was singing its praises up and down to anyone who would listen when a friend told me if I liked that I'd love MGS. I went out, not knowing exactly what I was looking for, and picked up MGS VR Missions. I was more than a little disappointed. Eventually the friend got me straightened out and got me the main game.

 

Something just clicked from the moment I started. Something as simple as getting through the first room with no weapons or knocking on a wall to get the guards to change their path seemed like such foreign concepts and I knew the game was going to be something special. There were so many things that made you think outside the box. Having important codec frequencies hidden in plain sight, using ketchup to escape a prison cell, the Mantis fight- I must have spent days trying to figure that one out.

 

More than anything the story has kept me hooked. I especially liked MGS3 with The Boss' "it isn't all black and white" story arc and the closing seconds with Ocelot left me wanting the next game right away.

 

MGS3.jpg

 

Simple question, Big Boss or Solid Snake?

 

I'm about to crack an egg of wisdom all over you. Big Boss > Solid Snake. All day, every day.

 

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If you had the chance to improve the PlayStation and/or PSN store, what one thing would you like to see implemented?

 

I have a lot of little complaints about PSN and the PS4 but my biggest gripe is how slow the PS store is. Browsing the store on PS3 is ridiculous on a good day and completely unacceptable on a bad one. Even the web store, while the best option available, is slower than I'd like. I buy a lot of games digitally these days and if browsing the store could be improved I'd be pretty happy.

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If you could add one title to the PSN store from any gaming system past or present what would it be?

 

That's a harder question to answer than it should be. I have little to no interest in Nintendo and Microsoft exclusives and most of the PSone and PS2 games I'd like to have are already there. Legacy of Kain: Defiance is really the only thing that comes to mind.

 

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How much of a certified trophy whore are you? Does the trophy list play any part in the decision to play or buy a game, or do you base that decision entirely on the game?

 

Have you seen my THL season 6 play list? I'm certified twice over. I've played some absolute crap for the sake of trophy count, “games” with no redeemable qualities whatsoever. I'm about to pass 10k trophies and I'd like to use that as a turning point. Go back to playing the games I'm truly interested in playing without worrying about how many trophies I'll get out of it and how fast. I have a huge backlog of games I bought solely for trophies though, so it may be a slow transition- if it happens at all. After all, I do love the sound of a trophy popping.

 

What would you say was your proudest platinum and why?

 

That's a silly question. Magus of course. :p

 

I guess it would be Metal Gear Solid 4. It's probably the most difficult platinum on my profile and one of my favorite games of last gen. On top of that it has one of my favorite overall trophy lists. I had already done everything needed for the platinum long before the trophy patch and even though I swore I'd never go after the BBE again I loved every minute of it, all eight play throughs.

 

http://www.thebit.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Metal-Gear-Solid-4-HD-Wallpaper.jpg

 

If the end of the world was nigh and you had to grab three games/franchises to take with you to play out your final days to, what would they be?

 

1. The easy and obvious choice MGS. I'd be reaching for 3 or 4 first but any of them would do.

2. Legacy of Kain. Blood Omen or Defiance would be my top choices here but really anything other than Blood Omen 2 would be just fine.

3. The Last of Us. Great combination of stealth and story and, assuming the end of the world still has internet, one of my favorite mutilplayer games.

 

You say The Last of Us is one of your favourite multiplayer games, any reason for this and why you like it so much. You seem to be an expert on the game going by the The Last of Us forums :whistle:

 

Between PS3 and 4, public and private matches I have close to 1500 games played now. I don't know if that makes me an expert or an enthusiast but I haven't played an online game this much since MGO. If CoD is like checkers then TLoU is like chess, and I like chess a lot more. I'm not really into mp games that are based on sprinting around and emptying a clip in the first thing you see move. TLoU has more of an emphasis on teamwork. A group with mics that works together easily rolls over the lone wolf and run n' gun types. I like playing support, healing, gifting and reviving, and a strong support player makes your team almost unstoppable.

 

http://media1.gameinformer.com/imagefeed/screenshots/TheLastofUs/Bomb%20Throw%20TLOU%20MP.jpg

 

What brought you to PST and what keeps you coming back?

 

The great trophy guides first brought me here. I was a lurker for about a year before I finally signed up to the site. I was having trouble with one of the endings in Heavy Rain and was looking for help. I never really figured out what went wrong and it took me over a year before I went back and got it to unlock.

 

The reason I come back is simple. The community. There's plenty of other gaming websites out there but none have as great of a community as this one. Most of the other sites are full of tools and not pleasant to be a part of. We have a few tools here but they're few and far between. I've met a better group of people here than through anywhere else online.

 

"I've met a better group of people here than through anywhere else online.". Would you care to elaborate on this :whistle:

 

I could easily rattle off a long list of the great people I've met here but to keep it short I'll give special mention to two groups in particular. I've had a lot of memorable moments with the Shivs & Ballache crew. We don't always see eye to eye but there's no denying we've had a lot of fun in our game nights and often bizarre skype chats. From Rems ability to split the finest of hairs like it's perfectly rational, to Warbear shiving someone in a fist only match and then asking who shived her there's been some great laughs.

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kEH6KfZdG0&list=UU4XKLmB_Fxm2F4KtS3fDmWQ]Who Shived Who? - YouTube[/ame]

 

I also have to mention everyone in I Need Your Trophies, Your Boots and Your Motorcycle. THL 6 was the most fun I've ever had gaming-sorry S&B. :p Our late night pep talks and planning, Jordan's Sound Shapes mishap, getting on Noid's level, divi's basement wench, the scumbag slime tyrant, trik's constant Sunny quotes- they're all things I won't soon forget and I'd do every minute of it again. I might save a few trophies from week one though. :whistle:

 

http://www.mediamikes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/04/sunny-season8-300x257.jpg

 

If you were an admin of PST for a day, what would you do and why?

 

There's not much I'd change around here. Things run pretty well as it is but there's a couple things I'd do. First thing would be to tier the Top 5 award. It just never made sense to me why it wasn't done already.

 

Second, I'd order more community events. I'd like to see something every month whether it be a boosting night, game night, tournament or any kind of competition. I've met a lot of really great people through site events, many of whom I talk to or game with on a regular basis, that I never would have met otherwise. If bringing on more EDs is what's needed to make that happen, so be it.

 

Finally I'd ban all staff from adding GTAV to their custom trophy list. Those who know me know why. ;)

 

Any final words for the community?

 

I'd just like to say thanks to the staff for their hard work and tough decisions when problems come up. I also want to thank all of the site contributors for the great guides. I really feel like we have the best guides around and know that it's no small effort to make that happen. Finally thanks to the rest of the community for making this a site worth belonging to just by being awesome.

 

Also, follow your dreams and reach for the stars. :francis:

Edited by mullinavat
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Congrats Keyser! :applause:

 

Your contributions have been outstanding for a while now, it's great to see you get this deserved recognition :) We will have to agree to disagree on our favourite MGS games as we've discussed before though :p

 

And I had no idea you were 36 until I read this! Just shows you can never know people just from forum posts, thought you were early 20s! :eek:

 

Enjoy your month mate!

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Congrats Keyser! Very well deserved mate and a great interview. :applause:

 

From Rems ability to split the finest of hairs like it's perfectly rational

 

Putting that mildly! :rofl:

 

 

Yes! I love this video, such a great match and Warbear's confusion was brilliant. Just seeing her ask 'Really??' in the PSN chat (which you can see in the video pop up) is comedy gold. :D

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Yes! I love this video, such a great match and Warbear's confusion was brilliant. Just seeing her ask 'Really??' in the PSN chat (which you can see in the video pop up) is comedy gold. :D

 

I was lagging, I swear. :whistle:

 

That made me giggle just now. :rofl: You forgot to mention all the times that I shiv'd you from behind though Keyser. :p

 

You guys are awesome! I love our Skype chat and the game nights that we have. :hug:

 

@ Keyser: I agree that the Top 5 award should be Tiered already. That would be great! Also making an award for joining five Staff/MoTM clubs.

 

Congrats mean, very well deserved

 

:think:

:rofl:

Edited by Warbear
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