Advertisement Caitlyn Konze
AGE: 23
JOB (WHEN NOT GAMING): Reference aide and gaming assistant at the La Crosse Public Library
FAVORITE GENRE: Plot-based role play mostly, although first-person shooters will always have a place in my heart ... right next to the bullet.
FAVORITE GAME: I have to pick JUST ONE!?!? *head explodes*
FAVORITE GAME SERIES: The “Final Fantasy” series.
BEST CHARACTER: Squall from “Final Fantasy 8.” How can you not be cool with a gun-blade?
BEST VIDEO GAME MOVIE: Not a lot of people know that they made a “Mario Bros.” movie. It used to be my favorite until I watched it recently and wondered what drugs the creators were on.
BEST CURRENT-GENERATION CONSOLE: PS2. Online gaming aside, PS2 has managed to keep up with all other new consoles. And they just released “Guitar Hero 3” for Xbox 360, Wii, PS3 and PS2.
BEST RETRO CONSOLE: Original Nintendo. Woot for the classics!
WORST GAME EVER: “Dead or Alive: Beach Volleyball.” There is no point — you cannot “win.” What kind of person would think of putting killer assassins in string bikinis on a girls-only island?
CONSECUTIVE HOURS PLAYED: Ever? Total? Well I average about 100 hours per Final Fantasy game, there are almost 20 of them, add the total amount of games I own, multiplied by the number of consoles I've played, divided by the number of Sundays in a year equals ... a LOT.
GAME THAT GOT YOU HOOKED: “Super Mario Bros.”/”Duck Hunt.” That was the first time I was able to out-shoot my dad. It was beautiful.
LAN PARTIES ATTENDED: Not a lot. I don’t see any appeal in drinking and playing. But I suppose if I was the only sober one there it might significantly boost my scores.
Curt Trnka
AGE: 25
JOB (WHEN NOT GAMING): Copy editor at the La Crosse Tribune
FAVORITE GENRE: I enjoy first-person shooter games because nothing beats guns and explosions.
FAVORITE GAME: The “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” arcade game at Chuck E. Cheese.
FAVORITE GAME SERIES: “Halo.” Master Chief’s story arc was great, but the multiplayer is what makes Halo one of the greatest games to date.
BEST CHARACTER: Mario — he beat Bowser and saved the Princess. That’s good enough for me.
BEST VIDEO GAME MOVIE: “Resident Evil.” A fun humans vs. zombies movie.
BEST CURRENT-GENERATION CONSOLE: Xbox 360. The graphics are outstanding, and I really like “Halo.”
BEST RETRO CONSOLE: I’d have to say the original Nintendo. “Mario” and “Duck Hunt.” ’Nough said.
WORST GAME EVER: “Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind.” Sorry if you disagree. I don’t care, though.
CONSECUTIVE HOURS PLAYED: About 10. Thank God my thumbs got sore or I might not have slept.
GAME THAT GOT YOU HOOKED: “Mario 3.” I used to hang out at friend’s houses playing that game for hours. It was the birth of one geeky gamer.
LAN PARTIES ATTENDED: One. I was young, in college and single. Yeah, bad place to meet college ladies.
Brad Pitel
AGE: 25
JOB (WHEN NOT GAMING): Computer programmer at Pepsi
FAVORITE GENRE: Role-playing games — specifically PC-based massive multiplayer online
FAVORITE GAME: “World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade”
FAVORITE GAME SERIES: Diablo. Who said there is no cow level?
BEST CHARACTER: Bond, James Bond. I know he came from a movie, but “GoldenEye” really put him ahead of Mario.
BEST VIDEO GAME MOVIE: “Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.” Unbelievable, well-done graphics, and a plot that goes very well with the series.
BEST CURRENT-GENERATION CONSOLE: XBox 360, only because of the gaming selection. PS3’s graphics dominate, but their games are all sorts of lame.
BEST RETRO CONSOLE: Super Nintendo. Probably still has the best variety of games out there for any console.
WORST GAME EVER: Don’t know since I only play games that receive a 3/5 rating online. But then again, I think I beta-tested “RollerCoaster Tycoon,” and that made me want to read a book.
CONSECUTIVE HOURS PLAYED: 22. Best Sunday ever. My eyes still hurt.
GAME THAT GOT YOU HOOKED: “Moria.” You gotta check out the link to realize the amount of old-school in this game: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moria_(computer_game)
LAN PARTIES ATTENDED: Hundreds. Bring on the Dew and Pringles.
David Bohlander
AGE: 25
JOB (WHEN NOT GAMING): Copy editor at the La Crosse Tribune
FAVORITE GENRE: Role-playing games or turn-based strategy
FAVORITE GAME: “Shining Force II.” It has the quality story you’d find in a conventional RPG but the strategic depth of a strategy RPG.
FAVORITE GAME SERIES: The Shining series. We’ve not seen a new game since I was in high school, but the games consistently have interesting characters, memorable moments and challenging battles.
BEST CHARACTER: Sylvester “Sly Boots” Bucelli from “Anachronox.” The greatest wise-cracking reluctant hero ever.
BEST VIDEO GAME MOVIE: “Resident Evil.” Being anything better than terrible is good enough to win this category.
BEST CURRENT-GENERATION CONSOLE: Nintendo DS. It offers a game experience that is different from anything the other platforms offer.
BEST RETRO CONSOLE: Super Nintendo: “Mario Kart,” “Chrono Trigger,” “Final Fantasy III” (VI). The system really doesn’t need more than that.
WORST GAME EVER: “Myst.” It’s not so much a game as a well-illustrated torture device.
CONSECUTIVE HOURS PLAYED: 18, I think. It was right after “Diablo II” was released. Five or six of us got together to play through the entire game the weekend it came out.
GAME THAT GOT YOU HOOKED: The original “Super Mario Brothers.”
LAN PARTIES ATTENDED: Around a dozen, but really none in the past five years.
Mike Williams
AGE: 21
JOB (WHEN NOT GAMING): Communications and business management major at UW-L
FAVORITE GENRE: Open-ended games that allow you to do anything from robbing your local corner store to delivering pizzas.
FAVORITE GAME: “Saints Row” (for now)
FAVORITE GAME SERIES: Megaman (for ever)
BEST CHARACTER: Mario. If only all plumbers worked for one coin at a time.
BEST VIDEO GAME MOVIE: “Oblivion”
BEST CURRENT-GENERATION CONSOLE: Xbox 360
BEST RETRO CONSOLE: Nintendo 64 (it was a simpler time)
WORST GAME EVER: “50 Cent: Bulletproof.” I’d rather play in traffic than play that game again.
CONSECUTIVE HOURS PLAYED: 56 hours (with 20-minute breaks, napsand Pop Tarts)
GAME THAT GOT YOU HOOKED: Toss up between “Megaman” and “Mortal Kombat”
LAN PARTIES ATTENDED: Three
Lee Konze
AGE: 27
JOB (WHEN NOT GAMING): Deli department manager, People’s Food Co-op
FAVORITE GENRE: First-person shooters
FAVORITE GAME: “Halo 3,” because it’s awesome kicking alien butt.
FAVORITE GAME SERIES: Halo
BEST CHARACTER: The Master Chief (Halo series)
BEST VIDEO GAME MOVIE: “Final Fantasy: Advent Children” (continuing the story of Final Fantasy 7, the video game)
BEST CURRENT-GENERATION CONSOLE: A tossup between Xbox 360 and PlayStation II.
BEST RETRO CONSOLE: Nintendo
WORST GAME EVER: “Cabela’s Dange-rous Hunts 2”
CONSECUTIVE HOURS PLAYED: About 10 to 12 hours at one stretch.
GAME THAT GOT YOU HOOKED: “Doom” for PC.
LAN PARTIES ATTENDED: None
