What originally brought you to NA?

I'd first heard about NA probably sometime around 2014 or 2015 listening to Pat the NES punk bitch about it on his podcast. I was just getting back into collecting at that time after a pretty long hiatus during my college years. I lurked there for a while before finally signing up in the start of 2017, at which point I worked tirelessly to bring the website down from the inside. Didn't take long. 

What's the story with your username?

OptOut looks nice, sounds nice, and has a bit of edge. Suits me pretty well, I reckon! Came up with it as an angsty teen, but it's served me well since... There have been a good few times in my life where opting out of particular circumstances or situations has turned out to be the right decision. Words to live by, not just a pretty name! 

What's the dealio with your avatar?  People still use the word "dealio," right?

OptOut Dog is my fursona. I found him painted on a mural in an outdoor community art project within walking distance of my home. He basically sums up all my aspirations in just one image, he's cool and confident, he knows where he's going and getting there fast, and he's got a smoking hot bitch on the side. I think we could all learn a lesson from OptOut dog. Dealio.

Tell us about being a Britonian.  I mostly just picture Lord British from Ultima

Being British is awesome. I can walk around all day snooting my own farts and no one can stop me! It's a sense of entitlement you really don't get with other nationalities. Britain itself, on the other hand, is a radioactive slag heap. There's a reason we spent hundreds of years building a monstrous system of genocidal oppression and rapacious imperialism, just so we could find somewhere it rains fewer than 300 days of the year, and the women have all their front teeth...

What brought you to Taiwan?

I wanted to live somewhere it rained fewer than 300 days of the year, and where the women have all their front teeth.

On a scale of 0-10, how likely are you to hear Chinese fighter jets flying overhead in the next 3 years?

I actually hear Taiwanese fighter jets overhead pretty regularly! Them China want Taiwan bad, who can blame 'em, eh? Taiwan is a great place! I presume they're not actually gonna invade, doesn't seem very viable, but who knows!

When they come, are you gonna go Red Dawn on their ass?

I, for one, welcome our glorious red commie scum overlords! All hail Winnie the Pooh, please don't kill me and my family! 

How did you meet Captain WhatsHisFace... uh, David?

I met Dave on NA, back then they had little flags next to your name so you could see where people were from. I saw his Taiwan flag so I just dropped him a line!

When did you leave England?

I first left England for an extended period of time in 2009, when I went to study abroad in California. This was also where I happened to meet my wife, who is Taiwanese. We got married in 2011 in Taiwan and moved back to England for a few years. Then in 2015 we moved out here for good! It would be pretty pointless to list all the ways in which living in Taiwan is superior to living in the UK, basically just name a feature of life and it's better! 

What is it like being a foreigner in Taiwan?

I really like being a foreigner in Taiwan! I was always a huge weirdo back in the UK, never felt like I fit in there, but here I have an excuse for not fitting in! Obviously I have a lot of support from my family here, so I'm well sheltered from some of the difficulties some others my face living in a foreign country, so I'm grateful for that. But I can't complain about living in Taiwan honestly, it's cheap, great food, great people, great weather, I mean what more could a guy want? 

Brick mentioned a potential Taiwan visit.  What are you going to do to make that happen?

I have left a series of increasingly cryptic clues spanning the length and breadth of Australia, eventually leading @Brickman to a flight scheduled to arrive in Taipei on December 31st 2039. If he gets started now, he should have JUST enough time to solve the riddles, defeat the basilisk and recover the sacred sceptre in time to check-in to departures at Melbourne international. If he hurries he should even have time to pick up some cheap booze from the duty-free! 

Wife and kids?  Humor me here.

Wife, yep, we're holding on in there! Kids, those two little bastards are great! Luv em to death! 

What does she think of your wall o' Nintendo 64 games?

My wife and I live by the hallowed game-collecting husband principle of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell". I HIGHLY recommend it. I think it does hit her sometimes when she remembers that when we first moved back here to Taiwan my current gameroom used to be her bedroom... Let's just say I'm a good negotiator! 

*Opt takes a quick breather*

Bleh... Where am I? What happened? Must've passed out due to the pain of it all! Oh my God. It wasn't a dream... more like a nightmare! When will the suffering end!!!! 

What's this? More questions, haven't I given enough?! FINE! Use me up, spit me out... I need a fuggin vacation! 

Well, I think everyone needs to bear witness to your outdoor plumbing project.  Why don't you give us some pics and deets'.  People still stay "deets", right?

Oh that silly old thing... I'm sure someone will be able to drag up the picture, I think it's on my old phone... Let's just say, measure once, buy once, measure twice, a fooled man can't be fooled again! Deets. 

Top 10 favorite games of all time and why.

Top ten video games of all time, that's a tricky one! Ten is way too few, I dunno, there are so many parameters! I can barely come up with a top ten for N64! I'll just chuck out the first 10 really great games that come to my mind, and we'll call it that...

Goldeneye 007, Dr. Mario, Super Mario Bros. Halo (actually several games in this franchise could go in the top ten but I'll stick with this one.) Umm... what else, how many more? Ocarina of Time, Mario 64, Donkey Kong Country 2, Sonic 2, Metroid Prime, and... I dunno. Pokemon Shuffle.

There you go, it covers most of the bases! 

Favorite console of all time.

Nintendo Sixty Fucking PHWOUR! Next question. 

Favorite franchise of all time.

I think the easiest answer to this question would be Mario, but I mean it's just such a big franchise with so many games, especially if you consider the spin-offs. Feels like cheating.

I would say the franchise I like the most as a franchise, rather than necessarily the games themselves is Pokemon. It's just so colourful, so many characters, it's so vast and expansive and you can kinda take it at your own pace, sort of get your own thing out of it. If you just want to focus on the games, they are obviously great and there's a TON of them, but if you just want to chill and look at the cool and cute characters you can get just see them everywhere, and there are so many to choose from. It's an epic franchise whatever way you slice it, I'm actually surprised it's actually more popular than ever now, I figured it would probably just be a fad!

If it comes to just pure gaming, like no frills, no distractions, and taking Mario out of the picture, then I would say Halo. I am a big fan of the single-player Halo experience, I think those games provide absolutely first class game design, control and balance, hugely detailed and vibrant levels to explore, and decent lore that doesn't slow the gameplay down too much with story bollocks. The games aren't perfect, I'm not a fan of the Flood levels in the first game, for example, but they do so much right it more than makes up for it. I've played through Halo 1, 2, 3 , ODST and Reach so far, I have Halo 4 as well so I'll probably play that next!

Favorite piece in your collection?

My favourite pieces in my collection are DEFINITELY my two UltraHDMI modded N64's. Got one PAL and one NTSC unit, and I'm in heaven whenever I play on em! 

Personal holy grail?

I'm not like super fanatical about filling my collection with especially rare or expensive pieces, although I won't turn down a good opportunity when it presents itself! I would say probably the thing I would most like to do, if money was no object, would be to complete my 64DD collection, the two games I need and the unit itself. Unfortunately, each of the games I need is over a thousand USD, as is the unit itself, and I just can't justify that sort of expense really when I won't even probably play it much. I'd rather spend the same amount on games to fill out my shelves and play!

Actually, that's not much of a grail I guess, I mean it is obtainable, at least... How about the Mario 64DD prototype disc, which is basically just normal Mario 64, but on a DD disc, and it was found in an Akihabara game store out of nowhere. Okay, that's my grail, Mario 64DD!!!

OH... Oh wow... feeling woozy... What was in that sandwich?! Where did all those clowns come from??! Where are you throwing me!!!?!?!?!!?!?!? 

*Opt takes another breather so he can drink his evening tea or something*

Good morning awesome friends! Man, what a great day! It's amazing how comfortable you can get chained to a radiator, once Stockholm syndrome sets in! 

Questions? Why certainly! Just... no more clowns. Please. 

First game you ever owned?

First game I ever played was Super Mario Bros, although it was my cousins' at the time. When they traded in their NES for a SNES, I got to keep their games so I do in fact own that very cart. At our house when we first got our NES the following Xmas, we got Super Mario Bros. 2 and Isolated Warrior, again I still own those to this day. Definitely got a first-class videogame upbringing, all the way up from NES through the generations, until the epic gaming peak of N64, followed by a slow decline from that glorious shining hill.

Favorite movie of all time?

Favourite movie, that's gotta be Independence Day for me! Hit me at Just the right time back in 96, I was 11 years old and massively into aliens and Area 51 and all those sorts of conspiracy theories and stuff.

I feel like the movie does an excellent job of setting the scene of a globe spanning alien invasion, it really builds up the tension so well as the government finds out about the aliens, then spends time trying to figure out what's going on, trying to communicate before eventually realising the effort was in vain. It really EARNS it's way to the massive explosions, it really feels like a proper powerful moment when the aliens finally attack. Great cast too, and the movie does a decent job handling so many different characters.

I know Independence Day gets a lot of flak, but for me, it's just got it all, and most of the usual criticisms just don't matter much to me when I watch it! Some people don't like the plot holes, but I mean, I'm not a big plot hole kinda dude. Some people don't like it because its too American, or like stereotypically American, but as a foreigner I LOVE how American this film is, watching it is like deep throating a bald eagle while farting the national anthem, you couldn't get more American than that! 

What if I told you I had the poster for Independence Day hanging over my bed as a child?

I didn't think my level of respect and admiration for you could get any higher, but damn it I'm happy to be wrong! 

Favorite book of all time?

It probably wouldn't surprise many people here that I'm not much of a reader, at least not much in terms of fiction, which I would imagine this question is about! Last book I read for pleasure was about ten years ago, I rarely make it through a whole book. However, one book I DID read all the way and really enjoyed was Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. I think we can all learn a thing or two about taking drugs and wasting our human potential on paranoid fantasising from that book!

Favorite song/album/artist of all time.  Pretend you like music like a normal person.

Music, yeesh, that's another blind spot for me! I never paid much attention to music, other than as a background thing. Now I only really listen to music on YouTube when I'm drunk!

I don't really have a favourite band, maybe you could say the Beatles because I did listen to a lot of their stuff with my friend back when I was like 19-20 that sort of age. I read a lot about what they got up to in the 60's, sounds like a nightmare to be honest, to put up with all that attention and pressure! I do have a favourite album tho, believe it or not. Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon. I know that's a pretty basic bitch answer, but I mean, it must be good if even someone like me enjoys it right?! 

What do you do for a living?

My wife and I own and operate an English school here in Taiwan! As a small business, my wife and I basically have to fulfil almost every role in the place, and we work very long hours Monday to Friday, plus many weekends on top! Actually, it wasn't my idea to start a school, I naturally lack motivation/ambition, so I would basically be happy doing any job or no job at all as long as my belly was full (of beer).

But my wife had this whole thing about doing something with our lives, securing our future, providing for our family, and being a part of the community, etc. So I was like, eh, fine, gosh! So yeah, now we have an awesome school named after me, and I am a decent member of society! 

What age/grades do you teach?

I like to get em young, you know? Before their prefrontal cortex is fully developed and the moral and ethical concepts of right and wrong remain ill-defined. It feels great to be influencing a whole new generation, hundreds upon hundreds of young lives and young minds moulded in my glorious image! 

Best story from the classroom?

Classroom time is like a performance for me, it's a great chance to show off in front of a room full of my mental-peers. It's pretty easy to get laughs out of a room full of dumb kids, so whenever I go out there to teach I feel like the world's greatest entertainer!

I can't recall anything especially interesting or funny about the classroom, tbh, it's like just a day-in day-out sort of thing, they all blur together. Zero fatalities so far, that's the main thing. 

Do the kids know about your massive hoard of video games?

They are indeed, although they don't seem to take that much interest in the old stuff! They play a lot of Switch and 3DS though, and games like Smash Bros are good for getting them introduced to a lot of the older franchises and characters. They also get a lot of exposure to classic gaming through YouTube, I think the new generations have a great chance to develop an interest in retro gaming due to the recycling of all the old retro imagery in modern games and related content.

Do you ever drop a piece of gaming knowledge on your class just to let 'em know you're still young and hip?

Actually the students do seem to get a kick out of seeing me playing on my Switch on breaks between classes, and it's a good way to relate to them on their level when you're playing the same games they are! 

Non-gaming hobbies?

Non-gaming hobbies, I mean I barely have time for the gaming stuff tbh! When I'm not working I try to spend as much time with my family as possible, and often we're going out to various places and going to eat at restaurants and stuff, or just chilling at home on the couch watching Netflix or playing a board game or whatever.

When I do get some time to myself I will usually prioritize gaming, but I may watch some Simpsons or a movie or something if I'm feeling tired. I also have either YouTube or a podcast running pretty much 24/7, whether I'm working or gaming, so I would say that is the closest thing I have to a second hobby.

FMK: Queen Elizabeth II, Dame Judi Dench, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall

I would marry the queen, for sure, she can't have much time left, and it would be cool to inherit a couple billion pounds worth of land, titles and jewels. Plus, I look GREAT in a crown! 

Dame Judy Dench is actually in fine condition, for her age, and just looking at her you know she's got that confidence and self-assuredness, you can tell she knows what she wants in bed, and how to get it! We'd probably go out for a fancy dinner in a top London restaurant, share a couple bottles of wine and a few stories. After that it'd be a short black cab ride to her multi-million pound penthouse overlooking the city. Once we made it into her bedroom, I'd just put on my gimp mask and follow her lead... 

Kill Camilla, I mean, come on. 

*The Queen dies like LITERALLY the next day*

Oof, maybe I spoke too soon about marrying the Queen there, eh?! 

FMK: David Beckham, Hugh Grant, Harry Styles

David Beckham, oh my god FUCK, hell yes! He still retains a lot of the boyish charm of his younger days, but matured now into that classic middle-aged male smoulder. Then you have the muscles and general physique, plus I'm sure he smells amazing. He looks like he smells like the inside of a designer boutique. Gentle lover too, I'm sure, he's got that soft-spoken, family man vibe. I would feel cared for and safe in his strong arms, no doubt. 

Marry, this is an easy one, Hugh Grant. I know he's a bit of a cad, and there's no WAY I could actually trust him, but imagine how many charmingly befuddling misunderstandings, and comical mishaps we would have! Plus, he's a great conversationalist, and we would be hosting the most epic dinner parties/sex swinger gatherings. I reckon we could make it a good two or three years before the inevitable messy divorce!

Kill Harry Styles. I don't know that much about him, other than he's some sort of cross-dresser and he looks like a rat.

FMK: Princess Di, Amy Winehouse, Mary Poppins

Princess Di is the easy lay on this question, she was undoubtedly hot before Prince Charles had her killed for exposing his paedophile ring in the palace, although we'd definitely have to visit a hairdresser first to get that WHACK 90's hairdo sorted! I'm pretty sure posh birds like Di like it rough in the bedroom too, to take out all the pent up frustrations of acting all prim and proper all the time, so I'm sure we'd have a lot of fun! 

Marry Mary Poppins, it would make life pretty easy having a bit of magical help with the chores around the house, and I also enjoy getting bossed around by stern women. Plus, she's holding down a fulltime job there, babysitting or whatever, so a second income stream would really help out the household finances.

I'd kill Amy Winehouse, I couldn't imagine either of the other two options being much fun with her. You'd definitely wake up with some sort of disease. 

FMK: Your wife 10 years ago, your wife today, your wife in 10 years.

My immediate gut reaction to this one is to go back 10 years to bang my wife. I mean, she still puts out today, don't get me wrong, but we were on a whole different level back then, there was a LOT of go in her! It would be pretty epic to relive some of those more wild times, before kids and responsibilities and the weight of the world brought things down a notch. However, I'm not sure how ten years ago me would have felt about the whole situation. I would have become pretty jealous of my wife for getting to bang me, unless we could arrange some sort of three's up scenario! It would also mean I would have to kill either my current wife or kill her in ten years time, which would suck pretty bad.

So, I'm going to assume this is working on Avengers: Endgame time travel rules, where altering the past creates an alternative timeline, rather than influencing the present, and therefore I will travel to the past to kill my wife ten years ago, so I can remain married to my wife in the present. After that, I will continue boning her for the next ten years until the inevitable F comes to pass! 

Favorite werewolf memory?

Oh boy, more questions! I think my Stockholm syndrome is back, thank you daddy! 

Hands down my best Werewolf experience was the Ninja Turtles game headed up by mah boi @Jeevan! I was a wolf that time, The Shredder himself, and I watched as each of my wolf team mates were picked off one by one like bitches. I reached some terrifying lows along the way, surrounded like a rat in a trap, but with a bit of moxie and using @Gloves as a human crash-mat, I was able to miraculously barge my way through like 3 sequential rounds of votes and kill all the Turtles, securing a win for myself! Many people caught PTOD (post-trusting OptOut Disorder) that day, an epidemic that ravages the boards to this very day! 

If you could kill any player in werewolf and get away with it scot-free, who would it be?

I am assuming for this question you mean whilst actually playing the game, and not in real life... Lots of KILLING related questions coming up here... Should I be getting nervous?! 

The answer is, I DO get away with most of my killing in werewolf anyway, and I will kill and kill and kill again, ANYONE who gets in the way of my victory. Especially REED. 

Favorite Survivor memory?

I have enjoyed my time with Survivor both times I played, but obviously the first game, getting through to the final 3, that was a real highlight! I think the entire process of getting there, strategizing and picking the appropriate targets to either befriend and/or betray, and just the general comradery and fun alongside the competitive element, I really think it gave me the chance to stretch my talents for communication and social manipulation... Basically everything other than my actual video-gaming skills, lol! 

Tell us the full story about your recent injury.  Wife beat you up again?  Kids beat you up again?  Class beat you up again?

My foot? My broken foot?! YOU did that to me after you brought me here and I tried to escape!  Said you'd come back for the other too, if I didn't answer your SICK little list of questions here, you MONSTER!

Anyway, I've done what you asked, please, just let me go!... I have kids!... I'll let you do what you want to them, I mean absolutely, by all means go nuts, just PLEASE let me go! 

Walk us through a day in the life of OptOut.

Walk, huh? WALK! Real funny, smart-ass. Once my broken foot is better it will be heading directly for your ass, with intent to kick it. I don't need this kind of disrespect, I'm a well liked local sideshow! 

SNES or Mega Drive?

Personally I prefer the Mega Drive over the SNES. Don't get me wrong, SNES has some epic games that I really love, and inarguably the top tier of SNES is better than anything on the Mega Drive. But, what I really love about the MD is the style and the sounds and the attitude of the games. They really have this look and feel, the music and everything, it really sums up the early nineties in a way I feel the SNES just doesn't for me. SNES has that sort of orchestral, synth sound, but I prefer the dirty industrial electronic rock of the Mega Drive. The box art on MD games is also fantastic, there are so many painted covers that look like something you'd see on a heavy metal album!

In terms of games, I'd say the best possible experience you can have on MD is the shooters. There's just so many great shooters on the system, and personally I've barely scratched the surface and I'm already loving em! There's tons of great sidescrollers, beat em ups and puzzle games on there too, all my favourite genres are well represented. Plus, a big bonus is the lack of RPGs, which really weigh the SNES down IMO, hate em! 

N64 or PS1 or Saturn?

I think this is possibly the dumbest question I've ever been asked. I think I own a PlayStation... I got it in a bundle of crap from a junk shop for a pittance. I've been meaning to throw it out, but it's buried somewhere and it's already broken so it's not harming anyone. I have two broken Sega Saturns too, and I've never been happier.

I am utterly uninterested in either of those platforms... MAYBE the Saturn, if I could find one that actually works and do the SD card mod or something, but I've got so many other systems it's unlikely to happen. There is no space in my life for anything PlayStation. I have a deep, visceral revulsion to the brand and all of it's systems.

Cube or PS2 or Xbox?

AHH, now we're talking! I am a HUGE OG XBOX fan! I love the system, the S controller is probably my favourite controller of all time, and the library is just awesome IMO. I am a huge fan of console FPS, so obviously I am in heaven on the XBOX, there are just so many great FPS games on there! There are tons of great racers on there too, whether we're talking more realistic like the Project Gotham games, or more arcade style like Burnout. Also, there are just TONS of Star Wars games on the XBOX, it is actually probably the best system ever for Star Wars games, Battlefront, Knights of the old Republic, Jedi Academy, Clone Wars, Republic Commando, I mean even more than that! Then, on top of that, basically all the 3rd party stuff of that generation, the best versions of the best games are all on the XBOX. It's a huge system in every way, a real beast!

On the other end of the weight scale, you have the GameCube. I like the GameCube, but for me I will always see it as the disappointing follow up to the N64. I was SO hyped for the GCN before it came out, I was counting down the days! I think I was way over-hyped tbh. Basically, the way I see it is the GameCube just has worse versions of a lot of N64 stuff. I prefer Mario 64 to Sunshine, the N64 Zelda's to the GCN Zelda's, F Zero is better on N64, I prefer Mario Kart 64 to Double Dash, and the GameCube HUGELY suffered from the loss of Rareware honestly, that was a CRUSHING blow to me back then. Even some of the good games aren't substantial enough to make up for the shortfall, like Luigi's mansion and Pikmin, like they're good games, but I was expecting more.

The games I DO like on GCN are some of the more unique releases, like Metroid Prime 1 and 2 and Eternal Darkness. I will also say that Rogue Leader is better than Rogue Squadron on the N64, and Melee is better than OG Smash Bros. I also like all the sonic games on GCN, there are so many! So, for me, the GameCube is a mixed bag. I don't hate it, but it's far down the list of my favourite systems.

Which member of The Breakfast Club are you?

Tony the Tiger. No, wait. The bee from honey loops.

Favorite food?

Probably my all-round favourite is Pizza, it ticks a lot of boxes all at once for me. I am fine with a bunch of different toppings, although I am not a fan of seafood on pizza, which is a big one here in Taiwan, and I definitely prefer Tomato sauce to BBQ sauce on the base.

There's a local Pizza chain here in Taiwan, Pizza Rock, beats the shit out of the crap you get from Dominos or Pizza Hut. Every single Thursday, without fail, I get Pizza for dinner from Pizza Rock. I am quite partial to their Mexican pizza, topped with ground pork, black beans and both jalapeno peppers and the SUPER hot spicy red chilli peppers. I also like your more conventional peperoni, supreme and/or meat feast, although Pizza Rock also do an amazing Chorizo pizza... It's super salty and probably takes a month or two off the life of your heart with each slice, but it's SO good as a treat every now and then!

Oh, and I'll get this out the way right now. Hawaiian pizza is fine, I'm fine with pineapple on pizza, although I wouldn't choose it before any of the flavours listed above, but I WOULD choose it above seafood, BBQ or plain mozzarella.

We're gonna need a picture of some Pizza Rock

Let's see here...

This is from the website, they use the same image of that dude on the menu. I think he's like Canadian, Dave has met him I think. It's good damn pizza, honestly, and compared to literally any other pizza you can get in Taiwan, it might as well have been sent directly from the Gods! 

Beer, wine, or liquor?

One of each, please! 

Seriously though, beer, yes, I'm a lager guy generally, your standard piss-water beers, mainly because when I drink I like to drink a LOT so the heavier beers kinda slow me down a little, and the risk of hangover is higher. If I'm only planning to drink a couple, then I may choose a better quality, heavier and more flavourful beer in that case.

Wine, yes, yes! Wine is probably my favourite alcoholic beverage, it's got a great ratio of alcohol content to drinkability. In years gone by, I preferred white wine to red, especially in the UK where you can keep it cold longer. Here in Taiwan, however, good white wine is hard to find and it's very difficult to keep it chilled while you drink... I like BIG glasses.... so, I have developed a decent taste for red wine. I have a big ol' mug I like to fill up with red wine, you can fit like half a bottle in it, and just play video games, or hang out watching TV or whatever, and just keep refilling it whenever I need to until I pass out.

As for liquor, well, that's tricky for me. Many kinds of liquor make me sick. I can't drink whiskey, brandy, tequila or rum, basically all the dark liquors. I like gin, it's a good taste and decent drink for mixing, but I get TERRIBLE hangovers on gin, specifically. Probably for the best, because I would be a monster on gin.  My REAL favourite liquor, and my darkest muse, is vodka, but I really shouldn't...

I can drink vodka endlessly without feeling sick, and without getting hungover the next day. This is a HUGE problem, because it is stupidly potent, and it gets me in trouble... blackouts, emotional outbursts, unintended self-harm, the WORKS. I do my best to avoid drinking vodka as anything other than a nightcap when I KNOW I will be going to bed straight away, it's the only way I can handle myself on it, I'm a fiend.

Best local beer?

There's actually a pretty good micro-brewery pub in Taichung, the next city over, been there a couple of times with Dave! They have a special tasting menu where you can try out like thirty different beers or something, and you can get some wacky flavours! It's nice for a treat, but generally I stick to your average cans of piss.

Coffee or tea?

I like tea and coffee. I can generally only have one tea or one coffee per day though, because I'm very sensitive to caffeine... It won't surprise many of you that I am already pretty highly strung, high tempo kinda guy at the best of times! I don't really need much more pep in my step!

I like many kinds of tea, all the colours of the rainbow, hot or chilled. I prefer coffee, my favourite way to have it is hot, black, no milk, no sugar. However, I also like coffee or tea with milk sometimes, more like a desert or a treat than a beverage. But never with sugar though, the milk is sweet enough as it is.

Crumpets or pasties?

Never been a huge fan of crumpets, but a good pasty is a meal in itself! I actually prefer sausage rolls to pasties though, but I can't get either of those in Taiwan, sadly! 

Haggis or black pudding?

I've only had haggis rarely, but I liked it when I tried it! Black pudding is delicious though, especially as a part of a full English breakfast! 

American The Office or British The Office?

The British Office is absolutely one of the best, most finely crafted television series ever made. It is as close to perfect as that kind of observational-style sitcom could be, from the writing all the way through to the performances, it's an all time great. The American office is a fine sitcom, but it's a lot more conventional. I haven't watched all of it, but I enjoyed what I saw.

Black Adder or Mr. Bean?

Blackadder and Mr. Bean are both great shows in their own right, but quite different. I prefer Blackadder, due to the amazing wit and writing, and again, incredible performances from some Britain's greatest comedic talent of the 80's and 90's. I am also a keen history buff, especially British history, naturally, so the theming and some of the specific jokes and scenarios are especially appealing to me.

Mr. Bean is a great performance from Rowan Atkinson, there really are very few other comedic actors who could have pulled of the range of physical and silent comedy bits that he manages to convey through his body and facial expressions they way he did. It's so good, the kids in my school STILL love to watch the clips on YouTube to this day, as well as the later cartoon series they made. You know, if they rebooted Mr. Bean with an American actor, I reckon Bryan Cranston would do an excellent job, I think he is one of the few modern American comedic actors who could replicate that range of physical and emotionally expressive comedy.

Braveheart or The Patriot? 

Never seen either movie, but I'm gonna say the one where we killed the savage Scotsman. 

The Patriot's from the same guys who made Independence Day.  Just saying...

I will take any advice from you on which movies to watch under advisement from my lawyers. 

Dead Poets Society or Stand and Deliver?

Nah.

Star Wars or Star Trek?

I like both Star Wars and Star Trek, both franchises have so much and such varied content that I think most people with an interest in sci-fi or fantasy can find something to like.

For Star Wars I am into the original Trilogy, I like Episode 7, 8 an Rogue One from the new movies, and I am into the Disney+ series as well, particularly the Mandalorian and the new Andor series. I am also a big fan of Star Wars video games, especially on N64, GCN and XBOX.

For Star Trek, I like TNG, DS9, Voyager, Enterprise that era, and I also like the new movies as well, I thought they were really well done. I am also a fan of The Orville, which obviously isn't technically Star Trek, but it might as well be, definitely worth checking out!

Ocarina of Time or Majora's Mask?

I love both games, I'd say they are my two favourite Zelda games, without question. I used to prefer Majora's Mask, due to the greater emotional depth of the game, but over the years I have found OoT to be much more fun to revisit and replay, so I now consider that to be the better game of the two.

Super Mario 64 or Banjo Kazooie?

Again, both games are absolute greats. I think in many ways Banjo Kazooie is the better game, whether that be the graphics, the dialogue and characters, or the overall world design, which makes each world feel more like actual locations as opposed to some of the Mario 64 levels which are more like obstacle courses. There is also better variety in the available moves, and a lot of the objectives to earn puzzle pieces in Banjo Kazooie.

However, I would say Mario 64 PLAYS better, in a more immediate sense of control and the framerate it a bit smoother, which adds more to the gameplay experience. Mario 64 also has more levels and feels a little more streamlined in terms of getting straight to the action. For these reasons I would say Mario 64 is more replayable, and as with OoT vs. MM, over the long-term I think replayability beats out some of the more particular advantages a game like Banjo Kazooie may have over Mario 64.

Any other VGS/NA'ers you've met?

Not yet, it's a little tricky all the way out here, but I'd love to visit the states and/or Canada and hang out with a few more cool VGS dudes one day! 

Ever torn your palm open playing Mario Party?

Oh yeah, who didn't back in the day? Bleeding palms and epic highscores on the flying wind-up Shyguy minigame were badges of honour back then!

First thing that comes to mind (for each one):

UK. 

Miserable

America. 

Fatdumb

Australia.

Chazwozzer

Japan.

Hentai

Brazil.

Shaven haven

China.

Monster

Hong Kong. 

Victim

Sony.

Satan

Nintendo.

Jesus

Sega.

Sonic

Gloves. 

Mother

Jeevan. 

Lover

ZeldaFreak. 

Brother

Reed.  

REED. 

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Probably very similar to what's going on today really! I hope to have gotten the business to the point where it will need a lot less time and input from me and my wife, so we can take a little more time back for ourselves. Hopefully a bit more time for gaming, a bit more time for fun, and just happy days! Yeah, sounds good! 

Who should I interview next?

Well, I wouldn't wish this tortuous process on my worst enemy, but if you are twisting my arm, it would be remiss of me not to suggest Dave, @fcgamer! I'm sure he would light up the comments section something fierce with a few of his spicy takes here and there!

I'd also love to see @ZeldaFreak get his time in the spotlight, although you may need to up the site bandwidth to accommodate his epic-length responses!

And, of course, mah boi @Jeevan... I'm sure he'll take your numerous movie suggestions in good faith! 

What am I thinking about right now?

Untying my bonds, unlocking my cell door, chaining up the attack dogs and calling me an Uber to the airport? 

Ok