[Mush xx]

Here to kickstart the Community Spotlight back into action we got the one, the only MrPointyHead, one of our first celebrity spotlights begins with getting into the mind of the man behind Inside Xbox.

The man behind the tag…

So what’s the story behind your tag?

I was in Tokyo back in 2005 when I came upon great sculpture in the middle of Roppongi Hills by Takashi Murakami (you might have seen his work on the cover of Kanye West's last album - he did his most recent video too, I think) called Tongari-kun, or Mr. Pointy and the Four Guards. I took it on board as a pseudonym while I was working at Sony and it's stuck with me ever since. I don't remember when I "naughty word alert"ised it to include the 'head' bit, but at least I can't be accused of copyright infringement any more!

There's a nice video of it being constructed in Brooklyn here:

http://zeekslider.bl...i-murakami.html

How old are you? Where you from?

I'm 28, and I hail from sunny Wolverhampton.

Outside gaming hobbies?

I've recently tried my hand at photography and cooking, but I'm a total amateur on both counts. Apart from that, it's the usual mix of film, music (eclectic on both counts - couldn't specify a preferred pigeonhole) and finding good new places to eat.

In your opinion, which gaming platform has won the war? 360/PS3 or Wii?

It's way too soon to say. Anyway, I think 'war' is overstating it in this context, because I really don't think there'll be any losers per se. Wii is obviously outstripping the competition in the traditional sense, but that's because Nintendo is the first company to successfully understand how to make gaming appealing to the masses. However, Xbox 360 is now turning over a profit - which is always a victory - and I think PS3 will soon enter the realm of profitability too. From a business perspective, that's a big win for all three, although obviously all of them would obviously like to make more money. As would I.

What we're witnessing now is the diversification of gaming, which is something I've always hoped would happen. People aren't just fans of 'film' or 'music'. They like action, comedy or drama; pop, rock, or hip-hop. Obviously, gaming has always been divided by genre, but all have ultimately appealed to gamers' differing tastes as opposed to people's differing tastes. With the likes of Brain Training, SingStar, Wii Fit, Scene It? et al we're finally seeing genres that truly exploit gaming's capacity for being the most multi-faceted medium out there.

Your gaming habits?

Blast from the past (An old game you'd just love to bring back/still has value)

I don't understand the seemingly perpetual demand for Rare to bring back Killer Instinct 3; the first two were fun, but incredibly average and certainly not the best application of their talents as an innovative developer. I'd much rather we petition the return of Blast Corps, an early N64 title that took an ostensibly shallow high concept pitch - smash everything to clear the way for a nuclear missile - and turned it into a compelling, challenging and thoroughly replayable game.

Your biggest gaming achievement (Doesn’t have to be 'achievement' related, e.g. Completing Resident Evil 10 times)

Funny you should mentioned Resident Evil - I was hugely proud when I got the coveted 'A' ranks for both Claire and Leon on Resi 2, particularly as you could only get it by not using first-aid sprays. Apart from that, I once won a national Mario Kart 64 time trial competition (well I was in the top 10 group of winners), and an industry Street Fighter Alpha 3 tournament. I was given a huge comedy cheque for £300!

How long have you been gaming?

Since I was 3... I did have a run-in with a Pac-Man machine when I was 2, but it wasn't until my mum picked up a Spectrum 48k that I became a full-time obsessive.

How long do you spend gaming a week?

Not as long as I suspect most people think I do. I reckon 12 hours on an average week, and most of that is at the weekend.

Which game has made its home in your disc drive as of late?

Army of Two, oddly. Not the best game ever, but the cooperative aspect is well implemented. Achievements are a bit of a grind, though.

The in-game music is a bit on the tacky side, you replace it with?

At the moment, Biffy Clyro, Friendly Fires, Simian Mobile Disco, Slipknot, M.I.A. and/or We Are Scientists.

Best game of all time?

Couldn't possibly name just one.

How has online gaming affected the way you play?

No Xbox LIVE, no MrPointyHead. Obviously I indulge in the odd online bout of Soulcalibur IV, Castle Crashers, CoD4, Rock Band, etc. but they all pale in comparison to the way LIVE has impacted on my life and career.

Your favorite genre of game?

Rhythm action and beat 'em ups, although I'm developing a fondness for shooters in both third- and first-person flavours.

A brief history on your gaming platform past?

Started with a Spectrum 48k, then upgraded to a 128k before moving onto an Amiga 1200 (with a few terrible old PCs in the interim). After that, it was consoles all the way: SNES, GameBoy Pocket, PlayStation, N64, Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, GBA, GameCube, Xbox, DS, Wii, PSP, PS3 (have since returned that to my former employers) and, of course, Xbox 360.

If you could make your own game, what would it be?

If I told you that, people might steal the idea! Animal Crossing-meets-rhythm action is the high-concept pitch...

Game you’re most looking forward to this year?

It's a toss-up between Gears of War 2, Rock Band 2, Guitar Hero: World Tour, Call of Duty: World at War, Left 4 Dead and Lips.

Game which in desperate need of a sequel?

Okami.

What You Do?

The sense of community that comes with Xbox surpasses every sort of community whether its gaming or in other areas, and a lot of it is down to some of the major fan sites, are you a member of any?

I'm ashamed to say I'm not, but your comments about the Xbox community are true. One of the greatest pleasures of working for Inside Xbox is the amount of feedback I receive daily - most good, some bad - and the opportunity that presents to interact with our readers. There are people out there who say that Inside Xbox should be removed, that it's a waste of time, etc. but when you think about it, what other console out there can boast the ability to allow its community to talk directly to people on the inside?

So, what made you want to get involved in the industry and what did you have to do to get there?

See my response to "How long have you been gaming?". It was actually games magazines that made me realise I could get involved, so I set about getting the right qualifications to become a writer while indulging in the odd extra-curricular activity to prove that my passion for the games industry went beyond travelling the required academic route. To cut a long story very short, I applied for a staff writer's job at PlayStation.com a few months after graduating and was, for reasons I can't quite fathom, deemed to be the best candidate. Six years and a brief move into games production later, I applied for the Microsoft role and, well, here I am!

For those who don’t know, what is Inside Xbox and what its main purpose?

Inside Xbox is a digital magazine/newsletter with the unique privilege of being available only on the Xbox 360 dashboad. At its most basic, it's a means of making a nosie about all the new content that quietly sneaks into the Marketplace, but it's also a place where you can see interviews with the developers of the best new titles delivered in a way that's slightly more unusual and, hopefully, entertaining that your typical straightforward talking head Q&A. In the same way Major Nelson and AceyBongos have brought a sense of personality and community to Xbox 360's presence on the 'net, Inside Xbox is intended to echo that approach on Xbox LIVE.

Personally, what’s the best announcement from this year so far?

"Daniel Maher jumps Inside Xbox." Getting my own press release was so cool, even if it did incur a great deal of ridicule.

Any secrets about Trixie or Acey Bongos you think you could let us in on? Antics around the office maybe?

Well Trixie is based over in Seattle, so I can't really speak for her (although I can say that her office is the biggest bombsite you've ever seen), but AceyBongos is a horrendous drunk and frequently abuses me both physically and verbally. Of course he switches into 'cheeky Aberdonian' mode when the cameras are on him, but in all honesty I'm terrified of him. He's also actually from Belgium and affects the Scottish accent.

Sadly, the truth is that he's an absolutely lovely chap. There aren't any specific hi-jinks per se, although our time together in Ibiza was amazing - if you saw the video where we were at the 'Inside Xbox' villa, you'll know what I mean - and we always have a great laugh whether it's on a shoot or just in a meeting.

How much fun do you guys get to have whilst recording the footage we get in our Inside Xbox event scoops, it definitely seems like a perk of the job.

Lots. Most of the stuff we do is made up on the spot, and works the better for it, I think. When I started on Inside Xbox I was keen to ensure that the videos didn't feel slick or artificial; I believe that the moment we try to be overly 'lifestyle' is the moment that we create a distance between ourselves and the viewers. We're just normal gamers who happen to be in a privileged position, and if we start developing egos and the misguided notion that we're celebrities we'll have forgotten the real reason that we're here.

The developers we interview always seem to be into it too. By the time we get to speak to them, they've already been through dozens of journalists who are effectively asking them the same questions. We don't pretend that we're going to ask anything different when we do the 'straight' stuff, but when we say we're going to accompany that with (in the case of Itagaki-san and Denis Dyack respectively) made-up facts about Team Ninja or pleas for advice on Thor's love life, they really brighten up and see it as a spot of light relief in an otherwise demanding day.

We've not seen your good friend Thor on Inside Xbox for a little while, how is he doing, will we see him again, and has he managed to find that...significant other?

Thor just passed me this note: "Thor is pleased to say that his triumphant debut on Inside Xbox has attracted the attentions of many female admirers who have expressed a desire to stroke his luxuriant (genuine!) beard and sit alongside him on his jewel-encrusted throne (with optional cup holder) in Valhalla. Thor has become what he believes humans call a 'playa' and is 'playing the field' before he settles on a worthy human bride. Yours omnipotently, Thor. P.S. Signed 8"x10" glossies are available on request."

Many Thanks, Dan (MrPointyHead)

[Darce Commander]

Nice, thats a good read

[DJ-Jonesy]

Good read