Incoming New Challenger

Hey basement gamers,

My name's Charlie and it looks like I'm the team's new rookie. I've been given the opportunity to write alongside these fellow game enthusiasts and hopefully I'll be half as entertaining.

So where to begin? I suppose the basics will do just fine. I'm nearly twenty-five and have lived in Montreal my entire life. I just recently graduated from Concordia University with a double major in English Literature and Classics (God of War fans brace yourselves, I'll be covering the franchise quite a bit) and currently combating with the fates for a half decent career.

Incidentally, being born in '89, I saw the emergence of the original NES. I feel like a bloody dinosaur. I remember gazing upon that Duck Hunt/Mario cartridge in awe. Here it was, presented to me in grey plastic glory, my first video game. Do you know what conclusion I came to after investing an hour or so into that cartridge? That I hated that nuisance of a dog. Subsequently, I began my quest to discover new pixelated adventures. Fast forward a few years, the SNES is released. Conversely, the NES was great, what with the golden Zelda cartridge and its Megaman "I die every 5 seconds" difficulty and what not, but holy Olympian gods did the Super Nintendo blow my mind. Especially in 1992 with the release of Street Fighter 2: The World Warrior. The moment I picked up the controller and mashed the buttons resulting in E. Honda's hundred-hand-slap, I knew I was in love with gaming. In '94, I was introduced to my very first video game crush, Cammy from SUPER Street Fighter 2. Interestingly enough, I still play as Cammy twenty or so years later.

You may have guessed it by now, but I'm an avid 2D fighter fan. Guilty Gear, BlazBlue, Marvel Vs Capcom, you name it. However, recently I've started exploring outside of my comfort zone. Not that I exclusively played 2D fighters but those were the games that I excelled in (I'm decent, I guess?) and devoted most of my time to play. In fact, I skipped three days of college upon Street Fighter 4's release just so I can get some serious online crunch time. Nevertheless, I still played all your classic game genres and big name games such as: Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Resident Evil, Call of Duty, etc. Besides gaming, I'm also a huge Transformers geek. Now, when I say Transformers, I don't mean the Michael Bay cluster-f*ck of machinery, but the 1984 G1 cartoon and toys and onwards. I've got a pretty ridiculous collection of Transformers figures alongside a modest assortment of He-man, G.I. Joe and X-Men. I feel like I'm rambling on; am I rambling on? I need to stop.

Above all, you must all be wondering why am I here and what you can expect from me. Well, even though I've got a super academic mind, I tend to enjoy the simple things when it comes to gaming. All I want is to be entertained when I play a game. I have certain criteria that I follow when I play but I don't expect award winning gameplay or narratives. I'll enjoy a Dynasty Warriors as much as I enjoy The Last of Us, it simply depends on if it properly executes what I need at that given moment. I'm also very fortunate to have an incredible girlfriend who enjoys gaming with me, so I'll have the opportunity to discuss the couch-based multiplayer of games who have that criteria. Lastly, I want to bring a distinct, genuine and fun opinion to compliment this extraordinary team. 'Kay, it's over, I swear.

Cheers!