We have started a new monthly feature here at XboxAmerica called "Community Spotlight". Once a month, I will be interviewing a XbA member to get the community to know him/her a little more. The inaugural sucker community member is San Grial, who signed up in July of 2006.
XbA Username: San Grial
Gamertag: San Grial
Could you tell us where you are from and your age?
Currently live in Kettering, OH (Dayton Suburb) and am originally from the Centerville/West Carrollton and Kettering area and I am 32 years old.
Would you mind telling us a little about yourself?
I am a father of a son and a daughter and husband of a beautiful wife. Besides gaming, I really enjoy music, movies, and the occasional good book. I work in customer service during the week, and am a mobile DJ on the weekends. I am a pretty outgoing individual and love to talk about just about anything. There isn't really anything out there that offends me, but I am not one to sit there and listen to immature cursing and racial talk that I hear across XBL every now and then. I am usually pretty busy all week long, as my wife and I work out 3 times a week, and there is always a birthday or something going on in between. Somewhere among this madness I manage to fill my gaming fun.
How did you find XboxAmerica?
Someone's signature on Xbox.com had a link to the original XbO. I can't remember who it was now, but I really liked that it was more local than Xbox.com. (For the record, it was Zoboa's)
Favorite restaurant?
Fast Food - Taco Bell
Sit Down - Amar India
Most famous person you have met?
Ha, probably Roger Bingham from one of the old Survivors. My mind is drawing a blank on this one, but I think that is about the only "famous" person I have actually talked to and met in person.
Person you would most like to have dinner with?
Tom Hanks or Sally Fields (My all time favorite actor and actress)
Tennis Shoes or Sneakers?
Tennis Shoes
PC or MAC?
Ha, I would love to own a Mac, but all I seem to end up with is another PC, due to my bad gaming addiction. New games never seem to hit the Mac as quickly as the PC.
How long you been an active gamer?
I can honestly say I remember playing the old Pong system my parents owned, but I really didn't start actively playing video games until the Atari 2600. That is probably the oldest system I truly got addicted to. So, that would be almost 30 years. Holy cow, does that mean I started playing video games when I was 3, LOL, ugh this question makes me feel really old now.
What is the story behind your Gamertag?
San Grial - Right when I bought my Xbox 360, I was in the middle of listening to an Audio Book on my MP3 player - The Da Vinci Code. All I could think of was stuff from that book and I thought it would sound good as the "Holy Grail" of gaming. I tried "Holy Grail" but it was taken so I had to go with the Latin version - San Grial. (Yes, I know it is usually spelled San Greal or Sangreal, but I had the darn audio version of the Da Vinci Code and didn't feel like looking up the actual spelling, LOL)
Favorite game genre?
Right now, my favorite genre has to be RPG's. I am playing Zelda on the Wii, Oblivion on the 360, FFIII on the DS, FFXII on the PS2, and Paper Mario on the Gamecube. (My favorite genre used to be racing though, just because I like to think I am good at racing games)
Favorite 360 game?
So far, my favorite game on the 360 is probably PGR3, but I like to think that Oblivion will win this once I start playing through it again, LOL.
All-time favorite game on any platform?
Ouch, this is a very hard question, but I would have to go with my most addicted game - Lineage II. This was my very first and only MMORPG I have ever played, and I was absolutely stunned at how emotional I got over everything. My brother and I decided to try an MMO a few years ago and this one was just coming out, so we both jumped on board. Little did I know, that it was going to be the longest most intense two years of my gaming life. There was everything from intense anger inducing PvP Castle Sieging to fun, role playing, dancing adventures with some truly fun people. The clan system, economy, graphics, and intensity were second to none at the time. As odd as it sounds, this game made me laugh, scream, and even cry and I'll never forget the 2 years I had playing it.
Xbox 360 game not named Halo 3 you are looking most forward too?
Forza Motorsports 2
How often do you play multiplayer on Xbox Live?
1-2 evenings a week right now. I am so busy gaming on other systems and busy DJ'ing, plus I am trying to finish a lot of single player games. (see above)
What type of Live Gamer are you?
I think I am pretty relaxed on the Mic. I am definitely not a trash or cursing type, but I do like to just gab with people and see what things they do outside of gaming. You should see me when I turn on the Xbox Live Vision camera though - Wooha!
What does your Gamerscore mean to you?
This whole achievement thing started out as being a nice little diversion when playing games, but I am definitely not in it for a high gamerscore ranking. I just really like the way it has added a nice little set of mini-goals to an already fun game.
Best in-game accomplishment?
I would have to go with the "Tournament Qualifier" Achievement for PGR3, followed closely by the "Score 1,000,000 points" Geometry Wars achievement.
If you could bogart 5 things from existing games to make the ultimate game, what games and what parts would they be?
Hmmm...I wouldn't mind making the ultimate game with: Zelda's Epic Length, Mario's Fun and Colorful Spirit, Grand Theft Auto Originality, PGR3 Realistic Racing and Pong Simplicity. Combine all 5 of these things together to make a Brand New, Easy to Control, Bright and Colorfully Fun, Epic Racing Sim!! ROFL
One thing you would like to change about anything related to Xbox 360?
I just don't want these game developers to start thinking that everyone loves playing games online and lose the great single player experiences. I see so many reviews of games saying "The single player game lacks, but this game is more towards multiplayer". I enjoy playing online sometimes, but I don't want my single player experience to be secondary when I buy a game. I just want MS and others to be aware of this as they push forward in their Online world.
What can be done to improve XboxAmerica?
I would like to be able to see what part of Ohio people are from when they post in the forums section. That is one of the main reasons I came to this site because it is local, but I noticed that when I go to the member viewing screen it only says - "resides somewhere in Ohio". It is always nice to see what part as Ohio is pretty freaking big!
Got a question or comment? Put it below!
XbA Username: San Grial
Gamertag: San Grial
Could you tell us where you are from and your age?
Currently live in Kettering, OH (Dayton Suburb) and am originally from the Centerville/West Carrollton and Kettering area and I am 32 years old.
Would you mind telling us a little about yourself?
I am a father of a son and a daughter and husband of a beautiful wife. Besides gaming, I really enjoy music, movies, and the occasional good book. I work in customer service during the week, and am a mobile DJ on the weekends. I am a pretty outgoing individual and love to talk about just about anything. There isn't really anything out there that offends me, but I am not one to sit there and listen to immature cursing and racial talk that I hear across XBL every now and then. I am usually pretty busy all week long, as my wife and I work out 3 times a week, and there is always a birthday or something going on in between. Somewhere among this madness I manage to fill my gaming fun.
How did you find XboxAmerica?
Someone's signature on Xbox.com had a link to the original XbO. I can't remember who it was now, but I really liked that it was more local than Xbox.com. (For the record, it was Zoboa's)
Favorite restaurant?
Fast Food - Taco Bell
Sit Down - Amar India
Most famous person you have met?
Ha, probably Roger Bingham from one of the old Survivors. My mind is drawing a blank on this one, but I think that is about the only "famous" person I have actually talked to and met in person.
Person you would most like to have dinner with?
Tom Hanks or Sally Fields (My all time favorite actor and actress)
Tennis Shoes or Sneakers?
Tennis Shoes
PC or MAC?
Ha, I would love to own a Mac, but all I seem to end up with is another PC, due to my bad gaming addiction. New games never seem to hit the Mac as quickly as the PC.
How long you been an active gamer?
I can honestly say I remember playing the old Pong system my parents owned, but I really didn't start actively playing video games until the Atari 2600. That is probably the oldest system I truly got addicted to. So, that would be almost 30 years. Holy cow, does that mean I started playing video games when I was 3, LOL, ugh this question makes me feel really old now.
What is the story behind your Gamertag?
San Grial - Right when I bought my Xbox 360, I was in the middle of listening to an Audio Book on my MP3 player - The Da Vinci Code. All I could think of was stuff from that book and I thought it would sound good as the "Holy Grail" of gaming. I tried "Holy Grail" but it was taken so I had to go with the Latin version - San Grial. (Yes, I know it is usually spelled San Greal or Sangreal, but I had the darn audio version of the Da Vinci Code and didn't feel like looking up the actual spelling, LOL)
Favorite game genre?
Right now, my favorite genre has to be RPG's. I am playing Zelda on the Wii, Oblivion on the 360, FFIII on the DS, FFXII on the PS2, and Paper Mario on the Gamecube. (My favorite genre used to be racing though, just because I like to think I am good at racing games)
Favorite 360 game?
So far, my favorite game on the 360 is probably PGR3, but I like to think that Oblivion will win this once I start playing through it again, LOL.
All-time favorite game on any platform?
Ouch, this is a very hard question, but I would have to go with my most addicted game - Lineage II. This was my very first and only MMORPG I have ever played, and I was absolutely stunned at how emotional I got over everything. My brother and I decided to try an MMO a few years ago and this one was just coming out, so we both jumped on board. Little did I know, that it was going to be the longest most intense two years of my gaming life. There was everything from intense anger inducing PvP Castle Sieging to fun, role playing, dancing adventures with some truly fun people. The clan system, economy, graphics, and intensity were second to none at the time. As odd as it sounds, this game made me laugh, scream, and even cry and I'll never forget the 2 years I had playing it.
Xbox 360 game not named Halo 3 you are looking most forward too?
Forza Motorsports 2
How often do you play multiplayer on Xbox Live?
1-2 evenings a week right now. I am so busy gaming on other systems and busy DJ'ing, plus I am trying to finish a lot of single player games. (see above)
What type of Live Gamer are you?
I think I am pretty relaxed on the Mic. I am definitely not a trash or cursing type, but I do like to just gab with people and see what things they do outside of gaming. You should see me when I turn on the Xbox Live Vision camera though - Wooha!
What does your Gamerscore mean to you?
This whole achievement thing started out as being a nice little diversion when playing games, but I am definitely not in it for a high gamerscore ranking. I just really like the way it has added a nice little set of mini-goals to an already fun game.
Best in-game accomplishment?
I would have to go with the "Tournament Qualifier" Achievement for PGR3, followed closely by the "Score 1,000,000 points" Geometry Wars achievement.
If you could bogart 5 things from existing games to make the ultimate game, what games and what parts would they be?
Hmmm...I wouldn't mind making the ultimate game with: Zelda's Epic Length, Mario's Fun and Colorful Spirit, Grand Theft Auto Originality, PGR3 Realistic Racing and Pong Simplicity. Combine all 5 of these things together to make a Brand New, Easy to Control, Bright and Colorfully Fun, Epic Racing Sim!! ROFL
One thing you would like to change about anything related to Xbox 360?
I just don't want these game developers to start thinking that everyone loves playing games online and lose the great single player experiences. I see so many reviews of games saying "The single player game lacks, but this game is more towards multiplayer". I enjoy playing online sometimes, but I don't want my single player experience to be secondary when I buy a game. I just want MS and others to be aware of this as they push forward in their Online world.
What can be done to improve XboxAmerica?
I would like to be able to see what part of Ohio people are from when they post in the forums section. That is one of the main reasons I came to this site because it is local, but I noticed that when I go to the member viewing screen it only says - "resides somewhere in Ohio". It is always nice to see what part as Ohio is pretty freaking big!
Got a question or comment? Put it below!
