badcooky81

In this edition we feature CptDomano. So sit back and enjoy, and congrats Domano!!!



What does your Gamertag mean?

CaptDomano was actually based off a character I created for a fantasy novel I was writing when I was in high school. I ended up using the character Joseph Domano in D&D, and it's pretty much stuck ever since.

How old are you?

Just turned 29 this past August

Where do you live?

Just outside of Detroit, Michigan...AKA, the place where the next Fallout game will be based on.

Do you have any kids?

If so, what are their ages? Nope, no kids yet. I have a hard enough time taking care of myself--throw a kid in the mix and who knows what will happen.

How did you learn or hear about AGE and what brought you to our community?

I used to be a part of another online community that was beginning to get a little less active. One of the members talked about this place having organized game nights so I checked it out. I think WideNine made fun of my gamertag in the first NHL night I participated in, and knew this was the place to be

How long have you been playing video games?

Damn, really seems like my whole life. I was still in elementary school when I was playing Legacy of the Ancients on the Commodore 64, so I'd say probably since I was old enough to read? A long ass time.

How long have you been playing games online?

I started playing online once I figured out how to set up games of the original Warcraft with some friends from work. Nothing beats hearing the old school modems crackle and buzz while they connect.

What's your favorite game to play online?

Favorite game right now is NHL, hands down. Big hockey fan, and the community there is a ton of fun to relax with.

What was the first game you played online?

The very first game I played online was this stock market game on Prodigy. Not that exciting, but the idea of competing with other "companies" online was exciting, and I was hooked ever since. The first "real" game I played though was Starcraft. I had AOL at that time and it was right when AOL was first pushing their unlimited usage plans, so they were having issues with people just staying online and clogging the lines. Eventually they started instituting a pop up that you'd have to click on in order to stay on-line. This pop up would say you've been on for "x" amount of minutes, would you like to stay online? At one point I had the pop-up say I was on for nearly 1100 minutes--about 18 hours.

What was the first game you played online with fellow AGE members, if you can remember?

I'm pretty sure the very first game was NHL, and it still remains one of my main games I'll play online with AGE'rs

Is there an arch nemesis on Live that you always feel is your best competition or someone you always want to beat?

VDub, hands down. That guy is just horrible. Everyone hates him already, right? (Ed. note: I know I do!!! )

When you sign on to Live is there someone you always look for to play online with?

I usually look for Vampyre if I'm going for a co-op game. That dude is just hilarious to play games with even when not drinking--good times!

Which do you prefer, single player or multiplayer games?

I tend to lean more towards single player experiences than multiplayer just for the simple fact that I don't have a TON of time to devote to playing online, and I can always just quit out of a SP game if something comes up. Really would like to be able to get online more, though.

Which do you prefer, ranked or unranked games?

Unranked--I suck bad enough as it is, I don't need people who take the game that seriously whooping my ass even worse. The one exception is Starcraft 2--I freaking love playing that game even if I'm getting killed.

Which do you prefer, co-op or multiplayer?

After playing a through a few games with Vamp I've definitely found how enjoyable a co-op experience can be. While you may just be playing through levels you've already played in single player, the random crap that pops up in conversations or making fun of cutscenes makes the experience a little more laid back than trying to beat the other team.

Which, if any, achievements are you most proud of?

The acheivements I'm most proud of? Getting the full 1000 points in Fight Night Round 3. Then feeling like an idiot bragging about it because it's probably the easiest game to do that in. Seriously though I'm not a HUGE cheevo hunter, except whenever Vdub taunts me because he got an achievement in a game that I haven't got yet. Did I mention how much I hate that guy yet?

Do you play inverted or normal?

Normal. I never really got using inverted for games aside from flight sims. It always ends up screwing me up when I try to play inverted.

What is your first video game memory?

First video game memory was Legacy of the Ancients on Commodore 64. Kind of an obscure game for most people (insert witty hipster line here), but the reason why the game sticks in my head is because there is a first person dungeon crawl sequence in the game. Monsters would randomly jump out from around corners and they'd make these horrible sounds. Used to scare the crap out of me as a kid. So much so that I'd actually run from the room and hide. ...Not sure why I'm telling this story. I'm sure you all will use this against me later. Shit.

What game systems do you own or have owned in the past?

I have pretty much owned every major system aside from the Turbo Grafix 16 and Neo Geo. And a Wii. I forgot about the Wii--you'll see where I remembered later on in the interview.

What is your favorite video game of all time, and why?

Favorite video game of all time was Wing Commander for the PC. I was a HUGE Star Wars fan growing up and loved the whole sci-fi space fighter genre. While the story was definitely a big part of the game, the thing that I loved the most is that it had a branching campaign. You could play through the game, not die, and yet still end up losing because you failed too many missions. That was something I always thought was amazing to see in a game--if you fail, the game keeps moving forward. There haven't been too many games that follow that pattern except for maybe Heavy Rain and it's something I'd like to see in future games.

If you could only own one system (from systems now or from the past) from now on which one would it be? and why?

Oh man, that's a hard question. I guess I'd have to choose my old 486 computer. Not from a "PC Snob" standpoint, but more for just there are so many good memories from games on that system. The first time I played a CD-ROM based game (Rebel Assault), to playing through all the Sierra adventure games (Leisure Suit Larry! PIXELATED BOOBS FTW!), even dinking around with the AUTOEXEC.BAT / CONFIG.SYS files in order to get games to boot up are all extremely fond memories of mine.

If you could only own one game for the above system from now on which one would it be? and why?

Damn. Just one game? Yeah, I think I'd still go with Wing Commander. The music, story, and graphics were all just amazing to me at the time and will probably always be my "Best Game of All Time".

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

Heh, everytime I write down an answer here I realize that it's similar to something already out there. I know the one feature it would have though: Branching campaign. If you fail a mission, it stays failed.

Who is your favorite video game character?

There are definitely a lot of them out there, that's for sure. If we're going from the current gen of video games I'd have to say Nathan Drake. I dunno, there's just something about him that seems like he's be a cool guy to hang out with for a day.

Who is your favorite video developer?

I was always a fan of Origin Systems. Yeah, before EA renamed their download service, Origin was actually a video game developer. They made Wing Commander, Crusader, System Shock, Bioforge, Ultima, etc. More recently though I really like Twisted Pixel. They may make just simple arcade games, but they give off a very carefree and old school style approach to their games. They're not out to make blockbuster AAA games. They just want to create silly games and toss in a ton of random humor into it.

What do you do for a living/work?

I sit on my ass and troll AGE Forums all day Honestly I work in IT for an automotive corporation. Job sucks but the pay is good.

What game has consumed the most hours of your time in the past month?

I just built a new computer and have been catching up on games I missed over on the PC side, so I've been spending a LOT of time with The Witcher. While the combat is a little strange, I like the story, the game looks beautiful, and it just draws me in. I know there have been rumors that the series was coming to consoles, and I really hope it does so that the XBOX and PS3 folks can take a look at it.

What game has consumed the most hours of your time in the past year?

Well, let's take a look at the 'ole Raptr Account....Coming in at 144 hours we have NHL 11. I could probably do nothing but play NHL all day every day and be perfectly content. However, for some reason I have the need to play ALL the games out there, so I do have to take a break from NHL every now and again.

Do you play Windows casual games at home/work? Which ones? (solitaire/minesweeper/hearts/pinball etc.)

I'm a pretty big PopCap fan, so anything they put out you can see me playing. I really enjoyed Plants vs. Zombies, but Bejeweled will always rank as my favorite casual game

Do you have any pets? If so, what are their names?

I've got one crazy ass Husky/Pit mix named Tiberius--named after James T. Kirk, of course Then I have three cats, Hairy, Cloud, and Hercules.

What’s your favorite animal?

I've always thought that lions were pretty damn cool, espcially after owning cats. When I was in Vegas I got pretty close to the lions at MGM and pretty much saw they acted the same way as a regular cat. Granted, they're 100x bigger and are a little more wild, but they still seemed like a regular house cat.

What other interests do you have outside of gaming; hobbies, sports, associations, family, etc?

I'm a big fan of baseball, and with the Tigers just recently beating the Yankees (barely) in the ALDS, I'm excited to see what else they can do. But other than that, I enjoy traveling, writing, and my most recent hobby is learning the violin (a big goes out to both Vdub and Vamp for making fun of me for that)

What's your favorite movie?

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World. I mean, come on...As a gamer, how can you NOT love that movie? Freaking amazing.

What is your favorite type of movie; horror, action, comedy, sci-fi, thriller, etc?

I'm almost as big a fan of movies as I am of video games. I mostly concentrate on the sci-fi / fantasy movies. Coming in a close second are cheesy kunk-fu movies

Who are your favorite actor and actress?

Actor : Leonardo DiCaprio, funny enough. His range of acting has definitely grown over the years, from Gilbert Grape to Inception, he's fairly decent in my book. Actress : Not sure why, but I've always thought Julianne Moore was a pretty good actress.

What's your favorite TV Show?

Modern Family right now--that show is just freaking hilarious. Plus it doesn't hurt that my dad is Ed O'Neill. Even when he was Al Bundy on Married With Children, Ed O'Neill is a perfect example of how my dad acts on a daily basis.

Who is your favorite band?

...Jesus, these questions keep on coming, huh? Maybe I shouldn't write a freaking story for an answer each time. Okay, favorite band: Flogging Molly. I'm a big fan of both the Celtic and Punk genres and I think Flogging Molly does a nice blend of both without fully committing to one or the other.

What is your favorite song?

Favorite song is Drunken Lullabies by Flogging Molly. It was kind of an anthem for a group of friends and me for quite awhile--it actually became a tradition for all of us to dance to it at our respective weddings.

What's your favorite food?

My wife always asks me this and I can never actually come up with an answer. Not a really big food guy--as long as it's edible, I'll eat it. But I am partial to nachos. I can eat me some nachos until I explode.

What's your favorite candy?

Man, I have an obsession with Mike and Ikes. Those things are awesome. Can someone send some my way please?

What's in your CD player right now?

Right now, it's the Persona 4 soundtrack

What's your favorite car?

Don't really have a favorite car. No wait, I take that back--my favorite car was my old Dodge Shadow. My first car, and the coolest little car in the world. I beat the crap out of that thing and it still kept ticking.

Besides the AGE site what other sites do you visit regularly?

Usually just webcomic sites like Penny Arcade or PVP. For video game stuff, I really like the idea behind Giant Bomb and think that's the direction video game "journalism" should be going in. They're not just writing reviews or news like everyone else, they have the Quick Looks, random premium member videos and all of that. While I feel like they're a little too negative on most things, I still like going over there just to see what they're playing.

PC or Mac?

PC--mostly just for the games. I'm not a PC snob by any means.

Are you right handed or left handed?

Right Handed

What is your favorite season of the year (Summer/Winter/Spring/Fall)?

Spring--that's when the baseball season starts, son!

Where is your favorite place to go on vacation?

I went to Scotland for my first anniversary--it was amazing. The people we met were great and the landscape there is just beautiful. If I could figure out a way to move there I would.

What, if any, is your favorite comic book?

On the DC side I always enjoyed Green Arrow, but Wolverine wins in just overall badassery

If you have a favorite comic book, who is your favorite character?

Wait...didn't I just answer that? Where am I?

If you have a favorite comic book, which is your favorite Marvel or DC or other?

I used to think DC, but after the whole Infinite Crisis and 52 story lines, I just went with Marvel because the universe is a lot easier to follow. Plus I thought the Civil War storyline was awesome and it got me to jump ship.

If you could do anything for a living what would it be and why?

If I could do anything for a living it would be video game journalism. It used to be game programming but I've come to realize that I just don't have the technical know how to really bring a game from out of my mind and into something that can be playable. Plus, I really enjoy writing, researching and discussing video game topics a lot more than trying to figure out why my freaking code never works

If you could do anything for a day what would it be and why?

If I could do anything for a day....Just one day? I'd love to take batting/fielding practice at Comerica Park with the Tigers. Hell, I'd love to just get down on the field one time. That would be an amazing feeling.

If you could meet anybody living or dead who would it be and why?

I would love to meet with people like Al Lowe (Leisure Suit Larry), Chris Roberts (Wing Commander), or John Carmack during the Wolfenstein 3D era just to ask them what was going through their heads when the games they created started to become popular and what they think of the current state of the industry.

What upcoming games are you planning on getting?

All of them. No really. I'm looking forward to Skyrim the most though

If you don't have a Wii or PS3 do you plan on getting one?

I was considering getting a Wii (oop, have to go change and answer in a previous question...hold on)

What's the best thing about AGE?

The fact the community is organized and laid back at the same time. For example, we have set game nights and rules for how those nights go down. But at the same time we're not SO serious about the gaming that it distracts from the overall goal of just having fun while we play. There may be some high tension during a tournament or something, but in general we're all here to just screw around.

What, if anything, can we at AGE do to make this a better place?

Personally I think that AGE is a pretty well oiled machine as it is. I kind of miss the old weekly gaming schedule from the old site that linked to the gamenight thread, but overall the site and the commnuity functions well enough for me. 'Course, I've been writing for like an hour or so and my mind is starting to get a little mushy, so I probably wouldn't be able to come up with anything good even if I tried.

THANK YOU AGE! I'M OUT!