Welcome to season 3 of the Lasombra Files, PSU’s weekly hit program. Follow the story of Lasombra and V as they try to solve an inter-dimensional murder mystery of ostentatious proportions, while at the same time shining the spotlight on gamers around the world and in our community.
We arrive at the location, an abandoned warehouse out of a horror movie. Cliched? Maybe, but when dealing with murders and mutilations meeting a contact at a McDonalds wouldn’t be the most secretive place. Inside a spinning shadow from a turbine rotates on the floor as two people stand under its looming shadow. One is the ninja man, the other someone I do not recognize in episode 31: The Message. He tells us that we’re not friends but at the same time not enemies. We both are looking for the same killer and it would be best to stay out of each other’s way. “Are you Kage or Schatten?” I ask him. He shakes his head before answering simply “Varjo.”
Name: Louis Prado (Fon)
Age: 24
Gender: Male
Occupation: Dietatian. Thinking about studying for game design
Country: United States
Disclaimer: This interview is reproduced as written by the interviewee. Pictures copyright of their artist/photographer/owner. All likenesses used are for parody and/or satirical purposes.
Lasombra: How long have you been gaming?
Fon: Age wise, not exactly sure but it was during the Sega Genesis era. My friends recommended the Super Nintendo but I wasn’t too fond of the games they were playing and neither was my brother until we got the Sega Genesis as a present along with Sonic The Hedgehog and we fell in love with gaming since.
Lasombra: How did you find PSU?
Fon: I’ve been to a variety of gaming sites but the majority of them sparked childish arguments and incoherent comments. I am honestly biased towards Playstation so I checked a few Playstation centric sites that is passionate about my platform of choice and this one caught my interest the most.
Lasombra: Are you solely a Sony gamer this generation or do you split your time between multiple systems?
Fon: Playstation has been my main choice for gaming this generation also but I have a variety of game platforms such as the Xbox 360, 3DS and a gaming PC rig, the latter which I rarely touch on. I bought the Xbox 360 to play some of it’s exclusives really but like the 3DS, it’s collecting dust. A shame since they have a lot to offer but I can only choose one to enjoy regularly.
Lasombra: What do you like about the community at PSU that keeps bringing you back for more?
Fon: It’s members. I’ve seen some great members come and go but we get new members that we can get along with. I’ve learned quite a lot from reading opinions from well educated people here and some fun humor from others. There is quite a lot of sarcasm between members but that’s as far as it will go.
Lasombra: In your opinion, what needs to be done to help the community to grow bigger and better?
Fon: Trolls, like seriously we need some roaming around, not the type that cause serious problems but some that are fun to debate with. The absence of certain members who posted news regularly on the forums can make things dull here but it can’t be helped. We’ll be lucky if another golden member like Blacksite, The Sith or Nuvian (During their prime) comes along. This hit series is also a good way to give us an in-depth about certain members here. Some have great point of views.
Lasombra: Do you have any gaming goals for this year?
Fon: Finish my backlog. I have too many to go through and it’s depressing not having the time to experience them. I’ll need a good vacation to make that a reality. I also want to write a sizable amount of reviews here. Writing one review takes me some time.
Lasombra: Are you a Trophy hunter, and what do you think about Trophies overall?
Fon: Not a Trophy hunter. I thought it was cool at first to have trophies for accomplishing certain things in-game but over time I stopped caring.
Lasombra: The PS2 dominated a console war like no other system. What tricks does Sony need to pull out of their hat to create the same magic with the PS4.
Fon: The gaming industry is changing, so the clever marketing they had then will not apply today. What I myself believe is that Sony needs to make sure their Playstation 4 is affordable at launch; Games range from $39.99 – $59.99; no online passes; no DRM; no micro-transactions; no broken promises; less shooters; less franchises and a lot less pressure placed on developers with launch deadlines.
Lasombra: Do you have a favourite era of gaming? The SNES/Genesis war? The reign of the PlayStation Reich? Hail to the NES?
Fon: I was too young to pay attention to the SNES/Genesis war but I was very fond of the time when the Dreamcast became a huge hit. That time gaming was very fun and it was also the Era of the PlayStation, shame that it also marked the end of the Sega console market.
Lasombra: Is there a lot of gaming culture in your area of the world? Unique stores, conventions, etc?
Fon: I live in Oregon. The most boringest place in the country! I sometimes go to California for gaming events when I’m on vacation.
Lasombra: Have you ever been burnt out from a gaming session?
Fon: A few times during my lifetime but they weren’t serious, although over a month ago I disregarded gaming entirely.
Nothing interested me anymore and I was afraid that I had grown over it. Recently I started gaming again and I’m enjoying the games I had left on the side.
Lasombra: What games do you have left to play in your sizeable backlog?
Fon: Dishonored, Atelier Ayesha, Tomb Raider, Bioshock: Infinite, Borderlands 2, Farcry 3, Outland, Machinarium, Unfinished Swan, Tokyo Jungle, Starhawk, Metal Gear Solid: Rising, Assassin’s Creed 3, Hitman: Absolution, Prototype 2, XCOM, Batman: Arkham City, Dragon’s Dogma, Twisted Metal, Dead Space 2 and Resident Evil 6. These are all games that I bought but left them alone for a later time or eventually.
Lasombra: What gives you the inspiration for your great signatures? How much time goes into making one?
Fon: Time varies. Something quick will take me ten minutes while others will last thirty to an hour. I don’t make sigs in one day; I’ll work on one for a bit one day and finish it the next. Sometimes I don’t feel like making anything unless inspiration strikes which usually involves impressions left by a good movie, anime scene or game that I finished playing.
Lasombra: What was it about PlayStation that hooked you instead of the Xbox or new Nintendo consoles?
Fon: I had my first Playstation in 1997. My friends introduced me to a variety of games like 007, Final Fantasy VII, Nuclear Strike, Crash, Spyro and so on. I fell in love with the games it offered and Sony didn’t disappoint with the Playstation 2 so you could say that they left a solid impression. To be honest, the Playstation 3 was a letdown until much later into it’s lifetime but then again the competition didn’t do any better anyways. Nintendo was, at the time, cluttered with vaporware and while Xbox did offer a number of JRPGs I just didn’t wanted to deal with a RROD.
Lasombra: Since you are thinking about going into game design do you have any awesome ideas you`d like to make into a game? Is there a company that would be your dream company to work for?
Fon: Naughty Dog or Santa Monica would be ideal to work with. I can’t imagine the amount of additional things I can learn from such a pool of talented designers after getting my degree, but wishfully I would like to own my own studio, have my own team and direct the games the way I envision them. I love RPGs that have meaningful characters and stories but are also fun to play with a magnificent score to compliment it all. One of them would be set in a medieval time but with clues that the world once had advanced futuristic-like civilizations; another would have a space theme. I know quite a bit about particle physics and cosmology so I would apply those there along with current and original theories I have on my head. Although I will have to make sure it’s concise enough for everyone to understand yet learn what we know so far about space.
Lasombra: As a dietician, what advice can you give the gamers reading this who struggle with their weight, either under-weight or over-weight? What tips and tricks can you give them?
Fon: Well here in the states I have to deal with more over-weight cases than under-weight. Best advice I can give for the former since it’s more common is this: Exercise at least 3 times a week; eat 400 calorie snacks/meals at least four-five times a day to keep your metabolism running; drink plenty of water as not only does it keep you hydrated but it fights hunger; oranges actually limit the amount of fat you loose, eat kiwis or supplements for your vitamin C intake. Another thing to note is that when exercising to lose that belly fat your abdomen and obliques will actually grow due to developing muscles pushing the fat. This is normal and over time your very muscles will help burn the fat off faster. This is a very serious problem with people losing weight since they believe that they’re not improving and just give up. One last thing is to never buy into diet pills/drinks and or accessories that will help you "lose fat faster" as it is proven to be ineffective. Want to lose weight? Eat smaller portions, exercise and sweat your butt off. With the right education and dedication to yourself, it might take 3-5 months to get into your desired shape. There is no such thing as a healthy shortcut.
Lasombra: With a Persona 4 signature being proudly displayed, do you hope Persona 5 will be like 4 or hope that it changes completely?
Fon: I personally hope that it changes drastically, like to the point where you can explore an entire city, kind of like what you see in the Yakuza games, or maybe that’s too sizable since I would like to see them visit different areas with a variety of mini-games, jobs and social link activities. I believe that with a new hardware to work with these guys can target an anime-like game. As for story, characters and soundtrack, these guys are creative so I am confident that they will make it another great adventure.
“Who is Kage and Schatten?” I ask him, wanting to know who stabbed my door with a knife and who has been following us. Kage is Kage, just like Schatten is Schatten and Varjo is Varjo he tells me, saying I see them every day. Instinct takes over allowing both V and I dodge to the side as a blade slices through the backs of our clothing. As we turn around something comes out of the shadows. Dressed all in black the only thing separating him from the shadows is the glint of his katana. Varjo is gone, but someone is still here in episode 32: Duels of Fate. One second there is one, the next another blackened form separates from the shadow. Who they are is obvious as V and I stare ourselves down, literally; a shadowy V walks towards me and looks ready to break me in two. I think V has the easier of the duels.
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