July 2010
okappa
The second member of the month is okappa, who has recently become a trial reviewer for his skills in writing. This month, we'll be finding out everything there is to know about him in an interview even longer than last month's!
I personally select each month's Member of the Month. People are picked based on their contributions to the community, whether they are: making excellent trials, providing comic relief or just being a brilliant person. The next Member of the Month could be you!
If you have any questions about the Member of the Month system, please PM me.
okappa: Thanks Meph. Also hi.
Meph: Can you tell us about how you found AAO, and what made you want to join?
okappa: Wow... I don't know if I remember. Um... I think we can thank Google for that.
Meph: Is it really that simple?
okappa: Oh no nevermind sorry I remembered
Meph: Oh, OK.
okappa: I was on a thread for Ace Attorney on the other forum I used to be part of, animalcrossingcommunity.com. And somebody posted a joke trial they made on here about Oldbag. The trial wasn't great but I was amazed that something like this existed. I had tried PWBasic before but I found it way too hard to use. Before I even got on the forums, I had begun my first trial. And that trial became The Bitter Turnabout. So the rest is history, I guess.
Meph: Did you make any practise trials before you released it?
okappa: No, it really was my first one. Haha... I know that seems odd, but anybody who's seen the first versions of Part 1 and the "Preview" probably believe it. There were a lot of corrections... I was worried I'd get some of the characters wrong, so I started with what I knew.
Meph: That brings us to my next question. Tell us about The Bitter Turnabout. How did you think of the story and whatnot?
okappa: I don't remember everything, but I think it began because I really wanted to make a trial starring Edgeworth, and the only Phoenix Wright game I had ever played was Trials and Tribulations at that point. But that doesn't explain why I threw Klavier in there... Guess it just sounded fun to me.
Meph: You said you hadn't played Apollo Justice back then.
okappa: Not at all. It was kind of scary. Klavier and I had to become good friends. Er... That sounds weird... But it's true I guess. I based him entirely off of an RP thread I found online and one Youtube video. That's why he uses more German than usual in my trial.
Meph: So how did you think of the details story in The Bitter Turnabout; the contradictions, the evidence, the solutions, the ways in which the player slowly uncovers the truth?
okappa: Oh! Court Records was the first step. They helped me a lot. I looked back over their summaries of Bridge to the Turnabout, and took a peek at a page they had about the contradictions in it. In the end that contradictions page only helped for one or two things though. Most of the contradictions just came from me having to look at 3-5 with a really critical perspective and see where the holes could be.
Meph: Now that you're a trial reviewer like me, I'd like to ask you about it. What is it like like for you when you review trials? Do you enjoy it?
okappa: Well, as you can probably tell from the pictures and weird quotes, I like to have as much fun with it as I can. But underneath that, there's always this slight uneasiness I get from making criticisms. I want to be as honest as possible, but I'm always afraid I'll come off as really mean or something. That doesn't mean I'm going to pull any punches, but it also means I spend a lot of time trying to decide the best way to word everything and which points to make the most fuss about. That's why I respect Henke's criticisms a lot -- he's not afraid to make himself sound like the bad guy if it's the best way to get his point across. I have a little more trouble with that.
Meph: Let's change the subject to your personal life. What was your childhood like?
okappa: Well... I don't talk about it a whole lot. My family was what you'd call dysfunctional at best.
Meph: I think we all have mad families.
okappa: I didn't have many friends at school either. I spent a lot of time learning how to make the best of my time by myself... if that makes any sense.
Meph: Yes, it does. And I'm sorry to hear that.
okappa: It's not bad in the end. I realized how much I like to create things... like art, or stories.
Meph: Well you're obviously more sociable and likable than you think. Did things turn out all right?
okappa: Well, I was pretty miserable for a while but now I'm in college and I'm mostly on my own. Things are a lot better now. I'm not as reclusive as I used to be.
Meph: Things seem to be improving then?
okappa: Definitely. It helps to have friends with similar interests, of course. And AAO's always been a great place to relax too.
Meph: What is your average day like?
okappa: Er... That depends on whether I'm at school or back home. Hehe....
Meph: Let's start with school days.
okappa: All right. Well, at school I'll usually be really lazy whenever I get the chance. I'll probably sleep until I have class, get up a bit too late and be like "Whoa, class!"
Meph: Lol. Very typical.
okappa: And then I'll get back and hang out with my friends the rest of the day / next morning. When it's vacation it's the complete opposite though. I live far away from everyone, and I always feel restless. I don't WANT to be lazy, but there's not much else to do where I live. So... it's confusing?
Meph: Not really... Now that I'm on study leave, I've been surprised to find how little there is to do as well. I just seem to be going to the gym and that's it!
okappa: Oh if only I had the willpower to go to the gym.
Meph: To be honest, I don't either! It's so boring!
okappa: I know!
Meph: What are your plans for the future?
okappa: That's the big question isn't it? I want to... um... stuff. I guess mostly I want to be doing something that involves writing or acting. Maybe I should be a screenwriter or a director. But then I also like singing... And video games.... I really still can't say for sure. It's sad because I'm in college.
Meph: You can sing? You're rather multi-talented in the arts... and the lazyness.
okappa: Yeah I guess. I posted a clip of my singing on the forums, actually, but it was embarrassing. I sang kind of lame songs, and the only response I got was Drammy talking about his osu! friends.
Meph: Awwww!
okappa: And my talent in the laziness should never be underestimated either. But [my singing is] so embarrassing! XD
Meph: Why? We love members with hidden talents!
okappa: I sang like... Jason Mraz and stuff. I was kind of happy that Olaf's sound clip thread faded into obscurity after that post.
Meph: So you don't think you're a very good singer?
okappa: Well I don't know what to think. I've had a lot of people tell me I'm very good, but I know I'm not at a professional level yet.
Meph: What would Simon Cowell say?
okappa: Um... "Well, you're just not right for this competition." Which, when he says it, means "You're not bad, but you can't win."
Meph: You're rather underconfident about it. What talent are you most confident about; the one that will guide your future?
okappa: Hm... Well two things. My acting and my writing... like I already said.
Meph: What would be your specialised genre?
okappa: Oh. Well that's an issue with me. I have trouble sticking to one specific genre... I'd prefer to hop around a bunch of different ones, but I guess mystery is the most fun to write. I'd also like to do something like a comic book someday. It's always so fun and absurd. But I know those aren't as popular, so maybe not?
Meph: Well there's certainly a future in that field. You could even be working for Disney; who knows?
okappa: I dunno, I haven't heard the greatest things about working for Disney. Hush though. Don't want to insult potential future boss.
Meph: I've heard the opposite, being a Disney fanboy.
okappa: I do know that if I ended up writing the next Hannah Montana, I'd have to find a different career. Actually, I'd love to work with Disney and Pixar on those amazingly well-written 3D movies they're doing. I loved Up and even Toy Story 3.
Meph: Don't spoil Toy Story 3. It hasn't been released yet!*
okappa: I won't spoil it for you, don't worry. But it already came out in America, and it was spectacular (if a little cliched at times). But no more talking about it I have to stop myself! Ha ha ha!
Meph: I remember you telling me once that you'd like to live in another country when you can. If you ever have enough money to do so, where would you go?
okappa: I still haven't thought about it much. I'd like to live somewhere crazy, like Japan or Australia. I felt really comfortable when I was in New Zealand, though. And there's always Britain, where you have five meals and drink tea for dinner. That's crazy, right?
Meph: Australia and New Zealand are two of the most developed countries in the world, so they would be nice. As for Britain, it would be just as nice, asuming you could withstand the randomness of the weather. And we don't have 5 meals a day here.
okappa: Aw, that's disappointing. I was looking forward to second breakfast. But I'm sure I could handle random weather. New Zealand and Florida both have weird weather, and I've always thought it was fun that way.
Meph: Actually, when I say "random", I don't just mean random thunderstorms from nowhere. But we can discuss the weather another time...
okappa: Yes. An interview isn't the best time to discuss the weather. It's more of a small-talk thing.
Meph: Let's change the subject again to something that I ask every interviewee. What is your favourite Ace Attorney game? I would say the first game, but the first case is just so short. It's like a three-case game.
okappa: Oooh. I know this is probably a pretty typical answer, but Trials and Tribulations. It was the first one I ever played, though.
Meph: Why was it the first?
okappa: Oh, it was my first because I got it for christmas! My parents got it. They knew I was interested in the series, but didn't understand the chronological order of the games or anything. Still, I had a lot of fun playing it. And the ending was great.
Meph: Hence the fact that your first trial was an unofficial follow-up to it?
okappa: Yup. But I think we already went over that. Now we're going in circles! It's okay though, I like circles.
Meph: Why not squares?
okappa: Well circles are just more natural. That's why bubbles are circles and not squares. Squares take too much work. Nature likes circles.
Meph: Back on topic, what made you love T&T?
okappa: Well, the gameplay wasn't new to me because technically I had played the Apollo Justice demo before any other PW game. But I loved the hectic style of everything, and I thought Payne and the judge were funny. And then I put two and two together and realized "Wait, that makes Dahlia..." And I thought that was really cool. Most games don't have mystery like that. At least, not ones I had played.
Meph: Some people say that the evil twin plot is rather cliche, but it was different to that in the T&T. It was a more... emotional storyline.
okappa: I liked it just because in case 5 you spend a lot of time wondering if Iris really is Dahlia. It's like they knew it was a cliche, but used it to their advantage a little.
Meph: Did you almost cry at the end like I did?
okappa: No comment. *wipes away tear* The song they used in the end credits still has a place in my heart, too. XD I must have used it like eight times in Bitter.
Meph: I finished that case wishing that Misty was still alive... and wondering about Phoenix's and Iris's relationship that never was.
okappa: It's funny because I really didn't know much of anything about Misty, but I felt the same way. They really know what strings to pull.
Meph: What other games do you really like?
okappa: Hm... Well for a while I was the biggest Kingdom Hearts nut. Right now I'm really into fighting games, especially Smash Brothers and Tatsunoko vs. Capcom. I think that's partly because I've been going to anime conventions with my friends. Games like that are really popular there. I also love Ouendan 2 now that I have it. XD And Pokemon! I almost forgot to mention it. I mean, when you can state exactly the power and strategic uses of every move in the game, it becomes more than a favorite, I think. Maybe an unhealthy obsession!
Meph: What are your consoles of choice?
okappa: Well I've always been a huge Nintendo fanboy, so all I own is a Wii and a DS Lite. Honestly, I wish I had an XBox 360, but I still hate Microsoft. -.-
Meph: How come?
okappa: Well I hate most of the big corporations. Ha ha ha....
Meph: Did you know that Nintendo are the third biggest company in Japan?
okappa: Oh, no, I can't pretend Nintendo isn't a big company now? But really, the only reason I like Nintendo more is because they really seem to put the extra effort into making each of their games. Even when they don't have any third-party support they still manage to stand strong because their own games are typically very well done and detailed... except when they aren't. *glares at Mario Party*
Meph: I see what you mean. Nintendo are made for games, where as Microsoft and whatnot do a lot of other things as well.
okappa: Yeah, and I'm still bitter about the whole overblown FPS trend. But that's not so bad anymore, and the only one out now that I really hate is Gears of War, so.... Even my old nemesis Halo is good for some fun, honestly.
Meph: Yes, there are to many FPS games, but hopefully that trend is ending now.
okappa: Yup. It seems like it's all being weeded down to a few big names, and I actually enjoy most of those.
Meph: What was the first video game you ever played? Ones that aren't in the AA series?
okappa: Oh! Super Mario World. I still remember. I played it in a hotel with my dad. I was scared to play any level (except Yoshi's House), because I kept dying. I was only like five or something.
Meph: Have you been a big Mario fan ever since?
okappa: Er... Somewhat? O_O I used to adore everything Mario. Now it's just kind of a... respect? At first I didn't even like Mario Galaxy when it came out.
Meph: A game that IGN judged to be "almost perfect"?
okappa: I know! I couldn't believe they said that at first. Then I played through it again and I realized I was just being too critical. It was actually very good. (Though not "almost perfect.")
Meph: I think I might have been getting mixed up with their review for Mario Galaxy 2.
okappa: Maybe. I still haven't played that, anyway.
Meph: Last question, now. Do you have any other interests?
okappa: I wish I could do that. Girls. And food. Er... And learning the secret to immortal life. And training my body to function without sleep.
Meph: I wish I could do that. I hate sleeping. Waste of time.
okappa: I know, right? We can sleep when we're dead.
I also want to find out what's really up with those Freemason guys anyway.
Meph: Freemasons? My Granddad is a freemason.
okappa: Hm. Interesting.
Meph: It's not as interesting as you think. I don't know what they did in the old days, but these days, it's just an overly organised and extremely formal "super best friends" club. They also give money to charity a lot.
okappa: Or maybe that's just what they WANT you to think. *wink* If they were a super-secret Patriots-type government control society, they wouldn't tell everyone that, now would they? *conspiracy theorist at heart*
Meph: Lol. No. Trust me. It's really just a social club with many traditions.
okappa: Okay, okay... Then it must be the Scientologists! ...Either that or Big Tobacco. You can tell I did my research because I'm acting like I'm crazy. -.-
Meph: Before we conclude this interview, do you have anything else you'd like to say?
okappa: Um... I will finish Alternate Universe and Winston Payne. Someday. I PROMIIIIISE! *ron de lite scream*
Meph: Well there you go, folks! Exclusive news that he WILL finish it.
okappa: YES!
Meph: Well, okappa, thank you letting me interview you. It's been very interesting and we've learned a lot more about you. It's been quite interesting.
okappa: You said interesting twice. Was I really interestingly interesting? I'm glad to hear it... I think. Anyway, I'm glad I could be interviewed too. Thanks for making me the Member of the Month.
*At the time this interview took place.