March 2011
BBblader
I don't know what you're looking at, but I can tell from your expression that it's disappointing.
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.
BBblader: Hi. Great honor to be here!
Meph: Can you tell us about how you found AAO, and what made you want to join?
BBblader: Um... I'd love to, but here's the thing: I don't remember. I know that's a boring answer, but it's the truth. I can tell you when I started being an active member, though... Mainly it was just to get help on some of the harder trials, such as both entries in the Matt Silver series. That later expanded to commenting on trials like Turnabout Escort and The Tortured Turnabout. Basically, I'm a longtime lurker who started off by just making random comments in the Trial showcases, because I just had to comment on how great some of them were.
Meph: "Raymond Hope: Ace Prosecutor"... It's been a popular series. Tell us about how the project began.
BBblader: Well, there's an interesting story behind that. Back when I was a GameFAQs regular I used to pick fights with other members all the time due to differing views on Ace Attorney. It made me think about everything I loved about the series and everything I hated about it and someday I got the idea of "Hey, let's do this." But PyWright and PWLib were too complex for me, I wasn't confident in my ability to write contradictions, and it just didn't go anywhere. I then discovered AAO, but I just couldn't write anything good and lost faith. Then, Turnabout Scapegoat was released, and that fangame is proof of what one person can accomplish. I then realized that I didn't need a development team or custom sprites or custom music or anything: All I needed were my own two hands. I sketched up a quick plot for Renewals, expanded on it, worked on it in the editor for a month or so... and the rest is history.
Meph: But you created more than just history. You also created a certain character that seemed to steal the spotlight of your series's protagonist!
BBblader: Ah, yes, Canon... I still don't get how he was so well received. You'd think making a public mockery of Phoenix would incite rage in the fanbase more than anything else but everyone else just laughed along with him. I still don't get how he become so popular, but I'm not complaining. I should hate the guy for taking as much of the case's attention as he does... but I don't. He's just so much fun to write for. Writing him is a great way to vent my personal opinions of Phoenix and that's why I tolerate his popularity, as much as it annoys me at times: I may hate to admit it, but I kind of like him too.
Meph: You're also working on Miles Edgeworth: Ace Attorney with ShadowEdgeworth. How did you start helping out with the series?
BBblader: Well, I got the job pretty easily. Basically, Shadow just posted in the thread saying "Hey, I need co-writers", and I had nothing better to do at the time, so I figured "Sure, I'm game." I asked for a job as a scripter, and boom, I was onboard.
Meph: What's your usual day like in the Real World?
BBblader: I get up late in the afternoon (around 12 or so), I go to work, and I come back home. If I'm not working, I usually go over to my grandfather's house, pick up lunch on the way, and watch DVDs. The rest of my non-AAO life is spent on video games, usually on the DS, and then I go back to bed, and the cycle begins anew.
Meph: Where do you work?
BBblader: As of now, I work in a pizza joint. It's a bit of a temporary job. When I move out into the bigger parts of New York, I hope to get a job in reposession, and driving tow trucks on the side (That's what most repomen do when there's no cars to reposess)
Meph: What was life like for you when you were growing up?
BBblader: Hm... to say the days of my childhood are days I'd rather not remember would be putting it lightly. It's not like I was abused by my parents or I grew up in a slum was anything, I was just a really bratty, obnoxious kid that was terrible to almost everybody and I try to distance myself from that past as much as I can. There are good memories of my childhood, such as playing Pokemon Red when it first came out, playing games on the Genesis with my grandfather, and going out for ice cream with my dad at a certain place... but in general, they're days I'd rather forget.
Meph: Which is your favourite Ace Attorney game?
BBblader: That would be Ace Attorney Investigations. Edgeworth is my favorite character in the AA universe by a long shot and playing as him was just great, who cares if it wasn't in a courtroom? Taking second would be Apollo Justice: I went in it expecting to hate it, and Apollo as a character, but I just loved the entire experience from start to finish.
Meph: What other games do you really like?
BBblader: Hm.. I like a LOT of RPGs. Mostly from the SNES era: Breath of Fire and whatnot. I also like fighters, even though I suck at them. And I love visual novels: Though most of my favorites are pretty much unknown (Jake Hunter, Again) I kind of like all genres: There's usually at least one game in a genre that I like. I usually dislike platformers and I can even name you a couple of those I like (Mario 64, Donkey Kong 64
Meph: Are you more fond of the classic games?
BBblader: Yeah, you could definitely say I love classic gaming: the NES/SNES/Genesis, and et cetera have given me some great memories: But I love a lot of newer titles too. One that stands out is Fallout 3: The atmosphere, the gameplay, the world... it's all just incredible. So I don't really tip towards one end of the classic vs next-gen scale: There's a lot of gems to be found in both gaming worlds.
Meph: What was the first video game you ever played?
BBblader: Oh boy, I'm not sure I can remember... I think it was... Game Boy Camera, if you can even count that as a game (there were a lot of minigames, like juggling) and if not, then it was probably Gex: Enter the Gecko on the GBC. Which is a title that's WAY too hard for a 6 year old, by the way. I don't remember much about it other than that it's not something I'd care to play again: And reviewers seem to agree.
Meph: What other interests do you have?
BBblader: Loads. I'm a huge film buff and I practically listen to music 24/7. I try to get in some reading now and then too: Though I usually never get around to it. I also watch Food Network every now and then, so I'm a pretty big food junkie.
Meph: What genres of music do you like?
BBblader: I like almost all kinds of music: there's usually something in every genre I can find some enjoyment in. I even used to despise country music with every fiber of my being: but currently there's even some country songs I'll listen to. So, yeah, I do like some genres better than others (my favorite would be heavy metal/rock), but generally, I like all types of music.
Meph: That's all of my questions for this month. Is there anything else you'd like to mention?
BBblader: I'd like to thank the AAO community as a whole for making AAO such a great place to be: With shout-outs to E.D.Revolution, Tap, Zeel1, Phantom, and Trufseeker. If it wasn't for their support, I don't think I'd have been as successful as I am in the community today. So thanks to all of you guys: Even those who I didn't give a shout-out. You make AAO what it is, and you've made it a wonderful place.
Meph: That's it, then. Thanks for a great interview!
BBblader: Thanks for having me!