Frankie Goes to Halowood
By
SketchFactor
Wednesday, January 7th, 2004, 11:55 AM
We've always had high hopes and big plans for the future of Bungie.net and delivering top notch, kick-ass content is a big part of our rise to world domniation. In order to meet these goals, we've called in the big guns to unleash a nonstop flurry of great content for all of our readers to enjoy.
Bungie.net readers, meet Frank O'Connor (Frankie)... Frankie meet the Bungie.net readers.
Sketch:
Now that introductions are out of the way, can you tell us a little bit about yourself? What are you doing here at Bungie?
Frankie: I basically lucked out. A Bungie employee was killed in a tragic Juicebox accident, and in order to meet Federal employment guidelines, Bungie was forced to hire someone from the Wicked Stupid affirmative action category. So here I am.
What's with the accent? I didn't know they spoke like that down in San Francisco...
Oh, they talk all kinds of special ways in San Francisco, (never call it Frisco, by the way, that's very poor form) but me? I'm Scottish. I don't mean that my dad once went to the Minneapolis Shriner Highland Games, no, I mean I'm straight outta Scotland. Edinburgh, in fact. And for Math fans, an Irishman is twice as good as an Englishman, but only half as good as a Scotsman.
Some people may already recognize your name but for those who don't, can you please tell us a little about what you did before making the move to Bungie?
I used to be Executive Editor of the
Official Xbox Magazine
, where I wrote stuff, and played a bunch of Halo (Blood Gulch CTF, all weapons and vehicles on.) with the other OXM editors and art staff. That was one great bunch of guys and girls. Naturally they're not as awesome as the Bungie people, but that's like comparing monkeys with omnipotent silver-skinned space beings.
Working at OXM sounds like a sweet gig, what prompted you to join the Bungie ranks?
Erm, you know they're making Halo 2 here, right?
You can tell a lot about a person based on what games they play. Besides Halo, what are some of your all-time favorites?
Easy! Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES), Super Mario World (SNES), 720 (Atari Coin-Op), and Gradius (Konami Coin-op). Recently though, I've played a lot of GTA 3 and Vice City (not that the loading times are bearable) and I love Prince of Persia, Gotham 2 and Links 2004. On PC I've really only been playing Halo and a little bit of Call of Duty. But everyone says I ought to get Battlefield 1942.
Though you're being officially introduced to the community today, you've actually been on board behind the scenes for the past two weeks. What was it like walking into Bungie on your first day? What's the biggest difference between this office and your old one?
Well,
Ling-Ling
(as mentioned below) was here to welcome me, but a lot of the Bungie guys were out of town for the holidays. So it was a little creepy. But there was also a ton of cake laying around, so I ate myself into a stupor and kinda vomited down my shirt. You can't relax like that when there's people around.
Is it true that you were given a warm welcome by Ling-Ling when you arrived?
I don't know about warm. Briny is more like it. Ling Ling has an enchanting smile though.
Back at OXM, there was always talk of your daily Halo matches with your co-workers. Is it difficult to come into a new place and get humbled in games of Halo 2 every day? How long do you think it will take before you adapt to the new hotness and become a force to reckon with?
I have to admit, I am the old busted joint and it was both mind-blowing and humiliating. On one hand, all my skillz are intact, so I can shoot straight and circle strafe and all your basic fundamentals, but on the other, I had NO clue what was going on in the maps I've played, so in team games, my presence was a distinct disadvantage. I was all, Hey where are you going? Is that their base? My pants are falling down.
What are your impressions of the Bungie/Halo community?
They are loyal, fervent, ardent and amazing. It's a real family and quite unlike any game community I've ever seen. And the smell is tremendous.
What is it you hope to bring to the Bungie.net readers and community?
A little humor, a little wisdom and a little something I like to call Love. That's right. I said it. The "L" word.
What do you see in the future for our beloved website?
Oh, pretty much the same level of ambition, excitement and pant-tightening tension that you can expect from Halo 2. There will be a lot of surprises and a couple of returning favorites. That is all I am authorized to reveal at this time.
Anything else you'd like to tell or share with our readers?
Nothing that antibiotics couldn't clear up. But you can set your faces to stunned. Because I'll be sharing plenty in the near and immediate future. Remember the "L" word?