In our latest Antstream Arcade Twitch Superstar feature, we chat to another of the wonderful people spreading the retro gaming glory of Antstream Arcade via streaming platforms. This week, we proudly present Brandon aka Turtlewax, answering questions on his gaming history, favourite games, Antstream Arcade and more. You can catch Brandon on Twitch at https://www.twitch.tv/turtlewax85, and on Twitter @turtlewax85.
On with the retro inquisition!
Antstream Arcade: Hello Brandon! What are your earliest memories of gaming?
Brandon: Hello! I remember when I was five years old, going over to my uncle’s house and watching him play Super Mario on the NES. Seeing the way Mario jumped and stomped on enemies had me mesmerised and I begged my parents for a NES at Christmas. The delivered, and I practiced on Mario for hours on end, eventually saving the princess. I was so excited I had to show my uncle I could do it and actually ended up finishing the game before he did!
AA: Was that the videogame that first captured your imagination?
Brandon: Yep. The whole premise of the Mushroom Kingdom and having to save the princess from Bowser had my imagination running on all cylinders! I think it’s safe to say Mario made me the gamer I am today.
AA: We imagine your favourite game of all time is Mario-related too?
Brandon: My favourite of all time? Super Mario 3. My love for that game is off the charts. For the first time I was able to explore all the different worlds of the Mushroom Kingdom. It was unlike anything I had ever seen at the time and that just really stuck with me.
AA: When and why did you begin streaming?
Brandon: 14th September 2020 was my first day of streaming. I’ve always been more of a viewer than a streamer but I got started when I got an idea to attempt to complete an entire console’s library of games. That console ended up being the Nintendo 64, and I knew I would never struggle on what to play next so I started up a Twitch channel and went for it. I managed to accomplish my goal and beat all 296 games in 234 days and built up an awesome community in the process! Truly something that could only be achieved through the power of streaming.
AA: That’s a lot of Nintendo 64 gaming! Which game was the toughest to complete?
Brandon: I would have to say the hardest game on the N64 came as a surprise – the one that gave me the most trouble was Excitebike 64. It just had a steeper than expected learning curve to it that really caught me off guard. Now that I understand the mechanics of the game though, I can really appreciate the realism they went for. Overall it took me about 9 or so hours to complete which wasn’t too bad.
AA: How do you choose which games to stream?
Brandon: Since my channel’s main focus is console completion, all my games are chosen via a wheel. I have the names of 50 games on it from a particular console and I give it a spin. Whatever game it lands on, I have to play. It’s a fun thing to do and the community really loves the randomness of the games I get stuck playing.
AA: What do you think of Antstream Arcade and in particular the tournaments?
Brandon: I think Antstream Arcade is absolutely amazing! Not only can I go back and relive all the games of the past; now I can compete for high scores on a global level. The replayability is truly limitless as there is always something new to discover and compete in. I joined up while the Smash TV tournament was being held and it had me hooked right off the bat! I believe they are very important because they keep people engaged and wanting to come back and try and improve their score and get higher up the leader board. On a side note, it’s a great way to discover a game you may never have seen before – who knows, it could become your new favourite!
AA: Do you get a good response when you stream Antstream Arcade?
Brandon: My community loves what I’ve shown them of Antstream. It’s just so easy to access and no need to download individual games, just click and go, it’s really that simple. The response is more than positive and people get very excited about it.
AA: Are there any additions you think we could have to improve the service?
Brandon: The main improvement I’d like to see is a quick restart button. When grinding for a high score, the few extra clicks to try again can get tedious. I think a lot of people would appreciate a quick restart so all you have to do is click one button.
AA: Great point! We’ll get to work on that. Finally, Brandon aka Turtlewax, on a scale of 1 to 10, how geeky are you?
Brandon: 10. It doesn’t get much geekier than me!
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