IGN sits down with VampireHorde to chat about his work.

April 29, 2005 - The unsung personages of the gaming world, FAQ writers trade their late nights for bragging rights simply to say that their walkthroughs, their secrets, their perfect paths through what seem like impossible missions work best. But what rewards do they get for slaving away endless hours counting pixels and polygons? Is it simply the knowledge that their sleepless nights will eventually help gamers in desperate need of achieving 100% of a game?

IGN says "ballocks" to this thankless job. Games mean more to a dedicated FAQ writer than the software written for it. That’s why our editors have decided to honor FAQ and guide writers of outstanding caliber, persistence, and talent; it isn’t a simple, "Thank you, here’s $50" — we at IGN want to get to know the men and women behind the FAQ, what motiviates them to persist and create great works without expecting anything in return. For their trouble, our honored writers will get a game of their choice from their IGN Wishlist and as well as other promotional goodies.

Like spring, VampireHorde has brought a fresh approach to FAQs with his short, to-the-point style. In his FAQs for Resident Evil 4, Splinter Cell Chaos Theory, Ninja Gaiden, and Grand Theft Auto San Andreas cover all manner of errata with both personality and pinache that is his own. IGN sits down with VampireHorde to chat about his work.

IGN: First off, thanks for taking time out to sit with IGN. To start off, why don’t you tell our readers a little bout yourself?

VampireHorde: My name is Martin. I hail from sunny Southern California. Big lover of the celebrity culture and a gamer since the days of NES.

IGN: For someone from sunny southern California, how’d you come up with your user name?

VampireHorde: Nah, the Angel spin-off was a good show only because I couldn’t get enough of Charisma Carpenter. Half the time I dozed off.

IGN: We also assume that you checked out Dark Angel for Jessica Alba, among other things.

VampireHorde: You got that right, friend! Ain’t nobody as white hot as Ms. Jessica Alba. I urge everyone to see Frank Miller’s Sin City. She scorches the screen like no one else.

IGN: Were you disappointed that she was not "true to character" in Sin City?

VampireHorde: Again, you got that right, friend! I am majorly disappointed of her one "change" to her character but then again, what you see on screen is just as good as the original. No complaints from me.

IGN: Moving on, how long have you been playing videogames?

VampireHorde: I’ve been playing the consoles since 1987. My first experience with games was at my buddies’ house playing Duck Hunt for the NES. I can still remember placing the gun on the TV and just cheating the whole way through. But the very first console that I owned was a Famicom. It was too cool and I wish I still had it. It would probably a great antique to show off.

IGN: A FamiCom? That’s interesting, considering the majority only had access to an NES, How’d you come by it?

VampireHorde: Yup. I was super disappointed too because I wanted an NES. My father came home that day and he had this red and white console in a box and it was called "Family Computer". I thought I was the biggest loser. Everyone had NES and I had this steaming pile. But it wasn’t until a few years ago I discovered what value it had which is why I regret letting that thing go.

IGN: Hindsight is 20/20. Looking through your FAQs, you’ve done both full walkthroughs and mini-FAQs. Have you a preference for one or the other? Or do you simply write what comes?

VampireHorde: Um, mostly both. I try to avoid writing full FAQ’s for games I don’t particularly enjoy. If a game shows a lot of promise or is to good to pass up, I usually go for the full FAQ. When I write mini-FAQs it’s usually because the game itself is too linear and writing a full FAQ would only hinder my time.

IGN: So would you consider yourself more of a "filler" writer in the community instead?

VampireHorde: For most of the games I’ve written, Yes. But in the past few months, I’ve been playing many awesome titles and it gave me the urge to start writing full FAQs rather than In-depth ones. I’ve skipped a lot of good opportunities on many games but the titles I’ve chosen to write for have been really challenging in terms of the type of content. I’ve had my share of good and harsh critics and I cater to them as much as I can.

IGN: Since you own all three of the current non-handheld systems, have you ever played favourites (i.e., made arguments for one system over another)?

VampireHorde: If I were to have an argument about that, it wouldn’t be over consoles. I love all three consoles. I would probably argue that I’m not a PC-gamer person. I prefer the consoles over the PC games.

IGN: But have you personally ever bought a game on a particular deck because of certain extras or because of the game’s overall quality?

VampireHorde: Oh, of course! Sometimes I base my decisions strictly on the IGN Head-To-Head