Each month, a different member of the Venom team or friend of the company will sit down to tell us about the games that hold a special place in their heart. These are the games that shaped us, and this week it’s the turn of Alex Verrey Alex is the co-founder of Little Big PR, who help us to promote Venom's products to gamers like you. We sat down with him to discuss his favourite games growing up!Click here to check out the other Games That Shaped Us from the Venom Team.

Name

Alex “The Big Boy” Verrey

Your role in the games industry

In another time I was known as ‘Big Boy Barry’ in the Sky TV show Gamesworld. I’ve presented hundreds of hours of video game TV in the ’90s. These days, I'm the co-founder of Little Big PR. Now part of the Heaven Media group, Little Big PR is the largest specialist gaming PR consultancy in the UK and we work around the world to help spread the message of great games and hardware to the public.

Preferred console/method of gaming

I’ve never been a big PC gamer, I just always prefer a living room environment, lounging on the couch. With that in mind, the console is king for me. Truly, I like to be format agnostic, I love my Xbox, Switch and PS4, though I must admit - if pushed - I’m something of a Sony fanboy. Their exclusives over the last generation or so have been outstanding. I’m also a big retro gaming fan. I have a custom arcade machine which I love to play and I love to collect classic consoles, hardware and software.

First console/game you played

Hmm, I’ve been playing games literally as long as I can remember, Some of my earliest memories were game-related in fact, probably why I still love them today. I know my family owned an old Atari VCS console, you know, the one with Pong and a paddle controller. It was horrible even back then. My first real gaming memory is when my parents got my brother and I a Spectrum 48k computer for Christmas. Best.Year.Ever. We got Manic Miner, Horace Goes Skiing and Hunchback. What a year. It opened up a whole new world for me, and frankly, I’ve never lost the excitement of a new game!

Favourite game of all time

Actually, not that tough. I have two I guess, Actually three (sorry). I owe my career to Sonic the Hedgehog (really, see answer below!) so I have to give the fast blue one some love. If I’m really pushed the answer is Super Mario 64. That was my video game equivalent of Jurassic Park. It’s a time and place thing. When I saw Jurassic Park as a teenager, it was simply magic brought to life, a leap of visual imagination so massive, it was scarcely believable. Mario 64 was the same. It was a cartoon brought to life. I remember standing outside the window of CEX in Harrow, Hertfordshire just watching the demo mode of the game on an import N64 in sheer disbelief. When I finally got one for myself, oh man, what an experience. I played the living hell out of that game. Completed it numerous times with all 120 stars. The game is still seen as the gold standard of tight design and imaginative execution. As of late, the only game which comes close to equalling such obsessive love has been The Last of Us. A big fan of Uncharted, The Last of Us took the game mechanics and Naughty Dogs penchant for storytelling to the next level. I’ve never cared so much about characters in a video game before, it’s a masterpiece and again, one, I have completed several times across two consoles just for the hell of it.

Least favourite game of all time

Oh geez, where do I even start? Back in the '80s in the days of Sinclair and Commodore, there would be a weekly sludge of £1.99 games released on cassette. They were pocket money prices and nearly always awful, but you bought them in eternal hope, praying for something decent,. You were almost always disappointed. I think once I bout a game based on ‘Clumsy Colin’ a short-lived '80s mascot of the snacks ‘Skips’. It was horrible (Who’d have thunk it huh?!). Most games on Atari Lynx were stinkers too (Sorry guys, they really were). A game called Kung Food which I invested my pocket money in was a crushing disappointment with broken controls and such terrible gameplay. I’m gonna be slightly controversial here. My biggest case of buyer’s remorse was actually Goldeneye on the N64. Before you start hating on me, I know it’s an absolute beloved classic, however, it’s the first FPS I ever bought and the last. It taught me that I get motion sick when playing most FPS games and I was heartbroken that every time I tried to play, I fell violently ill within 5 minutes!...

Game you’re most looking forward to

The Last of Us 2. It’s torture waiting so long for this, but honestly, I can’t wait. A day-one purchase and a week booked off work for that one. I’m a huge resident Evil fan so also looking forward to the remake of Resi 3. The last remake was amazing and I can’t wait for Nemesis to arrive in April. There’s honestly so much to look forward to, all eyes are on the new consoles as well and I’m certain there will be a mountain to play this time next year.

Greatest Gaming Achievement

Easy one for me. My gaming career started some 27 years ago when I appeared on the second-ever episode of the Channel 4 show ‘Gamesmaster’. I played Sonic the Hedgehog one and challenged to collect 170 rings without dying in a couple of minutes. I smashed the challenge and won the infamous Golden Joystick which I still own today. It started me on the path I find myself today and I’m eternally grateful.

Other i.e. anecdotes, stories, quips and memories

I have too many enough gaming industry stories and memories to write a book. Perhaps I’ll do that someday?! For those reading who wants to make a living in games, don’t ever give up pursuing a career in the industry. It’s the most fun business on earth and there’s so much you can achieve whatever your ability or grades. Passion is key. Love what you do and everything else will follow.Check out the previous instalment of our Games that Shaped Us series where we spoke to Senior Designer David!