Gareth's Gone Postal

Sure can. I am the creator, lead reviewer and editor of Skewed and Reviewed. I have written film and game reviews for years and started my own site a few years ago. After doing a small radio community show for seven years, I now make regular appearances on the top rated Seattle morning show - The BJ Shea Morning Experience on KISW, which is heard nationwide, as well as a show on the east coast. I have made small appearances in five movies and will be in the upcoming “Far Cry” as well as “Traveling”, with Jennifer Aniston and Arron Eckhart. I also do a series of appearances at various conventions to talk about upcoming movies and such.

2.) How were you approached by or connected with Running With Scissors?

Years ago, pre Skewed and Reviewed, I approached the company to do an interview for Postal 2. They were very gracious, especially to someone who, at the time, was only starting to cover games on a professional basis. The interview was picked up by some of the big sites and Vince Desi, President at Running with Scissors, stayed in touch over the years. In time, they were kind enough to let me break the news about the new Postal film, and this led to spending time with Vince on “Postal”. During our time on set, I had expressed interest in the game, and was told they would find something for me. As the production on the game went along, I stayed in touch with Vince over news, conducted interviews, and so on. As part of promoting the game at the upcoming Spocon convention , I was informed the other day that it would be fine for me to tell people at upcoming convention that I will be providing a voice in the game.
 

3.) Do you know what role you’ll have in the game? If so, how much can you reveal about your character/part?

That is a big mystery to be honest. The game’s plot is still being finalized though a lot of the coding has been done. I recorded some test sounds this Spring, and I know final parts are being assigned. I was told it would likely be a person in town or someone on the streets in the game.
 

4.) With Uwe Boll playing such a major role in the Postal series with his recent movie, what kind of role, if any, will he play in the game? Is he inked in to play a character or make a brief appearance?

I have been told he is playing himself and in one of the missions players may be able to wipe out Uwe Boll. I also know he is possibly going to be a template/skin that characters will be able to play in multiplay, but like in most games in development, this could change.
 

5.) Speaking of Boll’s movie, which was basically shunned here in the States, do you think it will have any impact on game sales?

Hard to say. The film is coming to DVD soon and most of Boll’s films do well on DVD. I think there is a chance this film will find an audience on DVD and if nothing else, the controversy will lead curious people to check it out.
 

6.) Compared with other studios, The Running With Scissors development team seems to have several strange connections with B-list celebrities, as we saw with the recent Randy Jones announcement. Can you explain these connections at all?

They have a very twisted sense of humor. They are of course great students of Pop Culture and look for ways to make the series topical, controversial, and funny, as well as action packed.  As such, people who do not mind controversy, and like the rebel nature of their products, are drawn to them. I would say the so called A-Listers have a fear over any potential negative publicity from the controversy around their products so they look for people with a more open attitude and rebel nature.

Randy Jones of the Village People, The Cowboy, is playing the leader of a Gay Biker Gang as well.
 

7.) What do you think will be the most exciting part of taking part in Postal III?

Honestly, I think playing the game and hearing yourself is going to be fun, and above all to know that you are part of something that is going to be enjoyed by the masses. I have always been a gamer and had a hand in testing and designing some games in the past. But this is a whole new experience and to me, being a part of the franchise is what excites me the most.
 

8.) Because Postal is known as a controversial game series, do you think that this role could have any negative repercussions? On the other hand, is it possible you could gain more recognition?

I think it is a case of no publicity is bad publicity. I know the game going in, and my attitude is that if this sort of game offends you, don’t play it. The game will be clearly marked a Mature game, and as such, parents need to make sure that if they do not want their children to play it, then they need to keep it from them. While controversy is always a part of the series, I am a big supporter of free speech and expression. If any bad publicity comes my way from the game, so be it. I find people who have issues with games for the most part, have bigger issues to content with and really need to focus their energies elsewhere.
 

9.) Do you plan on trying to land roles with other upcoming games?

I would love to. I just have to see what the future holds. Who knows, there could always be a Postal 4 someday, assuming the Postal Dude doesn’t get me.