WWE Superstar and current Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston was on hand at THQ’s Gamers Week on January 13th to help promote WWE All-Stars. An avid gamer, Kingston was approached by News Director Mike Murphy on his gaming history, what he’s playing, his thoughts on All-Stars, and more.
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Mike Murphy, GamerNode: This is Mike Murphy, News Director for GamerNode.com and I am here with WWE Superstar and reigning Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston. Kofi, how are you doing?
Kofi Kingston: I’m doing fantastic, man. How are you?
GN: Doing good. So you are known as an avid gamer. I just wanted to know what got you into video games, what are some of your favorite video games of the past, and what games are you playing right now?
KK: Man! Oh wow! Well a lot of questions in that one. As far as what got me into video games, I have no idea. I think because everyone used to play Nintendo and I never had an Atari. Once Nintendo came out I was actually able to get it. I don’t know, I kinda just kept up with it. A lot of people fall out of gaming, I kept up with it. All the way through Super Nintendo, N64, PlayStation and PlayStation 2, Xbox, everything. I have them all now.
As far as games in the past that used to be my favorites, the one that’s coming into my head right now is Flying Dragon for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was a game that we always used to play and try to walk through; had trouble beating and whatnot.
These days I’m playing a lot of Smackdown! vs. RAW. I’m very excited about a lot of games that are coming out, WWE All-Stars obviously. I’m an avid Mortal Kombat player. I play Madden. I play Call of Duty. I play ’em all. *Chuckles*
GN: You mentioned WWE All-Stars, which you are here to promote for. Can you tell us a little bit about the game and what some of your favorite aspects are?
KK: Absolutely. I think the coolest aspect for this game is the fact that it’s not so realistic. I think we are at an era these days where games become more and more real. Trying to look real. Now this game, as far as the graphics are concerned, the detail is incredible. Granted it is very exaggerated as far as the muscle and all that is concerned. But as far as the gameplay, it is also exaggerated. It takes you back to an arcade style… A NBA Jam style game. A NFL Blitz type game where all of the moves are exaggerated.
My finishing maneuver is called Trouble in Paradise, which is a spinning roundhouse kick. And in this game they give me three or four more rotations and then when I hit the person they rotate three or four times. It’s like one of those Matrix effects that’s really, really cool to see and fun to play.
GN: My last question is you came up to WWE through the Ring of Honor company. They normally do their shows at the Hammerstein Ballroom. When you were ever doing shows at the Hammerstein Ballroom did you ever imagine you would not only be wrestling at Madison Square Garden a block-and-a-half away, but you would be right here right now a couple blocks north promoting a WWE game that you’re in?
KK: Ironically I have never worked for RoH before. But I did wrestle on the independent scene and same thing…Wrestling in Knights of Columbus halls and wrestling in front of crowds of 20 and 30 who were right up next to the ring. And to where I am now, being the Intercontinental Champion, having one my best matches or best moments of my career right down the street at Madison Square Garden against Randy Orton and putting him through a table…It’s breathtaking and it’s mind-blowing when I sit back and think about it because Madison Square Garden is an arena that has so much history. And it’s one of the arenas…it’s the same way now that it was before when you watch old Wrestlemanias and Royal Rumbles. It’s the same exact arena. So there’s a lot of prestige in that arena. So yeah, it is mind-blowing to say the least.
GN: Okay, that’s all. Kofi, thank you very much.
KK: Cool man. No problem. Thank you.
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