On commentary with Damien Sandow

Cory Ledesma, Aubrey Sitterson and WWE Superstar Damien Sandow

I get to do a lot of neat stuff on account of my job with WWE Games at 2K, but this ranks right up there with the neatest. At our annual Superstar Challenge (in which WWE Superstars compete in the year’s latest WWE Game), Creative Director Cory Ledesma and myself were joined by none other than the Intellectual Savior to the Masses, Mr. Damien Sandow.

I thought that Cory and I were doing a decent job with commentary, but when Sandow joined in, it kicked things up to another level and made our jobs way easier – all we really needed to do was try and keep up. Sandow is incredible on the microphone, both inside and outside the ring, and it was a pleasure to get a chance to work with him, even though he had some not so nice things to say about my hair, beard, clothes and overall aesthetic.

Watch it now.

Yammering about Redakai

from friendly ghosts...

I recently had the opportunity to talk to Drew McCabe of the kids-comics-focused column, “From Friendly Ghosts to Gamma Rays” on Comic Attack. I, along with writer Terrance Griep and artist Zack Turner, was selected for a special feature focusing on the Redakai graphic novels from Viz.

Drew did a really great job coming up with questions, going far beyond the typical, “What did you bring to this project? What does it mean to you?” rigamarole, for which I was really grateful. Hell, he even dug deep and asked me questions about kaiju monsters, my past work at Marvel and my current work with WWE Games.

Enjoy the interview!

I got a new old job!

Hanging at the new WWE Games Dojo!

As has already been documented elsewhere, in the wake of THQ’s bankruptcy, the WWE Games franchise was recently picked up by the absolutely incredible publisher 2K. Being that 2K puts out great games like BioShock, Borderlands, NBA2K and more, that’s pretty awesome news, but here’s something even awesomer:

THEY BROUGHT ME ALONG TOO!

That’s right, bros and ladybros, I’m back doing that funky Interactive Marketing thang over at 2K now, in the brand-spanking-new WWE Games Dojo (seen up above). I’m super-duper excited about the opportunity, as a) I love my gig, b) 2K is one of my favorite games publishers, and c) I’m hoping I can get my hands on some more Borderlands 2 gold keys.

Check out the full announcement.

Chit-chatting with Ryback

FEED ME MORE

Another in the series of “Aubrey talks awkwardly with men much larger, stronger and all around better than him,” I recently had the opportunity to interview none other than Ryback about his inclusion in the newest downloadable content pack for WWE ’13. Talk mostly centers around Ryback’s rating in the game (87) and how that stacks up against other WWE Superstars, but the Big Hungry also clues us in to his favorite WWE Games as a young Ryback.

Watch it now why don’t you?

Yammering with WWE Superstars!

And we’re back to normal: Me talking awkwardly on video at men who are much, much, much larger than I am!

During SummerSlam weekend, I got to not only watch the greatest panel for anything ever, but I was fortunate enough to interview the WWE talent who appeared on it. Just look at this list…WWE Champion CM Punk, World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus, Raw General Manager AJ Lee, WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross, Mr. Money in the Bank Dolph Ziggler, and Brodus Clay & The Funkadactyls. I even got to talk to Stone Cold Steve Austin again, but as you can imagine from our previous talk, it didn’t go exactly well…

Anyway, you should totally check out this interview compilation to promote WWE ’13 (on sale now!). I talked to Sheamus about his in-game rating, AJ about advice on winning, Ziggler about character creation, Punk about being on the cover, Brodus about his dancing and JR about…Barbecue?

Watch it now!

CM Punk on WWE ’13

Lest you think that I only do video interviews with wrestlers, BEHOLD: A written chit-chat with none other than reigning WWE Champion, Voice of the Voiceless and Best in the World, CM Punk.

Punk’s been one of my favorite wrestlers for years, and having followed him since his days in Ring of Honor, it’s thrilling to see him ensconced in his rightful place at the top of the wrestling industry. The interview revolved around WWE ’13 (on sale now!), but I managed to get Punk talking on a number of different topics, including his favorite wrestling crowds, who he sees as WWE’s next “break-out” talent, his thoughts on the Rock and even who he likes to squash in WWE Games.

Check out the full interview!

 

WWE ’13 Developer Q&A with Bryan Williams

 

I love doing the WWE Games Q&As. Not only is it an excuse to horse around with guys like Creative Director Cory Ledesma and Senior Game Designer Bryan Williams, but it’s also a great opportunity to learn about the games. Even though I was a fan of the WWE Games series long before starting work at THQ, there’s still a ton I don’t know about the games and how they get made. So, oftentimes the questions I ask aren’t just for the fans, but for my own benefit as well.

This Q&A is pretty long and extremely granular, but Bryan and I tried to keep it light with plenty of joking around and a lot of new WWE ’13 gameplay footage. Watch it now!

That time that Stone Cold Steve Austin yelled at me

 

Ok, I know I say this a lot, but seriously, y’all: I have a really neat job. In fact, this past August I experienced an absolutely career highlight. That’s right, none other than the legendary Texas Rattlesnake, WWE Hall of Famer and unarguably one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Stone Cold Steve Austin, cut a promo on me.

In an interview to discuss WWE ’13 and its focus on the “Attitude Era,” things spun kind of out of control, which led to Austin mocking my questions, calling me mealy-mouthed and yes, threatening to kick my ass. It was as rewarding as it was terrifying. Watch the whole thing here.

Paul Heyman Interview

 

Not to brag (too much), but as Community Manager for WWE Games at THQ, I’ve got kind of the coolest gig. Not only do I get to play video games at my desk at work, but I also get the opportunity to meet all sorts of awesome wrestling folks. To wit: The Voice of the Voice of the Voiceless himself, Mr. Paul Heyman.

For the uninitiated, Heyman is, without a doubt, one of the greatest wrestling minds in the industry today – maybe ever. After starting his career as a wrestling photographer while still a teenager, Heyman traveled the country, working as a manager all over  in the dying days of the territory system. But one of Heyman’s biggest achievements came next, when he became a promoter and brought ECW into the world, kicking, screaming and swinging a barbed-wire bat over its bleeding head.

After revolutionizing the wrestling industry with the small Philadelphia-based promotion, Heyman went on to have notable runs as a manager, announcer and creative team member in WWE, where he currently acts as the manager of WWE Champion CM Punk, who is sometimes known as the Voice of the Voiceless (hence, the Voice of the Voice of the Voiceless).

Most importantly for our purposes, however, Heyman is also credited as the “Creative Rabbi” on WWE ’13, a role that I chitchat with him about in this video interview, while also going into the influence of ECW, Heyman’s eye for talent, his approach to wrestling storytelling and Brock Lesnar. Go watch it!

Redakai Vol. 1: Invasion of the Gilfreem on sale now!

 

It’s here! After months of me pimping it online, Redakai: Invasion of the Gilfreem is now available. BuyBuybuy!

Redakai: Invasion of the Gilfreem is both my first outing in the Redakai universe, as well as the first volume in Viz’s new line of Redakai comics. I had a blast writing for a younger audience and getting to know the series’ characters. If you’re not familiar with the television series and card game on which the comics are based, it’s about three kids on a quest to obtain a magical energy source called Kairu. Like all good concepts, it sounds simple at first, but allows for a lot of variation based on characters and themes within.

My story has refugee aliens, thinly veiled environmentalist messaging and most importantly, art by Ray Anthony Height, Nate Lovett and Zack Turner, all of whom drew the ever-loving bejeezus out of this thing. Best of all, even if you hate me, my writing and everything I stand for, there’s still something to love in this volume, as the back-up story is by Mike Raicht and Dan Ciurczak.

Again: BuyBuybuy!

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