Resident writer eddie tubs recalls and interviews gamers about our highly competitive battleground. The EX3A Leaderboard.

Everybody wants to have the biggest gamer score to have bragging rights over their friends. I was happy sitting in around 50,000 until I saw one of my friends - IRELAND No.1 -  and his gamerscore. Each week his score was getting bigger and bigger at a very fast rate, so I had to ask him, how the hell you doing it?...

That's when he told me about Easy Xbox 360 Achievements (EX3A), so I signed up. It was only after adding a post in the members lounge when the messages came flooding in with "Welcome to EX3A".  The first thing that hit me was how friendly everybody was - not the friendly come join our site and then we will forget about you - but the friendly you are part of the team and we will help what ever way we can to increase your gamer score. True to their word they did and I am now sitting on 80,000.

I didn't do much, just checked the Under 5 Hours games list and started from there. All in a few short months as I made my way around the forums, I came across the Leaderboards. My recommendation is not to be eating lunch when looking at the leaderboards as you may choke, like I nearly did when I saw the two guys sitting on top.  Blain and Buttoon. I could not believe their score! People will agree yes there is bigger scores out there - you will always get a smart arse -  but this is not only about having the best score and sitting on the top of the Leaderboards. This is about dedication, friends, money and sleepless nights.

So while I got to know everyone on here, I took a chance to see if could I ask them some questions about reaching high scores.  I got to sit down with Blain and Buttoon to see if could they give me an insight into the mind of a hardcore gamer. WellWell, the budget didn't go as far as sitting down with them - as there is no budget -  but I did ask them questions and here is what went down.

Blain hails all the way from Great Britain and sits in the number one spot on the EX3A Leaderboard. At the time this article was submitted his score stands at a massive 370 510 G

What year did you start playing the Xbox 360?

Pretty late on the 360 scene as I was waiting for a PS3, but that kept getting delayed so got a 360 in 2007

How does it feel to be 1st on our Leaderboard?

It's an honor and a privilege to be 1st on the leader-board

Do you have a favourite game type?

Hmmmmmm favourite game type.... I love shooters, FPS mainly

What means more to you; maxing a game or getting as many points from the game as you can?

This is a funny one as some games I just get the points and run others I will grind out crazy achievements. Good example Fist of the North Star. Crap game just hitting the 'X' button over and over for 40 hrs. Crazy but 1000 that bad boy

Co-op or flying solo?

Love co-op, its crazy

What's the worst game you played?

To be honest no one game i have played can be called the worst, most of the "worst" games are easy so that makes them good in my eyes

Whats the best game you have played?

Rainbow 6 Vegas followed very close by Part 2, or any Call of Duty on vet (even COD 3)

Do you think developers are making achievements harder or easier?

Ermmm some of the A list titles seem to be more drawn out and need more planning but there are still very easy/quick games being released as of late, Cap America, green lantern, Duke Nuke-em Cars 2

What has been the most hardest achievement you unlocked?

Call Of Duty 3 on Veteran was tough but without a doubt the single most hardest achievement for me was the stupid asteroid section on Dead Space. First time round I took about 6 hours of my life with no result. Second time round about 4 hours with no result. I gave up for 18 months until a challenge arose. I finish this last achievement and johnnie (johnnie5alive) plays My Horse and Me 2.  The rest is history and started a slippery slope for Mr johnnie5alive.

If its true and we do see a new Xbox by 2015 what feature should they add or take away?

Lol don't think I will be playing in 2015 but the only feature I would like to see is to give us a choice of how our console looks. Dashboard background pictures,  blade choices , etc. Oh and free online play.

When you are really going for a Gamerscore hunt how do you prepare yourself?

If collectibles are involved then I try to dig up a guide. Also check if anything is miss-able and lastly check whether I can play on the easiest difficulty. Oh and can I use cheats too.

Any tips for anyone new starting out on Xbox 360?

Any tips for anyone new starting out on Xbox 360? Errrmm Don't play zombies with Doon, Johnnie or myself.  It may scar you for life

With gaming very time consuming do you have a hobby outside of gaming?

I don't really get much time to game any more with the demands of work, but outside of gaming my life revolves around my three kids (14yrs, 10yrs and 9yrs) and my lovely wife of 15 years (or is it 16...crap she is going to kill me) I do a lot of match fishing, love motor sport, love Man Utd and have a little marine aquarium set-up at the moment . You can check it out here actually 

We are going to have a very busy run into the end of the year, what game are you most looking forward to?

Something with good co-op. Gears of War 3 maybe and the next instalment of Call Of Duty of course. Easy kids games and please let's have My Horse and Me 3

The next of our gamers who sits in second spot on the Leaderboard is Buttoon who also hails from Great Britain. As this was submitted, his score stands at a massive 255 950 G

What year did you start playing the Xbox 360?

I started playing on my 360 in September 2008 and it seems so long ago now. I have just gone over 4 years played

How does it feel to be number two on our Leaderboard?

Not as good as it would feel to be top ! :P I always like aiming for the top spot so who knows in the next year it may happen...

Do you have a favourite game type?

That's a tough question, mostly it depends on my mood and what I feel like doing. I suppose if I had to make a decision on the spot it would probably have to be RPG's such as Fallout, Mass Effect, etc. Gives me a story to get involved with.

What means more to you, maxing a game or getting as many points from the game as you can?

Maxing a game without a doubt. Nothing more annoying than seeing a game sitting at 900 or so on your tag! Unfortunately I do have a fair few unfinished.

Co-op or flying solo?

Another hard question, probably co-op most times. Just for the laughs and mess ups, but then I do like to have a solo storyline that I can get into.

Whats the worst game you played?

I have played 378 games now so there are plenty to choose from ha ha.  I would say Pimp My Ride or Jumper. So so so bad!

Whats the best game you have played?

Hmmm, toughest question of all! I loved Darksiders, Guitar Hero 3, Battlefield Bad Company 2, Fallout 3, Eternal Sonata, Alan Wake. The list could go on forever!

Do you think developers are making achievements harder or easier?

Unfortunately I think they are making them a lot easier, with a couple of grinding ones chucked in to make you play it for longer. Apart from Capcom, they are still making impossible games to complete.

What has been the most hardest achievement you unlocked?

According to True Achievements,  its Payday on Ghostbusters, but I disagree. For time spent would probably be Big 'Ol Pile Of Wins on Guitar Hero 3. Spent hours getting the 500 online wins legit.

If its true and we do see a new xbox by 2015 what feature should they add or take away?

I would say they should add achievements on all back dated games including original xbox titles.

When you are really going for a Gamerscore hunt how do you prepare yourself?

Unless I'm against someone, I find it hard to get motivated to score, it's hell playing such bad games. If it was in a competition its all about energy drinks and plenty of rentals!  And my girlfriend making me hearty meals lol!

Any tips for anyone new starting out on Xbox 360?

If I was starting out I would make sure I completed every game I played before moving on. A 100% tag is far more impressive than a high gamerscore one.

With gaming very time consuming do you have a hobby outside of gaming?

I have just got back into sea fishing actually. Yes, I know I'm getting old now. It's completely the opposite from the Xbox so its nice to get out the house and away from electrical items. I also spend quite a bit of time enjoying alcoholic beverages with my friends!

We are going to have a very busy run into the end of the year what game are you most looking forward to?

Like everyone on the whole planet its probably Battlefield 3. For me no other shooter comes close. Smaller titles such as Space Marine will also be purchased.

Now guys there you go. Think you can climb the Leaderboard? Well, become a member on EX3A and I'm sure that everyone will be happy to help with co-op, glitches, guides, funny banter and a friendly Xbox 360 Community.

I would like to thank Slam Da Brakes, Dooney, IRELAND No 1, johnnie5alive, Gun Devil 2 and of course Blain and Buttoon the two heros of EX3A,  for the help. See you on the frontline!