IllegalPaladin on 01 March 2011
Hmm, I'm not quite sure.
Hideo Kojima could be it, but I don't think I really knew who he was till after Metal Gear Solid 2.
Actually, I think Valve beats out Kojima. I was really into following Gabe's presentations for the Source engine and the other people at Valve when they talked about Half-Life 2, Counter-Strike, ect.
