STACK #223 May 2023

THIS MONTH at

GAMING FEATURE

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STACK’s ROVING REPORTER

What’s your all-time favourite game series?

BEST SELLERS at

It’s got to be Punch-Out!! from the early days of NES through to the Wii version. It’s both exciting and calming. Learning to read patterns and execute counters, I felt like Punch-Out!! prepared me to be able to react quickly to any game.

APRIL 2023

JOSE SERMENO @ JB Hi-Fi Home Pakenham, VIC

What have you been playing lately?

1 STAR WARS JEDI: SURVIVOR

I’ve been hitting Monster Hunter Rise recently, I tell you what, with the bonus content drops and updates from the creators, I can’t help being excited to see new monsters and new strategies implemented. I just started using new weapons after playing 400 hours and it’s like a brand-new game again!

What’s the best thing about working in games at JB?

2 DEAD ISLAND 2

It’s got to be the customers! From young to old, there’s nothing better than seeing a face light up with excitement, whether they’re eight or 80, everyone gets personal when describing something that they’re passionate about. Sharing an interest with them or simply allowing them to share their experiences always brings a smile to my face.

3 MARIO KART 8 DELUXE

You can only have one games console from any era – what would it be and why?

4 FIFA 23

Super Nintendo, hands down. Super Mario World , the Donkey Kong Country series, the wide variety of RPGs, Super Punch Out!!, Mega Man X, Street Fighter II, and the list goes on. I don’t ‘fan boy’ at the best of times, but I think if we didn’t evolve gaming past the Super Nintendo, or if I had to live in a perpetual time loop before the N64 existed, I’d still be filled with contentment and power... Nintendo power!

5 RESIDENT EVIL 4

What’s your earliest video gaming memory?

6 HOGWARTS LEGACY

Hmm, probably Jr. Pac-Man on Atari. I remember playing nonstop or watching my parents play it while sitting next to them on the couch, thinking how cool that Jr. Pac Man could scroll the screen. It blew my tiny mind!

7 CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE II

MERCH MONTH of the Show your love of these gaming icons by putting their posters up in pride of place on your wall!

8 NINTENDO SWITCH SPORTS

9 THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: BREATH OF THE WILD

10 NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. U DELUXE

Pokémon Scarlet + Violet Poster

Sonic the Hedgehog Comic Characters Poster

Super Mario Run Poster

Hatsune Miku Projection Poster

2006

GAME CHANGERS! A YEAR IN GAMING Hot fresh hardware from Nintendo and PlayStation arrived to tempt us, while a selection of top new franchises joined the continuing barrage of sequels, including one that you’d think was inoffensive, but still managed to ruffle some feathers…

While the GameCube had many fans, it didn’t perform nearly as well as Nintendo had hoped. The innards were strong though, so with the odd tweak and a bit of a power boost, and a change of case from appealingly toylike to plain boxy OEM chic, the Wii was born. Nintendo’s desire was to appeal to a broader audience, bringing online connectivity and motion controls to the system that allowed pretty much anybody to pick up and play. Add a killer pack-in game in Wii Sports , where people “played” the

2006 was huge for landmark new franchises for those into war, shooting, and assorted other violent

How to follow a success story like the PlayStation 2? With the PlayStation 3, of course! But the name was the easy part. Launching in the US and Japan in November (Australia had to wait until March of 2007), the PS3 was an impressive behemoth of a machine, complete with evolved DualShock controller, the now wireless SixAxis. Using Blu-ray storage, and introducing the PlayStation Network, it also cleverly played PS2 games, offering a handy upgrade path. It wasn’t all smooth sailing though, for it was expensive, and developers found it challenging to harness the incredible

escapades with Gears of War, Company of Heroes, Just Cause, Saints Row , and Dead Rising all launching. But what about more peaceful endeavours? Well, 2006 also saw the arrival of formidable kitchen wiz Cooking Mama, in a self-titled game for Nintendo DS. A selection of minigames themed around kitchen pursuits, it soon proved extremely popular – except with PETA, who turned their noses up at included meat dishes – and led to many spinoffs, including Gardening Mama and Babysitting Mama (complete with a plushie bub in which you jammed a Wii Remote).

likes of tennis, bowling, and boxing by waggling the Wii Remote controller about, and a star was born. Over 100 million units were eventually sold. Hey, we own three!

abilities of its Cell processor. Still, after a slow start, the PS3 eventually outsold its main rival, the Xbox 360.

MAY 2023

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