STACK #182 Dec 2019

GAMES FEATURE

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I haven’t really missed a week that I haven’t touched a game at least.”

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STACK ROVING REPORTER

Forest Hill. “At the minute I’d say Switch, because our demographic is more on the older side, and Xbox wouldn’t be far behind – especially with the Star Wars Jedi bundle.” His console allegiance is to the latter. “Probably Xbox a little bit, mainly because most of my friends have the Xbox as well and we play online. Yeah, definitely Xbox.” Regardless of this current Xbox fandom, Jared picks a PlayStation exclusive as his all-time fave game series, although it’s a tough decision. “Oh man! There’s a few… I’ll go the Uncharted series. But that’s just like asking me what’s my favourite band, I can’t give you that!” Meanwhile, his most treasured piece of merch is one that we’re rather envious of. “I have a rare limited edition chainsaw controller from the GameCube era – from Resident Evil 4 . I actually got that from JB, coincidentally!” As well as acting as the perfect demonstration of what the Wii was all about, Wii Sports got many a sedentary type off their bottoms and getting active, even more so the following December when the infamous Wii Fit board and game package hit the Japanese market. Another console to hit in the December period – not usually considered the ideal time to launch – was the Neo Geo X in 2012. As the name suggests, it was based on the highly-regarded SNK arcade system and console of the 1990s, and it delivered many of the classic games – mostly beat ‘em ups – from the period, via emulation. Ultimately quite

ninth year at JB, and it was

best sellers at

persistence that got him his start. “I just kept applying. The Frankston Bayside store

Date ending: 29/11/19

SHOP TALK

was about to open, and I was working, ironically, at that same shopping centre. I got a random phone call saying, ‘Would you like a job?’ I just started out as a casual, then within six months I ended up going full-time and then, about three or four years later, I got promoted as the games coordinator at Forest Hill.” It’s a familiar story when we ask what’s the hottest seller at JB

1 cod: modern warfare (PS4/xbo/pc) 2 fifa 20 (PS4/xbo/pc/switch) 3 pokemon sword (switch) 4 pokemon shield (switch) 5 s w jedi fallen order (PS4/xbo/pc) 6 nba 2k20 (PS4/xbo/pc/switch) 7 Need for speed heat (PS4/xbo/pc) 8 luigi’s mansion 3 (switch) 9 The legend of zelda (switch) 10 Mario & sonic at the OlymPic games tokyo 2020 (switch) a disappointment, it’s fair to say that it never saw the same market penetration as Nintendo’s nearly 102 million-selling waggle box… Games Released In DECEMBER Phantasy Star (1987) Mega Man 5 (1992) Mario Kart 64 (1996) The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (2002) Beyond Good and Evil (2003) Guitar Hero: Van Halen (2009) The Last Guardian (2016)

F or some JB Hi-Fi game coordinators, gaming is a calling. Jared Start at Forest Hill tells us that he was first pulled into the world of gaming by his older brothers. “It was the original Nintendo system, the NES. My two older brothers at the time were playing the original Ninja Turtles game, and there was one part where they’d purposely let the Ninja Turtles die and they knew that I’d crack it, but they just kept playing up to that part and letting them drown.” Despite that possibly scarring fraternal torture, Jared remains a dedicated gamer today. “I haven’t really missed a week that I haven’t touched a game at least. My wife works night shift, so it gives me more time to play games at night – and I don’t get in trouble!” Jared’s coming up to his

Jared Start of JB Forest Hill, Victoria gets his Sam Bridges on.

DECEMBER

A little slice of gaming history…

2006: Johnny Depp was all the rage as Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest topped the worldwide box office, Google bought YouTube and Pluto received a demotion from planet to dwarf planet.

motion controls – plastic bars that you strapped to your wrists (more to save potential TV smashing or animal wounding than anything else) and then waved about in the air like you just did care. It didn’t take long

Meanwhile, Nintendo were about to change the way that many looked at video gaming, with their Wii console hitting the Australian market just in time for Christmas. While the console itself was so unassuming that it looked like it could be a computer disc drive, it was the controllers that made people take notice. The system used

to permeate places that games systems generally didn’t, aided and abetted by the packed-in game, Wii Sports . Featuring simple motion controlled takes on baseball, bowling, boxing, golf and tennis, it was embraced by many to whom games had previously been some total waste of time for lollygagging whippersnappers.

5 platforms that Nights into Dreams released on in 1996

40 NStorm staff that worked on Elf Bowling

6 years since Batman: Arkham Origins released

3 different publishers that released James Pond 2

650,000 dollars that Dead Rising 4 made. Well below the 2 million dollars forecasted

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DECEMBER 2019

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