STACK #257 March 2026

FEATURE GAMING

What’s your earliest video gaming memory?

BEST SELLERS at

Playing Crash Bandicoot on my

PlayStation 1 when I was around six years old.

FEBRUARY 2026

MARCH

What’s your all-time favourite game or game series?

My all-time favourite game series definitely has to be Kingdom Hearts . I’m typing this while wearing merch for the game and bearing a KH tattoo.

’ s ROVING REPORTER

1 RESIDENT EVIL REQUIEM

What have you been playing most lately?

2 MARIO TENNIS FEVER

CHARLIE WEARN @ JB Hi-Fi Wollongong, NSW

As of right now, I’m really enjoying Marvel Rivals . Playing as Thor and bonking people on the head is just so rewarding!

3 POKÉMON LEGENDS: Z-A

4 BATTLEFIELD 6

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

5 CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS 7

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

PS3 for sure. Yes, it had its faults, but I think it was the peak of couch co-op and multiplayer gaming. I have so many fond memories of getting home from school and sneaking a game or two before bed

6 NIOH 3

It’s an area that I’m incredibly familiar with and passionate about. I’ve worked in games retail for four years and I’ve always loved it.

7 MINECRAFT

8 JUST DANCE: 2026 EDITION

1. What is your weapon in the Fatal Frame (aka Project Zero ) survival horror games? 2. On which console did the Monster Hunter series make its debut? 3. Who was the cover star of WWE 2K14 , the first 2K wrestling game to include the company name? 4. What’s the name of Crimson Desert developers Pearl Abyss’ 2014 MMORPG? 5. On which singular format did the original 1995 Screamer release? 6. What was the name of the 2006 Sonic the Hedgehog racing game where players rode hoverboards? 7. What was the name of the first 3D Mario game? 8. Who was the protagonist in the original Life Is Strange ? Are you up to answering all eight of this month’s game related posers?

9 SUPER MARIO GALAXY + SUPER MARIO GALAXY 2

10 DRAGON QUEST VII REIMAGINED

GAME EXAM

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ANSWERS on page 18

1 What’s the first game that you remember playing? Space Invaders as a kid at the Game Centre close by where I grew up. After that I also remember playing Pac-Man and Galaga , but I didn’t have a lot of money and I wasn’t very good, so the amount of time I could actually play those games was very limited. 2 What’s your favourite video game of all time? My favourite games, all the way through college, were the Mario and Dragon Quest titles. I bought every game in both of those series and was always there to purchase on the day they released. I even remember staying up late (when I was supposed to be sleeping) so I could keep playing those games. 3 What do you think is the most underrated video game of all time? It’s not a specific title, but VR games are a genre that I would like to see get more recognition in the marketplace. It’s an experience with deeper immersion and a real feeling of being transported to a new world that you can’t replicate with other video game formats. 4 Which of the games that you’ve created is your favourite? In the 34 years I have been at SEGA I’ve only developed titles for the Sonic series and the NiGHTS series – just those two. And both of those series are filled with titles that I really love, so it’s hard to choose, but if I had to choose absolute favourites it would have to be NiGHTS into Dreams and Sonic Adventure 2 . 5 What are you working on currently? Of course, we’re working hard on the next new Sonic game! I will continue to work hard to make sure all the fans around the world will be able to get Sonic content across a wide variety of mediums, and I hope you all look forward to the next new adventures Sonic will have.

Creative force of SEGA and Sonic Team since 1993 TAKASHI IIZUKA

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