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THIS MONTH at

GAMING FEATURE

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STACK’s ROVING REPORTER

What’s your all-time favourite game series?

BEST SELLERS at

I want to say Crash Bandicoot, but the honour belongs to Solid Snake and the Metal Gear Solid series. Such a wacky and fun story from Kojima, and the way levels would change to your gameplay. Genius!

AUGUST 2022

MICHAEL BALL @JB Hi-Fi Indooroopilly, QLD

1 NINTENDO SWITCH SPORTS

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

What have you been playing lately?

2 MARIO KART 8 DELUXE

My favourite thing is chatting rad stuff with customers. It truly is the ‘Fun Zone’ at JB. Talking peripherals, consoles and games is so much fun. Also, seeing all the new stuff that comes in excites me, too!

I’ve gone back to Red Dead Redemption II , playing through it again on PC. I recently got an MSI Trident from the webstore and playing it on max settings is a sight to behold. If not that, it’s The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD on Switch. What a remaster!

3 SAINTS ROW

4 XENOBLADE CHRONICLES 3

What’s your earliest video gaming memory?

5 MADDEN NFL 23

What would be your desert island console?

My earliest memory is me being four years old and Dad coming home with a PS1 and Crash Bandicoot . I remember laying in my parents’ bed playing the first level and dying repeatedly. But going through that game, getting all the gems and helping Dad sits in a special place in my heart.

6 ANIMAL CROSSING: NEW HORIZONS

Ooooooh! That’s tough, but it has to be a Switch, right? It’s the perfect getaway console. Playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons on my very own island? Talk about immersion!

7 HORIZON FORBIDDEN WEST

8 GRAN TURISMO 7

MERCH MONTH of the

Monopoly – Super Mario Celebration

Monopoly – Animal Crossing Edition

9 TWO POINT CAMPUS

10 POKÉMON LEGENDS ARCEUS

Monopoly – Roblox 2022 Edition

Monopoly – Fortnite Edition

Monopoly – Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout Edition

1998

GAME CHANGERS! A YEAR IN GAMING It was a top year for sequels, with one from Nintendo remaining a much-loved classic to this day, while SEGA unleashed their latest assault on the console space, and a future gaming giant first took to the world stage…

In November, SEGA launched their latest console in Japan. Known as the Dreamcast, as well as top graphics, the powerful 128-bit unit boasted many firsts for a home console, including a built-in modem and the VMU, a Tamagotchi-like device with LCD screen and sound that plugged into the controller, acting as a memory card and enhancing various games. After a lacklustre launch, and despite some 600 titles eventuating for the console, including some genuine classics, a change of management saw SEGA abandon Dreamcast production in early 2001. It was to be the last ever brand new console released by the company.

While many games were hitting their second iterations, Nintendo’s much adored The Legend of Zelda unleashed its fifth series entry,

Having started life as a BMG Interactive title created by British powerhouse developers DMA Designs, Grand Theft Auto soon found itself with a new home come 1998, in the shape of the freshly-formed Rockstar Games. It turned out that the bold naming was quite prophetic, with the GTA franchise at last count racking sales of over 350 million units, making it the fifth most successful gaming franchise of all time (behind Tetris, Call of Duty,

The Ocarina of Time . It was Link and friends’ first foray into the amazing world of 3D, via the Nintendo 64 console, but still with series co-creator Shigeru Miyamoto at the tiller. The story saw Link out to stop evil king Ganondorf, via a fun time travel mechanic. Players also had to have Link blow the odd tune on an ocarina in order to progress. Establishing many now staple 3D adventuring functionalities, the game remains one of the highest rated ever, and the enduring favourite of many a Nintendo fan.

Super Mario and Pokémon). Other Rockstar hits have included the Red Dead, Max Payne and Midnight Club games, alongside Bully and L.A. Noire .

SEPTEMBER 2022

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