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What’s your earliest video gaming memory?

Playing Pitfall! on my brother’s old Atari on a CRT TV. It was the middle of summer and stinking hot, but it was so much fun.

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JUNE

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

MAY 2025

My favourite series is The Legend of Zelda - specifically The Wind Waker on GameCube, that was my introduction to the series and it’s still my favourite – I’m beyond

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hyped to play it again on the Switch 2! But PS5 Spider-Man: Miles Morales is probably my all time favourite game.

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What have you been playing most lately?

TYLER “CRASH” STARK @ JB South Wharf,VIC

I’m playing Horizon Forbidden West – I’m loving that it has slight The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild vibes, while still being such a unique adventure. I also play Splatoon 3 every day on my lunch break – I’m a Squidkid for life!

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

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

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Being part of such an awesome community! I love talking to gamers about our favourite games and recommending new stuff they might enjoy, as well as getting recommendations myself. Especially when kids or people new to gaming come in for their first console - it’s so exciting to be the one who welcomes them into this world!

This is so tough! If I choose the Switch 2 do I get it early?! Even if I have to wait for it, that’s still going to be my choice – between the new games coming, the original Switch library, and the classic collections, it definitely has enough to keep me going!

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GAME EXAM 1. What was the name of Hideo Kojima’s first game as director, released in 1987? 2. What’s the name of the 2022 game where you literally clean up the town of Muckingham? 3. From which farming life and social simulation series was the original Rune Factory a spinoff? 4. What’s the name of the forthcoming MMO from MindsEye creators Build a Rocket Boy? 5. Characters from which legendary JRPG series collide with those from Disney in Kingdom Hearts ? 6. From which Japanese media franchise are the Devil Summoner games a spin-off? 7. What was the subtitle of the fifth Five Nights at Freddy’s game? 8. What was the original Harvest Moon for Super Nintendo known as in its native Japan? Are you up to answering all eight of this month’s game related posers?

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ANSWERS on page 18

1 What was the first game that you played? It was Galaga and I played at an arcade. I was really young at the time (I think I was six years old in Korean age), so I don’t remember much overall, but I do recall being fascinated. 2 What was the last game that you finished? The last game I completed was Monster Hunter Wilds . After playing Double Cross , World , and Rise , I continued with Wilds , which felt like a more casual direction overall with many improvements. 3 What’s your favourite video game/series of all time? There are so many games I love, and it’s difficult to pick just one. But if I had to choose, it would be Shining Force (the game that inspired me to become a game developer). The moment I saw the ending, I was holding the controller, and tears were streaming down my face. That was when I made the decision that I, too, wanted to create such an emotional game. 4 What do you think is the most underrated video game of all time? Personally, I would pick Miracle Girls Festival , a rhythm action game created by SEGA. The game is based on the concept of a girl group performing at a live concert. In traditional rhythm action games, you’re just pressing buttons in sequence to achieve a high score. But in this game, as your score increases, the audience starts singing along in unison, which creates an incredible sense of immersion. 5 What’s the game that you most wish you’d worked on? At the start of developing Khazan , I thought, “It would have been great to have participated in the development of Nioh ”, especially the challenging combat, the character build system, and the fast-paced action - all these elements harmonised so well. Shining Force

Creative director on The First Berserker: Khazan at Neople JUNHO LEE

JUNE 2025

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