Game Market 1983

After the 15-minute break, I returned to the auditorium and glanced at the students seated before me. Holding the mic close, I addressed them, "Seems like there are more students than before... or is it just my mood?"

Laughter echoed through the auditorium, giving me the sense that more people had hurried in to hear the presentations for the second part.

It doesn't really concern me, but...

Not only were the regular seats packed, but students occupied the stairs on both sides. Looking at them, sitting there, their passion for gaming emanated vividly.

I've felt this before while having a drink with Junpei, but it struck me that even in this world, I'm not as young as I used to be.

"Well then, let's proceed with the second part as I mentioned earlier."

I displayed images of the NEGA Saturn and Gear Station on the colossal screen set up on the stage, continuing to explain about both consoles.

As I delved into the genesis of the Gear Station and the failed collaborative project between Mintendo and Sensony, expressions of surprise flickered across the students' faces. It wasn't a major issue, given that I had briefly discussed Mintendo and Sensony's reasons in an interview with a magazine previously.

Finally, I concluded my talk about Sensony with a discussion on the Gear Station's specs.

"Simply put, the Gear Station specializes in 3D technology, unlike the Saturn. Additionally, its development tools are much easier compared to the Saturn. Thanks to this, even with less recognition, Sensony managed to pull in major developers like NANCO to their side. A console that offers an easy development environment and powerful performance is what developers prefer the most. Soon, the differences between Sensony and NEGA will become clear."

At that moment, a well-built male student in the front row swiftly raised his hand towards me.

Nodding, I acknowledged him, and he wiped his fallen glasses before asking, "But last month's magazine didn't show a significant difference in sales between the Saturn and Gear Station. In fact, the Saturn seemed slightly ahead. Didn't you mention the importance of market penetration when discussing Mintendo in Part 1?"

"Yes, that's correct. However, it might be premature to judge the market penetration of a console that's only been out for six months. NEGA's situation can be seen as rather embarrassing. Not quite Mintendo, but for Sensony, who just stepped into the console industry, to struggle with sales. Originally, their goal was to dominate the market in Mintendo's absence. But due to Sensony and NANCO's performance being more impressive than expected, they're hesitating significantly. If not for 'Real Fighter,' the fight might have been even tougher. However, depending on the direction of the gaming market, the differences between the two companies will become more evident."

Satisfied with my answer, the student nodded slowly.

Then, another student from the back asked me, "But the Gear Station's focus on 3D has made its 2D capabilities quite weak. And the loading times are significantly slower compared to the Saturn. Is there any solution for this?"

"While they did emphasize 3D performance from the start, Sensony probably had to make a choice. If they had covered 2D capabilities as well, they wouldn't have hit the consumer price they aimed for at 29,800 yen. As there's always a trade-off in everything, it might be a result of reading the direction of the gaming industry. And regarding the second question about loading times..."

"Unfortunately, there's currently no solution to this issue. Of course, depending on the programmer's skill, the loading speed can be improved. But now that all consoles are using CD media, they need time to adapt. I believe, as time passes and programmers improve, it will gradually get better. Does that cover your query? Or do you have any more questions?"

"."

"If there are no more questions, shall I start sharing some news from our Pentagon? Is that alright?"

The students seated eagerly started gazing at me with anticipation.

"Ooooh!!! We've been waiting for this moment!"

The discussions about 'Complete Laon,' the current model of Laon, on online communities had been nothing but rumors. Someone claimed their relative at Pentagon mentioned, 'The new console won't include controllers,' and faced criticism for such an absurd notion. Another mentioned something about a computer HDD being included, but the community brushed it off as an exaggeration.

"Last year at CES, we showcased the performance video of the second episode of 'Dragon Emblem' releasing with 'Complete Laon' and 'Streets Without Me.' The local response was fantastic, and for us at Pentagon, it was an exhilarating moment. We wanted to share the news with you sooner, but we took a bit of time to create a device that won't fall behind the newly announced models from Sensony and NEGA. Before I introduce 'Complete Laon,' there's a developer here whom I'd like to present to you."

For a moment, I turned and saw a man waiting beside the stage.

Wearing black-rimmed glasses, a slightly slender man made eye contact with me and gave a slight nod, acknowledging my glance.

"Allow me to introduce Hideojima, the director of 'Full Metal Gear.'"

Hideojima, with a slightly embarrassed expression, appeared on stage and approached the students, exchanging a brief greeting with them. Students, on recognizing his name, murmured amongst themselves.

"Hideojima? Who's that?"

"I know him. He's the one who created that stealth action game, 'Full Metal Gear.' I had a blast playing it on the MSX and Family consoles back then."

"Oh, that one! The 2D game from a top-down view. I've played it too. I think it went up to 2. It had a unique charm."

"Yeah, exactly."

"While Full Metal Gear gained recognition for its unique gameplay, during its release, it was a time when RPG games like Dragon Warrior or Final Frontier were immensely popular, making it rare for anyone outside enthusiasts to have tried the Full Metal Gear that he created. Additionally, due to a misjudgment by Fox Soft, the game's release for the less mainstream consoles delayed its recognition significantly.

His appearance here was due to the simultaneous release of Complete Laon's launching game.

Houjima, standing before the audience, seemed slightly nervous as he spoke in a trembling voice, "It's an honor to introduce 'Full Metal Gear Solid' that I created to all of you who will be working together in the gaming industry. Um... I received a lot of help from Mr. Kang Junhyuk of Pentagon Soft to stand here. If anyone here has played the Full Metal Gear I created, would you raise your hand?"

At Houjima's request, about half of the students in the auditorium raised their hands.

"Thank you, really, thank you. There are more than I thought. Probably because it's a gaming major, quite a few students have experienced playing my game. However, statistically speaking, my game didn't perform as well as one might think. After the second production, even the headquarters seemed disappointed and refused to accept proposals for the next project."

"Oh, I had a blast playing it..."

"So that's what happened..."

Voices of sympathy emerged from the crowd at Houjima's story.

"At such times, Mr. Junhyuk here personally called our headquarters to request the next work for 'Full Metal Gear.' As you know, our Fox Soft has numerous popular works like live-action soccer, baseball, the devilish series, among others. But among those, Mr. Junhyuk wanted the next project for 'Full Metal Gear.'"

As Houjima spoke, I, who was watching him share his story with the students, smiled, raising the corners of my mouth.

Indeed, it was surprising for Mr. Kawaguchi to be astonished at my desire to launch the sequel to 'Full Metal Gear' alongside Complete Laon's release...

Since it's only natural to want to connect with Fox Soft's more famous works on the launch day of Complete Laon. But I was confident.

Because... the world of 'Full Metal Gear' that he had envisioned was just starting to take shape.

"To repay Mr. Junhyuk's efforts... I want to show you a completely different style of game than what has been seen until now."

"Wowww!!" fre ewebn ovel

As the students applauded, the lights in the auditorium slowly dimmed. Simultaneously, a very familiar male voice echoed through the speakers.

"This is Snake. Do you read me? Over."

The deep, masculine voice began to captivate the audience in the auditorium with just a few words.

"Ah~ I hear you loud and clear, Snake. Seems like the nanomachines are properly installed in your bloodstream."

"From now on, it's a solo infiltration mission toward the enemy base."

"As you already know, Snake, this mission must not be compromised. Even if caught by the enemy, the nation will deny your existence. Hence, all equipment must be procured locally."

"... Firearms' routes might be traced back..."

"Right. Currently, Dr. Emerich, codenamed 'Otacon,' is imprisoned in the research lab. Your mission is to safely rescue Dr. Emerich. Can you handle it?"

"Roger..."

"Then, the mission begins."

As their deep-sea conversation continued, a personal-submarine-like device launched into the depths, eliciting gasps from the students watching the screen.

"What... what was that? It's like... straight out of a movie..."

"Yeah, and the direction in those visuals... it's all full polygon, isn't it?"

The students were gaping at the astonishingly cinematic scenes, experiencing something entirely new.

Houjima Hideki.

Though he had a greater interest in movies than games originally, while creating 'Full Metal Gear' in the 80s, he always had cinematic direction and story in mind. Unlike regular action games, aiming for a twist by incorporating a deeply engaging storyline and having the final boss be one's superior didn't resonate much in the action game scene back then.

However, now that polygons were on the scene, enabling new cinematic perspectives, Houjima's 'Full Metal Gear Solid' was one of the games that greatly benefited.

Originally intended for Gear Station's release in 1998, this game, pushed into production over several years due to Houjima's persistent requests, became a massive success.

So, when I asked for his game to be the next project for Complete Laon, about 80% of 'Full Metal Gear Solid' was already completed in Houjima's mind.

I merely provided financial support to ensure his work could be released under Complete Laon...

And at this moment.

The 5-minute demo scene he created began to overwhelm the students gathered in the auditorium.

>

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