bad Demo Test

On a sweltering summer afternoon, the entire Tokyo Metropolis enveloped in an oppressive heat that seemed to melt anyone in its path.

At Sony Headquarters, a specially modified laboratory is as cool as autumn.

Sega's Director Yoshikawa, accompanied by Nakayama Takuya and Masao Suzuki, has just arrived.

Mitsui Chuta from Sony, Shigeo Maruyama, president of Sony Music, and Ken Kutaragi were already waiting here. The style of this laboratory can be described as an extreme eclectic mix. Three walls are inlaid with huge mirrors, reflecting everything in the room.

In the central open space, an arcade machine without a protective casing stands alone, next to a large button platform.

Surprisingly, in one corner of the lab, there was a long table that resembled a bar counter, with even a decent-looking wine cabinet behind it, and a coffee machine quietly radiating warmth. This was supposedly something Smith requested to maintain his inspiration and passion, since this lab would be used to record more dance music games in the future. The deep-pocketed Sony readily agreed, even adding a wine cabinet and a coffee machine.

So this laboratory has become a wonderful fusion of a dance studio, a music studio, a game lab, and a bar.

It is said that many senior executives within Sony who were involved in the LD project or Sony Music have come to visit after hearing about it.

As they left, they all wore expressions of pride, as if saying, "This is what Sony should be like," believing that it perfectly embodied Sony's business characteristics and innovative spirit.

The executives, each holding a cup of coffee, casually sat down on high stools, seemingly chatting in a relaxed manner, but their eyes were invariably fixed on the strange device in the center of the room.

Unlike ordinary arcade machines, this machine features Sony's largest 29-inch Trinitron TV screen on the market, boasting vibrant colors and exquisite picture quality.

The arcade game did not feature traditional joysticks and buttons.

Instead, there is a huge platform about two meters square, with arrow patterns clearly marking the four directions on the platform, and red, yellow, blue and green color-coded boundaries for the sensing zones drawn along the edges.

At the end of each sensing area, there is a set of small stage lights covered by high-strength transparent glass.

A faint, waiting light flickered.

Looking up, a more complex set of colored lights hangs from the laboratory ceiling, directly facing the button platform below, as if ready to shower down dazzling light at any moment.

The lighting technician was making final adjustments, slightly dimming the surrounding lights to maintain just the right level of brightness, drawing everyone's attention to the center.

A Sega developer carefully inserted an LD disc containing the dance moves and keystrokes for "Bad" into the arcade's disc tray.

Nakayama Takuya and Ken Kutaragi exchanged a glance simultaneously.

They could both see the undisguised anticipation and a hint of barely perceptible nervousness in each other's eyes.

"I'll give it a try."

A Sony Music sound engineer wearing headphones volunteered to participate in some of the sound effects work for the project, showing great anticipation and excitement for the game.

He took a deep breath and, with a touch of awkwardness, stepped onto the technologically advanced platform.

Almost the instant his feet touched the ground, the four bezels of the arcade screen lit up with a soft glow.

Immediately afterwards, the huge word "READY" appeared in the center of the screen and continued to enlarge, creating a strong visual impact.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, the sound engineer took a deep breath, recalled the operating instructions he had been given, lightly jumped with both feet, and then landed steadily.

"Crack!"

A crisp, metallic sound burst forth from the arcade's built-in sound system, powerful yet refined.

Almost simultaneously, the enormous, ever-enlarging "READY" on the screen seemed to be struck by the sound, shattering into countless fragments that scattered in all directions. Before the fragments disappeared, an even more vivid and dynamic "GO!" had already taken over the entire screen, with a constantly flashing neon light effect around its edge.

That's not all.

The colored lights at the end of the red, yellow, blue, and green sensor areas along the edge of the platform, as well as the more complex set of stage lights above everyone's heads, seemed to receive some kind of command and were suddenly ignited simultaneously.

A high-intensity blue-white beam of light, like a giant beast awakening and opening its eyes, instantly pierced the slightly dim atmosphere of the laboratory.

Beams of light crisscrossed, reflecting and refracting back and forth between the mirrored walls. For a moment, the entire space seemed to be enveloped by countless beams of light, pushing the sense of technology and the dazzling spectacle of the stage to the extreme.

That arcade machine, which had been all alone, had now become the absolute centerpiece of the entire venue, a stage where a miracle was about to unfold.

"Ugh!"

"Oh."

A chorus of suppressed gasps and low gasps rose from the crowd.

Several young Sony testers, who had previously feigned composure, involuntarily clenched their fists.

Their knuckles turned slightly white from the force. Even the several senior executives, who were used to seeing Oba, couldn't help but lean forward slightly.

Immediately following, a powerful and rhythmic intro burst forth from the professional-grade speakers on both sides of the arcade machine— Michael Jack's upcoming album's title track, "Bad."

Every drumbeat was clear and full, and the bass line was powerful and strong, instantly filling the entire laboratory.

The air itself seemed to vibrate. This force directly impacted the eardrums and chests of everyone present, giving them a jolt of energy.

The lights weren't idle. As the music started, they came alive. Sometimes they alternated between light and dark like breathing, and sometimes they flashed rapidly to the beat of the drums. The colors also switched, chased, and collided constantly between red, blue, yellow, and white, perfectly matching the rhythm of the music and further igniting the atmosphere of the entire venue.

The somewhat eclectic laboratory has now been completely transformed into a small but professional disco.

As that classic synthesizer melody gradually becomes clearer and the music enters the verse, the huge 29-inch arcade machine screen...

On the Trinitron screen, LaVelle Smith Jr.'s image finally appeared clearly.

He stood under a virtual spotlight, wearing his signature black leather jacket adorned with numerous metal buckles and zippers. Every detail was perfectly displayed on the Trinitron screen, with vibrant colors and fluid movements, making him appear as if he were a real person.

As Smith begins her dance moves on the screen, four arrows corresponding to the four distinct colors of red, yellow, blue, and green appear simultaneously at the bottom of the screen.

Meanwhile, at the top of the screen, transparent cylindrical strips of varying lengths, each adorned with one of the four colors—red, yellow, blue, and green—began to fall in sync with Smith's dance moves.

The Sony sound engineer's face was a mixture of excitement and nervousness.

He tried hard to recall the dance steps he had hastily learned from the instructional videos over the past few days, and began to clumsily but earnestly move to them, facing the dance on the screen and the constantly falling bar.

His movements were far from graceful, and lacked Smith's unique charm.

However, his strength lies in his exceptional familiarity with the rhythm of the song, and he hits each beat quite accurately.

He successfully received a rating of "Great" or higher for most of the falling bars, and remarkably, he didn't miss any.

A miraculous thing happened.

As each column receives a different evaluation, the combination of light and shadow and the brightness feedback provided by the colored lights on the platform and the top also vary significantly.

When a "Great" rating is given, the lights become brighter and more rhythmic.

When he occasionally strikes a "Perfect" step, a dazzling beam of colored light explodes like fireworks, eliciting quiet cheers from the surrounding young employees.

As his accumulated high ratings continued to push up the score on the screen, the dazzling lights overhead became even more spectacular, transforming the entire venue into a mini disco.

After the dance ended, the screen clearly displayed a score evaluating the accuracy of the sound engineer's steps.

-

A very good high score.

As for whether the dance itself is good or not, that's a matter of opinion.

But the young people present, especially those employees who had participated in some of the development and testing work, were completely ignited by the rousing music and dazzling lights.

They began to sway gently to the lingering notes of the music, their faces beaming with excitement, and the atmosphere instantly became lively.

Nakayama Takuya saw all of this, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up slightly.

This was exactly the effect he wanted.

This immersive audio-visual experience and the sense of accomplishment from the instant feedback are precisely the core charm of LD arcade games.