SNES Goes on Sale
The crisp "click" sound was like the bugle call to charge.
The sound became the most beautiful symphony in Frank's arcade for the next few days.
The coin-eating rate in Virtua Fighter is frighteningly high.
A match usually ends in a few dozen seconds. The loser is dissatisfied, the winner wants to continue, and the spectators are eager to try it out.
There are always three or four people queuing in front of each machine, each holding several coins in their hand, their eyes glued to the screen, and constantly offering advice to the players on the field.
Kick him in the groin! You idiot!
"Defend! Use a counter-attack!"
Frank's phone rang. It was another arcade owner, his voice brimming with barely suppressed excitement.
"Frank, you old fox! How many did you order? The line is practically stretching all the way to the door!"
"Not much, not much," Frank said modestly, leaning against the bar and looking at the bustling crowd in the Virtua Fighter section, his face crinkling with laughter. "It'll only be enough for the kids to play with until next year. What, are you regretting not ordering more?"
"I'm so damn regretful! We've been calling Sega's sales hotline non-stop! All I want to know now is, is the coin box on this thing even bigger than the one in Metal Slug?"
"I don't know if it's bigger or not, but I replace it more often than this one." Frank hung up the phone smugly.
What surprised him even more was the addition of another group of fresh talent.
Jesse and Tim, two teenagers who have just emerged from the grand and tragic world of Final Fantasy IV, are in a state of post-game sage-like tranquility.
Having saved the world and witnessed countless loves and hates, they feel they won't be able to get into any RPGs for a while.
Bored out of their minds, they went into the familiar arcade, ready to play a few more rounds of Metal Slug.
Then, they were drawn over by an unprecedented commotion.
What is that?
When they squeezed through the crowd and saw the two incredibly realistic human figures on the screen engaging in high-speed combat on the ring, they were both stunned.
This was unlike any fighting game they had ever played before.
"Make way, let me try!" Jesse couldn't resist and pulled out a coin to push his way in.
A few minutes later, he walked down dejectedly.
"How is it?" Tim asked.
"This game is addictive." Jesse's answer was concise, but his eyes gleamed with a light of "unwillingness to give up." He turned and snatched another coin from Tim's hand. "One more round, I'm getting into the swing of things!"
Core gamers who had completed Final Fantasy IV at home were seamlessly drawn into the deep pit of Virtua Fighter.
With the patience and dedication honed by their experience with epic RPGs, they plunged headlong into this simple yet sophisticated 3D fighting world.
Inside the arcade, two completely different kinds of joy are intertwined and unfolding.
On one side is the explosive and thrilling gunfights of Metal Slug, and on the other side is the hardcore, visceral combat of Virtua Fighter.
When Minoru Arakawa received the report about Virtua Fighter, his expression remained completely unchanged.
Ten thousand units.
The number lingered in his eyes for only half a second before he pushed it, along with the documents, to the corner of the table, as if it weren't ten thousand money-devouring behemoths, but merely an insignificant lunch menu.
He was with Howard Lincoln, looking at a huge map of the United States, finalizing the publicity plan for the final stage of SNES.
Arcade market?
Let Tom Kalinske do what he wants.
Minoru Arakawa no longer had the energy to be jealous.
He had staked everything on this impending living room battle.
For a whole month, warehouses in North America were filled with SNES mainframes shipped from Japan.
These gray-white machines lay quietly in their packaging boxes, like a silent army, waiting for a single command.
The military rations have arrived.
"The first batch of containers carrying the English versions of * Super Mario World * and * the Legend of Zelda: Triforce of the Gods * has cleared customs at the Port of Los Angeles." Howard Lincoln's voice carried a long-lost excitement as he tapped the Los Angeles location on the map. "The trucks have already set off and will cover all major western shipping routes within three days!"
The arrow is on the bowstring; it must be released.
"Distribute the goods." Minoru Arakawa uttered only two words, his gaze never leaving the map. "Notify all distributors to implement the highest-level contingency plan."
Overnight, it seemed as if the entire color scheme of United States had changed.
The most prominent giant GG billboard in Times Square is occupied by Mario and his new friend Yoshi; buses running through the streets of Chicago are emblazoned with Link Master Sword; and prime-time television programs loop the catchy tagline. "Now you're playing with SUPER."
Power!
Nintendo has also put up SNES promotional posters in all its sales channels and partner stores across North America.
This overwhelming offensive finally drew the attention of players who were immersed in the world of Sega games, prompting them to look up from the arcades and their bedrooms.
They suddenly realized that they hadn't touched a Nintendo game in a long time.
Of course, this excludes those little brats whose parents force-feed them an NES as a Christmas present.
"Hey, look, it's Nintendo." A boy who had just come out of a comic book store pointed to the huge poster at the entrance of the game store across the street and nudged his companion.
"Nintendo? They finally remembered they have a North America market?" His companion scoffed, his tone dripping with mockery.
He was a staunch supporter of the Sega Mega Drive and had long regarded Nintendo as an old relic.
However, when his gaze fell on the poster and he saw Mario flying on a green dinosaur, wearing a blue cape, his mocking expression froze on his face.
"What... what is that? Mario can do it?"
"Not only that," someone interjected, clearly having just come out of the store and still holding a flyer, "He can also ride a dragon and go underground. This new game is called <Super Mario World>."
"Oh My God--"
Many gamers who still have an NES console at home are experiencing a mix of emotions at this moment.
As they watched the exquisite visuals and grand world of "The Legend of Zelda: Triforce of the Gods" on TV, and then looked down at their own dusty, old controllers, a feeling of being abandoned by the times welled up within them.
Nintendo's offensive was overwhelming.
Thanks to the massive user base and unparalleled brand reputation accumulated during the NES era, the release of the SNES was less a sales event and more a coronation ceremony that was a year overdue.