Recaps

Silicon Valley Online launched go.com, built its audience through email, search, news, and Olympic coverage, and saw its stock soar as companies partnered with the portal. Meanwhile, the N64 and Quake launched successfully, and Nakayama Takuya prepared to discuss his next plan with Sato Hideki.

• Enix revealed a Super Famicom remake of Dragon Quest III, while David and Paul questioned what Enix planned for the series and learned that Sony and Sega were co-founding Carmack’s UniversalEngine project.
• David covered E3’s crowded South Wing as developers sought investment, and Eric pursued backing for his game while Nakayama Takuya traveled to San Francisco to plan Silicon Valley Online’s portal.
• Nakayama Takuya and Frank launched go.com on May 24, and its traffic surged as Richard registered for G0 Email and Eric explored its linked services.
• Go.com’s Olympic coverage, personalized feeds, and partnership with the Organizing Committee drove traffic, advertising, and Silicon Valley Online’s share price higher.
• Frank expanded targeted advertising and defended Go Search’s human-reviewed official markers, while users adopted the portal’s news, email, and search services.
• Nintendo launched the N64 with Super Mario 64, which earned praise and helped drive first-week sales of 1.03 million units across Japan and North America.
• Quake launched on PC, and players used its network play and editing tools to create maps and modifications as John Carmack and John Romero agreed to separate engine technology from game content.
• Hisao Oguchi reported the N64’s strong first week to Nakayama Takuya, who praised his management and called Sato Hideki to his office to discuss a new plan.

Nakayama Takuya pushed Sega toward online gaming, new hardware, strategic acquisitions, and stronger cross-media franchises while the PC gaming market expanded. The arc ended with Sega backing a restructured Gundam X production and securing a larger role in its home-video and game plans.

• Nakayama Takuya directed Sega to study DVD-ROMs, modems, and online infrastructure, while Sato Hideki’s team learned from Silicon Valley Online’s turn-based game and disconnect systems.
• Nakayama Takuya ordered development of a backward-compatible sixteen-bit handheld and approved Hoshino’s preparations for currency trading as Thailand’s economy worsened.
• Nakayama Takuya discussed Kojima Hideo’s Space Cop concept, then presented the board with a plan to acquire Sotsu and strengthen Sega’s control of Gundam licensing.
• Dungeons & Dragons Online launched successfully, while Sega and Mercury Technology studied online gaming and concluded that Mercury should start with LAN multiplayer because local internet access was too limited.
• After 3DO’s collapse sent players toward PC games, Nakayama Takuya directed Sega to attract online players and the board approved the Sotsu acquisition.
• Nakayama Takuya promoted quality-driven adaptations, classic remakes, and coordinated game, anime, and merchandise plans, then realized he had overlooked Neon Genesis Evangelion’s coming commercial peak.
• Nakayama Takuya intervened in the Gundam X episode-count dispute, offered Sega’s financial support in exchange for a larger LD revenue share and exclusive game adaptation rights, and promised a polished, complete story.

Nakayama Takuya strengthened Sega’s production and online strategies while Dead or Alive found success in arcades and Konami struggled with its move to 3D. Final Fantasy VII then swept through the launch season, prompting Nintendo to push Mario Kart 64’s multiplayer appeal as Sega prepared for more Square products.

• Nakayama Takuya proposed closer Sega-Sunrise cooperation and learned that Sega’s board had approved the acquisition of Sotsu, which Yamaura Eiji agreed to support in confidence.
• Nakayama Takuya and his team planned to use ISP and PC partnerships to challenge AOL’s closed system while keeping Silicon Valley Online neutral in the browser war.
• Director Hoshino outlined Sega’s cautious plan to profit from Southeast Asia’s financial crisis, and Nakayama Takuya accelerated the Sotsu acquisition while directing Sega to build an integrated copyright management system.
• Dead or Alive drew packed arcade crowds with its combat mechanics, and Tomonobu Itagaki pushed the Jupiter port forward with exclusive characters Ayane and Bass.
• Contra: Legacy of War received poor reviews and collapsed in sales, prompting Kozuki Kagemasa to cancel most 2D spin-offs and refocus Konami on 3D development.
• Final Fantasy VII launched on the Sega Jupiter and drew crowds of players in Tokyo, Los Angeles, and London, while Mario Kart 64 struggled to keep players’ attention.
• Nakayama Takuya reported Final Fantasy VII’s first-week sales of just over three million copies, while Yamauchi Hiroshi directed Nintendo to promote Mario Kart 64’s family multiplayer appeal.
• On Christmas, friends returned to Mario Kart 64 together, and Shigeru Miyamoto reported a holiday sales rise before Nakayama Takuya told Hisao Oguchi to have Square prepare peripheral product reviews.

Final Fantasy VII reshaped the console market, while Sega pursued new partnerships, investments, and games as rivals adjusted their strategies. The arc ended with Nakayama Takuya considering a low-power display as Sega’s handheld prototype struggled with battery life.

• Sato ordered a major Famitsu cover and extra copies after Takahashi submitted a perfect review, while NetGeneration also gave Final Fantasy VII a ten.
• Final Fantasy VII’s launch drew millions of sales, but players grew tired of long RPGs and turned to casual games, helping Mario Kart 64 thrive as rival publishers reconsidered their release plans.
• Nobuyuki Idei ordered Ken Kutaragi to secure developers and exclusives for Sony, while Sega and Square celebrated Final Fantasy VII’s success and agreed to develop Chrono Trigger 2 with Rieko Kodama’s team.
• Sega waited for the Bank of Thailand and hedge funds to weaken each other before preparing limited baht and SET Index short positions.
• Sony pursued exclusive cooperation with Eidos for Tomb Raider sequels, while Konami’s Castlevania X: Symphony of the Night sold strongly and led Kozuki Kagemasa to expand related merchandise and pachinko plans.
• Director Hattori persuaded Sotsu’s shareholders to consider joining Sega by showing them Pokémon’s revenues, and Matsushima accepted Sega’s acquisition proposal in principle while Sotsu retained its brand and management.
• As publishers shifted their plans, Capcom committed resources to Resident Evil 2, Konami expanded pachinko and beatmania, Hudson moved toward Nintendo, and Namco promoted Ace Combat 2.
• Nakayama Takuya inspected Sega’s handheld prototype and learned that its four AA batteries lasted only about three hours, then asked Sato Hideki about reports of NEC’s low-power reflective TFT-LCD.