The founding father of stealth games

"Save? How do I do that?"

As though clutching at a life-saving straw, John grabbed the shoulder of the person behind him.

The man gave him a strange look, then helped him open the pause menu and select the save function.

A string of numbers appeared.

"Don't let anyone else see it. This can only be used once, so make sure you remember it."

"If I enter these numbers, I can come back to this stage?" John's eyes went wide, his shock beyond measure.

He finally understood what the "Continue" option on the start menu meant.

"Yes, but you'll have to put in another coin next time." The helpful stranger waved a hand, finally growing impatient. "All right, all right, write it down and get moving. I'm still waiting."

"Arnold, we've heard back from Fox."

Arnold Schwarzenegger's agent, Dave, put down the phone, making no attempt to hide the excitement on his face.

"You're going to be the lead in next year's Commando!"

"Really?! That's great!"

Schwarzenegger's eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands in delight.

The preparations for Commando had long since ceased to be news.

But there had never been a firm answer within the industry about the choice of leading man.

Would they choose Stallone, the established face of action movies, or the newcomer Schwarzenegger?

Now there was finally an answer.

"Director Lester said he really liked your image in Contra. He thought that was exactly how he imagined his leading man, Colonel John Matrix!"

Dave gesticulated excitedly as he spoke. He knew very well how precious this opportunity was.

He simply could not see much commercial potential in Red Sonja, the fantasy adventure film they had just signed on for.

If Schwarzenegger wanted to grow into a true Hollywood superstar, he had to break out of his current "barbarian" image.

And a tough-guy persona was both the best fit for him and the most in step with the times.

"Arnold, we have to tell Mr. Lin the good news."

Since Contra's release, Dave had become thoroughly convinced.

He did not even doubt that landing the lead in Commando was inseparable from Contra's recent stellar performance.

Endorsing this game had truly been the best decision they had ever made!

"You're right, Dave."

Schwarzenegger's gaze fell on an arcade machine beside him.

It was one of the first batch of Contra machines. Lin Lixin had specially given him one and had it installed in his home.

This thing had completely changed his opinion of video games.

At least, it had changed his opinion of video games produced by Lin Lixin.

"Beep-"

"Is that so? Then congratulations, Mr. Arnold."

After hearing Schwarzenegger report the good news, Lin Lixin did not look particularly surprised.

He remembered Commando. It was an action movie that had grossed as much as fifty-seven million dollars, and one of the inspirations for Contra.

Apart from losing out to Rambo: First Blood Part II, which had come out around the same time, it was unquestionably an excellent film, a work that could be called a milestone.

Even without the tremendous influence Contra had recently brought, Schwarzenegger had ultimately been the lead in the original timeline.

He had merely brought the process forward.

"Mr. Lin, it's all thanks to you. Contra really is an incredible work." Schwarzenegger sounded exhilarated on the other end of the line. "I play it almost every day, studying that 'tough guy' image."

He paused, then sincerely thanked him a few more times before bringing up another matter:

"Mr. Lin, The Terminator, which I star in, is coming out in October. You must come support it!"

"Of course. I'll definitely be there."

Lin Lixin agreed without a second thought.

This was the original release of The Terminator. No matter what, he would definitely go to the cinema to join in the excitement.

The T-800 would undoubtedly be the boldest stroke in Schwarzenegger's acting career, surpassing even the "tough guy" image those action movies had built for him.

After this film, the golden age of Schwarzenegger's career would officially begin, and he would win awards until his hands grew tired.

And with every step he took afterward, every action movie he appeared in, people in this world would probably find it impossible to avoid Contra.

Lin Lixin hung up and handed the financial transaction records he was holding to a sweat-drenched Sam beside him.

As Lin Lixin's good friend, roommate, shareholder, field worker, cleaner, and accountant, he had not enjoyed a single peaceful day since Tetris went on sale.

But as money poured into GAMENOVA's pockets, he, too, had eaten his fill until his belly was round.

Painful, yet blissful!

So blissful!

"I want to play video games!!!"

Sam let out a miserable howl, only for another two documents to land in his hands.

"Hang in there, Sam. Once things settle down, we'll hire a few employees to manage things, and you'll be free."

Lin Lixin casually painted him a delicious-smelling pie in the sky, then turned his attention back to the C64 before him.

His conversation with Schwarzenegger had once again proved that tough-guy action built around heroic narratives was the dominant theme of the era.

If he wanted to overtake the competition on a bend, pursuing this "Hollywood," "American" style, the opposite of Nintendo's family-friendly approach, was clearly a sound path.

"What should the next game be?"

Lin Lixin looked at the few lines displayed on the screen and began thinking seriously.

The hardware limitations were still too severe. Without 3D technology, there was simply no way to get started on many good ideas.

And among market-proven 2D titles, choosing one suitable for the current situation was no easy task either.

"If I want to make a home console, there are still too few of us..."

Lin Lixin naturally understood that making arcade games could ultimately only be a stopgap.

Clinging to the arcade business and refusing to let go would only turn him into one of those fleeting "old powers" like Sega and Namco.

But even with Gerald Lawson and Vivian on board, their little group could not possibly build an entire home console architecture by hand.

They still lacked both manpower and money.

"Looks like I'll still have to put my efforts into arcade games."

Among the arcade companies of this era, if there was one most suited to fleecing besides Namco, perhaps it could only be that future king of pachinko-Konami.

The Konami of this era was not yet the later Konami that got told "f**k" all day long and even fired Brother Kojima.

Right now, it was still an undisputed arcade overlord.

The beat-'em-up pioneer Kung-Fu Master, Castlevania, one of the origins of the Metroidvania genre...

Even Contra and Salamander, which Lin Lixin had already finished fleecing, had both come from Konami.

"Wait, Brother Kojima...?"

At the thought of Hideo Kojima, a legendary, world-class IP rose irrepressibly in his mind.

Metal Gear Solid, METAL GEAR.

Also known as: Metal Gear.

The pioneering work of stealth gameplay.