Terrifying performance that defied belief (3k)

For the Japan market, GAMENOVA has always been a rather ambiguous and awkward presence.

At a time when tensions between the America and Japan were escalating, the emergence of Gamenova dealt a severe blow to the backbone of Japan's semiconductor industry.

The signing of the Semiconductor Agreement can only be described as breaking their monopoly.

But Micron's comeback has truly wiped out their product advantage.

Beyond semiconductors, another business of GAMENOVA is causing them even more headaches.

Video games!

Although the tastes and preferences of the two markets are quite different, many best-selling works may not sell as well in Japan.

Despite lacking favorable timing, location, and support, GAMENOVA still managed to consistently produce several works that were enough to shock Japan.

The Legend of Zelda, Pokémon, Fire Emblem, Castlevania, and Momotaro Dentetsu —each of these titles has precisely struck a chord with Japan gamers.

Of course, we should scold them.

Not only should they criticize, but they should also raise the banner of anti-Americanism and launch a massive attack.

but----

Remember to buy it after you've finished criticizing.

Gamenova has that kind of magic.

Tokyo Metropolis, Minato Ward, Shinagawa Ward, SEGA.

AM10 10th Development Team, or rather, the newly established Nazca Studio, received its first assignment.

Assist in the development of GAMENOVA's new title, Metal Slug!

Or rather, it's about preparing art designs for Metal Slug.

Kujo Kazuma stood in front of the Sharp UX-100 fax machine that Sega had just provided for them.

A stack of printing paper was already piled on the guide plate.

Fax machines, the pride of Japan, were the most popular means of transmitting text and images in an era before the widespread adoption of the internet.

Without this device, if Gamenova wanted to transfer files in Japan, it would have to store the files on a floppy disk and have Satoshi deliver them.

Tap, tap, tap----"

Following the rules, Kujo Kazuma dialed a number and connected with GameFreak.

Fax machines do not require internet access; they can be used by dialing via a telephone line.

However, the efficiency is indeed less than ideal.

Nearly half a minute passed before the two parties finally successfully shook hands and agreed on the terms.

Only then did the fax machine begin to slowly feed the paper in.

It takes at least a minute to print just one sheet.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak----"

The transmission wasn't fast, but Kujo Kazuma wasn't in a hurry, patiently waiting for his first fax from GAMENOVA.

And this patience ultimately did not disappoint him.

"Oh My God----"

The first image is clearly a character design sketch.

Everything from the name to the detailed settings is listed above.

It's clearly a typical tough-guy soldier character, but the art style has been deliberately shifted towards Japan aesthetic.

"This is already at the level of an animation sketch, isn't it?"

Compared to art direction, Kujo Kazuma is more skilled at project coordination; in Japan parlance, his role is "director."

This is what North America calls a producer.

Although I'm not a professional in this field, I can still tell the difference between good and bad at a glance.

"Akio, come here quickly!"

He quickly shouted in the direction of his workstation.

Akio is the art director and lead artist at their Nazca Studio.

It's clearly more appropriate for him to make the decision on this kind of thing.

As they were talking, the second draft began to be slowly ejected from the fax machine.

When Akio arrived in front of him, a magnificent scene concept art was already lying quietly in front of them.

As an artist, Akio naturally felt this more deeply than Kujo Kazuma.

Upon first glance at the picture, he was speechless with astonishment at its terrifying harmony and stylistic unity.

"It's so well-made!"

As the former lead artist of IREM, Akio believes his skill level is among the best in the industry.

But when faced with this picture, he couldn't help but feel admiration.

This isn't one of those manuscripts used for verification; it's a genuine concept drawing.

What does this tell us?

This shows that GAMENOVA had already determined the overall art style and tone of this project long ago.

And far away in GAMENOVA, across the Pacific Ocean, there exists an artist whose skills are even greater than his.

There are heavens beyond heavens!

Akio sighed inwardly and silently picked up the draft, which was still slightly warm.

This cleverly stylized visual style particularly suited his taste.

To be honest, even without Gamenova's instructions, if he were to design it, he would probably have gone down this style.

However, it will definitely take a lot of effort to finalize the decision.

Now that his superiors have taken care of this most mentally taxing part of the work, it has actually saved him a lot of trouble.

Not far away, Kodama Mitsunari's gaze fell on the two who were marveling at him, his eyes flashing.

He is also an artist at Nazca Studio, but his skills are still somewhat inferior to those of his respected senior, Akio.

Seeing that even his respected senior had such an expression, Kodama Mitsunari gained a clear understanding of GAMENOVA's strength.

"Luckily, I didn't rush to change jobs----"

Recalling the day Kujo Kazuma asked him if he wanted to give up SNK's offer and follow him, Kodama Mitsunari sighed.

If I had left for SNK much earlier, would I still have received this invitation?

Kodama Mitsunari watched the two people organizing faxed documents and silently rejected the idea.

Akio was definitely chosen by special request, after all, he's IREM's top art director.

I doubt I'll ever receive that kind of treatment.

By latching onto Gamenova's coattails, it was like winning the lottery.

He recalled that when he was drinking with his colleagues, they talked about this Legend company and he even boasted that he would follow IREM and drive them back to North America.

It's one thing to talk about it, but in reality, who wouldn't be eager to jump ship to Gamenova and latch onto their coattails?

It's obvious at a glance which of SNK, Capcom, and Gamenova has the most promising future.

"Mitsunari."

Akio's voice interrupted his thoughts.

Kodama Mitsunari raised his head and looked at his senior.

Akio made a copy of several documents and placed it in front of him.

"This part is yours. You'll design Major Marco Rossi's frame-by-frame animation."

He rummaged through the files and found a few more. "I'll be in charge of the original drawings for Metal Slug and Fio Zeller."

Marco is clearly the main protagonist of the game, and also the character for whom GAMENOVA sent the most complete information.

This is clearly a demonstration for them, illustrating detailed visual styles and requirements.

Apart from him, almost everything else consisted of simple settings and a few manuscripts.

This naturally means letting them do what they want.

"Although it's set in a fictional world, this theme is clearly a reference to World War II."

Kodama Mitsunari glanced at a few pictures and got a general idea of the route.

Thinking about it, this isn't the first time GAMENOVA has used such a close-range attack.

"1942," which was released during his early career, was a film that directly confronted the Japan audience.

However, unlike American players who are enthusiastic about this theme, Japan players don't really have any particular feelings about it.

They even spend their days designing this kind of content.

"Almost. Let's design the enemy like the Japanese. These sketches have a rough idea of what they look like. See if you can pull out a few original drawings."

Akio nodded and casually pulled out a sketch of various cartoon soldiers and handed it to Kodama Mitsunari.

Sega North America, Hardware Division.

"ATHENA Processor?"

Sato Hideki frowned slightly and solemnly took the processor sample from Hayao Nakayama.

"MicroNova's latest chip has not yet been released to the market; it's a product that even Gamenova itself hasn't used yet."

"This----"

Sato Hideki carefully picked up the processor and examined it.

The new packaging process makes it feel completely different from the old black block in terms of texture.

Even without looking at its performance, one can tell that this thing is definitely not ordinary.

He naturally already knew that Lin Lixin had taken over CSK's shares and become Sega's largest shareholder.

It's not surprising that the president was able to obtain such top-secret information.

only----

Sato Hideki has been with Sega every step of the way to where he is today.

Although he didn't dare say it out loud, Sato Hideki actually harbored a small hope in his heart.

As President Hayao Nakayama gets older, he will inevitably need to find a suitable successor.

Sega is a typical large company where powerful factions vie for dominance.

Amidst this chaos, he had already subtly secured the top spot in the home console division.

In other words, he would be one of the candidates to succeed her.

However, now GAMENOVA has intervened, and its first move is aimed at these factional struggles.

In no time at all, Sega, which had been in disarray, was forcibly brought together.

The problem was solved, but Sega was no longer the same Sega.

Sato Hideki sighed silently to himself.

There was resentment, sorrow, and a trace of resentment.

If Genesis had been better, and if the other development staff had worked harder, perhaps Sega wouldn't be in its current predicament.

Sato Hideki looked at the chip that even Sega couldn't possibly produce, no matter how hard they tried, and shook his head helplessly.

Regardless, I must do my best to fulfill the task assigned to me by President Hayao Nakayama.

I briefly powered it on and tested it using the test platform provided by GAMENOVA.

Looking at the parameters on the screen, Sato Hideki froze for a moment, then jumped up from his chair.

Absolutely amazing!

What does it mean to be utterly astonishing!

Since I joined Sega in 1971, I have hardly spent a day without dealing with these electronic products.

From mechanical Pinball to the latest Genesis, it's no exaggeration to say that my career has been Sega's career with home consoles.

Even so, he had never seen, or even imagined, such a thing could exist in this world.

"8----80MH----?!"

Besides its terrifying clock speed, all its other parameters are also completely outclassed.

Crush the whole world!