There Aren't Quite Enough Awards to Go Around

"Call--"

Belle leaped high into the air and grabbed the zipline.

The high-speed fan installed on the frame starts in a timely manner, and the strong airflow is transformed into a directional strong wind by guiding the airflow.

At that moment, the smooth visuals with their impressive frame rate were accompanied by a slight sway of the micro-motion platform beneath their feet.

Belle actually got goosebumps.

The game stunningly replicates the sense of freedom and exhilaration of roaming between buildings.

Gamenova's software tuning, Micro-Nova Semiconductor's new manufacturing processes and technologies, Sega's years of experience in motion-sensing arcade technology, Hans Zimmer Studio's top-tier Hollywood audio tuning, Jackie Chan Stunt Team's absolutely authentic action choreography, Saul Bass's minimalist art style...

For players, game development is just a vague process.

Most people, even those in the industry, would find it difficult to truly know what's hidden behind these things.

Gamenova hasn't done any external promotion or marketing at all.

Most of the information comes from rumors circulating among the public.

"Many big names have been involved"—this is the only vague impression the outside world has.

But now, everything has transformed into a fully tangible and concrete reality that can be experienced.

"Too..."

"That was awesome!"

The two cheered almost simultaneously.

This experience was surprisingly comparable to real parkour.

Although it lacks real dynamism, the exhilarating feeling that is hard to achieve in reality can only be found here.

Yes, in a real parkour environment, smoothness is actually a rare thing.

More often than not, there is only a wall, a fence, or a few familiar steps for playing.

To truly be able to leap freely and unrestrained between buildings like in the game, occasionally even traversing entire roads below, walking the line of life and death at a heart-stopping distance.

This is what extreme sports should feel like...

All the optimization methods, all the compromises made for the sake of performance, were now hidden beneath the glamorous facade. Urged on by the countdown and the pursuit of speed, no one noticed that this seemingly amusement park, where everyone could indulge in unrestrained fun, was actually a "World of Gates."

This is a huge, transparent cage.

There are no invisible walls, but the areas where one can pass through have already been restricted.

Admittedly, players can choose their own route, either by climbing over several buildings to go around from one side, or by using a zipline to slide down directly.

But it doesn't matter which path you take.

Once the player reaches the other side, due to the height difference, Faith will have no way to return.

And those places that can no longer be reached were silently unloaded from the streaming system developed in collaboration with Sega AM8 Sonic Studios.

What appears to be a smooth zipline is actually a pre-rendered video clip.

As long as the player is corrected to the correct coordinates by the prediction system.

All players will see similar zipline visuals.

A segment was randomly selected from several variations with different shaking angles and played.

Every byte of video memory and system memory has been squeezed to its limit by the developers. It would have been difficult to achieve this level of performance without any one of the team members.

And Gamenova did indeed achieve that.

Using hardware from the 1990s, every inch of functionality was squeezed to its limit, creating this astonishing industrial marvel.

It doesn't have the grand scale of Battlefield 1991.

It lacks the lingering, compelling story that underpins the content of "The Return of the Obra Dinn".

Even the open world is fake.

But none of that matters.

Optimization is, in essence, the art of deception.

For gamers around the world who are currently enjoying the fun this new machine brings, it is perfect.

A perfection that transcends its time.

It's likely that we won't encounter such a breathtaking work again for a long time to come.

It was so good that it didn't seem like something from the 90s, much less something from the early 90s. But it was there.

Anyone can enjoy it after inserting a few game coins.

This was a blatant display of skill, a pure showcase of technique.

While the gaming community was still debating the love-hate relationship between Sony and Nintendo.

Gamenova displayed this thing No Mercy hesitation.

A behemoth capable of ending all conflict.

Still making noise?

Don't we need to take a look at where Gamenova really is on the road to technological advancement?

Frankly speaking, this is to adapt to the current hardware conditions.

This heavily modified version of Mirror's Edge is quite different from the true groundbreaking game that will follow.

The lack of depth resulting from arcade-style development, and the limited design of routes made for performance compromises, will eventually be exhausted and begin to fall into repetition.

Of course, an optimal path will eventually emerge, ending its lifespan as an "open-world game." But that's enough.

Because this is a work purely for showing off technical skills.

Even if its sole purpose was to demonstrate Gamenova's current technological capabilities to the outside world, it has already fully achieved its objective.

But it has transcended this simple purpose.

Just like what Lin Lixin said when he chatted with Saul Bass.

Gamenova never needs to follow trends.

Because Gamenova is a trendsetter.

The concept of "parkour" entered the ears of millions of players almost simultaneously with the huge success of "Mirror's Edge".

Following that, several of Jackie Chan's classic action films, which had already achieved legendary status in Hong Kong, became a global sensation.

As for the young France people who are already passionate about parkour culture, they are even more remarkable.

This arcade machine was practically made for them.

"Hey, how did you get so fast?" Belle lost his footing and accidentally fell from the building, incurring a penalty time.

Taking Kung-Fu Master of his rebirth, he glanced at his good brother's situation.

Unexpectedly, the other party had already dashed quite a distance.

"Keep it a secret!"

Sebas chuckled mischievously.

Although he wasn't paying attention to what was happening with Belle, he roughly knew what was going on.

This game features multiple routes in each "level".

Rather than a contest of skills, it tests a player's instantaneous judgment when faced with route selection.

It's somewhat similar to the approach taken with Sega's Outrun in its early days.

Compared to Belle, he plays video games more often, so his understanding of video games is naturally more in-depth.

From the very first moment he started playing, Sebas quickly adapted to the game's pace.

And I tried to incorporate my own understanding into it. As for the result...

This is his current position, where he's far ahead on the local leaderboard.

Although Belle was more skilled, he was always led by the game when it came to choosing routes.

While they don't always take the worst route, they have still created some gaps.

However, it was the first time for both of them to play.

Despite having my own experience, I still failed due to the designer's cunning coin-operated cycle design, and was only a few steps away from the next checkpoint.

It costs 5 coins to extend one life!!!

"Merde! I love this game."

As Belle spoke, he didn't hesitate to pull a stack of coins from the coin box and put them into the coin acceptor.

"Who can argue with that? I thought these 'outsiders' would make a mess of things."

"Now it seems we were the laymen."

"Again!" The second round begins.

Just as the two were engrossed in their performance, the promotional video, simultaneously released across France, finally unleashed its full power.

A number of young men emerged from the street, swaying unsteadily.

Then came the children, the uncles, the older sisters, the aunties...

In this large suburban community, there are very few arcades.

Even fewer had the ability to snatch the first aircraft from Brittany.

The group emerged from the alley and gathered into a crowd on the street.

Kung-Fu Master an hour or two, the townspeople had all gathered in this direction.

Before long, even if Belle and his companion wanted to continue monopolizing the machines, they would be forced to give them up for others to play.

I said...

Stepping out of the arcade, Belle looked at the incredibly crowded people outside and whispered something to his friend beside him.

"What?" "On the way here, I was thinking, isn't there a ' Runners ' organization in ' Mirror's Edge '? You know, the kind of team that the protagonist 'parkours' to deliver messages to people from upstairs."

"Could it be that you intend to...?"

Sébastien raised an eyebrow, guessing what he was going to say.

"Hmm, why don't we do that? Let's invite all our friends and form a 'parkour' enthusiast group, so we can train together on a regular basis."

"You know what? This is a great idea, I'm joining."

"I know you can do it, we should give it a catchy name..."

[Arcade Game of the Year Nomination]

Given the exaggerated portrayal in "Mirror's Edge".

The Game of the Year Award undoubtedly goes to it.

Although it was just a nomination.

But for the players, it's essentially the same as if it had already won the award. It's just that the official selection process hasn't started yet, so the media can't make an exception and announce it beforehand.

The appearance of "Mirror's Edge" proves one thing.

The 3D world may hold endless possibilities.

While FPS is great, it shouldn't be the only way forward for 3D games.

For developers still tinkering with light guns and FPS games, this... is probably good news.

If these small, individual developers continue down the FPS path, they are destined to be unable to compete with the well-resourced large companies.

Or choose other types?

The costs of 3D development are fixed, and individual developers are even less likely to bear the risk of pioneering new paths.

[Best Graphics Technology Nomination]

As for this award, that's quite ambiguous.

Normally, awarding it an art prize would be more reasonable.

However, Gamenova's overall performance this year was simply too outstanding. Normally, it's a battle of numerous games for awards.

This year, the situation is completely reversed.

Damn it!

There are so many great games, we don't have enough prizes to go around!

The biggest worry for these media outlets right now is... how to keep things fair.

On one side is Lin Lixin's personally crafted "Return of the Obra Dinn," on the other is the epic masterpiece "Battlefield 1991," and now there's "Mirror's Edge."

They're both my flesh and blood; I can't bear to part with either of them!