Recaps

On Black Friday, Mike and John joined the crowds waiting to buy GAMENOVA's NovaPocket after weeks of promotion. Three promotional videos revealed its portable version of "Street Fighter" and its multiplayer connection features, leaving the shoppers eager for the handheld.

• Mike and John waited outside a store, where John read the newly released "ElectronicGames" issue detailing the NovaPocket's appearance and specifications.
• Mike praised John for winning the hidden "Contra" Easter egg prize, which gave them money to shop freely.
• A promotional video showed Brandon Lee practicing martial arts, then playing "Street Fighter" on the NovaPocket.
• John and Mike realized the handheld could bring games to work and other spare moments, but worried it could only support solo play.
• A third video showed Brandon Lee and Schwarzenegger connecting two NovaPockets with a cable to play against each other, and John found the magazine's explanation of the wired and infrared communication modules.

GAMENOVA’s NovaPocket sold out its entire million-unit launch stock on the first day, while demand continued to overwhelm retailers and distributors. After a weeklong shortage, fresh units arrived as the first Pokémon Center opened in California, unveiling Pokémon merchandise, new cartridges, and unfamiliar machines.

• Mike and John rushed through the mall, grabbed NovaPockets and launch cartridges, then tried to force their way out through the crowd.
• Sam told Lin Lixin that GAMENOVA had sold all one million NovaPockets on launch day, and Lin wondered whether built-in Tetris had driven the sales.
• On the second day of the Christmas shopping season, shoppers found the NovaPocket sold out, while Meyer fielded nonstop calls from retailers demanding restocks.
• A California newspaper reported that Schwarzenegger had played his NovaPocket on a plane, and supermarkets received a fresh batch of consoles after a week without stock.
• GAMENOVA opened its first Pokémon Center in California, where players found Pokémon merchandise, new cartridges, and strange trading machines.

John and Mike discovered that Pokémon Red and Green had version-exclusive Pokémon that required trading to complete the Pokédex, then began playing and explored the game’s opening. Mike learned the basic controls and item storage as the story left them at the start of their adventure.

• John read that players could trade Pokémon at local stores and realized the handheld game had become difficult to find.
• John and Mike compared their Red and Green cartridges and learned that each version had exclusive Pokémon obtainable through trading.
• Mike chose his player name and named his rival John, while John also secretly looked at Mike as they started the game.
• Mike explored his bedroom, interacted with a NovaBox in the game, and discovered that the computer stored and retrieved items.

Mike played Pokémon, chose Squirtle, defeated John, and reached Viridian City, where he unlocked the Pokémon encyclopedia and resolved to complete it. Meanwhile, Pokémon trading drew crowds to the game store, and Lin Lixin told Meyer that the eight real-world Gyms could open.

• Mike explored Professor Oak’s laboratory, chose Squirtle, and defeated John’s Bulbasaur in their first battle.
• Mike battled wild Pokémon on his way to Viridian City and received Professor Oak’s package from the Pokémon Center attendant.
• Mike unlocked the Pokémon encyclopedia, saw that he had seen four Pokémon and caught one, and decided to catch them all.
• Players gathered at the game store’s trading machine to exchange version-exclusive Pokémon, while Meyer praised Lin Lixin for the sales from the Red and Green versions.
• Lin Lixin watched Sam battle Brock and told Meyer that the eight real-world Gyms could open.

John and Mike visited GAMENOVA’s Fire-type Gym in New Mexico, where Mike defeated Gym Leader Blaine while John lost. Mike received the Volcano Badge and learned that collecting all eight Badges would let him challenge the Pokémon League.

• John and Mike joined the long line of players waiting to challenge Blaine at the volcano-shaped Fire-type Gym.
• John battled Blaine with his Charizard, whose Fire-type moves were ineffective against Blaine’s Fire-type Pokémon, and lost.
• John bought a Charmander plush in the Gym’s gift shop while he waited for Mike’s battle to finish.
• Mike defeated Blaine’s Magmar with his carefully chosen team and earned the Volcano Badge.
• Blaine told Mike to collect TM38-Fire Blast at the front desk and explained that Trainers with all eight Badges could challenge the Pokémon League.

Lin Lixin launched Pokémon’s first manga through the newly formed ComicNova, and Mike found a hidden clue in The Legend of Clefairy that suggested Pokémon No. 151 might be concealed in the game. He left the chapter determined to investigate the undiscovered Pokémon.

• Mike learned that collecting badges from all Eight Gyms would let players challenge Victory Road, and that the first hundred winners would gain access to a sequel’s closed beta.
• Lin Lixin told Steve that Game Freak handled entertainment products and teased new Pokémon content before Christmas.
• Lin Lixin and his partners launched ComicNova and released The Legend of Clefairy, which sold out immediately.
• Mike and John read the manga and spotted a strange Pokémon peeking from behind a tree.
• Mike connected the manga’s legend of a Mythical Pokémon to a possible hidden Pokémon No. 151.

Mike announced that Mew was a real, undiscovered Legendary Pokémon, sparking the “Mew Incident” and renewed speculation about GAMENOVA hiding evidence. Lin Lixin introduced Might and Magic as GAMENOVA’s next release, and Caneghem anxiously awaited news on its launch alongside Pokémon.

• Mike used The Legend of Clefairy to persuade Pokémon fans that Mew existed, and the crowd vowed to find it as a reporter photographed the moment.
• Steve interviewed Lin Lixin, who refused to confirm or deny Mew’s existence and said GAMENOVA had no new games for Christmas.
• Lin Lixin revealed that NWC had developed a purist DND-style RPG for NovaBox and gave Steve a demo disk for Might and Magic.
• Steve tried the game and saw its pseudo-3D map rendering, a new feature for an RPG.
• Caneghem anxiously waited for news about Might and Magic’s launch against Pokémon until his phone rang and someone congratulated him.

Lin Lixin commissioned NWC to develop a strategy game based on Might and Magic, while Todd Howard discovered the appeal of its party and formation tactics. Back at the GAMENOVA arcade, Lin approved Sam’s faster, easier-to-pick-up Street Fighter variant and named it The King of Fighters.

• After Might and Magic sold its first 100,000 copies, Lin Lixin commissioned Caneghem’s NWC to make a strategy game called Might and Magic: Heroes of Might and Magic.
• Todd Howard played Might and Magic, discovered the strategic depth of arranging a six-character party, and decided he wanted to make video games and RPGs.
• Lin Lixin returned to the GAMENOVA arcade and found Sam and Carmack testing a faster version of Street Fighter with Vivian’s sample graphics card.
• Sam explained that he was making the game easier for newcomers, and Lin Lixin approved the project and named it The King of Fighters.

Lin Lixin transformed Street Fighter’s mechanics into a faster, combo-focused fighting game and showed Sam how its aggressive style worked. Sam was left battered by a long combo, while Vivian and Carmack saw the appeal of the new approach.

• Lin Lixin proposed making a distinct fighting game centered on reaction speed rather than Street Fighter’s measured exchanges.
• Lin Lixin used a modified game to overwhelm Sam with Fei Long’s fast hops, while Sam struggled to defend with Guile.
• Sam understood that the game rewarded taking the initiative, but worried that the changes had made it less fun.
• Lin Lixin landed a hit and chained Fei Long’s moves into a long combo that left Guile with almost no health.
• Vivian and Carmack said the combo was satisfying to watch, and Lin Lixin described combos as the game’s central appeal.

Lin Lixin proposed turning video game competitions into a televised show, using wrestling’s spectacle as inspiration. He approached Sacramento’s KRBK-TV29, where station manager McCoy welcomed GAMENOVA’s proposal.

• Lin Lixin watched Hulk Hogan wrestle on WWF and explained to Sam that he wanted The King of Fighters to embrace spectacular visuals.
• Lin Lixin proposed broadcasting professional video game competitions, and Sam recognized the idea’s potential while raising concerns about cost and timing.
• Lin Lixin suggested competitions featuring Street Fighter, The King of Fighters, and possibly Pokémon, and said they could begin with a small television station.
• Lin Lixin met with KRBK-TV29 station manager McCoy, who welcomed GAMENOVA’s program proposal as his struggling channel needed new content.

Lin Lixin partnered with Channel 29 to launch a fighting game competition and insisted it air in prime time. While preparing the event, he realized the best-known future players were still children, then improved The King of Fighters' controls by adding input buffering.

• McCoy explained Channel 29's financial troubles and said it needed programming that would attract younger viewers.
• Lin Lixin rejected late-night or afternoon slots and pushed to broadcast the competition in prime time despite McCoy's concerns about competing with major networks.
• Electronic Games announced GAMENOVA's Evolution Championship Series, featuring Street Fighter, Pokémon, and a future arcade fighting game, with GAMENOVA selecting the initial competitors.
• Lin Lixin realized the famous fighting game players he had hoped to recruit were still too young, so he decided exhibition matches would provide spectacle.
• Sam and Carmack tested a fast modified version of Street Fighter, and Sam struggled to land combos because his inputs arrived before the character could accept them.
• Lin Lixin added input buffering, allowing characters to accept commands before an action finished, and Sam found the controls smoother.

McCoy signed GAMENOVA’s unfavorable revenue-sharing contract, leaving Channel 29 dependent on the new program’s success. At GAMENOVA, Lin Lixin convinced Gerald that NovaBox needed better fighting-game controls and proposed a Hitbox peripheral.

• McCoy signed GAMENOVA’s contract, which gave GAMENOVA the program’s sublicensing rights, brands, and IP, plus seventy percent of advertising revenue.
• McCoy told his assistant that Mr. Lin had granted Channel 29 thirty percent of the advertising revenue and ordered the station to promote the program fully.
• Lin Lixin and Vivian struggled to perform fighting-game inputs on NovaBox controllers while testing a demo.
• Lin Lixin showed Gerald how the NovaBox stick’s travel distance and return-to-center time made fast fighting-game inputs difficult.
• Lin Lixin proposed an arcade-style joystick for NovaBox and a second device called a Hitbox, which used four separate directional buttons.

Lin Lixin built an all-button controller with SOCD rules that let charge characters rapidly perform moves, then challenged Sam to a Guile mirror match to demonstrate it. When Sam accused him of cheating, Lin Lixin agreed to switch to Fei Long.

• Lin Lixin replaced a joystick with four directional buttons, placing the up button at the lower right.
• Gerald showed Lin Lixin the ModeIM keyboard’s inverted-T arrow keys, but Lin Lixin explained that his layout let players press opposing directions together using SOCD technology.
• Lin Lixin finished coding SOCD and welcomed Sam by challenging him to a Guile mirror match.
• Lin Lixin repeatedly fired Sonic Booms by holding back and tapping forward and punch, outpacing Sam’s standard charge inputs.
• Sam accused Lin Lixin of cheating and challenged him to a Fei Long mirror match, and Lin Lixin switched the Hitbo setting from “L” to “N.”

Sam failed to counter Lin Lixin’s impossibly fast Shoryuken and learned that the Hitbo was Lin Lixin’s new fighting-game peripheral. While Lin Lixin struggled to fit The King of Fighters ’94’s large roster into limited storage, Sam proposed loading the game and character expansions from separate disks, leaving Lin Lixin wondering if they had invented DLC.

• Sam tried to bait Lin Lixin into using Shoryuken, but Lin Lixin’s Hitbo produced the move almost instantly and defeated him.
• Lin Lixin explained that Hitbo was their new peripheral and said they could set different standards for tournaments.
• Lin Lixin found that the large roster planned for The King of Fighters ’94 would require about 17 MB of storage, far beyond what Gerald considered practical.
• Sam suggested releasing different versions with different characters, then clarified that the console could load a base game disk and a separate character expansion disk.
• Lin Lixin realized Sam’s proposal might work and compared it to DLC.

Lin Lixin and Gerald began developing an external floppy drive to expand NovaBo game capacity, while Lin also recruited composers and sought idols for The King of Fighters. The new hardware remained unproven, and Satoshi reported that he was still negotiating with the idols’ agents.

• Lin Lixin and Gerald began planning an external floppy drive that could let NovaBo games use additional floppy disks for expanded content.
• Gerald estimated that the drive would be expensive, but Lin Lixin said they could subsidize its price and rely on game quality to persuade players.
• Sam told Lin Lixin that Satoshi Tajiri had called, and Lin paused movement-reference recording with Brandon Lee to take the call.
• Satoshi introduced Lin Lixin to eighteen-year-old composer Yuzo Koshiro, who agreed to compose music for The King of Fighters.
• Satoshi told Lin Lixin that Kenji Kawai might join the project later and that he was still negotiating with the agents of the idols Lin wanted.

Satoshi Tajiri failed to persuade Yui Asaka’s agency to let her endorse a game, so Lin Lixin arranged for Game Freak to acquire the agency and secure performers for GAMENOVA’s promotions. After Lin prepared the character expansion packs and ordered extra Women Fighters stock because of Mai Shiranui, a GAMENOVA advertisement appeared on a Sacramento TV channel.

• Satoshi Tajiri failed to secure Yui Asaka’s endorsement from Roppongi Office Agency and reported the rejection to Lin Lixin.
• Lin Lixin told Satoshi Tajiri to buy Roppongi Agency, and Game Freak acquired over sixty percent of its shares, bringing Yui Asaka and other talents under GAMENOVA.
• Sayuri Kokusho agreed to cooperate with GAMENOVA, and Lin Lixin filmed promotional videos featuring Yui Asaka, Sayuri Kokusho, Brandon Lee, and Schwarzenegger.
• Meyer asked Lin Lixin how to stock the character expansion packs, and Lin told him to produce extra Women Fighters packs because of Mai Shiranui.
• On New Year’s Day in Sacramento, Benjamin turned on the TV and saw the GAMENOVA logo appear on Channel 29.

GAMENOVA launched its first official fighting game tournament, the inaugural EVO Evolution Championship Series, and revealed its new game, The King of Fighters. The chapter ended as commentator Vivian introduced the first competitor, Mr. Schwarzenegger.

• Benjamin tuned in to a televised event and watched the packed audience cheer for GAMENOVA and Street Fighter characters.
• GAMENOVA revealed two arcade cabinets in the boxing ring, displaying the name The King of Fighters.
• John excitedly watched the event with Mike, who planned to search California for clues about the rumored Pokémon Mew.
• Lin Lixin and Vivian welcomed viewers to the inaugural EVO Evolution Championship Series.
• Vivian began introducing the competitors and announced Mr. Schwarzenegger as the first to enter.

Schwarzenegger and Brandon Lee appeared as rival fighters to introduce GAMENOVA’s new game, The King of Fighters 86. The audience discovered its three-character consecutive battle system and debated how it might affect match length and competitive balance.

• Schwarzenegger emerged dressed as Brian Battler, while Vivian introduced his character to the audience.
• Brandon Lee appeared in a blue vest and white hoodie, and Lin Lixin announced that he would play Sie Kensou against Schwarzenegger.
• Sam checked the cabinets and confirmed both players were ready as The King of Fighters 86 appeared on the screens as a standalone game.
• Arnold selected three America Team characters and chose Rocky as his starting fighter.
• John and Mike recognized the game’s consecutive battle system, and John questioned whether carrying health and power between fighters would preserve competitive balance.

Brandon Lee demonstrated how a floppy-disk add-on expanded The King of Fighters' roster before facing Schwarzenegger in a startlingly fast match. The first round ended in about ten seconds, leaving John stunned and Mike unaware it had already begun.

• John and Mike noticed the roster lacked Brandon Lee's characters, and Brandon inserted a floppy disk to add the Psycho Soldier Team to the game.
• The new characters appeared alongside a new music track, and the spectators realized the cabinet could support add-on character packs.
• Brandon Lee selected Athena Asamiya while Schwarzenegger chose Rocky as his opening fighter.
• Athena overwhelmed Rocky with rapid attacks and a 28-hit combo, draining his health before the timer passed ten seconds.
• John struggled to understand what had happened, while Mike returned from retrieving his ticket and asked whether the match had started.

GAMENOVA’s The King of Fighters exhibition drew viewers and lifted Channel 29’s ratings as Brandon Lee defeated Schwarzenegger in the EVO warm-up match with Chin Gentsai’s infinite combo. The event moved on to a live performance of Athena Asamiya’s theme song, with Athena appearing onstage in a sailor uniform.

• Benjamin became engrossed in The King of Fighters while watching it on television.
• McCoy saw Channel 29’s ratings rise to 0.8% and hoped GAMENOVA’s audience would help the station retain its broadcasting license.
• Schwarzenegger used Brian to defeat Athena, but Brandon Lee later trapped Schwarzenegger with Chin Gentsai’s infinite combo and won the warm-up match.
• The hosts announced that Schwarzenegger would have another chance in the double-elimination tournament and invited attendees to compete.
• Yui Asaka appeared as Athena Asamiya to sing “Psycho Soldier.”

Yui Asaka and Mai Shiranui promoted their KOF character teams at the event, while the audience reacted enthusiastically and Lin Lixin defended the game’s graphics choices. As the first expansion-pack sales began, Channel 29’s broadcast ratings reached 1.2%, stunning McCoy.

• Yui Asaka performed as Athena and urged the audience to support the Psycho Soldier Team.
• Mai Shiranui entered to challenge Yui and promoted the Women Fighters Team with gameplay footage of its three characters.
• Vivian questioned Lin Lixin’s use of graphics capacity for Mai’s animation, and Lin insisted it was art.
• John and Mike split up during the commercial break to buy expansion packs for both teams.
• An assistant told McCoy that Channel 29’s first time-slot ratings were 1.2%, leaving him stunned.

The King of Fighters 86 and its expansion packs sold strongly, while player trading groups and the EV0 television show helped boost interest in GAMENOVA products. Lin Lixin considered expanding the game’s esports scene and turned his attention to developing Might and Magic.

• Sam limited expansion-pack purchases to two per person after a buyer tried to purchase ten copies.
• The expansion floppy disk drive sold 100,000 units on its first day, and The King of Fighters sold more than 500,000 copies.
• Players formed trading groups to share expansion packs and try different teams.
• Meyer told Lin Lixin that The King of Fighters 86 had a strong, steady sales cycle and that Hitbo had sold more than 30,000 sets.
• Lin Lixin credited the EV0 show with helping Hitbo sales and discussed the potential for organized esports competitions.
• Lin Lixin reviewed the Might and Magic floppy disks as he considered developing a tactical RPG.

Lin Lixin spotted an opportunity to enter the sports game market before EA and planned to pursue major athlete deals. He then found that Koei had already released Romance of the Three Kingdoms and announced his own bilingual SRPG, Fire Emblem, as GAMENOVA’s push into Japan.

• Lin Lixin browsed PC games at RadioShack and realized EA had not yet established its dominant sports franchises.
• Lin Lixin decided to build a sports game brand and pursue deals with John Madden, Michael Jordan, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
• Sam showed Lin Lixin a copy of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and Lin Lixin recognized it as an important Koei strategy game IP.
• Lin Lixin explained that his planned game would be an SRPG and said it would have English and Japanese versions.
• Sam reported that the Japanese translation of Pokémon was over 90% complete, and Lin Lixin named the new game Fire Emblem.

Lin Lixin pushed GAMENOVA to begin designing the 16-bit NovaXeno console, but Vivian warned that its graphics demands exceeded Micro-Nova’s capacity and schedule. Lin decided to expand the team and sought funding to approach SGI and its founder, Jim Clark.

• Lin Lixin told Gerald that Nintendo and Sega would likely release 16-bit consoles within two or three years and outlined a 16+8-bit architecture with a variable-width processor for backward compatibility.
• Lin Lixin named the provisional console NovaXeno, or NX, and asked Vivian to develop graphics capable of displaying 256 colors at once.
• Vivian rejected the graphics target as impractical on the schedule and explained that achieving it would require lower resolution or a redesigned architecture.
• Lin Lixin considered SGI’s high-performance workstations and identified its founder, Jim Clark, as a potential recruit for the graphics department.
• Lin Lixin called Sam and requested between ten and thirty million dollars in funding.

Lin Lixin met with Jim Clark to discuss bringing SGI graphics technology into the consumer market through GAMENOVA’s next-generation console. He proposed a low-cost 2D graphics accelerator and a broader standard, leaving Jim to consider whether SGI should pursue the opportunity.

• Lin Lixin praised SGI’s graphics workstations and asked Jim Clark whether he would consider expanding into the consumer market.
• Jim explained that SGI focused on high-performance workstations and did not want to compete with Sun in the lower-cost market.
• Lin Lixin argued that Sun’s processor, operating system, and networking advantages would limit SGI’s prospects, and Jim swallowed his rebuttal.
• Jim warned that workstation-class 3D chips would make a console priced below three hundred dollars too expensive.
• Lin Lixin clarified that he wanted an affordable 2D graphics accelerator for GAMENOVA’s next-generation console, which he expected to sell in the tens of millions.
• Lin Lixin presented documents proposing a general-purpose graphics accelerator card that operated independently of the CPU and handled data-matrix operations and graphics processing.