Recaps

Lin Lixin expanded GAMENOVA’s PC and music ambitions through Theme Hospital and Pirates!, while preparing a cross-platform Pokémon sequel and launching its anime. The arc leaves Mike exploring Pokémon Gold at night, just as he discovers that its features and locations hold surprises.

• Lin Lixin launched the NOVA-HERMES laptop with Hybrid graphics, and Theme Hospital drew strong sales and enthusiastic reactions for its absurd hospital management gameplay.
• Lin Lixin approved Sid Meier’s Pirates! remake, guided its compact Caribbean world and gameplay loops, and recruited Hans Zimmer to build its interactive score and join GAMENOVA’s music team.
• Tim and Chris played Pirates!, capturing ships and fighting duels as the game’s sales and pirate craze grew.
• Lin Lixin announced Pokémon Gold/Silver across five platforms and introduced a workflow for compiling one version across them, while assigning the team its time system, breeding, friendship, and Legendary Pokémon features.
• Lin Lixin visited GAINAX to check the Pokémon anime, encouraged Takami Akai to pursue a story-driven raising game, and praised the anime’s preview before its premiere drew new viewers to the franchise.
• Mike bought Pokémon Gold/Silver on Black Friday, synced its clock to the real world, chose Chikorita, and began exploring Johto.
• Mike received the Mystery Egg and learned about the game’s locked Pokémon transfer feature, then entered Sprout Tower at night and found its atmosphere unlike what others had described.

Lin Lixin developed Hotline Miami’s rapid-retry arcade design and pushed Blizzard to rebuild Diablo around randomized gear, rewarding progression, and dark atmosphere. He demonstrated Diablo’s time-based arcade model to Stephen Wynn, who became engrossed in the game before encountering The Butcher.

• Mike caught Gastly in Pokémon Tower, hatched Togepi, and discussed shiny Pokémon with his friends while Lin Lixin revealed GAMENOVA’s progress on low-power LCDs and blue LEDs.
• Lin Lixin celebrated GAMENOVA’s success, assessed Nova Arcade’s finances, and began planning Hotline Miami as a punishing arcade game built around instant retries and synthwave music.
• Lin Lixin and Hideo Kojima developed Hotline Miami’s design, Keanu Reeves filmed its violent promotional video, and Tang repeatedly retried the arcade game until he cleared its opening stage.
• Lin Lixin consulted Albert Bandura about violence in games and rejected Blizzard’s early Diablo demo, directing Mike Morhaime’s team to rebuild the game around randomized dungeons, real-time combat, and rewarding loot.
• Lin Lixin taught Blizzard to make equipment the core of Diablo’s progression, proposed better-targeted drops and deeper crafting, and recruited Gerald Brom to shape the game’s dark fantasy art.
• Lin Lixin arranged for Blizzard to work with Lucasfilm and Industrial Light & Magic on Diablo’s cinematics, then showed Stephen Wynn how saved progress and hourly payment could support the arcade game.
• Wynn played Diablo, explored Tristram and its randomly generated dungeon, became excited by a weapon drop, and reached a blood-soaked room where The Butcher charged him.

Lin Lixin launched Patapon and NovaMail, while Stars! drew Simon into a tense multiplayer campaign that continued after Alice’s death. He also advanced internet and music technology, recruited Yu Suzuki, and began positioning GameNova to challenge Sony and the major record labels.

• The Butcher killed Wynn’s Aidan, and Lin Lixin showed Wynn how to make the Stealth runeword before ending their Diablo session.
• Lin Lixin developed Patapon with Hans Zimmer and Saul Bass, and Ella’s play helped the game and its characters catch on with players.
• Lin Lixin launched free NovaMail and assigned Carmack to build Stars!, where Simon played a diplomatic game that ended in a draw with Alice.
• After Alice’s death, Simon invited her sister to continue playing with her account, while Lin Lixin and Vivian developed a way to expand internet capacity over existing phone lines.
• Lin Lixin recruited Yu Suzuki to GameNova and introduced Beat Hazard, a music-driven arcade project built around real-time sound analysis and motion effects.
• Lin Lixin proposed that Michael Jackson work with GameNova and Enigma Records to release music independently, then helped arrange GameNova’s acquisition of Elektra Records.
• Lin Lixin tested Yu Suzuki and Mark Cerny’s vibration platform and began building Beat Hazard, while Cerny urged Yu to focus on game design and collaboration.

Lin Lixin turned Beat Hazard’s safety issue into a broader push for music, batteries, and Tokimeki Memorial, while GameNova’s virtual idols outpaced Sony’s rival project. He then shifted toward PC graphics hardware, securing General Motors as an early customer and seeking its help with a realistic Corvette in a new racing game.

• Lin Lixin sent Yu Suzuki back to Sega, then discovered Beat Hazard’s flashing visuals could trigger Sam’s photosensitive epilepsy and helped establish display-safety standards.
• GameNova demonstrated Beat Hazard’s music-driven gameplay, including online tracks and live audio, while Lin Lixin advanced safer graphite-anode batteries and a wireless rumble controller.
• Lin Lixin developed Tokimeki Memorial with Gainax, shaping its characters around Shiori Fujisaki and recruiting Yui Asaka, Yuki Uchida, and Rie Miyazawa for the project.
• Sony launched Project Aurora to rival GameNova, but GameNova introduced Tokimeki Memorial’s characters through a press event that left reporters intrigued by Shiori’s apparent independence.
• Furukawa bought the wireless Elite Controller and Tokimeki Memorial, then played as Kentaro while learning the game’s school-management and dating-simulation systems.
• Tokimeki Memorial grew into a hit through character songs and other media, while Sony’s Aurora Project fell short and Norio Ohga sought partnerships with Japanese animation studios.
• Lin Lixin examined the i486 and Windows 3.0, then directed Micro-Nova to develop Hermes graphics hardware and chose Need for Speed as its launch title.
• Lin Lixin recruited Sega and Namco to support Micro-Nova’s graphics technology and arranged to acquire Creative Technology for its Sound Blaster audio products.
• Lin Lixin persuaded General Motors to order more than ten thousand engineering graphics cards and asked for Corvette ZR-1 data to create an authentic car in GameNova’s planned 3D racing game.