Chapter Summaries

Nami Yaguchi and Furukawa tried Sega’s new Mai Meng maimai arcade game and celebrated seeing their song included in its lineup. Meanwhile, Lin Lixin visited Akihabara and headed to struggling game company HAL Laboratory, where a future Nintendo president worked.

• Nami Yaguchi and Furukawa found their song, “Tell Me Mr. Sky/Walking with the Wind,” in Mai Meng maimai and tried the game together.
• Furukawa earned an SS rating on their first play, while Yaguchi scored an aaa rating.
• The two spent the afternoon playing songs on the machine, then left after finishing with their own song and promising to study for the University of Tokyo together.
• A rumor spread at their school that Yaguchi and Furukawa had rubbed toilet seats at the arcade, while gloved fans gathered around Mai Meng maimai machines in Akihabara.
• Lin Lixin told Satoshi he had come to Akihabara to buy something, and Satoshi drove him to HAL Laboratory, a game company near bankruptcy.

HAL Laboratory faced insolvency after president Mitsuhiro Ikeda’s expansion plans and failed games left the company burdened with more than a billion yen in debt. Lin Lixin offered GameNova’s rescue on the condition that HAL became a subsidiary, repaid its debts within three years, and placed Satoru Iwata in charge.

• Mitsuhiro Ikeda struggled to decide how to save HAL Laboratory, and Satoru Iwata urged him to seek help from Nintendo.
• Satoshi Tajiri brought Lin Lixin to visit HAL Laboratory, where Mitsuhiro Ikeda described the company’s dire finances.
• Lin Lixin summoned Satoru Iwata and offered HAL a three-year, interest-free loan from GameNova in exchange for the company becoming a subsidiary and repaying its debts.
• Lin Lixin required Satoru Iwata to become HAL’s president, and Satoru accepted responsibility for the company’s debts and future.

Lin Lixin secured HAL Laboratory’s future by appointing Satoru Iwata to lead it, then returned to North America as Nintendo faced a wave of developer defections. Hiroshi Yamauchi learned that HAL had joined GameNova and collapsed in shock.

• Lin Lixin asked Mitsuhiro Ikeda and Satoru Iwata how they would rescue HAL Laboratory, and Iwata proposed refocusing the company on making games while cutting hardware and semiconductor research.
• Lin Lixin made Satoru Iwata president of HAL Laboratory and said he would send promising talent to help reorganize it.
• Lin Lixin returned to North America to work on NovaFusion’s launch game, Spore Spore.
• Hiroshi Yamauchi reacted angrily after learning that Square had chosen PlayStation exclusivity and Namco and Hudson had joined Sega and GameNova for the fifth generation.
• Hiroshi Yamauchi learned that Enix, Konami, and Capcom would end their Nintendo exclusivity, then heard that HAL Laboratory had become a GameNova subsidiary under Satoru Iwata and collapsed.

Lin Lixin returned to GameNova headquarters and helped the team shape Spore Spore’s creature creator into a simple, flexible system based on procedural modeling. The prototype let players alter a creature’s body by adding or removing spine nodes and changing their thickness, with texture mapping and later 3D support planned.

• Lin Lixin found Sam, Will, Sid, and the others sculpting bizarre creatures from modeling clay as they explored Spore Spore’s sandbox gameplay.
• Will proposed letting players sculpt creatures freely in the game, but Lin Lixin rejected adding full 3D modeling software and began designing a simpler creator.
• Lin Lixin explained that the creator should hide complex model parameters and let players shape creatures intuitively, as if they were playing with clay.
• Will tested Lin Lixin’s prototype and discovered that adding or removing spine nodes and adjusting their thickness changed the creature’s shape.
• Lin Lixin explained that the prototype generated its shape procedurally and could later support textures, colors, and a more flexible 3D creature creator.

Lin Lixin outlined Spore’s cell-stage progression, where players explored, fought creatures, and unlocked their organs, then divided development of the game’s stages among specialized teams. The project moved forward with teams assigned to the creature, tribe, civilization, and space stages.

• Lin Lixin and Will discussed making the cell stage support herbivorous, omnivorous, and predatory play through an evolving character-creation system.
• Lin Lixin proposed unlocking body parts by having players encounter creatures, learn their abilities, and collect blueprints when those creatures died.
• Lin Lixin explained that DNA points and part prices would limit how many organs players could install while rewarding different evolutionary strategies.
• Lin Lixin assigned himself the cell stage, Sam and Kojima the creature stage, Sid the tribe and civilization stages, and Carmack and Will the space stage.

Lin Lixin showed Carmack how Gouraud shading could make low-polygon models look smoother without increasing polygon counts. Inspired by the approach, Carmack devised an inverse-kinematics system for generating creature movement procedurally, leaving him eager to explore a world of limitless procedural possibilities.

• Carmack explained that Spore’s player-created creatures made 3D optimization difficult, and that reducing polygon counts would hurt the visuals.
• Lin Lixin demonstrated Gouraud shading, which smoothed low-polygon models by interpolating colors between vertices.
• Carmack realized that inverse kinematics could generate creature movement by calculating limbs backward from their points of contact.
• Carmack proposed combining procedural meshes, IK-controlled gaits, and Will’s Jazz AI architecture to reduce animation assets and enable a vast procedural sandbox.

GAMENOVA unveiled NovaFusion during its Thanksgiving broadcast, showcasing its launch offerings and a trailer built around effortless play. The chapter ended with the console available for purchase and the slogan “BE LAZY. BE FREE.”

• McCoy and Rebecca presented NovaFusion’s specifications and announced that it came with a disc containing 2,600 classic 8-bit games.
• When Rebecca asked about first-party launch titles, McCoy accidentally revealed that Spore was the title he was not supposed to disclose.
• GAMENOVA’s trailer showed a fan relaxing on a sofa and starting Morality and Rule of Law with a wireless controller, without touching the console.
• The player returned the controller to its charging stand and fell asleep as NovaFusion and the television entered standby mode.
• The trailer ended by announcing NovaFusion was now available and displaying the slogan “BE LAZY. BE FREE.”

GAMENOVA’s unconventional NovaFusion promotional film showcased its player-friendly design, strong specifications, and $349.99 price, building excitement for the new console. On Black Friday, crowds gathered at stores before dawn, and the Christmas shopping rush began as the doors opened.

• GAMENOVA’s promotional film emphasized NovaFusion’s wireless controller, easy-to-use architecture, backward compatibility, and slogan, “BE LAZY. BE FREE.”
• The chapter revealed NovaFusion’s specifications and $349.99 price, while noting that Jaguar production had ended and its remaining units had become collectibles.
• NovaFusion’s release prompted long lines at retailers, where families prepared to buy consoles, televisions, games, and holiday supplies.
• Before dawn, shoppers waited outside stores while passing the time with handheld games, Walkmans, radios, magazines, and comics.
• At four in the morning, the stores opened and shoppers streamed inside, officially beginning Black Friday and the Christmas season.

Tom rushed home with a NovaFusion and Spore, then unboxed the console and tested its wireless controllers. He explored the new system menu and noticed unfamiliar features, including achievements, before starting a game.

• Tom bought a NovaFusion and a copy of Spore, prioritizing the launch products over groceries.
• Tom unboxed the white console and admired its casing, integrated disc drive, and minimalist design.
• Tom discovered the controllers were wireless and tested their charging dock and responsive connection.
• Tom paired a controller by cable, then confirmed the console responded even when he turned away from it.
• Tom connected the console to his television and saw a main menu with data management, achievements, and settings.

Tom played through the Atari 2600 All-in-One collection on GAMENOVA’s NovaFusion, appreciating its arcade-quality Space Invaders, convenient features, and achievement system. After his nostalgia faded, he opened Spore and discovered a scroll showing creatures evolving from cells into civilizations and launching into space.

• Tom discovered that NovaFusion kept ejected games on its interface and tracked achievements, then started playing the Atari 2600 All-in-One collection.
• Tom played through the night, paused his game when he grew tired, and fell asleep on the sofa with the controller on its charging dock.
• Tom woke in the afternoon, ordered pizza, and resumed the game, praising GAMENOVA’s thoughtful console and controller design.
• Tom set aside the retro collection and opened Spore, finding a foldout scroll that depicted creatures evolving from cells through tribal and technological civilizations.
• Tom examined the scroll as one lineage defeated the others and launched a rocket into space.

Tom unpacked and began playing Spore, discovering that it followed life from a tiny organism through multiple stages of evolution. He started a carnivorous creature in the Cell stage and began searching the ocean for food.

• Tom examined Spore’s deluxe-edition contents and watched an opening sequence showing life evolving from cells to spacefaring civilizations.
• Tom chose a save slot, selected the Cell stage and carnivore diet, set the normal difficulty, and named his planet Tom No. 1.
• A meteor struck a blue planet, and a translucent worm emerged from the shattered rock on the seabed.
• Tom learned to control his small carnivorous creature and saw other organisms swimming through the ocean.
• Tom struggled to hunt and instead gathered scattered chunks of meat to feed his creature.

Tom played Spore’s cell stage, unlocked a spike by surviving a hunt, and entered the Cell Creator after mating. He built an omnivorous creature by adding herbivore mouths alongside its carnivorous mouthpart, eager to continue evolving.

• Tom chased a faster herbivore until two stronger predators caught it, then snatched the spike badge from the blood mist and escaped.
• Tom unlocked the spike part and examined the controller while waiting to see what the Cell Creator offered.
• Tom called for a mate, met another creature of his species, and watched them produce an egg.
• Tom entered the Cell Creator and found the creature parts he had encountered available for purchase with DNA points.
• Tom installed herbivore mouths beside his carnivorous mouthpart, changing his creature’s diet label to Omnivore.

Tom played through Spore’s cell stage and evolved his creature onto land, where the game opened into a freely explorable 3D world. He continued through the tribal and civilization stages, marveling at how the different genres and evolutionary systems connected, then paused his marathon session to stretch.

• Tom evolved a specialized predator that dominated the tide pool until it developed a brain and unlocked the land stage.
• Tom reviewed his creature’s evolutionary timeline, then fitted it with legs and watched it emerge from the water into a 3D world.
• Tom explored the land stage, discovering its ARPG-style play, new creature abilities, and options to fight or socialize.
• Tom played through the tribal stage and conquered nearby tribes, advancing to the civilization stage without sleeping.
• Tom recognized how Spore’s stages and evolution systems connected, then put down the controller to move around.

GAMENOVA’s NovaFusion launched with strong first-week sales, while Spore sold even more copies despite being an exclusive. Lin Lixin and Sam discussed how games, affordability, and a growing developer base could sustain the console’s momentum, leaving GAMENOVA focused on building its platform and expanding disc-drive sales.

• Lin Lixin played Morality and Rule of Law on the NovaFusion and tested its achievements and photo mode.
• Sam called Lin Lixin to report that NovaFusion had sold over 3.4 million units in its first week and Spore had sold over four million copies.
• Lin Lixin checked the sales data and noted that Spore’s sales exceeded the number of NovaFusion owners, showing the strength of its launch lineup.
• Lin Lixin told Sam that GAMENOVA should focus on new console games rather than short-term sales, while Sam pointed out that the lower-cost console without a disc drive helped buyers afford the system.
• Lin Lixin and Sam recognized that modular disc-drive sales supported the NovaFusion’s launch and helped GAMENOVA move toward independence from Sony’s technological barriers.

Lin Lixin explained to Sam why GAMENOVA should allow Sony to compete, then outlined a new physics-focused engine and narrative FPS to Carmack. The chapter ended with Lin naming the launch title Half-Life.

• Lin Lixin told Sam that competition from Sony would benefit GAMENOVA and that they should focus on making better games rather than eliminating rivals.
• Lin Lixin asked Sam to add an age-rating filter to Spore's sharing feature because children were creating explicit content.
• Carmack arrived, and Lin Lixin introduced a plan for a new engine that would build on the Quake Engine with realistic physics and advanced real-time presentation.
• Carmack recognized that the engine was intended for a 3D story-driven game, and Lin Lixin described it as a narrative FPS.
• Lin Lixin announced that the game would be GAMENOVA's launch title next year and named it Half-Life.

Hiroshi Yamauchi gathered Nintendo’s inner circle to decide how to respond to Sony and GAMENOVA’s growing dominance. After Gunpei Yokoi and Shigeru Miyamoto argued for pursuing virtual reality alongside a conventional next-generation console, Yamauchi approved the VR project and named it Virtual Boy.

• Hiroshi Yamauchi summoned Gunpei Yokoi, Masayuki Uemura, and Shigeru Miyamoto to discuss Nintendo’s direction after third-party developers defected to PlayStation and GAMENOVA.
• Yamauchi asked Yokoi about a potential partnership with Reflection Technology, whose compact Private Eye displays could show separate images to each eye.
• Yokoi demonstrated how Private Eye could create an immersive stereoscopic display without a television and proposed using it for VR games.
• Miyamoto supported VR but advised developing it alongside a conventional fifth-generation console so Nintendo would not abandon true 3D or risk all its resources on one approach.
• Yamauchi appointed Yokoi head of the VR project and gave it the codename Virtual Boy.

Lin Lixin toured amenva’s expanding Marin County campus, which was being designed as a vast hub for its development teams and creative subsidiaries. After the tour, he and Carmack discovered that the building’s acoustics inspired an idea for a realistic sound-physics engine for games.

• Trevor guided Lin Lixin through amenva’s new campus, showing him its sports facilities, central plaza, restaurants, and development department building.
• Lin Lixin learned that amenva planned to move most of its departments and subsidiaries to the ranch, while the wafer fabs and server rooms would remain in place.
• Lin Lixin and Carmack discussed the absent Activision team and other staff who were still preparing to move from Los Angeles.
• Trevor showed Lin Lixin the campus’s reserved natural areas, housing, amenities, and production facilities, then ended the tour as noon approached.
• Lin Lixin howled inside the new development building to hear its echoes, then proposed a sound-physics engine that could simulate distance, materials, and realistic audio positioning.

Lin Lixin explained to Carmack how Half-Life could balance combat with narrative by slowing its pace and using atmosphere, lighting, and directional sound to create horror even when players had ample firepower. Carmack imagined the sounds of unseen creatures around him and began to understand the immersive potential of the project.

• Carmack objected to Half-Life’s scripted opening and worried that story would overwhelm gameplay.
• Lin Lixin argued that combat and presentation needed balance, then proposed slowing the game so players could observe, listen, aim, and plan.
• Lin Lixin described how Headcrabs, barnacles, and other threats could build fear through atmosphere rather than scarce ammunition.
• Carmack questioned whether an FPS with plentiful shooting could work as a horror game.
• Lin Lixin explained how advanced lighting and a physics-based sound field could make unseen threats frightening, and Carmack imagined creatures moving around him.

Lin Lixin and the development team planned seamless map transitions for Half-Life while he worked out how to adapt FPS controls for the NF console. He settled on testing aim assistance for its controller, with more advanced adaptive triggers left for a future generation.

• Lin Lixin, Hideo Kojima, and the others used the elevator to plan how diorama maps would transition, deciding to preload the next map as the elevator doors closed.
• Lin Lixin explained that asynchronous loading could reduce the stutters caused by Half-Life’s trigger-based map transitions, while the engine team handled the technical changes.
• Lin Lixin left the map-design work to Sam and turned to the problem of making FPS controls work with the NF’s wireless controller.
• Lin Lixin tested a dual-stick layout with the left stick for movement, the right stick for the camera, and the triggers for aiming and firing.
• Lin Lixin decided the controller needed aim assistance that corrected the crosshair near enemies and slowed camera movement over them, while adaptive triggers would have to wait for the next generation.

Sam tested Lin Lixin’s controller aim-assist demo as Lin Lixin and Cerny used Quake 2 player data to improve their testing plans. Carmack then showed Lin Lixin a door bug that persisted across engine versions, despite archived reports showing the door had once worked, leaving its cause unexplained.

• Sam tested the aiming demo, achieved over 80% accuracy, and felt the crosshair being pulled toward targets.
• Lin Lixin explained the aim-assist system and decided to use Quake 2’s collected player data to refine it.
• Lin Lixin processed the gameplay data into heat maps and discussed creating a behavioral lab and future competitive multiplayer games with Cerny.
• Carmack told Lin Lixin that a test-room door stuck against an NPC’s foot, and that the problem persisted in the original Quake 2 Engine and on the NX.
• Carmack said the door had worked during Quake 2 development, but it no longer worked even in the archived original version, leaving Lin Lixin puzzled by the discrepancy.