Chapter 133: The Era of Arcade Fighting
In 1991, the voices of kids playing in the alley echoed regardless of location, and it was the same in my childhood, whether it was in Japan or Korea.
"Hadouken!"
"Shoryuken!"
"Tatsumaki Senpukyaku!"
(Sometimes, these names varied depending on the region.) Street Fighter 2, which had emerged with a new look as if to slap the old saying "There is no younger brother better than an older brother," was one of the most influential titles in the current gaming center.
When playing a game alone, someone on the opposite machine would insert a coin, challenging you to a fight. The tense, best-of-three matches, two-rounds-per-win, combat would commence, and based on the outcome, the winner would stay, and the loser would leave without saying a word.
Due to its straightforward and clear fighting style, this game was a favorite among arcade owners, as it boasted a high coin turnover rate compared to other games.
Unlike its predecessor, which required selecting Ryu and Ken and had a somewhat delayed command for special moves, Street Fighter 2 allowed players to choose from eight distinctive characters freely.
Moreover, the introduction of bonus stages at intervals, like car smashing and barrel breaking, along with the appearance of boss-level characters known as the "Four Heavenly Kings," received positive feedback from gamers.
The transfer of this legendary title to Laon was an opportunity for the gaming genius.
"Hey! I saw it in today's Famicon magazine. Street Fighter 2 is coming out with Laon in August!"
"Really!?"
As I visited the Akihabara Tamago shop, the voices of people inside caught my attention. Ah, that's right; today is the magazine release day...
"So, does that mean we can play SF2 on Laon portable gaming devices?"
"And on top of that, with some kind of communication cable, you can play battles with two players, like the Tamago Battle!"
"Wow... then, arcades are in trouble."
Unintentionally, I found myself chuckling at the kids' conversation.
Of course, even if this game had some impact on the arcade market, it wouldn't be enough to destroy the market, as these were merely discussions of Street Fighter 2.
Starting from '91, the arcade centers began receiving a slew of incredible games that could easily be dubbed the "Era of Arcade Fighting," like Samurai's Spirit and Legend of Iri.
Especially SNK, which produced rather brutal descriptions of fighting games, released many sensational works, with Samurai's Spirit even featuring characters getting torn apart as a result of slashing moves, making a huge sensation in the fighting game community.
The same effect continued with Legend of Iri, where defeating opponents with special moves would lead to the female characters' clothes being torn. I chuckled to myself as I remembered trying to finish each round with a bang.
It suddenly struck me that, over the years, I had approached a moment like this, meeting my memories face to face, since '83...
In any case, the news of Street Fighter 2's release for Laon was more than enough to enhance the expectations for the new console.
"If the launch of Final Frontier 4 and the legendary fighting game, Street Fighter 2, coincide, there couldn't be a better start for Laon, right?"
No... in fact, it's a powerhouse lineup.
When you get tired of playing a grand-scale RPG like Final Frontier, you can switch cartridges and enjoy a fighting game.
Furthermore, fighting games like Street Fighter offer the possibility to battle with others, so you can make use of the portability of the device to enjoy fighting games with friends anytime, anywhere.
On top of that, there's a brilliant side-scrolling action game called Final Fight '89 ready, thanks to Capcom. So, thanks to Capcom, there's a wide variety of genres for players to choose from.
The day I first encountered the Super Family at a friend's house, who was quite wealthy when I was young, the thing that surprised me the most was the fact that Street Fighter 2, which you could play in arcades, could be played at home.
Although it felt a bit stiff in terms of character animation and frame rate compared to the arcade board used by Capcom, there was no doubt that it was Street Fighter clearly running on TV.
And now, the fact that I could enjoy that very Street Fighter on a small portable gaming device made by Laon, even I, the one who made Laon, began to feel the itch of excitement in my fingertips.
As I pondered this, Miyazaki-san entered my office with the payment documents.
"Mr. Kang, is it true that 'Street Fighter's Tamago' is coming out next month? We've been bombarded with inquiries from the customers who read the magazine today."
"Yes, it's exactly coming out starting from March 27th. Oh, and for collectors of Tamago statues, please clear out one vending machine for five days, exclusively for Street Fighter."
"Okay! Understood."
Tamago statues that could be used with 2D-drawn Street Fighter characters... Just this alone was expected to significantly boost Tamago statue sales.
During a previous production announcement event, Capcom officially announced that Laon would not receive royalties separately for the third-party-produced ROM cartridges.
Upon hearing my decision, Mr. Kawaguchi seemed unable to understand.
Well, we weren't doing charity work, and reducing the royalty portion that could be obtained from third parties would make it more difficult to cover the production cost of the console.
Of course, we were receiving royalties for downloading games using flash memory cartridges at game shops. However, that alone was not enough to generate significant profits.
That's where Tamago statues came into play.
Third-party developers releasing games for Laon could 'optionally' register collaborations with Tamago monsters. In return, they didn't have to pay royalties for ROM cartridges if they collaborated their characters with Tamago statues.
Thanks to this, Pentagon could increase the profits from Tamago statues, and third-party developers could enjoy additional revenue alongside the promotional effects for their characters.
Of course, it wasn't mandatory, and they could reject collaboration proposals, but in that case, they would have to pay royalties for the ROM cartridges instead.
In the case of Capcom, they were initially puzzled by the conditions we proposed, but when we provided a detailed explanation, they showed a very positive response.
Just the fact that there were no royalties for the ROM cartridge was enough, and with the additional income from using Tamago figures, they had nothing to lose.
"They may think that Tamago figures are just toys for kids, but by collecting such a variety of characters, can't we create a new style of battle game someday? Imagine a massive battle where characters from Street Fighter and Dragon Emblem fight together in one place. Isn't that thrilling just to think about?"
I signed the payment documents that Miyazaki-san had handed me, and she asked me.
"By the way, Boss, how's Uchimura-san doing these days? Since becoming the champion in the Tamago Monster Championship last year, he hasn't been coming to the shop much."
"Oh... Uchimura-san joined our Pentagon Soft last month. But he's assigned to a rather special department, so he doesn't come to the company often."
"Really? What kind of department is it?"
"Uchimura-san is doing a fantastic job using his special skills."
Miyazaki-san raised an eyebrow at my answer.
Uchimura became the champion in the Tamago Monster Championship held at the end of last year.
By chance, he managed to secure an entry in the championship during the regional qualifiers, and he received an enthusiastic response in the champion match.
The characters he drew for the champion match were still talked about by users.
From the High Priestess Katrina to the Flame Sorceress Mirea, and the Archery Master Noctis, all the monsters he drew boasted the highest performance as super rare characters.
To raise even one of them in Dragon Emblem was difficult, so drawing three heroes from the championship was a spectacular feat. I was amazed even as I watched the championship in person.
Uchimura, who won the championship, ascended to the Hall of Fame and was recorded as the first to donate a monster to the Tamago Monster sharing device, along with a prize of 500,000 yen.
The Tamago Monster sharing device was a unique machine.
During specific events or when you win in competitions, you could donate the Tamago you raised and distribute them through the sharing device.
What kind of distribution, you ask? Depending on the rarity of the monster, you could exchange it for a gift certificate that could be used at the Tamago Shop.
And donated monsters could be redistributed to five people through the sharing device. In this case, they could obtain new monsters using cash or gift certificates.
In other words, even if you didn't have a Tamago monster from Dragon Emblem or Final Frontier, you could easily obtain new monsters through the sharing device for a usage fee of 200 yen.
People who were stressed out from raising Tamago monsters, or working professionals who had a hard time sharing data with friends, tended to use the monster sharing device quite often.
"More importantly, Valentine's Day is the day after tomorrow."
"Right, this year's Valentine's Day is even more anticipated, isn't it? Haha."
"You're looking forward to it too, Miyazaki-san."
"Of course, when it's a special experience for the users who come to buy the title."
Well, that's true. I chuckled at Miyazaki's response.
&
"Take some chocolate!"
"It's Valentine's Day chocolate!"
"We didn't make it ourselves, but here's the chocolate for Valentine's Day!"
I couldn't help but laugh at the comments as people handed out chocolate to customers.
"What's with those comments? Anyway, take the chocolate. And with love..."
"Uh? When did you arrive, Boss?"
"Just now."
I replied to Kaori as I looked at the long line of customers.
Today is February 14th.
While it's a day of blessings for couples, for gamers, it's just another day for the release of a new game.
There were a few women in between the customers, but almost all of them were men, making it quite a sad sight.
"We'll start the event soon, so please get ready, Boss."
"I just need to put on a cape. I'm going for a vampire concept."
"Then are you going to hang upside down in the air like a bat?"
"..."
"Just kidding. Hahaha."
"Hayashi, where are you?"
"If it's the team leader, he's probably already inside dressed as a zombie."
With Kaori's response, I let out a small laugh and turned my head.
Today is the day when Valentine's Day, the first horror game of Super Family, is released.
The long queue had cut off up to 500 people today.
Valentine's Day was also simultaneously released in various game shops, so you could purchase it in any shop just 10 minutes later.
Huh? Why are these people doing this?
Well, they are here to challenge for the limited edition.
The theme of this year's Valentine's Day event is a haunted house~
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