Chapter 138: Laon's Launch
"Hello, this is Kang Junhyuk from Pentagon Soft. Um... I must say I really enjoy tormenting all of you, just like games such as Dragon Emblem, Psych Battle, The Empty Streets, and Valentine's Day."
That was my opening statement.
The gamers gathered at the event hall looked bewildered by my bizarre greeting.
"Well... when I played them one by one, I didn't know much, but collecting them all at once makes me really frustrated."
"Yeah, I don't remember anything other than struggling to clear all four of them."
"Oh, I got in big trouble playing The Empty Streets and crying alone until my mother scolded me."
"I got scolded by my girlfriend too. So, I lent it to her and she started crying too. It turned our room into a sea of tears."
"I play Laon because of Dragon Emblem, and it's a shame they didn't release it simultaneously with the console. I have to survive with just Final Frontier 4 until the release day."
"I'm not a Pentagon Soft game, but even though Psych Battle was difficult, it was really fun. I have fond memories of staying up all night with my little brother to play the versus mode. I wonder if there will be a sequel..."
"That might be tough, you know? The copyright is with Mintendo."
"Yeah, that's true."
After delivering a few sentences of prepared greetings, the gamers began to buzz about the games I created.
I waited for the atmosphere to settle for a moment before continuing.
"As you all know, Laon is not a cheap handheld device. Just the device itself costs 29,800 yen, which is more expensive than Mintendo's Super Family. However, we were able to significantly lower the cartridge prices by collaborating with other parties. Final Frontier 4 and Street Fire 2, which will be released simultaneously, are priced at around 5,300 yen each, which is about 3,000 to 4,000 yen cheaper than other companies' software. The prices of upcoming Laon cartridge titles will not exceed 6,000 yen."
"Wow, that's great!"
"Yeah, I'd rather have a slightly more expensive device with cheaper software. Recently, the prices of Super Family cartridges have almost reached 10,000 yen..."
"That's true. Cartridge prices have been steadily increasing since the release, so it's scary to buy a game now. What if you buy it and it turns out to be a minefield?"
As they mentioned, games recently released by Mintendo had exorbitant consumer prices.
However, Japan was in a better situation compared to South Korea. In South Korea, where Super Family games had not been officially released, imported titles were selling for about 180,000 won. For popular titles, the price often exceeded 200,000 won.
I recalled a time when I went to Yongsan with a friend as a kid to buy Final Frontier 6 because my friend wanted it. I was dragged away by intimidating guys, had my money taken, and when I tried to buy Final Frontier with my hidden emergency funds, they asked for 240,000 won for a cartridge, so I gave up and went back home, laughing at the memory.
I continued with an explanation of the new cartridge system.
"Furthermore, the flash memory cartridges that will be released with Dragon Emblem in the future will allow you to download their contents at a reasonable price from various game shops across the country."
"Download? What's that?"
Except for gamers who also enjoyed PC communication, the word "download" sounded quite unfamiliar. So, I provided a more straightforward explanation of the download process.
Then, one of the gamers who had heard my story shouted, "Oh! So, if we delete a game to make space for another one on the flash cartridge, do we have to buy it again later?"
"No, that's not the case. As long as the code inside the cartridge matches your personal information, you can download it again for free at any time."
"Wow!"
But the cheers subsided briefly, and another question arose.
"If you want to play more than one game from the flash cartridge, do you have to delete the existing game?"
Even with a somewhat sharp question, I didn't lose my smile in front of the gamers. I couldn't show any hesitation as a developer in front of them.
"The flash memory cartridges will be released in two versions."
"Two versions?"
"Yes, there will be a low-capacity version that can only store one game and a high-capacity version that can store two games. If you purchase the low-capacity model, you will need to delete the installed game to play another one, just as you mentioned."
"Oh, that's a bit disappointing."
"But still, you can download it again later, so that's fortunate."
The flash memory cartridge's unit price for reading and erasing data was quite expensive. Even after trying my best to lower the price, the low-capacity model was 11,800 yen, and the high-capacity model was 19,800 yen.
However, I could only sell them at a slight loss every time, and I could only make a profit when downloads became active in the future.
Technology was continuously advancing, and by this time next year, we might be able to lower the cartridge unit price a bit and release even higher-capacity versions. Consoles had the advantage of being able to gradually lower the device's price according to technological progress within the 5-6 years they dominated the market.
"But the sale price of software using flash memory cartridges is expected to be around 4,300 yen, which is approximately 1,500 yen cheaper than ROM cartridge software."
As I continued, the atmosphere in the hall began to lean towards understanding my words.
"Is 4,300 yen for a game at a time like this really cheap?"
"It's not like you can't download it again once you delete it, and it seems that Pentagon cares more about the players."
"I've never regretted buying a game from Pentagon Soft. I'll definitely own it in ROM cartridges."
"It's the same game, but how much choice does it give us?"
I quickly picked up some important points from the lively conversation and provided answers.
"For users who, like before, collect games, you can still purchase ROM cartridges. The flash memory cartridge, on the other hand, is a policy for parents who are reluctant to keep buying game software for their children or students.
You can purchase games in the way that suits you."
As a result, even gamers who had been shaking their heads at first began to applaud, and the atmosphere in the event hall grew more positive.
As the mood in the hall began to heat up, I signaled to the staff in charge of the projector. The staff nodded at my sign, and the projector displaying the Battle Zone was activated.
"Now, I'll introduce our highly anticipated new game from Pentagon Soft. First, let me present this work to all of you!"
"Hot!"
With a brief sound of a strike, a stunning woman appeared, gracefully sliding into view. The gamers started buzzing with excitement as a sudden animation played out before them.
"Oh, wow!! What's this? Is it Pentagon's brand-new game?" Kang exclaimed.
Swish!!
In that moment, the woman, who had leaped high into the air, revealed her slim figure in the moonlight, performing an aerial acrobatics routine by gliding along the outer wall of a building.
The camera angles in the video spun around 360 degrees, highlighting her every move as it closed in on her face at the end. Simultaneously, the users shouted in awe.
"Azusa Ren!?"
"What is this!? Unbelievable!!"
"Wait, she looks similar, but her hairstyle and clothing are completely different!"
"Could it be Psych Battle 2!? But that's impossible!"
Then, the video changed, introducing a short-haired woman in a leather jacket riding a motorcycle.
Riding her massive bike, she gazed at the cityscape, surrounded by towering skyscrapers, before gripping the throttle tightly.
Simultaneously, lasers from the pursuing cars shot out towards her. Swiftly, she skillfully swerved her bike, narrowly avoiding the deadly beams.
With a daring move, she spun her massive bike on the ground and fired her gun at the pursuing cars.
At that moment, when her face appeared close-up once again, the same shocked voice echoed among the users.
"Kak!! Now it's Ryu Hwayoung!?"
"That's right, it's Psych Battle!"
"Wow!! I never thought I'd see it again!!"
"Argh... take all my money, Pentagon!!"
Only two characters had appeared, but the audience was already in turmoil. It was clear evidence of how eagerly people had been awaiting Psych Battle.
The character resembling Ryu Hwayoung raced through the city at breakneck speed, trying to escape the relentless pursuit of the cars. The chase on the screen had everyone on the edge of their seats.
The opening of "Psych Force," produced with top-notch quality, was a work directly requested from Director Hoshii Mamoru, who would later rise to fame with "Strike of the Cyber Elite."
Considering the close to ten million yen spent on an 8-minute video, the quality, along with the atmosphere on set, was undeniably impressive.
The vibrant night cityscape was vividly captured in various colors, with the protagonists' battle in the midst of it all, engaging in a fierce conflict. Four women and four men were in pursuit of one another, aiming to take each other's lives.
When lasers from a car finally hit Ryu Hwayoung's motorcycle, she was thrown off, her body soaring away due to the inertia.
That was the moment.
"Kyaah!!"
With an outstretched tongue, the assailant who had jumped onto the damaged car's windshield suddenly drew a blade from behind his back, and a red spot appeared in the center of his forehead.
As Ryu Hwayoung, thrown off her bike, twisted her body to aim her gun at him, her finger pulled the trigger.
"Ice Bullet~!!"
Pa-ang~!! An ice flower blossomed from his forehead as his neck snapped, and the assailant, whose head was now askew, landed on the ground. He casually fixed his dislocated neck bone.
"Wow... incredible..."
The users were exclaiming in admiration, captivated by the rapidly progressing battle scene.
The genre of Psych Force was called "Super-Speed Hyper Battle," reminiscent of Dragon Ball, which made it no surprise that everyone was glued to the screen, witnessing the intense battles that involved smashing massive buildings.
"They certainly made quite the game in a short time with the money they spent..."
When the collapsing building was held by Kang with just one hand, a ninja resembling Azusa Ren leaped into his arms, and a promotional message appeared on screen.
The spiritual successor of Psych Battle. Super-Speed Hyper Battle. Psych Force. Opening soon in the winter game centers. -
"What? An arcade game!?"
"Uwaaa!! Is it a versus action game? That's amazing!"
At the moment when everyone gathered here was still reeling from the shock of the promotional video, a black curtain among the users suddenly rose.
"Ugh!"
Like a freeze-frame from the just-watched anime, Uchimura produced a giant diorama, capturing the tension of Psych Force.
"I can't wait until winter..."
I observed the users who were busily admiring the figures, slightly raising the corners of my mouth, then took the microphone in hand.
"Thank you. We know some of you have stayed up all night with us, and we have one more game to introduce shortly."
"Oh, wow! What's next?"
I looked around briefly and then turned my head to one side to continue.
"Recently, along with Dragon Ball, a manga artist has been creating a basketball craze in Japan. I'd like to introduce the author of 'Slam Dunk,' Mr. Inoue, would you please come up on stage?"
"Sl... Slam Dunk?"
Takehiko Inoue, the original author of the basketball manga Slam Dunk, took the stage, gripping the microphone with trembling hands.
"Until today, I've been keeping the existence of this title a secret, and it was a bit challenging for me. When Pentagon Soft asked me to adapt my work into a game, I was a little puzzled. But I wanted to introduce my work to a wider audience. So here I am to meet you through this game."
"Wow!!"
"Darn, I thought I could get away with just Final Frontier and Spa 2, but now I'm running out of money!"
"How much are they trying to make us spend today?"
The excitement in the room was palpable as the users reacted to the unexpected reveal.
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