Finally, NEGA has drawn its sword to conquer the North American market.
In 1991, if Mintendo had Gunpei Yokoi, NEGA had the genius programmer Ryu Suzuki and Taka Yuji.
Suzuki, renowned for creating the masterpieces Real Fighter and Sonique the Hedgehog, was a mentor to Yuji, known to any gamer in the late '80s and early '90s.
While Suzuki mainly crafted arcade games like Real Fighter, it was during a date with Yuki that he revealed one of his creations, the sensation-based racing game "Hang On," at the game center.
But the focus now isn't Suzuki; it's on his disciple, Taka Yuji, who had sparked immense popularity in the arcade market with his Sonic, the speeding hedgehog.
NEGA had struggled without a defining mascot despite its array of games across arcade and console platforms, unlike the iconic mustached Italian with Mintendo. However, in 1984, Yuji joined NEGA after graduating high school, becoming a skilled programmer at an astonishing age, taking over as the main director at 22 during the Fantasy Star 2 development for the previous-gen Mark 3 system.
When NEGA Drive's emergence led to a platform change mid-development, Yuji's team had only six months to release an outstanding RPG. Despite the pressure, they flourished, earning acclaim from the management for their swift turnaround.
NEGA then tasked Yuji, the PM 8 project leader, with creating characters faster than Super Mariji, utilizing NEGA Drive's superior computing speed.
Initially, the team leaned toward cute and swift animal characters like dogs or rabbits due to their speed. But when a designer proposed a rabbit character that garnered positive feedback, Yuji rejected the simplistic idea, wanting something more.
As fate would have it, his colleague Ooshima presented the original concept for Sonic—a blue hedgehog embodying NEGA's colors, with red shoes symbolizing its identity.
With the birth of Sonic, Yuji renamed the PM 8 team to the Sonic Team, initiating full-fledged game development.
Sonic retained classic Mario-style gameplay but outshone with lightning-fast dashes across vast, diverging maps, offering players unprecedented freedom in level navigation, a stark contrast to Mario's linear approach.
Sonic's brash demeanor pushed players to engage actively, and the roller-coaster-like level designs reshaped the gaming landscape, solidifying Sonic as NEGA's flagship mascot.
My mind drifted back to the arcade days, reminiscing about the irritation caused by machines demanding more coins as the time limit expired—I'd never imagined NEGA Drive powering those games.
Sonic's release led to provocative advertisements challenging Mario's speed, smoothly passing negative marketing of competitors. Nintendo, perpetually second, found NEGA's brash move irksome.
Kamauichi, the CEO, disregarded NEGA, stating, "Sonic outran Super Mario; NEGA is inconsequential. We must only counter Pentagon's Laon." This spurred a rivalry as the Sonic Team's development room proudly displayed his words.
Sonic's popularity swiftly spread through NEGA Drive, prompting aggressive marketing bundling Sonic with console purchases, a move heavily criticized by Nintendo, akin to offering Super Mario with every console.
Amid Japan's economic slump, both Mintendo and NEGA eyed the North American market, and NEGA's bold moves hinted at a showdown this Christmas season.
The mad marketing resonated in the US and Europe. Comparative commercials between Mario and Sonic showcased NEGA Drive's unique speed, leading to a frenzy for NEGA Drive in those markets.
"Director Kang Junhyuk?"
I raised my head to find Miyazaki looking at me.
"Yes, Miyazaki, what's the matter?"
"They're asking for you at the Pentagon headquarters."
"Me?"
As I made my way to the staff office, a colleague approached me with an urgent tone. "You might want to take a call in the staff office."
Curious about the sudden call, I headed there with a quizzical expression. "Sure. I'll take the call," I replied, slightly puzzled.
"Ah, Mr. Kang. Just a moment. I'll connect you with the CEO," Kawaguchi said.
Was Kawaguchi looking for me?
As I held the receiver, Kawaguchi's voice came through. "Junhyuk, we've received an invitation to NEGA's unveiling event for their new console."
"A new console?"
"They've completed a new portable console targeting Mintendo's Gameboy and Laon."
Ah, the NEGA GEAR is finally ready...
I envisioned the device roughly as I opened my mouth to speak. "Ah, I see. But is there any problem?"
"The invitation specifically requests you and me as Laon's representatives to attend."
"Me?"
Having surpassed Mintendo, are they now trying to challenge Laon with their new portable device? Suppressing a chuckle, I asked Kawaguchi, "What does the CEO plan to do?"
"Although we didn't attend NEGA's previous unveiling, I believe it wouldn't hurt to go this time. I'm curious about the game industry's reaction to this new portable device."
"Then let's go together. When is the event?"
"It's a bit tight. It's this coming Friday."
"December 20th. I heard it's set for release on Christmas Eve, so that should be appropriate."
"Given your busy preparations for your wedding, are you sure? I can go alone if it's more convenient."
Kawaguchi's words momentarily brought images of Yuki and her family to mind, nearly prompting a laugh from me. "No, it's fine. Let's go together."
"Then we'll depart from the headquarters on the 20th."
"Yes, understood."
After ending the call with Kawaguchi, ensuring it wouldn't disturb other employees, I quietly replaced the receiver and left the office.
---
December 20th, 1991.
Arriving at NEGA's unveiling event, I couldn't help but admire the vast interior of the event hall, quite unlike the previous PENTAGON production presentations.
As I mingled with various industry personnel during the pre-event dinner, I ran into a friend who incessantly snapped pictures, wearing a tilted hat among the crowd.
"Gunpei, you're here too?"
"Oh~ I came. I received an invitation from PENTAGON, but no one from Mintendo showed up."
"I got the invite too. It wouldn't be polite not to attend."
"Nobody from Mintendo came. Maybe because Kamauichi made some derogatory remarks about NEGA in the past. Both sides seem quite sensitive these days."
As Gunpei mentioned, the atmosphere began to change with the arrival of me and Kawaguchi.
"Hey, isn't that President Kawaguchi and Manager Kang?"
"What's happening with PENTAGON at NEGA's unveiling event?"
Amidst the murmurs, Gunpei looked around and then spoke to me. "Seems like the atmosphere changes dramatically when PENTAGON people show up~"
Gunpei's exaggerated expression wasn't an overstatement. Laon, released last summer, was quickly climbing the ranks, alongside the launch titles Final Frontier 4, Spaz 2, Slam Dunk, and, more recently, Mighty Final Fight, and the remake of Dragon Emblem. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was devouring the market itself.
Patting Gunpei's shoulder lightly, I proceeded to find the NEGA representative who had invited us. Soon after, amidst the crowd, I spotted Suzuki Ryu and Taka Yuji, chatting with third-party staff.
They seemed somewhat surprised to see us. I greeted Suzuki in a friendly manner.
"Hello, Mr. Suzuki."
"It's an honor to have you attend our NEGA GEAR's official unveiling, representing PENTAGON."
"Given our Laon's lineup, we couldn't help but be curious and had to come."
Offering a handshake, Suzuki raised the corners of his lips slightly.
"Feel free to have high expectations."
Sure, you should have expectations too...
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