Discussions about "fatal fury" reached an unprecedented fever pitch.
Game fans were amazed by Sega's grand gestures and the "game + animation"linkage mode.
Anime fans, on the other hand, were captivated by the combination of Ooba Jutarou and Kurumada Masami, and were even more filled with infinite imagination about the "new work" mentioned by Caruda Teacher.
The media offensive planned by Takuya exceeded expectations.
Nintendo's attempt to suppress Project "K" instead became the best publicity booster for "fatal fury."
Sega Headquarters, top floor office.
Hayao Nakayama looked at the public opinion report meticulously organized by his secretary, and the several magazines laid out on his desk, and his previously furrowed brows unconsciously relaxed.
The report detailed the enthusiastic market response to the "fatal fury" exclusive interview, especially the additional attention brought by Kurumada Masami.
He picked up "NEWTYPE" and turned to Kurumada Masami's interview page, his gaze lingering for a moment on the words "Producer Nakayama."
This son, not only showed talent in game development, but also revealed a keenness and maturity far beyond his age in market strategy and resource integration.
This successful public relations counterattack undoubtedly added an important weight to Project "K."
It also allowed those board members who were conservative about 16-bit consoles to see Sega's potential in content innovation.
Hayao Nakayama put down the magazine, his fingers lightly tapping the desk.
Perhaps, the launch of the next-generation project would be smoother than he had anticipated.
At the same time, Namco Headquarters.
On Masaya Nakamura's desk, there were also the latest game and anime magazines.
He stared at the "fatal fury" report, his face gloomy.
Sega was so high-profile, invested so much, and even brought in Ooba Jutarou and Kurumada Masami.
This kind of lineup was not something that could be easily dealt with by "avoiding competition."
To counter Sega, Nintendo unhesitatingly sacrificed Namco's "pac-man," using it as a pawn.
And now, Sega's counterattack was so brilliant and grand.
In contrast, Namco could only passively accept Nintendo's arrangements, and even the budget for large-scale promotional warm-up for its own flagship product "pac-man" seemed stretched.
A deep sense of powerlessness and unwillingness once again welled up in Masaya Nakamura's heart.
He looked at Kurumada Masami's spirited photo in the magazine, and then thought of the Nintendo market specialist's formulaic smile.
Perhaps, under Nintendo's hegemony, compliance was truly not the only option.
In the Sega Development Team 3 office in late October, the air seemed to be ignited by an invisible flame, and the heat was almost comparable to an asphalt road surface on a summer afternoon.
The dense sound of key presses, like raindrops, was mixed with muffled but intense discussions, and the occasional sounds of punches and kicks from external speakers.
In the center of the office, an arcade cabinet became the absolute focal point.
On the screen, the blond, red-capped Terry Bogard stood opposite the kimono-clad, intimidating Geese Howard.
The internal demo of "fatal fury," code-named "K," was unveiled for the first time to core developers.
Team Leader Shimizu stood by, his palms slightly sweating, his eyes scanning back and forth between the screen and the faces of the colleagues watching.
Suzuki Yu was the first to be unable to hold back, rolling up his sleeves and sitting down at the control panel.
"Let me try this so-called 'fighting game' first!"
He excitedly gripped the joystick, clumsily controlling Terry to move left and right, trying to press the punch and kick buttons.
Terry on the screen reacted immediately, punching and kicking, his movements looking more fluid than "Kung Fu" by more than one grade.
Another development team leader, who had been brought in to observe, took over the position of the opponent, Geese.
The two quickly fought back and forth, and the basic collisions of punches and kicks brought an intuitive sense of impact feedback.
"Oh, oh! Hit him!"
"Defend! Quick, defend!"
However, when they tried to imitate the "special move input" to unleash special moves as Takuya had described earlier, the scene suddenly became somewhat comical.
The joystick creaked as it was rubbed, the buttons clapped loudly, but the character on the screen only jumped in place or threw a normal punch or kick.
"That's not right, how do you do that 'Flame Punch'?"
"What about Power Wave? Which button do I press?"
Occasionally, someone would accidentally succeed once, and Terry on the screen would unleash a Power Wave, but hit nothing, immediately drawing a small sigh of regret.
This unfamiliarity, on the contrary, highlighted the game's potential depth of skill, and also made the surrounding developers laugh, making the atmosphere much more relaxed.
"Looks like we still need practice."
Suzuki Yu wiped the sweat from his forehead and stood up somewhat unwillingly.
Takuya Nakayama walked forward with a smile, naturally taking over the joystick. "Let me demonstrate."
The moment his fingers touched the joystick and buttons, his entire aura seemed to change. The previous noise seemed not to affect him at all, his gaze focused on the screen, and the office unconsciously quieted down, leaving only the faint hum of the arcade machine. The developers who had just been complaining about the difficulty of special move inputs now craned their necks, and even Suzuki Yu leaned in again, his eyes locked.
Terry Bogard, whom he controlled, seemed to be infused with a soul, moving swiftly, his steps precise. It was no longer the slightly clumsy left-and-right probing when Suzuki Yu was controlling him, but rather small jumps, quick retreats, and dashes, every movement flexible and precise.
As for Geese's attack, Terry, controlled by Takuya, calmly retreated half a step, the distance perfectly judged, just enough to avoid Geese's outstretched fist.
The moment Geese's attack missed, Takuya's fingers moved. His left thumb traced a smooth quarter-circle at the bottom of the joystick, and his right index and middle fingers almost simultaneously tapped the buttons, the movements clean and crisp, making two sharp "da-da" sounds.
"Power Wave!"
Terry on the screen let out a low growl in response, his body sinking slightly, and his hands suddenly pushed forward a clearly visible pale yellow Power Wave, which whistled across the ground directly at Geese.
"Oh!" A suppressed gasp escaped the crowd.
"That's it!" The developer who had failed earlier couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice, his eyes wide, trying to remember Takuya's operation.
On the screen, the AI Geese hastily raised his arm to defend, the Power Wave collided with the defensive stance, making a muffled thud, and Geese was shaken back slightly.
Takuya did not stop. The moment the Power Wave was blocked, he controlled Terry to quickly dash forward, utilizing the opponent's brief stun after defending, instantly closing the distance between them. At an almost point-blank range, he suddenly changed his move.
The joystick was precisely flicked again—back, down, forward, all in one smooth motion, while the punch button was pressed.
"Burn Knuckle!"
Terry's right fist was instantly enveloped in a layer of scorching flames, and it rushed forward with a whooshing sound. This punch was timed perfectly, precisely at the moment the AI Geese released his guard and attempted to counterattack.
"Boom!"
The Flame Punch solidly landed on Geese's chest, and a striking special effect erupted on the screen. Geese was sent flying backward, and his health bar decreased accordingly.
"He hit him! He hit him!" Someone excitedly patted a colleague on the shoulder.
"So, it's this kind of continuous operation…" Suzuki Yu stroked his chin, lost in thought. Earlier, he had only focused on randomly mashing, never considering the connection and timing between moves.
Team Leader Shimizu's previously clenched palms relaxed a bit, and a look of relief appeared on his face. This fluid demonstration spoke more eloquently than any flowery words.
Takuya didn't stop, continuing to control Terry, sometimes jumping with a flying kick to suppress, sometimes harassing with precise low attacks, and occasionally even deliberately feigning an opening, then countering with a throw after the opponent attacked. A series of flowing operations left everyone dazzled.
"He can do that?"
"How did he follow up that jump attack with a special move?"
"His reactions are so fast…"
The developers who had just thought the game was "difficult to input special moves" now had only admiration and eagerness on their faces. They finally understood that it wasn't that the game was difficult, but that they hadn't grasped the tricks yet. This seemingly simple combination of punches, kicks, and special moves, in such a fast-responding game, contained profound strategy and skill.
Suzuki Yu looked at Geese, who was being toyed with by Takuya on the screen, and couldn't help but laugh, with a hint of self-deprecation: "Looks like I still have to learn from scratch." His words drew a light chuckle from those around him, and the atmosphere completely warmed up. Everyone's gaze towards Takuya Nakayama had shifted from initial curiosity to complete trust and anticipation. This young man had indeed created something remarkable.
Geese stumbled.
Before anyone could react, Takuya's operations once again unfolded like flowing water.