[ Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation ].
Super Famicom.
The screen displayed a battle scene. The enemy sprites were even more detailed than in the previous installment, and the backgrounds were no longer plain colors but featured specific terrain and environmental elements. While the magic effects were limited by the Super Famicom's capabilities, the color palette and pacing were handled masterfully.
The Japanese journalists in the audience reacted differently from their American counterparts. In Japan, pens scratched furiously across notebooks, and Famitsu staff even stood up to snap photos of the screen. In the US, most people flipped through their data sheets, their expressions conveying a mixture of confusion and indifference.
"Dragon Quest just doesn't sell in the States," the editor from Electronic Gaming Monthly shook his head. "In Japan, it's a national IP, but in North America, it's just another game. Barely anyone has even heard of it."
"It's the style," his neighbor replied. "Plus, Enix's distribution network in North America is just too weak."
"I agree about the style. The Final Fantasy series sells much better in North America than Dragon Quest..."
"That's a good point, but your assessment of their distribution capabilities is flawed. Many American gamers are familiar with Dragon Quest, they just don't like it," another reporter said, shrugging.
After Enix's presentation, the American journalists in the audience yawned, seemingly weary from a morning of busy work.
The Japanese reporters furiously scribbled notes in their notebooks, yet some still expressed confusion over the all-SFC lineup.
A GamePro editor tapped his notebook with his pen. "All SFC? Are Enix's executives living in a cave? Didn't they see the Sony and Namco presentations this morning?"
His colleague shrugged. "After all, they're Nintendo's most loyal guardians."
"Loyalty won't buy market share," the Wired reporter interjected. "Look at Square—they were even listed on Sony's press conference this morning. Even after taking Sega's investment, they're still willing to develop games for Sony. Enix is still clinging to Nintendo."
"The two RPG giants of Japan have truly gone their separate ways this time," a Famitsu reporter said in Japanese to his colleague. "Yukinobu Chida is too conservative. No matter how large the SFC's install base was, that's ancient history. If they don't start planning for the PS or Jupiter soon, Square will crush them underfoot."
"Stepped underfoot? Square's market share already dwarfs Enix's, doesn't it? I heard Square is even developing Final Fantasy VII for Jupiter. If that's true, how can Enix compete?"
"Don't be so harsh. DQ6's graphics were top-tier for the 16-bit era."
"A top-tier carriage can't outrun the worst car. It's 1995, not 1990. Players always chase the latest trends."
The group chuckled.
The Enix producer bowed and left the stage to scattered, mostly polite applause.
At 2 PM, the familiar Hudson bee logo appeared on the large screen in the Central Plaza Exhibition Hall.
Hiroshi Kudo himself didn't attend the Los Angeles event.
Representing Hudson was the head of their North American division, a middle-aged white man with a receding hairline but an energetic demeanor.
He wore no suit, just a loose t-shirt emblazoned with a Bomberman graphic.
"Let's get straight to the game," he said, skipping the introduction and diving right in.
Panic Bomber.
The four platforms—Super Famicom, Mega Drive, PC-Engine, and PC-98—were lined up in a row.
The screen showed the classic Bomberman proportions combined with Tetris-like block-clearing gameplay.
There were no dazzling 3D polygons, only the pure collision of pixelated blocks.
The American journalists in the audience reacted with indifference.
Such family-friendly puzzle games always struggled at trade shows, failing to provide enough visual stimulation.
"Hudson is still trying to keep the PC-Engine alive," the [ GamePro ] editor muttered, making a note in his notebook. "They don't even take that machine in trade anymore."
"At least they haven't forgotten the old fans," a colleague beside him replied without looking up. "Bomberman—as long as you can play it with friends, it'll sell tens of thousands on any platform."
Next up was Far East of Eden: Kabuki Klash, landing on SNK's Neo Geo platform.
The 2D graphics, pushed to their absolute limit on the arcade hardware, showcased a vibrant Japanese Sengoku art style. Pixelated sparks flew as katanas clashed, complemented by dramatic character portraits.
The cultural gap was starkly evident.
The vast majority of the American audience had no familiarity with the Far East of Eden IP. Only a few front-row fighting game fanatics offered polite applause out of courtesy.
Super Adventure Island II and Takahashi Meijin no Daibōken Jima followed, released on both the Super Famicom and Mega Drive, but conspicuously absent from the PC-Engine.
The classic side-scrolling platformer featured a hat-wearing protagonist riding a dinosaur and throwing axes.
This was Hudson's comfort zone—flawless but uninspiring.
When they moved on to handheld consoles, Super Momotaro Dentetsu III appeared, bearing the Game Pocket and Game Boy logos.
The venue fell silent.
The game was a Monopoly-like board game, its screen filled with Japanese station and place names.
In the Japanese press area, reporters quietly discussed the new card system, while in the American press area, most simply put down their pens.
"Monopoly? And on a Japanese map?" yawned the photographer from Electronic Gaming Monthly. "If this thing launches in North America, I bet retailers will ship the cartridges straight back to the California warehouse."
"Americans won't bother learning Japanese," the writer shrugged. "You'd have better luck expecting a Texas rancher to understand the Tokyo Subway lines than expecting Atari to rule the world again tomorrow."
Finally, the platform logo in the bottom right corner of the screen changed to Jupiter.
In the manufacturer's section, Takuya Nakayama shifted in his seat, his gaze fixed on the large screen.
Hudson was a key third-party Sega was courting, and these games served as their first offering—a sign of allegiance. After all, the PC—
The engine was already on its last legs; the 8-bit foundation of the system was destined to be forgotten by the mainstream market.
[ Space Adventure ], [ Dungeon Explorer ], and [ Lords of Thunder ].
The three games were edited into a one-minute trailer, with each game appearing for less than twenty seconds.
Visually, the polygon counts were low, and the texture quality hovered just above the bare minimum.
Anyone could see these were small-to-medium-sized trial projects.
They lacked the flashy, tech-demo feel of Sony's [ WipEout ] or the hardcore depth of Namco's [ Tekken ].
"These Jupiter games from Hudson are too rushed," commented a [ NetGeneration ] editor, setting down his pen with a critical tone.
"They have limited funds—it's a miracle they made it to the show at all," replied his companion, more lenient. "Ever since Hudson got deeply involved with the PC-Engine, they've been just shy of reaching the sales figures of Sega's Mega Drive and Nintendo's Super Famicom. They can't afford to make big-budget titles anymore."
"Hudson's strength has never been graphics, it's been gameplay. We'll have to play them to see how they feel once the booth opens."
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