In the USA, December 12, 1995.
The latest video games of KS1, such as "Metal Gear Solid I" and "Silent Hill," were already released in Japan, Asia, and the USA.
The video games were well-received by gamers worldwide.
The eagerly awaited video game "GTA III" was first released in Japan, receiving a positive response from Japanese players.
Now, "GTA III" was also about to be released in the USA. Gamers in the USA were thrilled since they had read in magazines that "GTA III" revolved around crimes and thugs, with a setting and theme based in the USA. Some gamers were quite expectant.
--
A woman named Hilda went to nearby video game stores to buy her younger son a game for his birthday.
Driving and parking near the "GameStop" store, she stepped out and saw many people, mostly young, browsing inside.
Hilda found it hard to believe that such a retail store was established just a few months ago. Its stores were reportedly already making a big impact on video game retail in various parts of the USA.
Hilda, an executive at "WalMark," understood the impressive achievements of the store.
Simultaneously, she pondered whether the rapid success of the retail company "GameStop" was due to the gradual popularity of video games.
Approaching the counter, Hilda politely greeted the staff, saying, "Hello?"
The salesman nonchalantly responded, "Yes, ma'am, what do you want?"
Hilda inquired, "Can you recommend some of the best video games here for KS1?"
The salesman, nodding, asked, "Is it for you or someone else?"
"It's for my younger son, 9 years old. He's a fan of video games, especially KS1 video games," Hilda explained with a smile.
Understanding such situations, the salesman nodded and said, "Do you want the latest ones, ma'am?"
Hilda affirmed, "Yes, the newly released ones that my younger son always talks about."
"Alright, I'll recommend the 'GTA III' video game, ma'am," the salesman said, taking something from the counter and showing it to Hilda.
Curious, Hilda examined the game's title, "Grand Theft Auto III," scrutinizing it before nodding and saying, "Alright, I'll take this game."
The salesman, seizing the opportunity, recommended more video games to Hilda, who seemed unfamiliar with the selection.
"Thank you for your patronage," the salesman, now with a wide smile, even imitated a Japanese-style bow.
Satisfied, Hilda nodded and left the store with several video games for her son, wondering if he would be pleased.
Back at the store, the salesman faced criticism from colleagues, "Why did you sell her that game? It's not suitable for a 9-year-old."
"Oh, you mean 'GTA III'?" The salesman grinned and said, "Who cares? I earned a commission, and that kid will thank me later for recommending the game to his mom."
"Your greediness knows no bounds..."
"Hahaha!"
Returning home, Hilda surprised her younger son in the living room by presenting the gift.
Her youngest son was already celebrating with his friends, and after a while, Hilda presented the video games to her son, named David.
As soon as David took hold of the video game cases, he looked excited and happy. Simultaneously, his friends appeared envious.
"Bro, your mom bought you that game!?"
"Let's play it, quick!"
"Yeah, my dad doesn't want me to play it..."
"Come on! Let's play that video game!"
Encouraged by his friends, David nodded.
Meanwhile, Hilda, hearing their conversation, was initially confused but decided to let it go.
Seeing David and his friends setting up the television and KS1, Hilda simply said, "Have fun, kids."
Unaware that the kids would be playing a crime and thugs-themed video game.
The kids eagerly gazed at the television screen as the title logo of "GTA III" appeared. The game unfolded with a cinematic sequence, featuring the pre-rendered intro story. It commenced with a man running and exiting a door, followed by a woman pointing a gun at him.
"Sorry, babe. I'm an ambitious girl. And you? You're just a small-time..."
The woman shot the man, who crumpled to the floor. The pre-rendered story continued, captivating the kids' attention.
The protagonist, Claude Speed, found himself handcuffed and blindfolded in the back of a police car. A transfer to a new prison went awry when the cops' car collided with a tanker truck, triggering an explosion that set the stage for ensuing chaos.
Claude emerged from the wreckage, disoriented. Though free, he was surrounded by flames and gunfire. Discarding the handcuffs, he made a run for it, dodging bullets and navigating the burning debris.
The kids found the intro quite exciting, and David, intrigued by the intro alone, joined his friends in playing the video game. Initially aimless, they engaged in activities like hitting someone on the road.
--
Shin played the "GTA III" in KS1, and he can say that the graphics were quite bland compared to the original "GTA III" in his previous life. Although Shin was successful in attempting to port the open-world video game, such as GTA III, in the 32-bit MIPS with a 64-bit data bus KS1, it was still quite limited. The graphics were still quite blocky, even though it was 2D pre-rendered to look like 3D; it was still lacking.
Shin also had to cut the contents of the game, and the buildings didn't look like buildings at all. But as this world was still in 1995 with the 32-bit gaming era, there was really nothing much for Shin to do.
"I guess I'll just have to remaster the game when the 128-bit console is completed..."
Shin smiled. The good thing with the KiShin and SamStar partnership was that the console development of KiShin was doing very well.
In fact, KiShin would complete the K64 in a month or two, but Shin would not release it... Why?
Because of the market saturation.
KiShin had just released KS1 after the SKES and so on, and the market didn't even fully enjoy and utilize the SKES before KS1 became available, diminishing the value proposition of the SKES and hurting its sales.
Maybe after the KS1 had been around in the market for a few years more, KiShin would release the K64.
The KiShin World is a growing in popularity theme park in the USA. It grew in popularity, with the KiShin IPs such as Super Mario, Donkey Kong, Jurassic Park, and some Pokémon Café and restaurant also available within the KiShin World.
The KiShin World has become increasingly popular in the past few weeks since its opening. With the inclusion of the highly famous film "Jurassic Park" in the theme park alone, it's not surprising for it to be widely renowned.
Although the film "Jurassic Park" is from three years ago, its popularity and fame are still evident in the year 1995.
Moreover, the inclusion of famous IPs as part of the KiShin World, featuring beloved game characters such as Super Mario, Link, Zelda, Bowser, and even the Princess Peach mascot, entertains children who truly idolize video game characters like Mario.
However, what truly captures widespread popularity in the KiShin World are the Pokémon mascots, especially the well-known Pikachu. Even people who haven't watched its anime are drawn to Pikachu's popularity, particularly among kids and couples.
Many visitors take pictures with Pikachu, and the Pokémon Café and restaurant in the KiShin World are bustling with people. Some are playing on their Gameboy, while others are there just to capture moments in the café or restaurant.
The Pokémon Café and restaurant in the KiShin World are uniquely designed with themes from the anime and Pokémon. The bowl resembles a PokéBall, featuring iconic red and white halves forming a perfectly spherical bowl. The middle between the bowl and lid acts as a button, and when customers push it, the lid of the PokéBall bowl opens, releasing the enticing aroma of the food.
The smoky and fragrant aroma of the seafood dish, named after a Pokémon called Bulbasaur Bouillabaisse, fills the air. This flavorful seafood stew features shrimp, mussels, and clams, served with crusty bread for dipping. The green broth, colored with spinach, resembles Bulbasaur's bulb.
The PokéBall bowl employs technology similar to a rice cooker, keeping the food hot at the right temperature to maintain its freshness.
Desserts, such as Pika-Pancake Stacks – fluffy buttermilk pancakes shaped like Pikachu's face – are served with berry drizzle and whipped cream "ears."
The diverse and creative menu at the Pokémon Café and restaurant is one of the reasons why it has become a hit with customers.
"Mom, why did they name it after Bulbasaur? Did they cook Bulbasaur?" a curious boy asks, pointing at the seafood in the PokéBall bowl.
The woman in her thirties responds, "Of course not. Pokémon aren't meant for consumption..."
"Yeah, but we eat animals, right?"
"It's not the same, Chad."
With the notable establishments in the KiShin World and its widespread popularity with daily visits, even Walt Disney, currently in an ongoing partnership with KiShin for computer-animated films, expressed interest in negotiating with KiShin for the Pokémon license rights. They aimed to incorporate the Pokémon theme, including cafés and restaurants, along with the popular Pokémon mascots, into their Disney parks worldwide.
Walt Disney didn't particularly care about KiShin's famous video game IPs, except for Pokémon. They recognized the immense potential of Pokémon and even entertained the idea of directly and fully acquiring the rights from KiShin.
Rumors circulated in Hollywood, especially among circles in Beverly Hills, suggesting that Walt Disney was tempted to buy the Pokémon rights for $200 million from KiShin. While these rumors seemed crazy and exaggerated, they sparked discussions and speculations within the industry.
While Walt Disney might be interested in buying Pokémon, it shouldn't reach such a ridiculous amount.
--
The "GTA III" has been in the USA market for a few days already, and even some gangsters who played the game were impressed.
The in-game character, named Claude, in Liberty City, along with the missions and the ability to freely roam around felt interesting. However, gamers have noticed that, compared to other games, "GTA III" actually stutters a little after playing for an extended period.
Although KiShin made significant optimizations and compromises to run the video game with its demands in graphics and memory, it seems not to be enough.
In fact, if not for the fact that the KS1 developed by KiShin is much superior to the PS1 in Shin's previous life, it would not be possible to create "GTA III" even with cuts in content.
It was only made possible with KiShin developing a custom 32-bit MIPS processor with a 64-bit data bus architecture, offering a larger instruction set and faster processing for complex calculations. The GPU with doubled the clock speed and additional texture memory improved texture filtering, resolution scaling, and allowed for early polygonal rendering for simple 3D elements.
With the KS1 CD ROM having a faster transfer rate, loading times were reduced...
But even with those specifications, "GTA III" was still too taxing for the hardware of KS1. Despite that, Shin felt that it was already impressive for his company to port such a PS2 game to the KS1.