The day of the ultimate showdown had finally arrived.
Square's Final Fantasy VII was set for release on December 14th.
Nintendo, refusing to back down, had stubbornly scheduled Mario Kart 64 for the exact same day.
Outside an old-school video game shop in Chiyoda Ward, a long line snaked through the biting wind.
The crowd was mostly high schoolers in black tsume-eri uniforms and college students wrapped in thick down jackets, stomping their feet to keep warm.
They weren't here to buy games today.
The manager, wearing a jacket emblazoned with the Zelda logo, stood at the entrance. He gripped four N64 controllers in his hands like a crab clutching its prey, surveying the dense crowd outside.
"Do you have a full group of four? If you don't have four people, get back in line!" the manager shouted, clearing his throat. "The Nintendo rep was clear: absolutely no booting up unless there are four players! This demo cartridge only has the same-screen multiplayer mode—single-player is impossible!"
Four boys immediately raised their hands high, pushing through the crowd like refugees claiming relief rations, and ducked into the heated store.
The manager handed out the controllers and pressed the power button on the N64 console.
With the classic startup chime, the CRT television screen instantly split into four small windows, and the roar of kart engines filled the entire shop.
At the back of the line, two boys huddled with their shoulders hunched, hands shoved deep into their pockets as they talked.
"This is the third time we've come to play the demo this week. Did you see the way the manager looked at us just now? He looked like he wanted to eat us alive." The tall boy sniffed his frozen nose.
"Who's to blame for that?" the shorter boy complained mercilessly. "Who was it that acted like he was possessed last month and spent all your allowance on Tecmo, the blue-clad ninja girl? Now we don't even have enough money for Final Fantasy VII, let alone an N64 console and a Mario Kart cartridge!"
The taller boy shot back with absolute confidence, "Bullshit! When you were staring at the arcade screen, your eyes were practically glued to it, and you were drooling more than I was! Now you're blaming me? Besides, FF7 is a massive four-disc set! Square has the price locked in tight, and they're not lowering it. How were we supposed to buy it on launch day without saving up?"
Indeed, Final Fantasy VII had been delayed by several months. Square's official reason was "to ensure unparalleled quality and the most extreme optimization."
While this sparked considerable grumbling among players, the complaints only fueled their anticipation. The staggering capacity of four CD-ROMs was an unprecedented, monstrous specification for the console market of the time.
An average gamer in 1996 had no idea what kind of optimization was even possible for a 3D game. They only knew one simple truth: four discs full of content would be more than enough to keep them cozy under a kotatsu table for an entire winter.
Many players now faced the same budget dilemma. Owning every console was a privilege reserved for a tiny elite of wealthy gamers.
The massive game libraries accumulated over the two years since the launch of Jupiter and PlayStation had already drained most players' wallets.
Faced with these two monumental, must-play titles in December, choosing between them had become a mandatory test.
Thus, "demo-hopping" became the most economical solution.
Nintendo knew this all too well.
They distributed a massive number of demo cartridges to core stores within the Shoshin-kai channel, strictly mandating four-player local multiplayer.
They had Nintendo's players' psychology figured out perfectly: It's okay if you can't afford the console. Once you've experienced the top-tier thrill of four people sitting on a sofa, throwing Red Shells at each other and sabotaging one another, someone will inevitably buy a single controller and start organizing game nights at a friend's house.
As for Final Fantasy VII? That was an epic you had to spend a fortune to buy for your own home, close the door, and savor alone.
At the same time, in the Executive Office of the Sega Headquarters Building...
Takuya Nakayama sat behind his spacious desk, a cup of hot coffee in hand, reviewing the Southeast Asia capital recovery report just delivered by the Investment Department.
Director Hoshino's execution was as clean and efficient as ever.
Sega's early investments in Thailand and other regions were expected to be fully withdrawn by Christmas.
Not only would this perfectly avoid the impending financial storm, but it would also secure a substantial profit—one that would make even the wolves of Wall Street green with envy.
With this capital, they would have more ammunition to follow the hedge fund giants and fish in troubled waters during the subsequent Asian Financial Crisis.
The office door was gently pushed open.
Oguchi Hisao strode in, clutching a thick data summary. He spread the document on the desk, his eyes gleaming with barely concealed excitement.
"Managing Director, the final pre-order data from the distributors is in." Oguchi pointed to a set of red numbers on the chart, his voice trembling slightly. "The pre-orders for Final Fantasy VII at physical stores have completely crushed the launch data of all our previous first-party titles. Square's pressing plants have been running three shifts around the clock for a month, and the machines are practically smoking, but they still can't keep up with the demand. We've never seen pre-order numbers like this since the launch of the Jupiter."
Takuya Nakayama flipped open the document, his eyes calmly scanning the string of exaggerated numbers.
"What's the word from Nintendo?" he asked casually.
"They haven't spent much on TV commercials. Instead, they're relying on offline demo cartridges," Oguchi Hisao said as he pulled out a chair and sat down, his tone tinged with admiration. "Hiroshi Yamauchi's move is truly masterful. Using the queues at physical stores to generate free, live publicity. Many players who can't afford the console are lining up to buy N64 controllers, saying they're taking them to a classmate's house for multiplayer gaming."
Takuya Nakayama closed the document, a cold smile playing on his lips.
He knew Nintendo's trump card all too well.
The invincible social appeal of this party game was one of the N64's strongest moats. This kind of face-to-face, four-player interaction—full of shouting and laughter—was something a single-player RPG could never provide.
But his goal had never been to go head-to-head with Nintendo in the party game genre.
Sega, unexpectedly, had not released any major first-party titles this December.
They were stepping back, letting the spotlight shine fully on Square.
This was Takuya Nakayama's confidence in the masterpiece that, in his past life, had ended the first-generation 3D console war.
He had seen the Final Fantasy VII build in testing. Thanks to the technical and gameplay innovations Sega had introduced in its previous titles, this version of Final Fantasy VII boasted graphics that rivaled Final Fantasy VIII from his past life. The camera work was also smoother and more intuitive.
In every other aspect, it was no less impressive than the original.
Hisao Oguchi stared at the future leader of Sega, inwardly stunned.
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