And it wasn't just those two publications.
Throughout the final days of December, gaming media outlets worldwide were steadily releasing their final reviews.
GameInformer, EGM, Edge—
Without exception, they all gave it a perfect score!
The media's almost delirious, unbridled praise was like pouring a bucket of aviation fuel onto a fire. It sent the already simmering buying frenzy into a tsunami-like surge.
Tokyo, Ōta Ward.
Sega Headquarters Building.
Oguchi Hisao strode into the Managing Director's office, his face alight with irrepressible joy.
Takuya Nakayama stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, his hands clasped behind his back, silently watching the bustling streets below.
"Managing Director," Oguchi Hisao said, slamming a thick report onto the desk. "The final global sales figures for the first two weeks are in."
Takuya Nakayama turned around, his expression still calm.
"How much?"
"3.91 million copies!" Oguchi Hisao's voice trembled, his tone thick with suppressed excitement. "2.1 million in Japan, 1.3 million in North America, and 500,000 in Europe and other regions. And this is just the data from the first two weeks! The shelves at many retail stores have been completely swept clean!"
Takuya Nakayama walked to the desk, picked up the report, and scanned it.
"What's the media reaction?" he asked.
"Perfect scores across the board," Oguchi Hisao replied, opening a folder and pulling out a thick stack of press clippings. "Famitsu gave it a perfect 40. Even the most critical hardcore magazines in North America gave it their highest praise. They've directly placed Final Fantasy VII on a pedestal, with some media outlets even calling it a moment that changes history."
"..."
"As expected." Takuya set the report down, a faint smile finally touching his lips.
"What about Nintendo?" he asked, sinking back into his spacious leather chair.
"Mario Kart 64 did get a boost over the two days of Christmas, riding the holiday wave," Oguchi said, pulling out a chair and sitting down, his tone much more relaxed. "It sold 450,000 copies in a single week. But as soon as the holiday ended, sales immediately slowed down again, even showing a precipitous drop. Once the players finished entertaining their families, they immediately retreated back into their rooms to play Final Fantasy VII."
Takuya's fingers tapped the tabletop lightly, creating a rhythmic tap, tap, tap.
"Three million nine hundred and ten thousand..." Takuya Nakayama murmured the number. "This is only the beginning. As the perfect review scores from the media fully take hold, there will be an even more explosive surge in January. Can Square keep up with the production?"
"The pressing plant has added three new production lines, and the workers are running three shifts," Oguchi Hisao replied. "However, the packaging process for the four CDs is too complex, and the quality control requirements are extremely high, so efficiency has been slow to improve. There are still widespread shortages in the market. In Akihabara, scalpers are selling it for twice the original price, and some people have even gotten into fights in front of the stores to grab a copy."
"Shortages are a good thing." Takuya leaned back in his chair, a shrewd glint in his eyes. "Maintain this state of hunger marketing. Let the distributors fight for it, let them feel the urgency. The more they scramble, the higher the game's buzz will rise, and the stronger the players' desire will become. However, our Jupiter Console stock must keep up. We need to monitor the inventory constantly and absolutely prevent the consoles from selling out. We will ride this wave to push our installed base to a whole new level."
Oguchi Hisao nodded vigorously, scribbling the instructions into his notebook.
The final weekend before the New Year. Akihabara, Tokyo.
A biting wind swept through the streets, swirling fallen leaves in its wake.
Suzuki pulled up the collar of his overcoat, shoved his hands into his pockets, and strode into the "Video Game Sun" retail store. The wind chime above the door chimed a crisp ding-dong.
The manager was dusting the counter with a feather duster. He glanced up, then immediately lowered his head again.
Unlike other customers, Suzuki didn't stop at the bestseller chart by the entrance. Instead, he went straight to the Super Nintendo new releases section at the back of the store.
But the sight before him made his heart sink.
The shelves were nearly empty, looking utterly desolate. This area, usually packed with brightly colored new cartridges, was always the busiest spot in the store. Now, it held only dust-covered second-hand games, without a single decent promotional poster in sight.
Suzuki searched the shelves stubbornly, but eventually gave up and reluctantly slid a yellowed second-hand cartridge back into its place.
"Manager, no new SFC titles this week?" Suzuki turned, a sliver of hope still clinging to his voice.
The manager walked over, set the feather duster on the glass counter, and sighed.
"We're out," the manager said, pointing to a massive poster on the wall showing Cloud's back. "Last month, we only got two puzzle games from some obscure indie studio, and they barely sold."
"The big developers have all moved on," he added. "Who's still making games for 16-bit consoles? Everyone's switched to 3D blockbusters."
Suzuki's brow furrowed, his mind a mess of conflicting emotions.
For the past two years, he had been the most die-hard "wait-and-see" holdout and "2D dinosaur" in his friend group. Whenever they tried to convince him to buy a Sega Jupiter or a Sony PS, he always had a flawless excuse ready.
"Those 3D games are so blocky," he'd say. "The polygons are like giant pixels. It's an eyesore."
"The gameplay is just the same old 2D stuff with a Z-axis slapped on. It's just a reskin, nothing new."
"If I really want to play 3D, I'll just drop a few coins at the arcade after work and play a couple of rounds of Virtua Fighter. Why spend tens of thousands of yen on a console that'll just gather dust at home?"
With these excuses, he'd clung to his wallet, defending the last bastion of the 2D era.
But now, everything had changed.
Starting in the second half of 1996, the number of 16-bit games released by major publishers had plummeted. Everyone was rushing to 3D platforms, terrified of being left behind by the times.
Suzuki suddenly realized he was facing a truly awkward predicament—he had no games to play.
He turned around and looked at the other side of the store.
The place was packed, buzzing with excitement. Long lines snaked in front of the four or five Jupiter demo kiosks, with some people even standing on tiptoe to get a better look.
On the TV screens, Cloud swung his massive Buster Sword. The towering flames from an exploding mako reactor were vividly reflected on the faces of every fanatical player.
Final Fantasy VII.
The title had become ubiquitous over the past month, sweeping across Japan like a virus.
On trains, in izakayas, in office smoking rooms—everyone was talking about the steel jungle of Midgar, the flower girl Aerith, and the impossibly cool Sephiroth.
Suzuki remembered the smoking room at his company just the day before.
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