In China, video games are considered electronic heroin to lure minors into depravity. In Japan, however, video games are a pillar of the country's industry.

Beginning with the 16 million FC red and white consoles in the 80s, video games have made their way to every household in Japan. In the nineties, the battle between Sega Saturn and Sony PS was even more of a battle of the century. Among them, one classic game after another collided, not only entertaining the Japanese, but also accompanying a generation of Chinese.

The very different attitudes towards video games are due to the different positioning of video games in China and Japan. If you only see the game as a means of entertainment, then you must worry about the loss of the plaything. But if you look at it as part of the cultural industry, it is undoubtedly a great killer. Movies, television, and music are also means of entertainment, and addiction can also degrade people. But it is the artists who enrich the meaning of their ideas, and they are treated differently in society than games.

In order to gain the recognition and acceptance of Japanese society and open up the gap in the market from the perspective of games, this is a small attempt by Zhou Shuo. DB Software, as a company with 70% Chinese shares, can gain a foothold in Japan depends on whether "Metal Slug" can be successfully released.

Manga and video games, known as the "ninth art," have taken on the role of promoting Japanese culture. As it turned out, this was indeed a very good solution. Japanese culture is widely spread across the globe, thanks in large part to its manga and video game industries.

Games not only contributed to the prosperity of the console market, but also made a great contribution to the popularization of computers. It can even be said that without computer games, there would be no splendor of computers and the Internet in the new century. Where there is a computer. There may not be an Office, but there must be a computer game. Whether it's the computer that students use to learn. Or the computer that scientists use to study, in a corner of their hard drive. There must be at least one computer game in the collection.

It can be said that the Japanese do have a proud capital when it comes to video games. A game made by the Chinese is not easy to gain their approval. However, if we succeed here, we will see a much easier path for DB software in Japan in the future.

Luckily, SoftBank Group controls Japan's largest software retail channel, and Metal Slug doesn't have to worry about not even being able to enter the Japanese market.

Historically, Metal Slug was a game exclusive to the NeoGeo home console developed by SNK, a Japanese video game console manufacturer that started as an arcade machine. There is nothing to say about the performance of the game console. The disadvantage is that there is one word "expensive". It wasn't until 1997 that SNK released the PS version and the Sega Saturn version. This exclusivity strategy has certainly boosted NeoGeo's sales, but it has also greatly limited the development of this classic game.

Of course, Zhou Shuo will not make such a mistake, anyway, one sheep is driven, and two sheep are also released, and he directly developed two versions of "Metal Slug" in PS and Sega Saturn this time. The battle between Sony and Sega home consoles has nothing to do with him, and he doesn't want to hug which thigh, so there is no need to choose a side to stand in line.

Akihabara, a centralized sales location for various small electrical appliances in Japan.

When Japan's economy gradually regained its vitality after the war, it gradually prospered. A wide variety of electronic and electrical products are found in thousands of households in Tokyo.

Since the rise of computer technology in Japan. There are more electronics dealers here. The shelves are full of computers, televisions, home game consoles, and DVD players......

Tessa is the manager of an amalgam store, an electronic publishing retailer in Akihabara that has a good relationship with the SoftBank Group.

The store has clean shelves and large floor-to-ceiling windows. There is a delicate and neat atmosphere of the Japanese people everywhere. The open shelves are divided into sections according to the goods, some selling tapes and others selling CDs. There are also floppy disks, cassettes and so on.

In front of the floor-to-ceiling windows at the door, several large TVs of more than 30 inches were hung on the roof. Silently playing various propaganda clips.

"Sagara, put this game on the TV in the store. You try it out first. Tell me how you feel in a moment. Tessa handed a game disc to Sagara with a strange face, she was always a little nervous in front of this subordinate, and she couldn't help but want to play with her big braids.

Sagara Teoji looked at the disc in his hand with some curiosity.,This game is almost the same as the name of his own store.,Both have the word "alloy". From this point of view, the two are really related.

He agreed, neatly loaded the disc into a PS game console, and then connected the cables. The TV screen in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows flashed, and the original promotional video was replaced by the game's opening animation. Similar to the start of an arcade machine, it is not difficult for Sagara to get started at all, which is already a master of video games. He skillfully selected the characters to control, and entered the game to familiarize himself with the operation.

Just a few jumps and shooting movements of the villain on the screen made his eyes shine, and unlike the stiffness and rigidity of the characters in other side-scrolling games, the characters in this game are very flexible in their movements, and a lot of humanized small actions are designed. Such rich details and lovely painting style immediately attracted his interest.

Metal Slug is easy to use, and the combat is fun and delicate, which quickly immerses Sagara in the worldly realm of the game.

Not only him, but even outside the amalgam shop, a lot of people gradually gathered to watch.

"Oh, what kind of game is this? The painting style is very delicate! Shinji Kazama, who was just a sophomore in high school this year, pushed his glasses and stopped in front of the amalgam shop, and the onlookers were fascinated.

This "Metal Slug", which is not produced by the original team, is almost exactly the same as the original, which is also because Zhou Shuo is afraid that the developers will be different, and it would be a pity if the game loses the essence of the original. So when he made the game's plan, he simply provided the original art.

In the planning book, he described all the details of the first generation of "Metal Slug" in great detail, which enabled the game company to produce it so quickly. It's also a shame that he turned out to be an enthusiast of this game, otherwise he would really be blind.

"Not only is the painting style delicate, but you can also drive a tank in it! It's a pity that the people who demo this demo don't seem to be familiar with it, and it didn't take long for it to explode. The person next to him who came earlier introduced him to him with a little ostentation.

"Driving a tank? This is the first time I've heard of it! Shinji Kazama's eyes lit up, and he had played a lot of video games that passed the horizontal board. Always a Rambo-esque hero, shooting from beginning to end with a gun. It would be great to be able to operate not only the characters, but also the tank, which is definitely a feat!

"Not really! This game is really good, you can use a knife to melee when you get close, like this! The man gestured handsomely and said proudly: "In one moment, the enemy is dead!" ”

"Oh, you're very good at this hand!" Shinji Kazama said admiringly.

"Ha Luha, where, I learned it from the game." The man touched his head and smiled embarrassedly.

"Look, it's time to hit the bottom!" Shinji Kazama shouted nervously.

In the eager attention of everyone's shouting, Sagara finally worked hard to blow up the boss at the bottom of the pass. Shinji Kazama was also happy to reach an orgasm, waving his fists and cheering loudly. Before others came to their senses, he hurriedly broke into the store and shouted loudly at the service desk.

"Hey, manager! Give me a game you just demonstrated! ”

Tessa timidly stood up and bowed, "I'm sorry sir, this game is not for sale." ”

"What? What's up with non-sale items? I don't want any collector's editions, just give me a lite edition. Shinji Kazama was dumbfounded, he had never heard of a game for sale.

Tessa hurriedly explained: "This is a game sent by the game company for trial, and it has not been officially released yet." ”

Shinji Kazama was stunned and said angrily: "Damn, it's really worrying!" What's the name of this game? When exactly will it be released! Can I make a reservation first? ”

"Hmm-" Tessa thought for a moment and whispered, "It's probably the end of March, the name of this game is "Metal Slug", please leave a contact information, as soon as this game is released, we will contact you." ”

"Okay, my phone is 4492575, you must remember to notify me when it's in stock, please!" Shinji Kazama picked up a pen and paper on the counter and wrote down his name and contact information, and specifically marked the words "Metal Slug".

Tessa solemnly put away his message and nodded seriously: "Hi, please rest assured!" We will definitely let you know on time. ”

At the same time, similar scenes are playing out in Akihabara and other parts of Tokyo.

Not just amalgam stores, almost all of SoftBank Group's retail channels have received demo versions of Metal Slug. Although there are only the first two levels, people can't help but play and play. An unprecedented phenomenon has emerged in the Tokyo video game world, and although the official version of the game has not yet been released, the name of "Metal Slug" has been quietly circulating among players.

The number of requests for appointments that were continuously collected from SoftBank Group's channels quickly reached 30,000 in just one week. According to Zhou Shuo's arrangement, Tang Jun first supplied a batch of trial versions with only the first two levels at a small scale and low price. However, this did not alleviate the demand of the market, and this desire for the official version is still brewing in the hearts of players.

What they don't know is that this method, which used to be used only by luxury sales, has appeared for the first time in the electronics industry. The devil called "Hunger Marketing" has quietly loomed over video gamers in Tokyo. (To be continued......)