After the demonstration of The Witcher 2: Demon Egg, Miyazaki Hidetaka walked off the stage and returned to his seat, his hands trembling.
It was terrifying. It was his first Time standing on such a stage, and after the Tokyo Game Show, a recording would be released, which was equivalent to a direct worldwide broadcast.
Beside him, Shinji Mikami patted his shoulder and gave Miyazaki Hidetaka a thumbs-up.
"Good job, you'll get used to it later."
"Thank you." Miyazaki Hidetaka smiled sinisterly.
Shinji Mikami only felt a warm current surge through his heart, and he shivered involuntarily.
...
After the demonstration of The Witcher 2: Demon Egg concluded, Aoki Haruhi smiled slightly, "Does everyone still remember the second piece performed by Master Joe Hisaishi just now?"
"Pokémon!!!"
A chorus of neat voices erupted from the audience.
"Alright, then, next."
Aoki Haruhi raised his arm, pointed at the big screen, and loudly proclaimed, "Pokémon! Moons Dark Side!"
The lights in the entire venue dimmed again, and the big screen lit up.
Four small Pokémon ran across the screen.
They ran from the grass, then it turned into heavy snow, and then they ran to the beach...
On the distant sea, the moonlight in the sky emitted strange colors.
"Wow, it really is Pokémon!"
The audience immediately became excited.
Since the success of pokémon 3d world last year, global sales have already exceeded 10 million copies. It was released in Europe and America at the end of last year, and its popularity was incredibly high.
Because of the popular Pokémon anime, even audience members and reporters who hadn't played the game definitely knew about it.
They could even clearly distinguish who was who inside.
...
The original Pokémon was pulled into another world for a magical journey, successfully helping the magical world defeat Lucifer and returning to the current Pokémon world.
And in this game, the Pokémon once again began their great adventure, going to the back of the moon.
A more vast and mysterious stage slowly unfolded.
"Wow, it looks quite interesting."
"It should be another family-friendly game, at least it looks very appealing from the video."
"What kind of secrets are hidden on the dark side of the moon?"
Everyone was filled with anticipation.
"Did you notice that Pokeni seems to really like the moon?"
An audience member found the key point.
"Huh? Now that you mention it, it really seems to be the case. Pokémon Moons Dark Side, and then in the previous work, proposal daisakusen, Lei and Jian called each other Miss Moon and Mr. River, and the final ending scene was also on the beach, also with the moon."
"to the moon is even more obvious. Last year, the game 'to the moon' was released, and this year, the Pokémon actually went to the moon. It seems Pokeni really has a soft spot for the moon."
"It's not that Pokeni likes it, it's that Aoki Haruhi likes it."
"It's said that proposal daisakusen was originally developed by Aoki Haruhi to propose to Tsuda."
"Ah~ In that case, isn't it..."
The audience members covered their mouths in surprise, connecting all the small threads in their minds.
to the moon, Miss Moon and Mr. River, Moons Dark Side...
It seemed that all the games were not so simply made for players.
"Miss Moon is Tsuda, and Mr. River is actually Aoki Haruhi, right?"
"Ah, ah! Indeed, that's very possible."
"Ah, damn it! Is this how the big shots show off their affection?"
"Hahahaha, it's too sweet. To subtly express his affection for Tsuda through a game, but if you think about it carefully, if someone was really willing to make a game for me and subtly incorporate our relationship into it...
Ah~ I would also be willing to marry Aoki Haruhi."
"Tsk tsk, my teeth are all sore."
...
At the very end of the entire film, in the shadow of the moon, a Pokémon, entirely black with a crescent moon-shaped mark on its forehead, walked out with elegant steps.
Its agile posture was truly graceful.
This was the biggest selling point of Moons Dark Side—Umbreon.
Umbreon's fur is black, its eyes are red, and the ring-shaped patterns on its body are dazzling gold. When its body is bathed in moon waves, the ring-like patterns will glow slightly, thereby awakening magical powers.
As soon as its head appeared, a gasp immediately rose from below.
"What is this?"
"Is it Eevee? It looks a bit similar. Or is it a new Pokémon?"
"It's too cute!"
"It would be great if this kind of creature existed in reality, I want to raise one too."
"I want to raise one too."
...
The promotional video did not reveal too much information. Pokémon: Moons Dark Side is currently only an unfinished product. Everyone could at most see some scattered fragments about Moons Dark Side from it. Many scenes were magnificent, but the information content was very little.
But this did not prevent everyone from imagining it as a particularly interesting and excellent multiplayer masterpiece.
After the promotional video finished playing, Aoki Haruhi invited the Producer, and also the head of the entire Pokémon team, Director Lisa Asano, to the stage to demonstrate the actual gameplay.
Although it was not yet the complete version, for this electronic exhibition, the team members also worked hard and temporarily put together a playable demo version.
Everything else was easy to say, but the President's reputation could not be lost.
They couldn't be called shabby by others like Pokeni was last year.
Logically, Pokémon Moons Dark Side was supposed to be released together with Pokémon sun myth.
Twin games should look like twin games to maximize the effect.
...
After Lisa Asano came on stage, she invited Aoki Haruhi to play Moons Dark Side with her, which was equivalent to demonstrating the multiplayer effect of this game to players and the audience.
As soon as the game started running, a gasp of admiration immediately rose from below.
With experience, the development team got better and better. The overall art quality of pokémon 3d world: Moons Dark Side, which was brought to the exhibition this Time, improved by another level. The fluffy materials were done even better, and the visual experience truly soared.
The 3D sense of the entire game was very strong, and the game performance also became smoother.
Especially when Lisa Asano and Aoki Haruhi jointly demonstrated the moon's unique gravity system, the audience was stunned.
"Wow, there's even gravity change, that's so interesting!"
"I originally thought the previous pokémon 3d world was already rich and colorful enough, but I didn't expect this Time's moon effect to be quite explosive."
"It's really interesting to combine game features with the moon's inherent characteristics."
"I want to play this game right now, I don't know when it will be released. It's really frustrating."
"Just wait patiently. Look at Square's final fantasy 7. It's said to be released at the earliest by the end of the year. Pokeni's game, who knows when it will be released."
"When you see Pokeni's advertisement, then the game is almost ready to be launched."
"I'm so excited! I'll definitely get a copy then and play it with my daughter at home."
...
After the Pokémon: Moons Dark Side demonstration, the entire venue was silent. Everyone was eagerly awaiting the highlight that was to come.
"Since it's all in the order of Master Joe Hisaishi's previous performance, then the next game should be princess mononoke, right?"
"Hmm, it should be."
"What if Pokeni suddenly delays it and keeps it mysterious without promoting it?"
"Then I definitely can't stand it. No matter what, Pokeni has to demonstrate it today, otherwise, I'll go up there and make blood splash five steps!" This audience member was actually knowledgeable about Chinese culture, even knowing a phrase like 'blood splash five steps'.
Aoki Haruhi smiled calmly, "Next, is the last game we're bringing. It will also be exhibited and available for trial play at the game exhibition later. Everyone can look forward to it a little."
"Before introducing this game, I have to say a few words first."
"Thanks to Studio Ghibli, thanks to Hayao Miyazaki, thanks to Joe Hisaishi, thanks to Yoshikazu Mera. It is precisely because of these talented and hardworking geniuses coming together that such a great work could be born."
Hearing this, the audience below had already largely guessed it.
The scene immediately erupted.
"princess mononoke!"
"princess mononoke!!!"
...
"For Master Hayao Miyazaki to entrust such a work to Pokeni, to put it into our hands, both I and the team members are extremely excited, but at the same Time, the pressure on our shoulders is also immense.
We are not sure if we can do such a game well.
However, we will strive to do this game well, to the best of our abilities, so as not to let the efforts of Studio Ghibli and Master Hayao Miyazaki go to waste.
Below, princess mononoke, I hope everyone will like it!"
After Aoki Haruhi finished speaking, he automatically stepped aside.
Thunderous applause erupted from the audience.
Many people were sitting there today precisely to await this moment, to witness firsthand what this so-called 3+2D game would look like.
And all of this was happening right now.
In the scene, the wind blew through the wheat fields, and in the vast expanse of green, the male protagonist rode a long-horned deer, slowly passing by.
The background music was the princess mononoke theme previously performed by Joe Hisaishi.
A solemn and sacred monologue began in the game:
"A long Time ago, this land was covered by vast forests."
"On this land lived the gods who had existed since ancient Time."
As the camera zoomed in, the male protagonist was facing away from the audience, making it seem as if the game was being played from his perspective.
However, the visuals were so beautiful, and the overall feel was so animated, that the audience couldn't tell if it was game footage or an animation.
"Are they showing a movie?"
"Are they showing a movie clip?"
"Are they spoiling it? Does Studio Ghibli allow them to release movie content like this in advance?"
"Look closely, it doesn't seem like a movie."
"Didn't you notice, the entire Time it's been a trailing perspective, following the male protagonist as he moves?"
"It really seems to be that way."
The male protagonist rode the long-horned deer, known as Yakul, galloping across the grassland, then into the forest, and then to the mountaintop…
As the camera continued to advance, everyone noticed this:
The part Pokeni was showing now absolutely could not be movie content, because a movie wouldn't spend that much Time on a continuous experience clip.
Then it could only be an animation produced by Pokeni itself.
"Amazing, for this promotional display, I'd give it a 9. If the actual game content can reach this level, it would be explosive."
"What are you thinking? How could this effect be achieved on a game console?"
"Yeah, this is clearly…"
The speaker opened his mouth, intending to say that it looked like a 2D animation, but inexplicably had a 3D feel.
But the words caught in his throat.
For some reason, a strange illusion arose in his mind.
He just felt that something wasn't quite right.
…
The princess mononoke promotional video finished playing.
Aoki Haruhi took the microphone and smiled at the audience below.
At this moment, this was Pokeni's stage.
"The content you just saw was recorded and processed from in-game performance, so it doesn't seem to have much plot content."
How could there be plot content?
Wouldn't Miyazaki kill me?
It's good enough if it serves as a promotional effect; everyone has to buy tickets to watch it in the cinema.
"Nani?!"
As soon as Aoki Haruhi spoke, the audience immediately erupted.
"How is this possible? It doesn't look like a game effect, does it?"
"Exactly! I think it should be an animated scene, right?"
"Can a game achieve this level?"
"Then how big would this game have to be?"
…
However, this was not the most astonishing thing; the live demonstration that followed on stage truly dropped everyone's jaws.
After Shinji Mikami was invited onto the stage by Aoki Haruhi, he began the actual operation of princess mononoke.
Everyone watched the big screen intently, without moving, just wanting to see what the specific game looked like.
After the game started, Shinji Mikami controlled the male protagonist, Ashitaka, walking on the grass.
The crowd couldn't help but exclaim:
"Nani?! Is this really a game?"
"It's a game, no doubt, but where's the 3D? I clearly only see a 2D effect."
"Even just this 2D effect is already considered top-tier; it almost perfectly showcases Hayao Miyazaki's personal drawing style."
"Look at this forest, and the grass on the ground, the white clouds in the sky… the whole presentation is very beautiful, it's definitely Hayao Miyazaki."
"Wow, it really feels like watching a movie."
"Yes, this is indeed Hayao Miyazaki's style."
"But, is this the legendary 3+2D? I'm not convinced."
While praising the excellent visual effects, the audience also raised questions, always feeling that such a game was simply a pure 2D game, just with the camera angle leaning towards the male protagonist's personal perspective.
But there was no 3D sensation.
So how could 3+2 be discussed?
Shinji Mikami smiled and moved the joystick.
As the camera rotated, the surrounding scenery also changed, but all of this was continuous, as if you were truly immersed in the world of princess mononoke, turning in a circle.
This operation blew everyone's minds.
"Nani?! What did I just see?"
"Can such a rotation be done in a 2D scene?"
"I don't think so, isn't 2D just a flat image? If you rotate it, that image will become a very thin, distorted effect."
"Then this is… "
Everyone felt incredible, because they discovered a terrifying truth—
When Shinji Mikami rotated the view and performed interactive operations, no matter from what angle you looked, it was a perfectly rendered 2D animation effect.
As soon as Shinji Mikami stopped, you would feel like this game was watching a Hayao Miyazaki animated movie.
However, as is well known, 2D cannot achieve such a continuous effect.
Then, there was only one possibility—
"Terrifying, this really is a 3+2D performance effect!"
"Yes, before this, I was wondering what 3+2 was, and now I finally understand."
"This is too amazing, to be able to make a game to this extent."
"Indeed, I can't even imagine how much terrifying creativity and powerful technical capability would be required to achieve this performance.
Pokeni's production team is too strong, aren't they?"
…
Not only were the audience members astonished with their jaws dropped, but the industry peers below were also stunned.
If Shinji Mikami hadn't still been conducting the live demonstration, no one would have believed any of this was real.
Miyamoto Masafumi, the President of Square, saw this and quietly patted Ken Kutaragi's arm next to him.
"How did they do this? This can't be real, can it? Why is it clearly a 3D game, yet it presents the effect of an animated movie?"
Ken Kutaragi also had a bewildered look on his face.
"I, I don't know either."
"Didn't your company develop the game console?"
"We did develop it, but hardware support and the actual effect produced are definitely two different things. We provide a tool, like playdough, but what shape it's molded into and what color it is, is entirely Pokeni's business."
"Terrifying."
Miyamoto Masafumi rubbed his arm, feeling a chill run through his body, and goosebumps rose all over him.
Originally, at this Tokyo Game Show, Square had directly opened the door to future 3D RPGs with final fantasy 7, and Miyamoto Masafumi himself was very proud.
However, seeing princess mononoke brought by Pokeni at the event, he felt as if he had been slapped in the face by a tsunami.
That momentum, that oppressive force, was simply too terrifying.
Miyamoto Masafumi silently estimated in his heart.
The soft power displayed by Pokeni today was at least 5 years ahead of them.
How terrifying, what kind of company is this?!
…
After a brief demonstration of some combat content in the game, Shinji Mikami stopped at the opportune moment.
Demonstrating any further would take up too much Time.
Stopping at the right point was best; the rest could be left to the players and audience to imagine.
"This is the animated rendering effect we researched and ultimately created for the production of this game, aiming to make the in-game experience and visuals close to the feel of animation.
Of course, reaching movie-level is probably not possible, but perhaps in another 5 or 10 years, we can achieve that."
Aoki Haruhi said proudly.
To put it plainly, this game was ultimately a 3D game.
The rendering technology used in this game was animation rendering, which could also be considered Aoki Haruhi's old specialty; in his previous life, he developed animation rendering engines.
Being able to achieve this level now was really nothing.
According to Aoki Haruhi's vision, there was still a long way to go.
But, even just this tip of the iceberg was enough to shock the whole world.
The audience members were all dumbfounded with surprise, and Miyamoto Masafumi still couldn't figure out how such a magical effect was achieved.
…
By this point, all the game's brought by Pokeni had been demonstrated.
A burst of enthusiastic applause erupted below the stage.
Lingering for a long Time.
"Wow, it was really worth it to come to the Tokyo Game Show this year!"
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