312 GTA III
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.
