457 Upcoming games

Shinichi and his friends were soaking up the lively atmosphere of the Pokémon Café, KSP devices in hand, buzzing with anticipation. They were all geared up to dive into the latest KSP video game from KiShin, "Pokémon Emerald," ready to start a new adventure together.

"Hey, choose Treecko as your starter; it's really strong against the first few gym leaders," Arnold advised, his eyes not leaving his screen as he navigated through the starting options.

Hearing Arnold's suggestion, Shinichi shook his head gently, explaining, "Treecko is great for the first and second gyms, and it might just scrape through the third, but by the fourth gym, it struggles. I actually think Mudkip is the better choice for a starter."

Arnold pondered this for a moment then admitted, "Seems like Shinichi knows his stuff better than I do..."

Their friends shared a quiet chuckle at this exchange before Ryo and Satoshi, still undecided about their starters, took note. Ryo nodded, "Alright, I'm convinced. I'll go with Mudkip."

Shinichi smiled, a hint of pride in his voice, "You're making a good choice. Mudkip's my starter too."

While engrossed in their KSPs, Shinichi and his friends were suddenly aware of a few teenagers who walked into the Pokémon Café, their conversation loud enough to draw attention.

"Man, my computer almost bit the dust because of that virus going around, but thank goodness for KiShin Anti-Virus stepping in!" one of the teenagers, sporting blonde-dyed hair, exclaimed.

"Tell me about it," laughed another. "I was this close to dipping into my savings for a new computer. Luckily, that didn't have to happen."

"Changing gears, have you guys caught the latest on KiShin PC video games dropping soon?"

"I'm all in for 'Call of Duty'; it looks like it's got that 'Counter Strike' vibe."

"Yeah."

"I'm holding out for 'Silent Hill 3'. Heard it's hitting both console and PC."

"For me, it's all about 'World of Warcraft'. Caught the teasers and trailers—it gives off 'RuineScape' vibes but looks even more interesting."

RuneScape, the video game released by KiShin in 2001, gained a fair amount of popularity. Inspired by its success, many other video game studios have since followed in its footsteps and developed their own MMORPGs.

Overhearing this lively exchange, Shinichi and his friends fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts. They found themselves reminiscing about the upcoming lineup of KiShin PC video games, eagerly anticipated yet still on the horizon.

As Shinichi and his friends stepped out of the Pokémon Café, the animated discussion of the group of teenagers lingered in their minds, sparking their own conversation about the upcoming lineup of KiShin video games.

"Did you guys see the trailers for the new KiShin games?" Takeshi asked, his curiosity piqued by the earlier conversation.

"Yeah, I watched the 'Call of Duty' one," Arnold replied. "It really does have that 'Counter Strike' feel but seems to add its own unique twist. The graphics looked incredible in the teaser."

Ryo chimed in, "I'm more interested in 'Silent Hill 3'. The trailer gave off such a creepy vibe, just what you'd want from a horror game. It seems like it's going to be even more immersive than the previous ones."

Satoshi, always the more contemplative of the group, added, "And 'World of Warcraft' – from the trailers, it looks like it's going to be a massive world. I'm really curious about how it will compare to 'RuneScape' and other MMORPG out there. The scope seems much larger."

Arnold glanced at Shinichi, curiosity in his eyes. "What about you, Shinichi? Which of the KiShin games are you looking forward to the most?"

Shinichi paused, reflecting on the question, then replied, "Well, I'm pretty excited about all of them, but 'Call of Duty' has really caught my eye. The graphics look astonishingly good."

Arnold and the others nodded in agreement. "Yeah, 'Call of Duty's' graphics seem to be a step ahead of 'Counter Strike,' which we've been playing a lot lately," Arnold admitted.

After a bit more discussion on the upcoming games, the friends eventually parted ways.

When Shinichi got home, he headed straight for the family computer and booted up "Call of Duty." Even though the game wasn't officially out yet, Shinichi found it already installed on their home system.

He realized this wasn't just happenstance. Given that his father was the chairman of KiShin, it made sense. The computers at home were linked to KiShin's network, specifically to the office PC of Shinro, his father. This connection, however, was solely for video games – it didn't grant access to KiShin's confidential data or corporate documents but was instead designated for updating and testing the yet-to-be-released video games. In essence, the computers at Shinichi's home acted as direct offshoots of his father's office PC, providing Shinichi with a sneak peek into KiShin's newest video games.

If his friends ever discovered this unique setup, they'd surely be green with envy, wishing they too were children of Shinro Suzuki. It wasn't the wealth that would catch their attention—it was the exclusive access to the latest and greatest video games. Being the first to try out KiShin's newest offerings was a privilege they all dreamed of, far surpassing any ordinary perks of luxury.