"Feels like this game isn't as fun as the soccer game."
Behind Carson, one of his friends scoffed.
He had never really been interested in video games.
But soccer games were an exception.
Carson couldn't be bothered to explain to his friend and focused intently on following the game's instructions to move on to the next scene.
The game officially began at this point.
First, the screen went black for a while, leaving the players unsure of what was happening.
Then, the screen gradually brightened, and under the background sound, they could vaguely hear the sound of sonar detection in the water.
...
...
The image grew brighter, and Snake, with a weathered look, appeared on the screen.
He was fully equipped in combat gear and approached the launch area of a submarine.
Meanwhile, on the other end of the phone, a voice that sounded like a tactical liaison was briefing Snake as he prepared for his infiltration mission.
A mysterious organization had taken control of an abandoned nuclear base and was threatening the government to release their big boss.
The government decided to delay the release and ordered Snake to head to the base and thwart the plans of the mysterious organization.
The entire scene was shot in a way that made it feel like a movie.
Underwater, Snake gripped a rudimentary diving device that resembled a rocket, and under the cover of night, he infiltrated the enemy-filled base.
The opening animation lasted about three minutes.
It was just the beginning, but even at this stage, the players couldn't take their eyes off the screen.
This game looks pretty interesting, they thought.
The guy who had been mocking Metal Gear earlier wasn't saying anything now and was completely fixated on the screen.
"Snake, this will be a covert mission. The government will not acknowledge this operation as being related to them."
"Why the denial? It's clearly you guys making the protagonist risk his life."
One of the guys suddenly couldn't help but start mocking.
After the basic introduction ended, the game officially began.
Now, Carson, the only one playing, felt fully immersed in the experience.
At this moment, he was the shining star.
By the way, the character Snake actually looked quite cool, especially with that scar, which added a serious and cold demeanor to him.
Carson only paused for a few seconds before another person couldn't resist.
"Hey, hey Carson, don't space out. If you don't want to play, let us try it."
"Heh, no way." Carson was enjoying the game too much to let someone else play.
"Well, hurry up! You've been zoning out for a while, and we want to see what happens next."
The person who had previously mocked Metal Gear was now still glued to the screen, seemingly unintentionally drawn in.
Carson then clicked the continue button, and the game moved on to a brand-new scene.
Now, Carson was certain he could control the character.
He quickly adjusted the controller and began to maneuver Snake to sneak around.
Stealth games have a notable feature—they often begin in a tense environment, somewhat similar to horror games.
When you successfully eliminate an enemy without making a sound, the sense of achievement is intense.
Carson carefully followed the directions and managed to dodge a patrolling soldier, but because his control was still a little clumsy, he was immediately spotted, and the alarm went off.
'Mission Failed'
When the character was detected, the game declared a failure.
Carson was still a bit stunned, not sure how he had been discovered.
"Hey, idiot, there was a security camera right there! Didn't we talk about not doing anything illegal under cameras? How did you not notice?"
Several people couldn't help but vent their frustration, feeling that Carson was wasting time.
Carson took a deep breath and clicked restart.
This time, he was a little more familiar and managed to dodge two waves of patrolling soldiers.
But before long, he was spotted again, and the alarm blared.
"Let me try! I can take these guys down!"
The person watching Carson play couldn't hold back anymore.
Carson was struggling, maybe because he wasn't really that into this kind of game.
He had only bought Metal Gear because he was drawn to the promotional trailer.
He didn't realize how difficult the game was.
It wasn't until he bought the game that he truly understood.
Of course, Carson wasn't going to hand over the controller now. He directly answered, "Let me try again."
He stubbornly attempted the stealth section once more.
This time, his experience was a bit better.
But with the high frequency of patrols and the low tolerance for mistakes, failure was inevitable.
Half an hour later, Carson finally managed to get past the first level.
The group watching behind him had their blood pressure rising.
Carson was really bad at this.
But, among these people, none of them were any better. It was just that Carson owned the console, and the game cartridges were his, so no one could stop them from playing.
Even though Carson was playing terribly and raising their blood pressure, they couldn't help but want to keep watching the game.
The game's setting and modern stealth combat were quite innovative, a direction that many previous games hadn't explored.
Carson knew this was a great game. At least, the game's performance made it worth the price.
But the gameplay was indeed a bit hard to master, requiring some adjustment.
At that moment, some curious bar patrons also gathered around.
They were regulars at the bar and had some knowledge of the video game console.
To have so many people watching without blinking, especially with the player being so bad, meant the game was probably really interesting.
With curiosity, they gathered to check it out.
"Hey? Is this a video game? It looks so real."
One patron, quite amazed, said.
He hadn't known much about video games before, but seeing such realistic graphics truly felt fascinating.
"Of course! This game was developed by Gamestar Electronic Entertainment, and with the support of the latest gaming console technology, the graphics are excellent."
The young bartender, the son of the bar owner, had also arrived behind Carson. Hearing the praise, he couldn't help but feel proud, almost as if he had made the game himself.