"Save? How do I do that?"
It was as if John had grabbed hold of a lifeline. He seized the man behind him by the shoulders.
The man gave him a strange look, then opened the pause menu for him and selected the save option.
A string of numbers appeared.
"Don't let anyone else see it. It can only be used once, so make sure you remember it."
"If I enter this string of numbers, can I come back to this stage?" John's eyes widened in utter disbelief.
He finally understood what the "Continue" option on the title menu meant.
"That's right. But you'll still have to insert another coin next time you play."
The kind stranger waved his hand, finally growing impatient. "Alright, alright, just write it down and hurry up. I'm still waiting."
...
"Arnold, there's news from Fox."
Dave set down the phone, his excitement impossible to hide.
"Commando next year, they've cast you as the lead!"
"Really?! That's fantastic!"
Arnold's eyes lit up as he clapped his hands in delight.
The production of Commando had been common knowledge in Hollywood for quite some time.
But the choice of leading man had remained undecided within the industry.
Should they go with the established action star Sylvester Stallone, or the rising newcomer Arnold Schwarzenegger?
Now, the matter had finally been settled.
"Director Lester said he absolutely loved your image in Contra. He said that's exactly how he imagined John Matrix, the film's protagonist!"
Dave gestured animatedly with his hands, fully aware of how precious this opportunity was.
The fantasy adventure film Red Sonja, which Arnold had recently signed on for, simply didn't seem to have much commercial potential.
If Arnold wanted to become a true Hollywood superstar, breaking away from his current "barbarian" image was essential.
And the tough guy persona was the role that suited him best, and the one that best fit the times.
"Arnold, we have to tell Ethan the good news."
Since Contra's release, Dave had been completely won over.
In fact, he had no doubt that Arnold landing the lead role in Commando had a great deal to do with Contra's phenomenal recent success.
Agreeing to endorse this game had truly been the best decision they'd ever made.
"You're right, Dave."
Arnold's gaze fell upon the arcade cabinet standing beside him.
It was one of the first Contra arcade machines. Ethan had personally gifted it to him, and it now stood in his home.
It had completely changed the way he viewed video games.
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Beep.
...
"I see. Then congratulations, Mr. Arnold."
After hearing Schwarzenegger's good news, Ethan didn't look particularly surprised.
He remembered Commando. It had been an action film that grossed fifty-seven million dollars at the box office, and one of the primary inspirations behind Contra.
Aside from losing to Rambo: First Blood Part II, it was unquestionably an outstanding film, a true landmark in the action genre.
Even without the tremendous influence Contra had recently generated, Arnold had still been the eventual lead in the original timeline.
Ethan had merely moved that outcome forward.
"Ethan, it's all thanks to you. Contra is truly an unbelievable game." Schwarzenegger's voice over the phone was filled with excitement.
"I've been playing it almost every day, studying that kind of 'tough guy' image."
After a brief pause, he sincerely thanked Ethan several more times before bringing up something else.
"Ethan, The Terminator, starring me, will be released this October. You absolutely have to come see it!"
"Of course. I'll definitely be there."
Ethan agreed without a second thought.
It was the premiere of The Terminator. No matter what, he was absolutely going to see it in theaters.
The image of the T-800 would become the most iconic role of Arnold's entire acting career, even surpassing the "tough guy" image built by his other action films.
After that movie, Arnold's golden era would officially begin, with awards pouring in one after another.
And from then on, every action movie he starred in...
People in this world would inevitably think of Contra.
After hanging up the phone, Ethan handed the financial statements in his hand to Sam, who was sweating profusely beside him.
As Ethan's best friend, roommate, shareholder, field worker, janitor, and accountant, Sam hadn't enjoyed a single peaceful day since Tetris went on sale.
But as money poured into GAMENOVA's coffers, he was benefiting handsomely as well.
Painful...
Yet blissful!
"I want to play games too!!!"
Sam let out a miserable howl.
In response, two more documents landed in his hands.
"Hang in there, Sam. Once things stabilize, we'll hire a few employees to handle management, and you'll finally be free."
Ethan casually painted him a wonderfully tempting picture of the future before turning his attention back to the Commodore 64 in front of him.
His conversation with Arnold had once again confirmed that this sort of heroic, tough guy action narrative was the defining trend of the era.
If he wanted to overtake Nintendo by taking a different path, embracing a distinctly Hollywood-style, American-style approach rather than Nintendo's family-friendly direction…
Then he was clearly on the right road.
"So... what should the next game be?"
Ethan stared thoughtfully at the few lines displayed on the screen.
The hardware limitations were still far too severe.
Without 3D technology, many great ideas simply couldn't be realized.
And among the 2D games that had already proven themselves in the marketplace, there weren't many that truly suited his current situation.
"If I want to make a home console, we're still far too short on manpower..."
Ethan naturally understood that arcade games could only ever be a temporary solution.
Clinging to the arcade business forever would only turn him into one of the "old powers" like Sega or Namco, brilliant for a time, but ultimately eclipsed.
Yet even if he brought in Gerald and Vivian, the handful of them still couldn't possibly build a complete home console architecture from scratch.
They lacked both the people and the money.
"Looks like I still need to focus on arcade games."
Among the arcade giants of this era, if there was one company besides Namco that was best suited for "borrowing" ideas from.
Konami.
The Konami of this era wasn't the later Konami that people cursed every day for firing Kojima.
At this point, it was unquestionably an arcade powerhouse.
Castlevania, one of the origins of the Metroidvania genre...
Even Contra and Salamander, which Ethan had already "borrowed," were both Konami creations.
"Wait... Kojima...?"
The moment Hideo Kojima came to mind, a legendary world-famous IP surfaced uncontrollably in his thoughts.
Metal Gear.
The game that pioneered the stealth genre.