Friday 5 December 1999.
Hiroshi Kiyomasa was already living the routine of a corporate worker. His adult life was normal in the most exhausting way: go to work, co ho tired, repeat. The days blurred together, and sotis he felt like the week ended before it even started.
But his life wasn't completely dull, because he still had video gas. Hiroshi had been a ga fan since the ZEPS 1 era, the kind of kid who saved allowance money, reread magazine previews until the paper softened, and stayed up late even when he knew he would regret it the next morning. That love never went away, even after college, even after the shift into real work, even after the world started demanding more from him.
Now, as an adult with his own salary, he had everything he once dread of owning. The new ZEPS 3 from ZAGE sat proudly in his room. He also had a Sonaya Ga Station, a Reborn 16 in ZUSUGA, and even a PC setup for gaming when he wanted sothing different. He wasn't just soone who played gas sotis. He was the kind of gar who kept up with releases, compared versions, and still got excited by a good announcent trailer.
But there was still one console that felt truly special to him: the ZEPS 2. Right now, just seeing it sitting there made him smile. "Hehehe… hello, man."
It wasn't only nostalgia for old gas. The ZEPS 2 was tied to the peak of his life. When it first released, Hiroshi was in college, energetic, confident, and sohow always surrounded by ti. He had a great part-ti job that didn't crush his spirit, classes that felt like a challenge instead of a prison, and even a cute girlfriend who made weekends feel brighter. Back then, a Friday night wasn't just the end of work, it was the beginning of sothing. He could play until morning, crash for a few hours, then wake up and do it all again without feeling like his body was asking for rcy.
Then adulthood happened. Real work happened. Bills, deadlines, tired eyes, and the kind of responsibilities that don't care if you're in the mood. And just like that, the world got heavier. The days got faster, the weekends got shorter, and the version of him who stayed up laughing with a controller in his hands started to feel like a mory.
But his love for the ZEPS 2 never disappeared.
He rubbed a thumb along the console like it was an old friend, then glanced toward the shelf where the cartridges were lined up. Tonight, he wanted sothing familiar. Sothing warm. A ZEPS 2 ga to start his weekend right. Donkey Kong Country sounded perfect, but Sonic 3 and Knuckles was tempting too, the kind of ga that made you sit up straight the mont the first notes hit.
He had just co back from the office, and the weekend was finally here. He felt that quiet spark of excitent in his chest, not wild hype, not childish screaming, just the calm happiness of knowing he had ti again. Even if it was only a normal kind of excitent, it was still his.
So he sat in his room, cracked open a can of soda, and turned on the TV first, letting the cold fizz settle his nerves after a long week. He flipped through a couple of channels out of habit, but his eyes kept drifting back to the clock.
Then he rembered. "Ah, there's a ZAGE announcent tonight. Let's watch that first, then I'll start the gaming marathon."
Hiroshi laughed to himself, the quiet kind of laugh you only make when you're alone, and sank deeper into the couch. The cushions swallowed his shoulders. The room felt warm, the TV glow filling the corners, and for the first ti all week he felt like ti was finally on his side.
A short jingle hit, crisp and familiar. The ZAGE logo flashed onto the screen with the announcer's booming voice.
"ZAA-GEE!"
Hiroshi straightened a little, soda still in hand.
The screen shifted, and Zaboru appeared in a black suit, standing with the kind of calm confidence that made the cara feel like it belonged to him. What caught Hiroshi's attention imdiately was the hair. It wasn't blue anymore. Unlike the Digital World Showcase a couple of weeks ago, Zaboru's hair was back to its natural color, and the change made him look more serious, more grounded—less like a perforr and more like a man about to deliver news that mattered.
Zaboru turned slightly toward the screen beside him. One by one, the 3D mascots of ZAGE appeared near his shoulder like silent guests on stage: Sonic, SpongeBob, Mario, Kirby, and Donkey Kong. They didn't talk, but their presence alone made the announcent feel heavier, like even the company's brightest faces had co to say goodbye.
The background music wasn't the usual fun the ZAGE used for hype reveals. It carried a lancholy tone, soft and slow, the kind that made the room feel quieter even through a television speaker. Zaboru took a few steps, letting the cara follow him, then faced forward again.
"ZGB released in 1992," he said, voice steady. "And ZEPS 2 released in 1994. That ans they're already seven years old and five years old. And… they've been a blast."
As he spoke, the screen shifted into a montage. ZGB gaplay flashed by in quick, warm clips, then ZEPS 2 followed with brighter colors, sharper action, and those familiar nus that instantly pulled at the heart. It wasn't just random footage either. The montage felt curated, like a mory album: title screens, iconic stages, victory poses, quick monts of chaos and laughter.
Hiroshi felt his chest tighten in a way he didn't expect. Seeing those gas again, frad like history instead of entertainnt, made the nostalgia hit harder. He smiled without thinking, and for a second he could almost sll the old plastic of cartridges and hear the late-night clicks of a controller. Zaboru let the montage breathe for a mont before continuing.
"But every eting has an end," Zaboru said, and the lancholy music underneath him seed to sink even lower. "So with a heavy heart, I have to announce that ZGB and ZEPS 2 will end their service, and we will stop production."
Hiroshi's eyes widened. His throat tightened before he could stop it, and for a second his vision blurred like he'd stared too long at a bright screen. He even teared up a little, embarrassed at how fast the emotion hit. But he understood. It was inevitable. Consoles didn't live forever, and technology didn't wait for anyone, not even a machine that felt like a piece of your youth.
Zaboru didn't rush the mont. He let the words settle, then continued in a calr voice.
"Both ZGB and ZEPS 2 are important devices for ZAGE. Without them, we would never have grown into what we are today. And we know they have a special place in your hearts."
The cara frad him tighter, the mascots still standing there like quiet witnesses.
"So we won't let this farewell be just a farewell," Zaboru said. "We want to give you one last dance."
Hiroshi swallowed, leaning forward without realizing it.
"A total of seventeen gas," Zaboru announced, and now the tone shifted slightly, from sadness into celebration. "Six for ZGB, and eleven for ZEPS 2. These are our final gifts for the systems that carried us. And for everyone who carried them."
He lifted his hand toward the screen beside him, like he was opening a curtain.
"And what are those gas?" Zaboru's mouth curled into a small smile, the kind that tried to soften the goodbye. "Enjoy this."
Then the gaplay began, and the list of ZGB and ZEPS 2 farewell titles flashed onto the screen like a final festival, turning the announcent from an ending into a promise that the goodbye would be worth rembering.
For ZGB, the trailer listed six titles, and Hiroshi's smile widened as each logo popped onto the screen like a gift tag being tied: Pokemon Puzzle Challenge, gaman Xtre, Rayman, Donkey Kong Country, Mario Golf, and Kirby Tilt 'n Tumble. It wasn't just a solid lineup, it was a lineup with personality. Puzzle for calm nights, action for adrenaline, platforming for pure nostalgia, even golf for the kind of weekend mood that felt oddly perfect. Kirby Tilt 'n Tumble caught Hiroshi's eye the most, because it looked genuinely unique and fun, the kind of ga you buy out of curiosity and then end up loving.
Then the montage shifted, and the ZEPS 2 list hit like a bigger wave. Eleven titles, one after another, fast enough to make your heart race but clear enough that Hiroshi could read every na. Rocket Knight Adventure, Pilotwings, X-n: Mutant Apocalypse, Secret of Mana, Mario Paint, tal Warriors, Kirby Dream Course, Earthworm Jim 2, Zombies Ate My Neighbours, Breath of Fire 2, and the most unexpected one of all, Choujin Sentai Z-man 2. Seeing that last title made him blink hard, then laugh under his breath, because it felt unreal. A sequel to a ga that used to be talked about like a legend.
Hiroshi couldn't hide his excitent. Just seeing the list made his weekend plans rewrite themselves in real ti. The titles looked strong, varied, and carefully chosen, like ZAGE wasn't just dumping leftovers, but curating a final celebration for both systems. Before the montage even finished, he was already doing the math in his head, already imagining the stack of boxes on his shelf.
And then his eyes locked onto the na that hit him the hardest: Choujin Sentai Z-man 2.
He blinked, then leaned closer to the TV like the letters might change if he looked away. A sequel. A real sequel, after all these years. Z-man had been one of ZAGE's best gas on ZEPS 1, the kind of title people talked about with that special tone, half nostalgia and half respect. Ever since, fans had been begging Zaboru for a continuation. Hiroshi had seen it everywhere, in magazines, in forums, in casual conversations at ga shops: "When is Z-man coming back?"
And now it was here.
Not as a rumor. Not as a vague promise. Right there, in the farewell lineup for ZEPS 2, like ZAGE was saying goodbye with a grin and one last surprise.
Hiroshi exhaled a laugh, equal parts happy and shocked. "It's deserved," he muttered, still staring at the screen. "Finally."
Then, after the showcase ended, Zaboru appeared again on screen with the sa calm smile, like he'd saved one more surprise for the end.
"That will be it," he said. "And now, about the farewell packs. The ZEPS 2 farewell set will be 45.000 yen. The ZGB set will be 20.000 yen for six gas. And if you buy both together, it will be 60.000 yen." He paused just long enough to let the number land, then finished, "This will be released on 20 December."
Hiroshi's eyes widened so fast he almost choked on his own breath. "So cheap?"
Sixty thousand yen for seventeen gas was a ridiculous deal. A single title usually cost around 4.000 to 5.000 yen on its own, and ZAGE knew that. Everyone knew that. Which ant this wasn't a normal product announcent, it was a deliberate final gift. A last chance for old fans to complete their collections, and a perfect excuse for newer players to jump backward into the libraries they missed.
Hiroshi could already picture the store shelves. Limited stock. Long lines. People rushing before it sold out, not only because of the price, but because the packs felt like history you could still buy with your own hands.
Zaboru looked back into the cara, his expression gentle, almost grateful in a way that felt unusually personal for a company announcent. The lights behind him softened, and for a mont the stage didn't feel like a set. It felt like a quiet room where soone was saying goodbye to an old friend.
"We're grateful," he said, voice steady, "to ZEPS 2 and ZGB." He paused, letting the words breathe, then his mouth curled into that familiar half-smile. "And… just buy it, okay?"
It was his signature line, delivered like a joke and a command at the sa ti, the kind of phrase that sohow made the sadness easier to swallow. The mascots on screen seed to fra it like a final wink, standing around him like a small circle of mories.
Zaboru's gaze stayed on the lens for one more beat, as if he was looking directly at every player watching from a living room. Then he bowed his head, slow and respectful. The characters beside him bowed as well, one after another, like a silent salute to the systems that carried so many weekends and so many childhoods.
When they rose, they waved their hands to the cara, not in a loud, cheerful way, but in a warm, lingering way, like they didn't want to leave the screen too quickly. The lancholic the played on, soft and steady, and the broadcast began to fade out. The stage lights dimd, the mascots blurred into the background, and the ZAGE logo lingered for a final second before disappearing.
Only the last notes of the music remained, hanging in the air like the end of a song you don't want to finish.
Hiroshi sat there for a second, stunned, like he'd just watched the end of an era happen in real ti. Then the excitent rushed in and pushed the sadness aside.
"Heh! It's a farewell, but there are so many new gas!" he blurted out, almost laughing. "And for that price? I have to get it!"
He was already imagining the purchase: two farewell packs, seventeen gas, and the feeling of carrying a piece of his past forward before it disappeared from shelves. He could picture himself sliding those cartridges in one by one, replaying old favorites, discovering new ones, and reliving the kind of weekend nights he thought adulthood had stolen.
And he wasn't alone. Across Japan, other players watching the sa broadcast were doing the sa math, feeling the sa sting of goodbye mixed with the thrill of a final celebration. For ZGB and ZEPS 2, it wasn't just an ending.
It was one last dance—and everyone wanted a ticket.
To be continue
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