Does Icecap actually need to be specified? It doesn't really have the problems the others do. Also, include links to the remastered proto tracks. May as well have SEGA's only job be making them fit in the game. Also, I don't expect this to really work, but hey, might as well try.
I hope you don't mind I made some retouches here and there ^^" As much as I'd also like to see other issues addressed, I kinda agree with others that we should first address the music issues and then other stuff. Other than what you mentioned, I'd also like to address the island camera's lack of freedom of movement. But it's another thing for another time.
Thats why it's good we are reviewing this as a community. I appreciate your changes and feedback. I mentioned classic mode 16:9 since it's my other major complaint and I figured better to bring it up while the game is still in the early release phase. But if you think it is better off left out of this letter, totally understand and can see your point, maybe that can be something brought up in the future?
Before you continue, you may want to decide who you want to send this message to. There is no point sending it to Sega of America if the decisions are made in Japan.
And let the unused theme sound during the hyper form! And FBZ will be after CNZ! And Knuckles in CD! And Shadow in CD! And Mania 2 will be as unlockable content! And I also need a million dollars and a helicopter :p Seriously, we complain about something all the time. I'm not sure this will work. I'm serious about the unused theme. I can't bear it if everyone starts calling it blue sphere result screen(
I love this community. I’m honestly impressed with how we have matured. I am liking the latest revisions of the letter so far. I think it’s important that they don’t receive this as a “Put the original songs back” and more of a “we know the potential of the revised tracks and we’re surprised they were not up to the quality we expect.”
I think the problem ultimately comes down to the fact that SEGA don't have access to the original material or they can't replicate the sound of it as best as what people expect it to be like. The ways that they could have fixed tracks up for Origins, certainly weren't going to get done by SEGA. You think they'd grab a Sonic 1 disassembly from here and look at the SMPS import guides? This is NOT just a problem with Origins. It happened with Sonic Forces with those awful Classic style tracks too (and these were NOT by Senoue). They are rather complacent over it. I can understand why people don't want this solely directed to Jun Senoue but I would certainly point out why the Super Sonic track was inappropriate to add compared to the rest of the game. There's a difference between finding old recordings (or a test cart) with the replacement songs, and then straight up doing a Sonic 4 style Super Sonic theme with the wrong game's drum set. For those who go on about the unused theme, there was never any proof it was for a Super / Hyper theme. They could have used one of the invincibility tracks from S3 or S&K. Realistically the most ideal thing they should have done with Origins is retain the prototype music as-is, or have someone external clean them up for the game. They did neither for this. Yuzo Koshiro was being mentioned by people as he actually still has the hardware and covered tracks for the Mega Drive Mini. He could have produced something that could have got S3K in the Mega Drive Mini 2. Or it could have been left to Headcannon who could have found someone trusted to do the job and make them sound as close to the game as possible. People obviously understand the Sonic 3 music has been a difficult issue, but people expected a lot better than what they got. It's also a shame they didn't even update the ending medley similar to the Sonic 3C prototype, instead they're using the same S&K version. This could have been done and mixed in rather than a sloppy Super Sonic track nobody asked for in the first place. Sadly I don't think SEGA will want to discuss this much. It's probably been a mistake for them to bring Senoue up at all and they could have got away with it if it wasn't for the Super Sonic track.
Well, I think it won't hurt to try, and politely ask them if anything can be done with the music. They will probably not respond to it at all. Also, do we want to try and make it a thing on Social Media? If so, we should come up with a good hashtag. Do You guys think, sending it en masse to SOA, SOE and SOJ is a good idea?
These reasons you mentioned are why I added the request for the Sonic and Knuckles 97 PC Collection music as an option. I think regardless of if the new compositions can be improved or not, having the option to play the 97 versions of the tracks would please most classic fans, myself included. This is especially nice for preservation considering not many have the 90s PC Hardware to properly play this version of the game.
The complaint is the new ones sound like the 1997 MIDIs and not the 1993 proto versions, so why is this letter asking for the 1997 soundtrack instead? And keep in mind, that has 2 different soundtracks, are you referring the FM or GM?
The letter I asked for the 97 music as an option in addition to the quality improvement of the new versions. I think the complaints are about the weird instrumentation, pitch, and lack of dynamic range. The 97 Midis with a proper sound card are not bad at all. Considering the collection already has a game with multiple soundtracks, I figured it shouldn't be too out of the question. And how cool would it be to have the definitive Sonic game where you can play the PC tracks for the first time in 25 years? Considering we likely can't get the original tracks, at least this would be a nice option. That being said, we are a community and should continually keep revising the letters until we have a consensus everyone agrees on.
That, and also I wonder who will the letter speak for, exactly. We all know this doesn't speak for the entire community, and not even for Sonic Retro. Not officially, at least. So identifying the speaker would be interesting, but how exactly? It's not like there's a... I don't know, a Sonic syndicate??? Association??? An entity of any sort.
The Brotherhood of Guardians. Imagine the PTSD SEGA would get at mere mention of this name But in all seriousness, maybe a petition? I mean, it never works, but it gets attention...?
I’d scrap the mention of adding in the 1997 PC versions of the tracks. I appreciate the sentiment, but I think it ultimately confuses the issue and expands our scope beyond what we should be aiming for. With regards to who we send this to, I think posting it via Twitter and tagging the Sonic account, SEGAs America, Europe and UK as well as Katie is our best bet. If enough noises is made, then it will get to who it needs to via these channels. Further, I think it’s right to recognise SEGA’s previous instances of responding to fan feedback. I know they got a lot of flak from us, but the degree to which they do facilitate communication like this is something that really ought to be emulated by other publishers.
The letter could be presented as an image so it didn't need to be split into several parts. That'd also leave text space to mention the interested parties.
Instead of criticizing the music, we could ask for the ability to change the music to: Original / Prototype / New. In addition to not seeming aggressive towards people who have worked on the music,we could satisfy everyone, even those who like the new version.
