At Summer of Sonic this year, we have interview slots with Jun Senoue and Kazuyuki Hoshino. I know what I'd like to ask them, but this isn't all about me - I figure you've all got your own burning questions. So, gentlefolk of Sonic Retro, lend me your questions! Beforehand though, let's quickly go over some simple tips that make your questions more likely to be asked: 1/ Respect the interviewees We can't go in with a bunch of massively hostile questions. Ask why something didn't work out by all means, but leave any [orchestral masterpiece - Ed] jokes for your next stand-up routine. 2/ Keep it simple Remember that English isn't the first language of either interviewee, so clarity is appreciated. Also, we have limited time slots with each guest, so priority is assigned to the questions that are most interesting for the most people - minute technical details don't fare well in this regard. 3/ Keep it relevant Before you ask your question, check that it relates to something that the person actually worked on. Also, we've never interviewed Hoshino before but we did get an interview with Senoue at last year's SoS, so check that to make sure you're not covering old ground. 4/ Remember, it's not all about Sonic These guys have worked on other Sega games too, so feel free to ask questions about those if the mood takes you. 5/ Let me know who your question is for! It'll be a huge help if you make sure to specify who you're asking, even if you're clarifying that it is both. With that in mind, please press your mindgrapes to make some fine questionwine. :D
Two questions for Kazuyuki Hoshino. 1. When you were designing Metal Sonic for Sonic CD, did you know that there was going to be a Sonic robot in Sonic 2 as well? 2. Which characters did you design for Chaotix on 32X?
For Jun Senoue: Since the majority of fans seem to credit and praise you for every single piece of music produced in a Sonic game (even when you haven't been involved with most games nowadays) do you feel that people like Tomoya Ohtani and Kenichi Tokoi alongside others who have been working on the game soundtracks since 2006 are not given much credit for their work due to your popularity over others?
Jen and I have submitted some questions (via PM) to Nik. If you folks have any questions to give to Nik or are in the process of coming up with any questions to give to Nik, I would get crackin'. Nik will appreciate anything you give within his guidelines. Even if you're struggling to ask something to Jun Senoue, I would take advantage of this opportunity to at least throw as many questions as you can to Kazuyuki Hoshino because he's done quite a fair bit and it would be worth finding out what he has to say.
I hate that I don't have any questions, but I know that the questions they're eventually going to get asked aren't going to satisfy me. Phooey.
A few for Jun. These really aren't that important, so if you think another question would benefit the community at large better, by all means, put them ahead of mine. Is there any particular reason the Japanese version of Daytona USA Championship Edition has the original arcade audio in it, while the US version (Championship Circuit Edition) only has the remixes? Along those lines, is there a reason your remix of "Let's Go Away" doesn't have any sung lyrics? Supposedly Sonic's inclusion in Dairantou Smash Bros. X (Super Smash Bros. Brawl) was very last-minute. This being the case, how long did you have to produce the Angel Island Zone remix for the game (the only remixed Sonic track that made it into the game, in fact)?
And in response to anyone asking about Sonic 4's music, I'm sure these questions have all already been asked at previous conventions regarding instrumentation. Besides which, these too also come across as hostile.
I don't really have much that hasn't been asked of Senoue, both by myself and from other interviews from us, though there's one question I wasn't able to ask him last year. "Last year, Crush 40 released a new EP Rise Again and Live CD simply called Live! What other projects are being worked on by the band that you are able to talk about?" Feel free to restructure as needed, but honestly, I'm tired of asking the guy about Sonic related stuff since I think it's mostly been done to death (though last year's talk about his process when creating Sonic 4-2's music was interesting.)
Question for Hoshino... During the development of Sonic Adventure and Sonic Heroes, how much input did you have over the redesigns of Amy Rose and Metal Sonic? Were you happy with said redesigns?
If there's obviously some sort of serious issue with my question then don't bother with it. Not like I went with the Sonic 4 route anyway.
Unlikely to be asked, but, I actually thought the other day that this is something I'd always want to ask this guy if given the chance. 8D @Jun Senoue: if it was possible, what do you think a team up between Crush 40 and Avex's RIDER CHIPS would sound like? Somewhat more probable. @Both: Is there a particular game you really would have liked to help work on but couldn't because of schedules or other reasons?
For Hoshino: Between Sonic CD and Sonic Jam, Sonic's world from game to game felt very consistent with a very tropical vibe. From Sonic Adventure on, each game's art felt unique to each installment. What inspires your direction in each game? What benefits are there to maintaining a similar style over multiple games, and what benefits are there to re-inventing the world in each game? Do you have a preference? (feel free to paraphrase, I feel like it's rambling a bit :P)
To Mr. Hoshino Do you have a philosophy of sorts on designing in video games, if so what would that be? When designing a new character for a certain series how do you make it so that the character is something you haven't seen before in said series and at the same time make it fit within the world of that game? What has been the most challenging design you have ever made in a video game? To Mr. Senoue What has been the most challenging aspect when it comes to making music in general and in video games? What game gave you the most difficulty when it comes to composing music? What is you're favorite track you've ever made so far?
I'm still trying to figure out what you mean with Sonic having "a very consistent world with a very tropical vibe between Sonic CD and Sonic Jam"...
I think it would be interesting to ask Kazuyuki Hoshino a Sonic Crackers related question, but I cannot think of anything good.
Well, I can give it a stab, although I'm not sure if it's been asked already or not: "With regards to Knuckles' Chaotix, it came to the attention of the fan community, in the early 2000s (late 1990s?), that the game was originally conceived as a Genesis/Mega Drive title starring Sonic and Tails. The final product, however, features Knuckles, Mighty, and a cast of all-new characters.[note: yes, yes, Vector was in that Sonic [1] band thing, but that's getting way too obscure.] Sonic and Tails only appear in the credits sequence if you get the game's best ending. What prompted the change of focus onto Knuckles?"
