https://web.archive.org/web/20050404170949/http://www.itmedia.co.jp/games/ps2/xeno/staff/index.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20041116163109/http://www.itmedia.co.jp/games/ps2/xeno/staff/02/index.html
[Note, the Softbank interview with Tetsuya Takahashi can be found translated here.]
SOFTBANK Hirohide Sugiura (Xenosaga Producer) interview
Translation by: Gwendal
[Page 1]
He's the so-called "producer"
Interviewer: Mr. Sugiura, from your position as a representative director at Monolith Soft, what kind of role did you play in the creation of "Xenosaga"?
Sugiura: I took on the role of a so-called "Producer". In the games industry, we tend to think of a producer as someone who writes scripts or does game design, but in my case I mainly dealt with the total budget, schedule management, external exchange and recruiting personel. My job was more like being a negotiator than anything else. In any case, when it comes to the producer's role, I think the game industry is a bit of an exception, and that I'm more like a movie or TV producer. My main task is to make sure there won't be any obstacles in the director's way as he goes about creating the game.
Interviewer: In developing a game for the PS2, I suppose you had [certain] plans you wanted to realize?
Sugiura: Yes; making everything full in 3D. In doing that, we made it similar to the photography in a movie or a [TV] drama. We accomplished that through the lighting, camera work and so on. It's not really this way with filming, but with games, the motion designer or facial animator is the actual actor. [A little unsure about this one, but I think it's along those lines]
But then again, game creators don't have any experience with actual filming, do they? That's why I used to find it bewildering in the past when it was seen as okay to have event scenes involving the characters just standing around.
For example, when we're having conversations, we usually give some responses to indicate we're paying attention to what's being said, right? That way we don't end up with a situation where someone stops talking. It's more sincere with these kinds of small gestures. We need to do this with a real-time presentation. Essentially, it's too early to do in the movie [sequences], but to integrate the CG and event [scene] parts seamlessly in this game, we manage all of it in real-time.
Takahashi continues to demand the same level of quality from the staff a special effects director dealing with live action film would, the same as an actual movie director. So there have been a few anguished screams from the staff in charge of events. (Laughs)
The volume of event [scene content] is also on par with the volume of the "Final Fantasy" series.
On my part, I want to be able to deliver a product the attached staff can be happy with, once development somehow draws to a close. I want to make it something they can be proud of and say "this is my work", to allow them to write "Xenosaga" on their profiles and be proud of it.
[Page 2]
A pioneering project for the industry
Interviewer: Your enthusiasm for the project is strong, I see. Would you mind giving us a short outline of the [entire] project, please?
Sugiura: I'd say this Xenosaga project is a forerunner in the industry, and [with it] we want to show one possible direction game development could go in the future. That is to say, for game developers, and this is a situation that applies to every studio, the [actual] production [aspect] of movie creation is mostly outside the company's control. The company should handle things until development gets underway, and when each member of staff is asked to create something, they should be freely able to choose to make it in their own way and with whoever they prefer. That's the kind of open environment we want to create. Sooner or later, I think this industry will get to that point. There will be a clearer distinction between publishers and developers. As part of that process, I think we will become an example of a good developer.
Interviewer: How will Monolith Soft develop its games in the future?
Sugiura: This project isn't the end; it's just the start. Leaving aside whether or not this is what we'll actually do, I'd like to try my hand at various genres, including online games and, of course, RPGs. As a fully mature developer, I want us to try to become the Lucasfilm or Studio Ghibli of the gaming industry. I think we'll be able to provide a place for creators to flourish by doing what they're best at. To get there, we will have to surmount the "walls" holding back the industry, and let creators create their works freely. If we can change their situation and ways of thinking, I think new ideas will emerge organically. Finally, it's a matter of gathering the right people. We've already begun working on projects other than Xenosaga. We need a wide variety of people, from developers to PR, so please do feel free to apply.
Interviewer: Well then, let's make sure aspiring creators get in touch with Monolith Soft. (Laughs)
That is all for today; thank you very much.
https://web.archive.org/web/20041223001700/http://www.itmedia.co.jp/games/ps2/xeno/staff/03/index.html
SOFTBANK Yasuyuki Honne (Xenosaga Graphics Supervisor) interview
Translation by: Gwendal[Page 1]
The role of being an intermediary between the director and the staff
Interviewer: Mr. Honne, you were supervising the graphics work on "Xenosaga", but what specifically were your tasks?
Honne: In terms of position, I served as art director for "Xenosaga". I would look over the graphics work coming in, allocate tasks to the creators, and so on.
Interviewer: Could you tell us about your workflow, in broad strokes?
Honne: I take Takahashi's instructions to the creators as a starting point, and I'll also act as an intermediary between him and those who carry out the initial work to help them understand his way of doing things.
Interviewer: What's distincive about Director Takahashi's methods?
Honne: He gives a lot of freedom to those he trusts, down to the last line. He'll be like, "well, here's how it looks right now, you take care of the rest!". (Laughs)
And he pushes the staff to the limits of what each of them is able to achieve, always demanding the highest quality. "If you're going to do it, you might as well do it properly". That said, he doesn't put in unreasonable requests. Instead, he pushes [everyone] to put in as much effort as they possibly can.
Interviewer: Does he give detailed instructions to every member of staff?
Honne: He usually doesn't give overly specific instructions. He leaves it up to the discretion of individual staff members. That does mean that people who work with him for the first time can become a bit confused sometimes, with no idea what they're supposed to be doing. That's precisely why I act as a bridge between Takahashi and the rest of the staff when it comes to the overall vision.
Interviewer: I see. Sounds like he works you hard. Moving on, Mr. Honne, what were your areas of responsibility in the field of graphics work, your personal specialty?
Honne: Specifically, my main responsibility was the field maps. The game backgrounds, that kind of thing.
Interviewer: In addition to that, did you do have any input on the character graphics?
Honne: Yes. When I first discussed [the project] with Takahashi, we decided we had to make "high-level" characters since we were developing for the PS2, and I worried about how to accomplish that. At that time, Takami, who had worked as CG director on "Chrono Cross", joined us here at Monolith. As a result of that, we could leave the character-related work to him, which made things much easier for me.
Screenshot caption: With the move to the PS2, there was a big leap forward in terms of what could be done technologically. In "Xenosaga", thanks to the CG characters' ability to move in real-time, they were able to ingeniously blur the line between cutscenes and regular gameplay.
[Page 2]
Interviewer: On "Xenosaga", Mr. Kunihiko Tanaka did the character designs, and Mr. Junya Ishigaki did the mech designs. Was it difficult to express their original illustrations as CG [characters]?
Honne: It depends. We were definitely very focused on doing it right, down to the small details. We paid attention to bringing out the right lighting conditions and shadows. The total impression is affected by whether you're able to do that properly or not.
Interviewer: Realizing 2D characters in 3D must be quite difficult work?
Honne: I'm not sure it's that hard; it's more a matter of needing the right sense. This goes for the AGWS as well, and this [kind of] work is mostly about trying to imagine a flat object as something three-dimensional. I think our staff did a good job of bringing these mecha to life in that way.
Being struck by passion
Interviewer: And finally, how did you end up making games at Monolith Soft, Mr. Honne?
Honne: Back in the Square days, I was temporarily taken off the Xeno team to help with the development of "Chrono Cross". At that time, I said to Takahashi, "let's work together again once I'm done with that job". Things stayed that way for a while. That was around the time when Takahashi and Sugiura decided to found a new company to create "Xenosaga". They were so struck with passion that they were willing to go as far as to set up a company just to create this one game, so I wanted to join them in doing that, and were able to come aboard on this project. I definitely think I made the right choice there.
Interviewer: Yes, it really does take a lot of passion to set up a company just to make one game. (Laughs)
Thank you very much for this interview.
Screenshot caption: To faithfully bring an illustration to life as a 3D model, the right sense is absolutely essential.
https://web.archive.org/web/20050117003704/http://www.itmedia.co.jp/games/ps2/xeno/staff/04/index.html
SOFTBANK Norihiro Takami (Xenosaga 3D Modeling) interview
Translation by: Gwendal
Bringing Tanaka's characters to life in CG
Interviewer: Mr. Takami, please tell us a little about how you came to work at Monolith Soft. Also, what projects were you involved in before that?
Takami: It began when I first met Mr. Honne, who served as an art director at Square. We've talked about working together someday in the past, so I wanted to take the opportunity to do that with our current project, "Xenosaga". As for earlier projects I've been involved in, I did event motion for FF7, movie scene characters and things like that for FF8, and during the Chrono Cross days, I worked as a movie director. '
Interviewer: What are your tasks for "Xenosaga"?
Takami: I'm in charge of everything that has to do with character modelling and CG. This is a project on a grand scale, and since it's a PS2 game we have to pay close attention to everything down to the small details, so it's quite hard work.
Interviewer: What did you find challenging in translating the drawings of Mr. Kunihiko Tanaka, the character designer, to CG?
Takami: Well, Mr. Tanaka's characters do tend to have rather large eyes. When you're trying to model characters like that, it can be hard to find the right balance. Particularly with this game, since we have moving eyes, and when they're that big, the eyeballs become big too. (Laughs) So finding the right balance between the eyeballs and the face was quite a challenge. On the other hand, I think that allowed us to give the characters very rich facial expressions, so please look forward to that. (Laughs)
Interviewer: Their facial expressions are definitely very realistic. What did you find challenging in creating them?
Takami: In his illustrations, Tanaka draws some characters with puffed-up cheeks, as a kind of character reform [a bit unsure about this term, sorry], and it was very hard to express that with polygons. If you try to take the original drawings and turn them into polygons without any changes, you end up with cheeks that "pop" out and look inflated. Honestly, I worried about what to do to fix that. (Laughs)
But I had to solve it somehow, so I tried to be brave and just went ahead and adjusted it until it didn't look too strange anymore.
Interviewer: Finally, were there any requests from Director Takahashi that seemed plain impossible to you?
Takami: Yes, quite a few. (Laughs)
Since this is a game that emphasizes the story, the event scenes ended up becoming much longer than anticipated, and I [or they?] was like, "huh?" (Laughs) There were many things we just had to cut in that area alone. Making animations [lit.: motion] and things like that were quite challenging.
Interviewer: Thank you very much.
https://web.archive.org/web/20041217191300/http://www.itmedia.co.jp/games/ps2/xeno/staff/05/index.html
SOFTBANK Toshiaki Yajima (Program Director for Xenosaga) interview
Translation by: Gwendal
The hardest part was finding the balance between different points of view (Laughs)
Interviewer: Mr. Yajima, please tell us a little about how you came to work at Monolith Soft.
Yajima: I was at a point where the projects I was working on were winding down, and then I got an offer from Sugiura and Takahashi to work with them on a new game. I thought that seemed like a good opportunity.
Interviewer: What are your main tasks on "Xenosaga"?
Yajima: Mostly the CG parts, but on the whole I contribute in various ways. The programmers are split into three teams; CG, battles and event scenes. Each of them has its own leader, and since I trust all of them, I leave the fundamental work fully up to them. So I mostly make adjusments to make sure the different parts fit together, weed out small errors that might appear when we get to a certain stage of development, and other kinds of polishing along those lines.
Interviewer: Was it challenging to program for the PS2, compared to the [original] PS?
Yajima: Yes, it was actually very challenging, but it's also the kind of hardware where you can get great things out of it if you put in the time and effort. Still, that's a quite a big hurdle, having to put in all that effort as a minumum.
Interviewer: "Xenosaga" is a fully 3D game, but was that always the plan from the beginning?
Yajima: Yes, it was. That's why we had to do the maps and characters fully in 3D.
Interviewer: What's the hardest thing you've done in the course of your work so far?
Yajima: I'm not really sure about the absolute hardest, but to take one example, we could only have 8 characters in a scene at once, so it was pretty tough when I was told they wanted to have 16 instead and to somehow find a way to implement that. (Laughs)
The hardest thing was probably finding the balance between the points of view from the different teams. (Laughs)
Interviewer: Thank you very much.
https://web.archive.org/web/20070819063937/http://www.gpara.com/contents/creator/bn_065.htm
GPARA SUGIURA INTERVIEW
Translation by: Gwendal
|
Number 65: Mr. Hirohide Sugiura, Monolith Soft Our guest this time is Mr. Hirohide Sugiura, Representative Director at Monolith Soft and one of the creator s of "Xenosaga Episode 1: The Will to Power". We sat down to a talk with Mr. Sugiura, who has contributed to numerous games at companies such as ASCII, Namco, Warp and Square. |
Q1. "Xenosaga" was just released the other day, so what titles are you working on at the moment?
|
Mr. Sugiura: We've already started development on "Xenosaga Episode II". We have to give our fans the continuation [of the story], after all. (Laughs) There's also another title in the works, which I can't say more about at the moment... |
Q2. "Episode II", as well as a new title, then! You've definitely piqued my interest. Mr. Sugiura, you've brought many games into the world , so could you please tell us what you consider the most important factor when you're developing a game?
|
Mr. Sugiura: Hmm. I'd say the users' desires, the dreams of the development staff, and balancing costs. |
Q3. While it's part of the basics, balancing everything has to be difficult. Still, in my opinion you handled that well with "Xenosaga". Let's change the topic a bit now...for gaming in general, what kinds of games do you expect to be popular in the future?
|
Mr. Sugiura: The simple answer would be online games, particularly with game packages such as "?". [A little unsure about this part, sorry] First, we'll see things with simple controls that allow for simple enjoyment. I think this genre includes games like "Onimusha" and "Dynasty Warriors". Then there will also be character-focused games. Gundam isn't going anywhere, for example. Another recent game that impressed me was "Animal Crossing+". That's quite an unusual game, drawing on your desire to communicate with others. |
Q4. I see. Here comes my final question: looking at the "Xenosaga" series, it's clear that you've been influenced by various works and people. Mr. Sugiura, could you please tell us a little about what works or people have had the greatest influence on you?
|
Mr. Sugiura: Without a doubt, "Legend of Galactic Heroes"! In terms of people, I'd say Ryouma Sakamoto. His way of living has had a significant influence on me. [Probably this guy? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakamoto_Ry%C5%8Dma] |
Interviewer: Thank you for an enjoyable chat. Would you please introduce your friend, too [for next week's interview]?
|
Mr. Sugiura: Please welcome Mr. Yoshiharu Gotanda of Tri-Ace. |
Interviewer: Well then, I'm looking forward to next week. As well as Monolith Soft's next games. Thank you very much for today.
https://web.archive.org/web/20050925085031/http://page.freett.com/xenosaga/urtv.htm
HAMAMURA SUGIURA INTERVIEW
Translation by: Gwendal
Exclusive interview with Mr. Hirohide Sugiura, producer on "Xenosaga Episode I"
We at Hamamura [magazine? Website?] sat down for an interview with Mr. Hirohide Sugiura, producer on "Xenosaga". We had a very interesting talk about the game's world and system, the sequels, and more.
Unwavering focus
Hamamura: My first impression is that you were very focused on the [kind of] image you wanted to present. That must have taken a lot of manpower and effort, didn't it?
Hirohide Sugiura (from here on, Sugiura): We had to make quite a few compromises with those things. What we actually wanted was to fill the entire game with movies at a "Final Fantasy" (from here on, "FF") level of quality. When we realized that wouldnt't be possible because of the costs involved, director Takahashi became very focused on the 3D [presentation instead].
Hamamura: Ah, but still, it gives the game a particular flavor. I particularly feel you must have had a strong focus on the length of the movies. In an ordinary RPG, there's often a lot of cutscenes, but in this game it felt more like watching an actual movie.
Sugiura: Takahashi would personally like to recreate the story he's come up with in higher-dimension images. That would be the ultimate aim. [lit.: "that's where it ends/runs out", I think that's the most likely interpretation]
Since we chose to present the story as a video game this time, it took the form of very long movie sequences in between the gameplay parts.
Hamamura: I see. I think it's obvious to see the care that went into those images, if you look at them properly. It has a kind of different quality to it compared to the RPGs we're used to seeing, or rather, it challenges them by using a style of presentation that hasn't been done much in games until now.
Sugiura: That's a good way to put it, yes.
Hamamura: But you also paid a lot of attention to the systems, right? In addition to the normal character growth methods, there's also Ether and skills. The characters can be developed in completely different ways depending on the player.
Sugiura: Yes. But I think we might have gone a little bit overboard with it all. (Laughs)
Did you have any feelings along those lines too?
Hamamura: No, I thought it was interesting the way it was? I like games people can talk about and say things like "No, I did it that way instead". I think this game has those kinds of fun elements to it.
Sugiura: Well, we started creating the systems by trying to include as many features as possible. We intended to cut the unnecessary parts, but once we completed something, we'd look at it and say "no, let's not cut this". (Laughs)
"Episode I", and then...
Hamamura: There's also a lot of depth to the game's setting and worldbuilding. You have special terms like "Realian" that you won't understand until you get some ways into the game.
Sugiura: We also have some mysteries you'll still be in the dark about even when you've finished the game. (Laughs)
This game is kind of like our "Star Wars Episode I", so to speak, and when I read Takahashi's plot, the first thing that struck me was that it felt like an opera, like the first act of the "Ring of Nibelung", maybe like the prelude. But since this was the first chapter of the story, we had to introduce the nuances of the various relationships [between the actors] in addition to just building the setting.
Hamamura: You're talking about "Episode I", but what significance does that number "I" hold, exactly?
Sugiura: In his mind, Takahashi has already decided on all the particulars about the world he's creating. It definitely doesn't end with the time period and environment we're portraying in this game. With that in mind, this game couldn't take any other form than being "Episode I".
Hamamura: So then you'll naturally be following it up with "Episode II" and "III"?
Sugiura: That's right. That is, if our fans are [actually] hoping for "Episode II"...? With their support, we'll be able to release it.
Hamamura: I'm also interested in what other activities you're pursuing.
Sugiura: "Episode II" is a given, but I'd also like to try my hand at new challenges. Ideally, I'd like to throw away what I've done so far and start again entirely from scratch. To be honest, our goal [this time] was "FFX", but rather than matching it, I think we fell short. Next time, I'd definitely like to make something that could stand proudly next to [the competition]. I'd also like to make something to flesh out the "Xenosaga" universe a bit more. I'm not sure if it should be an adventure game or an RPG, but I do want to make something along those lines.
2002/03/01 TPS MAGAZINE
Translation by: Gwendal
After a lengthy development period, the much anticipated, epic RPG "Xenosaga" was released on February 28. There are probably many of you who have read the article [about this] in "The Play" and are already playing the game. To celebrate the game's successful launch, we sat down with its producer, Mr. Sugiura, to ask him about his current mental state, what went on behind the scenes during development, and the future of the series and Monolith itself.
It doesn't really feel "over". My work starts now that it's been released
Interviewer: Now that development is over, how do you really feel about it all; as a company manager, as a producer, and as an individual?
Sugiura: Until the release date, even if development was over, I didn't really feel like the end was in sight. I want to see it through properly and decide on the conclusion for myself, so I'd say my mental state at the moment is "still worried".
Interviewer: This interview will be published in the issue that comes out the day after release.
Sugiura: I don't think we'll be able to draw any conclusions as soon as the day after release. We know the game has been [relatively] popular, so it should be okay, but it's still something I worry about. As for my feelings as an individual, things are different now from what it's been like for a while where I've been feeling like an engine pushed to do a final spurt. But even though the job is done, I don't really feel like I can say "yeah, it's over!". Still, from now on, all we can do is wait.
Interviewer: It's been a rather long period of development, so is there anything you'd like to say to everyone on the staff?
Sugiura: Hmm. I already say it every month, but it'd be "well done". Have a good rest, and let's work hard together on the next project too.
Interviewer: Will you be taking a rest too, Mr. Sugiura?
Sugiura: I don't think I'll take much time off. Our next project begins in March, and we need to prepare for that. And as I said before, there's also work to be done that starts with the release. There's planning for the next project to be done, solving everyday problems with the staff, and so on. I'm too busy to rest.
We were able to agree on a shared dream while compromising
Interviewer: What feelings would you like users to take from this game?
Sugiura: That's a difficult question to answer, isn't it? The event scenes are rather lengthy, so they took a lot of time to create. That means they might get a sense of a good cost-performance ratio while playing, or rather, feel that they're getting good value for their money. It was a challenge to try to made it different from any other game they might have played before. I'd be happy if they were to keep an eye out for those things while playing.
Interviewer: What was the hardest and the most enjoyable thing about making this game?
Sugiura: Quality and balancing the costs. To be more specific, the most difficult thing was to find a compromise between the time and money I was able to provide and the quality director Takahashi wanted to realize in the game. This goes for the game and film industries in general, but if the relationship between the producer and the director deteriorates, you often end up not wanting to work together again. With this game, I'm glad Takahashi and I were able to compromise while still agreeing on a shared dream. That has to be the most enjoyable thing. Looking at the results we were able to achieve, I think we both would find them satisfactory, which is very good. But maybe that's not quite what the term "enjoyable" brings to mind. Things I enjoyed...I can't really think of anything. (Laughs)
But I had the opportunity to produce a game people I like enjoy, and that makes me personally happy. [That's the gist of it, but it looks like there's also some a set expression in there I don't quite get, maybe to downplay his own achievement somewhat?]
Interviewer: What scenes or characters in the game are your personal favorites?
Sugiura: My favorite scene is definitely the last one, the ending. It has wonderful music by Mr. Mitsuda, and it let me remember the game with a feeling of getting goosebumps after reaching the ending after such a long time. I hope you'll all play through to the end. As for the characters, they all have their individuality, and I think they all have elements I enjoy, but personally I'll say Ziggy. This game doesn't really go into detail with his story, but the later games in the series will reflect his backstory more. Then again, that could be said for all the characters.
I want to try creating a brand you can feel safe playing
Interviewer: Please tell us a little about your hopes for how the "Xenosaga" series will unfold in the future, as well as Monolith Soft itself.
Sugiura: When it comes to the "Xenosaga" sequels, which I hope you'll wait patiently for, you'll be able to see the influence of this game quite clearly. Because of that, I'd like as many people as possible to play it. Not just because I want it to be well regarded, but also because I want to receive opinions from many people regarding the development environment and direction of the sequel. So I'd like to get a steady stream of frank views. Sending emails to our company is fine, as is posting on internet message boards. I want to hear everyone's voices. Apart from that, since this was our first game for the PS2, I'd like to try my hand at other platforms too. I want to create brands that aren't necessarily associated with "Xenosaga & Director Takahashi", brands people would talk about in ways such as "this seems interesting, since it's a Monolith game", or "it's a Monolith game, so I feel confident buying it". After that, I'd like to try various things. For example, a collaboration, things like that. Capcom is making things like "Gundam DX" or "Zelda", and that's [an example] of something that would be easy for a development studio like us rather than their [original] makers. To be really bold, I'd like to say "Enix, please let us make a Dragon Quest game!" (Laughs)
Those kinds of jobs would be interesting, eventually. I want to try finding a way to do something like that.
https://web.archive.org/web/20100819123410/http://page.freett.com/xenosaga/tps2_mint1.htm
2002/02/08 TPS MAGAZINE VOL.27
Translation by: Gwendal
Fist part of an interview with Sound Producer Yasunori Mitsuda, to celebrate the release of his [new] CD
Making orchestral music with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, his collaboration with Joanne Hogg, his computer music, and "Xenosaga", which has become a compliation of the "Mitsuda sound". We talked to him for a behind-the-scenes look at all of these.
The "+a" you can get from your relationship with the artists is good
Interviewer: For this game, you collaborated with a foreign artist to make the soundtrack, right? How was that different from making game music on your own?
Mitsuda: I wouldn't say either way is particularly easier than the other, but I enjoy making music in collaboration with others. There are two reasons for that. First, when I keep making compact [songs] and instrumentals on my own, it ends up becoming very concentrated. I seclude myself completely in it and become confused. When I'm working with another person, I get to hear all kinds of opinions, and the stimulus from that helps me break out of those kinds of [negative] loops. That said, regarding the parts I made on my own for this game, I had so little time that there really wasn't any room for confusion. (Laughs)
As soon as I'd finished something, I had to move on to the next [track] right away. So it was challenging when I couldn't come up with anything, even if there was so little time. I don't know what would have happened if I didn't get a flash of inspiration just an hour before the deadline...
Interviewer: When you suddenly get "inspired" like that, do you get various ideas in your head in a single instant? I've also heard some people describe it more like something "raining down".
Mitsuda: That's right, it feels like of like something comes "raining down". As soon as I see part of a phrase, I can tell how the whole song will go, all the way to end, regardless of the length of the song. It takes hard work to fully grasp that opportunity, but on a good day, I can see the entire construction of the song...including the melody and instrument composition, as a single image. At this point, I'll make a rough outline, and then I just reconstruct it later on the computer. Of course, I'll also include new ideas I've come up with during the course of making that reconstruction, but fundamentally, the computer is just a tool for copying the image I have in my head. That doesn't mean I'll always be completely successful in reconstructing that mental image, so there'll be parts that are degraded and don't feel as vivid. Maybe that's just one of the limitations of working alone to make music on a computer. But when I worked with Joanne and the London Phil on "Kokoro" with a live recording, the opposite situation occured. We managed to create something much better than what I had inside my head. That's the second reason. So all this is why I enjoy working with other artists to create music.
With specifically written music for each movie, the music and images become a coherent whole
Interviewer: If you look at the music for this game as a whole, what kind of atmosphere is most prevalent in the tracks?
Mitsuda: I'd say the piano is fairly central. Or rather, the piano forms the base, and then elements like Gregorian chanting or orchestration are layered on top of it.
Interviewer: Do you plan to release more original albums in the future?
Mitsuda: There's a good chance I'll do something that's unrelated to "Xenosaga", but I don't have any plans to make an arranged version or anything like that based on this soundtrack. Everything I wanted to do for this project is already in the game itself. Back in the PS1 era, there was some stress based on the sound quality [lit.: sound source], leading to thoughts like "we should do it again, this is how I really want it to sound". Releasing arranged version CDs was a way to fix that, but I'm satisfied with how "Xenosaga" turned out.
Interviewer: So with the abilities of the PS2 hardware, you now have the ability to present something you're satisfied with from the beginning?
Mitsuda: Yes, that's right. To be honest, there's not really any substantial difference between the internal sound source or streaming files. With the internal sound source, the waveform takes up a lot of space, leading to longer loading times, and considering the rest of the game, you can't really dedicate that much space to the music alone. You can have a high-pitch quality version [not sure about this, some kind of technical term?] on a sound CD, but with a game, you'll have to make do with the internal sound source.
...that said, with "Xenosaga" there's actually only 3-4 tracks where we use the interal sound source, while the rest are directly embedded in the movie data.
Interviewer: As for specific uses, are there any tracks that are only played once during the entire game?
Mitsuda: Yes, we have some of those, too. And some that are only heard two or three times. Since everything has to match the images, with edits to the length of the track and its timing along with the action, there are some subtle differences between them. I also think this is interesting in terms of the "synchronization between images and music" in this game. Personally, I like making "music set to images", so I enjoyed being able to work along the lines of "what image should I realize next, what music should I use to express that?"
Interviewer: I see. I'd like to enjoy the game [even more] by trying to pay attention to those things.
The interview continues the week Xenosaga releases (the 3/8 issue)!! We'll do a big reveal on Mr. Mitsuda's treasures!
[Gwendal: Unfortunately, I couldn't find the rest of the interview]
https://web.archive.org/web/20131108134759/http://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/20010708/namco.htm
GAME WATCH 1
Namco opens special event to announce the development of "Xenosaga"!
There will also be a limited edition of the game
There will also be a limited edition of the game
Planned release: Winter 2001
Price: TBA
On July 8, an event announcing the development of the RPG "Xenosaga Episode I: The Will to Power" (Xenosaga from here on) by Namco Ltd. and Monolith Soft Ltd. was held at the Ebisu Garden Hall. There were more than 10,000 applicants from all over the country, and 600 ordinary invitees. The mass media, distributors and the like were well represented. Pamphlets and sound track preview [discs] were given out at the site.
Namco President, Mr. Nakamura: "Films, music and games are examples of Japan's outstanding culture"
The first person to go on stage was Namco President Mr. Masaya Nakamura. He started off by saying, with extraordinary emotional attachment, "I hear this tale will be something bigger than 'Xenogears' or the present 'Xenosaga'. With the strong support of the fans, we should be able to publish further sequels going forwards, and so I would like to receive your cooperation". He went on to say, "Until today, I have had no information at all about 'Xenosaga Episode 1: The Will to Power'. Therefore, I would like to share the joy [of this occasion] with our fans who have kindly gathered here today".
The President, who is also head of the film company Nikkatsu, followed up with "It's often said that film is part of a nation's culture, but this applies to games as well". He finished his greeting by saying, "I would like to see a strong recognition of the fact that films, music and games are examples of Japan's outstanding culture".
After that, there was a screening of the "Xenosaga" promotional trailer shown at the Tokyo Game Show in spring 2001. It gave a brief summary of some of the information that had already been presented, and the trailer certainly left a strong impression, with the most important keywoards for the story appearing and disappearing while accompanied by a capella background music.
Left image caption: The event started with Namco President Mr. Nakamura offering his greetings
Right image caption: There was another screening of the promotional trailer shown at the Tokyo Game Show in spring 2001.
An explanation of the game systems by Director Tetsuya Takahashi
The first guest [speaker] of the day, Director Tetsuya Takahashi, made his appearance. In the first public showing of moving images from the game, Director Takahashi conducted some promotion while showing actual in-game footage. He explained that "Xenosaga" will be divided into three aspects; "quest parts", "battle parts" and "event parts". He showed how the "quest parts" would be similar to a regular RPG, with the ability to talk to characters on the map to gather information, breaking open item boxes, obtaining items and so on.
He also spoke about the process to arrive at the present battle system. He demonstrated how the enemies, drawn to the same proportions as the player characters, will try to make direct contact based on factors such as sound and field of vision, and also how to avoid them. He also explained how it's possible to break trap boxes to get special effects, such as disrupting the enemies with an electrical attack. There will also be strategies for being more effective in battle, such as exploiting an enemy's special characteristics, attacking them from behind or destroying various targets. It also looks like they've prepared traps, such as having enemies come out of boxes you might want to destroy to get the items inside. Further, it seems like it will be possible to obtain something called "battle points" in the quest parts, which will have an effect on character growth.
The battle parts are based on 3-person parties. If you manage to obtain robots called AGWS, the characters can get in or out of them once per battle. Melee combat is based on regular attacks corresponding to buttons, as well as special attacks than can be learned through the character growth system. AGWS can be summoned from other people, and they can be equipped with weapons using hard points on their body (up to 8). Their close-combat or ranged abilities also differ depending on the robot.
Top image caption: Director Tesuya Takahashi during his explanation. He talked about ways to avoid direct contact with enemies using guile
Bottom image caption: The battle parts consist of 3-member parties. Things like attacks using weapons and the characters moving around were demonstrated
Sounds born of the London Philharmonic Orchestra + Mr. Yasunori Mitsuda
Sound [work] for "Xenosaga" will be handled by Mr. Mitsuda, who contributed music to "Chrono Trigger", "Gun Hazard", "Xenogears" and more. It was made clear that the main background music will be performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and there was a screen of a video interview with Mr. Mitsuda and some footage of the Orchestra's performance environment. The site was soon enveloped in [the sound of] numerous compositions that could be said to be "even more religious-sounding than 'Xenogears'", and in addition to being an undertaking with on a massive scale, [the music] showed a craftmanship that inspires high expecations for the finished game.
Left image caption: Video interview with Mr. Mitsuda
Middle image caption: The London Philharmonic Orchestra's performance environment
Right image caption: Q&A session with Director Takahashi and Mr. Mitsuda
Then Mr. Mitsuda came in as a guest [speaker]. Director Takahashi reappeared as well, and it turned into a Q&A session.
Attendee: How was the trial for the orchestral arranging this time?
Mitsuda: It was harder than I expected. I struggled to create sounds I hadn't thought up myself, so that was very difficult.
Attendee: What [exactly] was difficult about it?
Mitsuda: I'd never worked with an orchestra before, so I had to start from scratch and learn, which took up a lot of our time. So the schedule became rather strict.
Attendee: What were your reasons for choosing the London Philharmonic Orchestra?
Mitsuda: We had several candidates, but we thought that if were going to do it, we might as well use the most famous one, which was the London Philharmonic.
Attendee: [To Takahashi] Why did you choose to hire Mr. Mitsuda?
Takahashi: We've worked together before, and I like the music he makes.
Attendee: Did you have any particular requests for the tracks?
Takahashi: They need to [help] explain the scenario, and to convey the length of the scene they're used in. We also work in a 'vague' way where I had him listen to classic and Western movie soundtracks I own, and where he consults with me, so I'd say we worked hard on the creative process.
Attendee: WHat's your impression of Mr. Mitsuda?
Takahashi: I get the impression of a person who looks closely at the outside world. We who spend much of our time working in the games industry have an unforuntate tendency to be close ourselves off inside it, but he really seeks out the outside world, which helps stimulate the rest of us too. To me, that's another reason to use the London Philharmonic, to get those new impulses from the outside world. By knowing the outside world, we can broaden our horizons and obtain feedback, which gives us the desire to make a better product.
Attendee: What did you request with regards to sound production for this game?
Mitsuda: Not much. Just that we should go ahead and do something on a scale no-one's really done before.
Attendee: How many tracks did you compose in all, approximately? How well does the game's world match you personally? How do you deal with the expectations from the fans?
Mitsuda: There's 40-50 tracks in all, and there's many more I haven't composed yet. I like religiously-themed music, which is why I use Gregorian chant, so that's not so different from the game's world. I want to keep on working to make absolutely sure I don't betray the fans' expectations. I'll do my best.
Attendee: Director, what images do you have in mind for the music and world in this game? Takahashi: Religious things are absolutely a motif I wanted to include. Mr. Mitsuda is always trying his hand at new challenges, with a stance that he don't do the same thing over again, so I leave everything up to him and say "do it the way you want, that's fine".
Attendee: What are your honest reactions to this game?
Mitsuda: I think [my work] is at a level I might have a hard time surpassing personally. I expect certain things from myself, and I absolutely don't want to let the fans down, so I want to make something good.
Takahashi: I feel we have something that can really inspire some confidence in ourselves, which is fortunate for the staff too. On the other hand, there's still a ways to go. I'd like to ask everyone to please wait patiently a little longer for the release date.
After this, a previously unreleased preview compilation of the opening and event scenes was shown.
Image caption: In the year 200x, a plate is inserted in some mysterious ruins uncovered in Kenya's Lake Turkana. A massive earthquake takes place, and a mysterious island appears. Then a beam of light shoots into space...that's the scene the special trailer started off on. More details about the contents haven't been officially released yet.
Monolith Soft's representative Mr. Hirohide Sugiura informated about a limited edition release in his address
Finally, Mr. Sugiura from Monolith Soft Ltd. made his appearance. He spoke with enthusiasm: "Apart from the prologue, the images you've just seen were running on the actual PS2 hardware, and the the event scenes are approximately 70% done. We're now applying further polish to the game. Rather than the graphics, with this game we hope you'll be [eagerly] anticipating the scenario by Mr. Takahashi. In this installment, the story will play out over the course of 6-7 hours' worth of event scenes. These will include locations, performances including character facial expressions, effects, camera work, lighting, even action scenes with wire stunts [?]. There will be a cast as big as 20 people to bring the characters' emotions to life. With this marriage of technological feats and Mr. Takahashi's scenario, I fully believe this game will be the next great work to succeed "Final Fantasy X" (as an RPG)".
Then, as a gift to the fans who were there, he gave some information about their decision to release a limited edition of the game. Its price is still to be determined. It will include a 1/10th scale figure (the character will be determined at a later date). Since character designer Kunihiko Tanaka's work has been highly praised, there will also be various other kinds of merchandise. It seems like a way to let the fans get a more leisurely look at the trailer that was released on the day in DVD format is already being considered. Alongside sentiments to help fans who weren't there get a look at the game before the release date as well, the event drew to a close.
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