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INTERVIEW
PART - FIVE / FIVE
Q:
The character designer for Xenosaga is Kunihiko Tanaka, the same person
who did the designs for Xenogears. How did the design process go this
time?
T: First, I had Tanaka work on the design, giving him character
descriptions and comparing the image I wanted with real-life actors and
such. I tried to be as close to his designs as possible while modeling
them in 3D. The toughest part was facial expressions. With the big-eyed
characters he drew, the face can be completely destroyed depending on
lighting and a thousand other tiny little balances. The knowledge base for
realistic, smaller-eyed characters is much larger, so expressions are a
lot easier for them.
Q: Junya Ishigaki came back to do the mechanical designs this time as
well.
T: I had asked Ishigaki long before, but for this game I also asked a new
designer, [Koichi] Mugitani, to help us out. He's doing all of the Vector
designs. I've picked two designers because there are two specific design
lines in the game -- the federation, and Vector, the group the hero is
aligned with. The original KOS-MOS design was actually done by Mugitani,
with Tanaka cleaning it up afterwards.
Q: [Yasunori] Mitsuda is doing the music again, but this time you've asked
the London Philharmonic Orchestra to perform his work.
T: Mitsuda's schedule was tight at the beginning, but we managed to get
him into the game. As for the performance, we figured if we were going to
do it, we might as well go with one of the best in the field. I had some
great expectations for them; I wanted to pull myself up to the huge amount
of ability they have.
Q: You've assembled the staff for this game from all kinds of different
fields, but what do you remember most about this project?
T: Definitely back when Monolith Soft was first created. I remember how we
all talked to each other about our hopes for the future and all sorts of
other things. People tend to forget what's most important to them as time
goes on, so I've been trying to keep my mind on what we've set out to do
in the first place. I can't make this game by myself, after all.
Q: The industry is currently abuzz with new hardware like the Xbox and
Game Boy Advance. As a designer, could you give us your opinions on these?
T: Some of my staff talk about how the Gamecube looks easy to program on,
or how you can use normal PC development tools on the Xbox so it's simple
to deal with, but personally I don't really worry much about the hardware.
I mostly just worry about which platform will get me in touch with as many
gamers as possible.
Q: What direction do you think the RPG genre will take in the future?
T: I think a lot of the industry is drifting towards online gaming, but I
want to keep making games that toe the line of current graphic
capabilities. If technology continues advancing as it has, the line
between games and movies or TV will become more and more ambiguous. As the
more "game-like" styles of expression fall out of fashion, I
want to direct in a way that doesn't have to accept compromises and isn't
beholden to any particular game style. In my approach, though, I can't
help but have lots of different people's viewpoints creep into the
scenario, which complicates making the game truly interactive. I'll need
to work on fixing that in the future.
Q: What have you been doing with your spare time these days?
T: I spend most of my days off playing with my kids lately. I still watch
just about every movie that comes out, although I have trouble remembering
titles afterwards. (laughs)
Q: What kind of movies do you like?
T: Well, I watch SF, I watch action movies... things from Hong Kong,
things from Russia, I'm not picky at all.
Q: Watching movies in the theater is the best way, isn't it?
T: Well, if I can, then I'll always choose the big screen and the sound
system. I go to Q Front in Shibuya a lot; there's a Warner Mycal close to
the office with a great screen, a great sound system and great seating.
I'm busy with game development now, though, so I usually end up watching
the video instead. (laughs)
Q: What other hobbies do you have? I remember hearing you were a paintball
fan.
T: I don't know why, but we have a ton of paintball fans in our office.
Out of a staff of 60, I'd say about half play it. Besides that... I used
to ski a lot, but I haven't gone since I got married. I'm not that much of
an outdoorsman anyway.
Q: What kind of user do you want playing Xenosaga?
T: The main target is definitely gamers who enjoy story-driven RPGs. I
think the more hardcore faction can get into this game as well. I tried to
keep the volume down a little, but there are still a lot of features to
explore.
Q: And finally, some words for gamers looking forward to Xenosaga.
T: Gamers are my number-one motivation and spiritual support; it's thanks
to them that I was able to build Monolith Soft, so at the very least I
want to create something that won't disappoint. Xenosaga is a very long
story, so I don't know how successful I've been in bringing it to life,
but I'm hoping that gamers will be enjoying it for years to come.
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