#Sonic cd soundtrack funk influences series#

Others see it as a sometimes necessary process designed to reflect the cultural needs and sensitivities of whatever country is receiving the game in question. They see it as an affront to the creative decisions of the developers that also insults the culture of other nations (which, at that time, was usually Japan). In the minds of some who are aware of such changes, these alterations constitute a form of unacceptable censorship.

#Sonic cd soundtrack funk influences series#

Trans characters and women in the Final Fight series were changed to male thugs in order to avoid the potential controversy that may result when violence is inflicted upon said groups of people. The religious crosses in the Dragon Quest series were changed to nondescript stars in the U.S. For instance, the sexual content in games like Maniac Mansion, Golgo 13, and Castlevania was removed ahead of their U.S. Some of these changes were the simple result of differences that arise during the language translation process, but others were far more intentional and – in the minds of some – insulting. The long-standing Sonic CD controversy has little to do with the individual soundtracks and much more to do with the controversy of the very idea of localization. In the ‘80s and ‘90s, it was very common for video games to be changed in significant ways during the localization process. It’s hard to believe the reimagined soundtrack would move many more copies of the game even after people heard it. release by two months, but all of that time, money, and effort went towards something that most people would never even hear prior to actually purchasing the game. Not only did the process require Sega to delay the game’s U.S. release, which seems like a comment on Sega’s desire for the soundtrack to feature a greater variety of instruments.Īt the time, the idea that a gaming company would completely change such a massive soundtrack just to appease the assumed desires of an international audience was largely unheard of. Another theory suggests that Sega wanted a more “complex” soundtrack for the U.S. Even though this soundtrack was based on Sonic sounds of the past, Sega worried that it was just too “weird” to work in the United States. However, the popular (and nearly official) theory is that Sega simply felt that American audiences would not respond to the house sounds of the game’s original soundtrack. Sega’s reasons for not using Sonic CD’s Japanese soundtrack in the American version of the game have never been officially confirmed. When citing some of his influences at that time, Hataya reportedly dropped somewhat obscure names such as DJ Frankie Knuckles and British electric band The KLF. It’s also one of the few video game soundtracks of its era which was clearly inspired by house and techno music of the time. It’s an upbeat and highly atmospheric collection of songs designed to capture the mood and spirit of every version of the game’s colorful levels. As if that weren’t enough, players are treated to a variety of additional songs and sounds that includes a weird and wonderful lyrical track known as “ You Can Do Anything (Toot Toot Sonic Warrior).”Ĭomposed by Naofumi Hataya and Masafumi Ogata, Sonic CD’s original soundtrack is – much like Sonic CD – an evolution of the concepts established by previous soundtracks in the Sonic series. Sonic CD’s Japanese soundtrack doesn’t feature just one track for each of the game’s levels - it features four memorable tracks for each of the game’s levels, one for each time period. Ohshima’s unheard of approach to time travel in a platformer was complemented by a soundtrack is a must-listen for all gamers.

A version of the level as it exists in the past, a version based on the present, a version based on a positive vision of the future, and a version based on a negative vision of the future. Inspired by the Back to the Future films, Ohshima designed Sonic CD in such a way as to allow players to experience four different versions of the game’s levels. His ambition is most evident when looking at the game’s time travel mechanics. Ohshima wanted Sonic CD to feel like something that wouldn’t have been possible on older systems. This change in direction matched Ohshima’s vision for the game. Originally designed as an enhanced port of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 meant to show off the power of their Sega CD peripheral, Sonic CD eventually became a separate game led by Soniccharacter designer Naoto Ohshima while Sonic lead programmer Yuji Naka worked on Sonic 2 with a team based out of the U.S. To understand the controversy surrounding Sonic CD’s soundtracks, you need to know a few things about the game itself.