Image source: (https://pixabay.com/photos/technology-controller-play-3189176/)
While you are probably familiar with many classic video game soundtracks, you may not be aware of who composed the music. Many of the gaming world’s best composers have hailed from Japan. Here is a look at the five greatest.
Koji Kondo
Back in 1984, Koji Kondo became the first person hired by Nintendo to specialize in video game music composition. He got the job by answering an ad for a sound designer. The rest is history. Kondo went on to become the sound designer for the 1985 classic game Super Mario Bros. and he made numerous contributions to other Super Mario games and the iconic Legend of Zelda series of games, as well as many other notable titles.
The music used in a video game is crucial to its overall success, and many of the most well-known video game soundtracks were created by Japanese composers. The importance of music also extends to other forms of entertainment, including オンラインカジノゲーム (online casino games), to enhance atmosphere and enjoyment of the game mechanics.
Masafumi Takada
Masafumi Takada is one of the greatest collaborators in the world of video game composition. He often partners with composer and guitarist Jun Fukuda, and Takada has worked on numerous projects for Goichi Suda’s Grasshopper Manufacture studio. Takada is most well-known for his soundtracks for God Hand, Killer 7, and No More Heroes. He has also worked on games like Kid Icarus: Uprising and Super Smash Bros. In 2008, Takada founded his personal record label Sound Prestige, and in 2017, he co-founded the video game development studio Too Kyo Games. You should try the best online casinos in Japan to enjoy good games and to hear euphonious soundtracks but from different composers.
Masato Nakamura
In Japan, Masato Nakamura is well-known for being a musician, a producer, and a member of the wildly successful band Dreams Come True. The group was formed back in 1988 and it has gone on to sell more than 50 million records worldwide. But Nakamura has another claim to fame. He composed the soundtracks to Sega’s classic games Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Nakamura has also composed numerous TV commercials and movie soundtracks over the years, but gamers will always know him best for the catchy music that accompanies everyone’s favorite speedy blue hedgehog.
Yoko Shimomura
Thankfully, not every Japanese video game soundtrack composer is male, and Yoko Shimomura has been giving the men a run for their money for years. From 1993, she worked as a composer for Capcom, where she composed or co-composed the scores for sixteen games, including Final Fight and Street Fighter II: The World Warrior. She then went on to work for Square, where she composed music for a further eight games. Her most notable score was for the Kingdom Hearts game. After becoming a freelancer, she continued to compose the music for many well-known video games, including The 3rd Birthday and Final Fantasy XV.
Hiroshi Kawaguchi
In addition to being a member of several bands over the years, Hiroshi Kawaguchi is a video game composer for Sega. In fact, he is the oldest member of the Sega sound team and one of only a few members from the 1980s who is still actively composing for games today. He began working for Sega as a programmer but quit the job a year later to become a key composer for the company, and he has never looked back. Kawaguchi composed music for some of Sega’s most memorable arcade games, including Out Run, After Burner, and Space Harrier. He also tutored new composers working for Sega, including Keitaro Hanada and Yasuhiro Takagi.
