Favorite Video Game Music Composers

[TjN001]

Who are your favorite video game music composers, and what are they best known for?

1. Masato Nakamura - Sonic the Hedgehog 1 & 2
2. Grant Kirkhope - Banjo Kazooie Series
3. Tommy Tallarico - Earthworm Jim Series, Global Gladiators, plenty others.

[Baloo]

Michael Jackson - Michael Jackson's Moonwalker, Sonic the Hedgehog 3

Sugimori Masakazu - Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, Ace Attorney meets Jazz Soul, Ace Attorney Meets Orchestra

Noriyuki Iwadare - Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials and Tribulations, Ace Attorney meets Jazz Soul, Ace Attorney Meets Orchestra

And the guy who did the music for NBA Jam.

[Kollision]

These 3 are great composers:

Yuzo Koshiro (duh!)
Hitoshi Sakimoto (Verytex, Radiant Silvergun and Gradius V...)
Motoi Sakuraba (El Viento, Sol-Feace)

[j_factor]

Jesper Kyd - Subterrania, Red Zone, Batman & Robin (genesis), Scorcher, AMOK, half of The Club

Hideki Naganuma - Jet Grind Radio, JSRF, Sonic Rush

Richard Jacques - Sonic 3D (saturn), Baku Baku, Headhunter, Out Run 2 (remixes), half of The Club

Yuzo Koshiro - Streets of Rage 1-3 (yes including 3), Revenge of Shinobi, Act Raiser, Eye of the Beholder, Vatlva

[17daysolderthannes]

Jesper Kyd - Subterrania, Red Zone, Batman & Robin (genesis), Scorcher, AMOK, half of The Club

oh god, I HATE all of those game's music, they so heavily emphasize everything that is negative about the Genesis sound chip. It has that terrible heavy synth sound that constantly gives the Genesis the reputation for having bad sound.

now some good composers:

Adzusa Hara (原あづさ)
Tatsuya Kiuchi (木内達也)
Hitomi Komatsu (こまつ ひとみ)
Hitoshi Sakimoto (崎元仁)
Hiroaki Yoshida (吉田博昭)

Those are the people credited with Midnight Resistance's music, I don't know which one was the primary composer, but he also did Captain America and the Avengers and it is AWESOME.

And let's not forget Tommy Tallarico, Terminator for Sega CD anyone? Hell, name anything instrumental from Sega CD and it should be on here, Formula 1: Beyond the Limit, AMEN!

[cj iwakura]

Shoji Meguro - Shin Megami Tensei/Persona/Devil Summoner/Digital Devil Saga/etc.
Nobuo Uematsu - Final Fantasy I-X
Yasunori Mitsuda - Xenogears, Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross
Kenichi Tsuchiya - older SMTs, part of Nocturne
Noriyuki Iwadare - Grandia, Lunar, Phoenix Wright (some of it anyway)

[JDB]

Seven words.... RICHARD JACQUES, all the way!

[Rusty Venture]

Mine is Yuzo, love those SOR 1+2 sountracks

Michael Jackson - Michael Jackson's Moonwalker, Sonic the Hedgehog 3

I hate to break this to you, but there isn't much evidence to suggest MJ actually worked on Sonic 3. You've got some songs that have parts that *sound* similar to MJ songs...but that is about it.

SOR2


The Shamen overlayed with "Under Logic" - Just because they sound the same I'd hardly consider The Shamen musical composers for SOR2.

Doom - the music has riffs ripped off from rock music all over the place. AC/DC and Alice in Chains are two that I can actually recognise.

[Zebbe]

oh god, I HATE all of those game's music, they so heavily emphasize everything that is negative about the Genesis sound chip. It has that terrible heavy synth sound that constantly gives the Genesis the reputation for having bad sound.

Wrong. What gives that bad rep is the GEMS engine and all American games. Jesper Kyd got known to do things never achived with the YM2612 before and his soundtracks were praised.

Toshiharu Yamanishi - Thunder Force III & IV, Elemental Master
Johann Sebastian Bach - Dark Castle, Fantasia

[TmEE]

Matt Furniss, countless catchy great sounding tunes in many MD games
Chris Hülsbeck has done some really sweet stuff aswell

[j_factor]

oh god, I HATE all of those game's music, they so heavily emphasize everything that is negative about the Genesis sound chip. It has that terrible heavy synth sound that constantly gives the Genesis the reputation for having bad sound.

Wow, you're crazy.

[17daysolderthannes]

Wrong. What gives that bad rep is the GEMS engine and all American games.

Could you give some examples of those games? not denying you or anything, just curious of what some examples are.

[Zebbe]

The GEMS engine was used in over 200 games (unfortunately). There are some good exceptions which can be counted on both hands, but majority are tosh. Like: Zero Tolerance (its music defines GEMS), Sonic Spinball (just compare this to ANY other Sonic game on the platform), Shaq-Fu (FAMOUS for sucking) and just about any non-EA sports game.

Check this list:

http://gdri.smspower.org/wiki/index....nd_Engine_List

[outrunner]

Robert Prince - Doom, Wolf 3D, Duke 3D

[tomaitheous]

Jesper Kyd - Subterrania, Red Zone, Batman & Robin (genesis), Scorcher, AMOK, half of The Club

Eww. I hate those sound tracks too. Especially Batman & Robin and Red Zone