It takes a talented individual to capture the player’s attention with a game’s musical score
welcome to watcMojo.com
and today we'll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 Video Game Music Composers
for this list, we've chosen the best and brightest music composers
who take us on musical journey from the first note we hear
we've excluded composers such as Hans Zimmer and Gustavo Santaolalla
who despite working on Crysis 2 and the Last of Us, respectively
are mostly regarded as movie composers
plus they've only really done one game apiece
Number ten "Darren Korb"
the multitalented Darren Korb was selected to write the soundtrack for the indie games Bastion and Transistor
by game designer and director Amir Rao
who just so happened to be childhood buddies with Korb
his musical style blends different genres together
lending an impressive sound designs to the games
Bastion has a unique narration element
with acoustic sounds evoking wonder in the exotic fantasy world the gamer is discovering
while Transistor offers something more futuristic and electronic to fit its world
much like the games themselves
both soundtracks have received great reviews
Number nine "Jesper Kyd"
What do the Hitman, Borderlands and earlier Assassins Creed games have in common?
besides being fantastcally fun, yet violent games
their scores were composed by Jesper Kyd
the danish composer beautifully crafts emotional yet harmonious musical pieces
that fit the atmosphere of these games perfectlly
using both acoustic and electronic elements as well as an orchestra and choir
Kyd gets your heart pumping as you are about to assassinate someone as Agent 47
about to assassinate some else as a member of the creed
or just murder a whole bunch of phychos as a vault hunter
Kyd also composed the soundtrack for the vastly underrated Darksiders 2
Number eight "Harry Gregson-Williams"
before Hideo Kojima approached him to score the much anticipated Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Gregson-Williams was a big-time Hollywood composer who never thought he'd work on a videogame
luckily for us he agreed
spawning a new age of high quality production values with the cinematic feel in videogames
Williams has since worked on all Metal Gear solid games
and he's also composed the main theme for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
grandiose and epic
Williams' score set the stage for heart-pounding action and tense drama
Number seven "Manami Matsumae"
composing the soundtrack for one of the most influential games of all time
Manami Matsumae also created the iconic sound effects and the title screen jingle for Megaman
she was employed with Capcom in the late eighties to early nineties
lending her musical talent to such games as Megaman 2
she began freelancing soon after her departure
most notably, contributing to the soundtrack on the indie darling Shovel Knight
she eventually reunited with Capcom and worked on Megaman 10
also fittingly enough
her next work will be featured in the spiritual successor to Megaman
Mighty N. 9
Number six "Jeremy Soule"
synonimous with western RPGs is Jeremy Soule
the man behind the music in The Elder Scrolls and Guild War series
Soule started his career off in Square
joined Humongous Entertainment and eventually formed his own musical production company
Artistry Entertainment with which he has found his greatest successes
he mixes various style of music
including orchestral arreangements and tribal influences
Soule has won multiple awards
has a BAFTA nomination to his credit
and most prestigious of all
has been called the "John Williams" of videogames
for his epic soundtracks
now, that's a compliment
Number five "Yasunori Matsuda"
with the help of the legendary composer Nobuo Uematsu
Yasunori Matsuda got his first job at Square as a music composer
although he was really a glorified sound engineer
he gave the then vice-president Hironobu Sakaguchi an ultimatum
let him compose or we walks
Matsuda was then offically assigned to work on a little game called Chrono Trigger
his career took off and it never looked back
composing music for such games as Chrono Cross, Xenogears and Soul Sacrifice
with keyboard in hand
he gives a minimalist approach when it comes to creating musical masterpieces
Number four "Austin Wintory"
the soothing sounds of flow
and the emotional melodies of Journey are Austin Wintory's claim to videogame theme
the dynamic musical interaction between player actions
and the gaming environment in Journey is a marvel to behold
Wintory makes it high on this list
because he was nominated for a Grammy for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media
for Journey
this is the first and only instance where a videogame was nominated at the most prestigious award show for music
giving videogames everywhere the recognition they truly deserve
you can also hear his work in The Order 1886 but to do that you have to play it
Number three "Yoko Shimomura"
you're gonna make it high on this list
when your body of work consists of videogame exellence such as
Street Fighter 2, Super Mario RPG and Kingdom Hearts
the talented Yoko Shimomura
has worked with legendary gaming companies like Capcom and Square
honing her craft and creating fantastic musical scores
mixing classical music with electronic elements
we're anxiously awaiting for the next titles she's currently working on
RPG behemoths Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts 3
Number two "Koji Kondo"
Super Mario Bros. and the Legend of Zelda
we dare you to try to envision these things and not on their tunes in your head
arguably the most iconic videogame composer
Koji Kondo has created masterpiece after masterpiece for gaming's greatest franchises
if it's a major release for Nintendo
you can bet your bottom to all of it that Kondo composed the music
showcasing his ability to create something magical and memorable
his legacy goes hand in hand with Nintendo's unending success
Koji Kondo is to Nintendo's music
what Shigeru Miyamoto is to the company's game design
before we unveil our number one videogame composer
here's a look at some honorable mentions
Number one "Nobuo Uematsu"
hundreds of masterpieces have been gifted to the gaming world from Nobuo Uematsu's incomparable imagination
we get chills everytime we hear Final Fantasy VII's one-winged angel
his compositions demand attention
mixing electronic guitars with classical and orchestral pieces
blending both european and japanese influences
but it's not all heavy-handed melodrama
since he also composed the theme for Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Uematsu's body work in the Final Fantasy series trancends everything we heard in gaming history
we didn't just make catchy tunes
he elevated gaming music to unparalled heights
creating unforgettable art that will forever be carved into our minds
queue the victory theme
Do you agree with our list?
let us know which videogame music composer you would include on your list
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