Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Smash Bros. Brawl Music, Composers Detailed

Posted by Zonk on from the beware-the-fancy-lad's-sword-from-above dept.

Via Joystiq, a link to the official Smash Bros. Brawl website, the 'Smash Bros. Dojo'. Currently being used by game director Masahiro Sakurai as a blog, the content has been a bit tame so far. Just the same, things are looking up. He's just posted a detailed list of the game's composers, and a sample of some music from the game. The list reads like a who's who of Japanese game music, with everyone from Akihiro Honda (Metal Gear Series) and Toru Minegishi (Twilight Princess) to Koji Kondo (creator of the Mario and Zelda themes) himself.

37 comments

  1. You forgot some big ones on the list... by HullBreachOnline.com · · Score: 1

    SEGA, SquareEnix, Konami

    Does that mean we will see Sonic and Chrono, in addition to Snake?

    --
    Software and Games for Wii's Opera Browser
    1. Re:You forgot some big ones on the list... by SighKoPath · · Score: 2

      I, for one, would certainly welcome the addition of Chrono to Smash Bros. However, I expect some Final Fantasy character from one of the earlier games is much more likely.

    2. Re:You forgot some big ones on the list... by SighKoPath · · Score: 1

      Before some /. spelling nazi corrects me, allow me to correct myself: Crono. There. Happy?

    3. Re:You forgot some big ones on the list... by HullBreachOnline.com · · Score: 1

      Oops, I spelled it wrong, too.

      CRONO!

      Now we're both safe. You know who'd be awesome: Mog. Those Moogles are ferocious. I remember the old Final Fantasy III (VI) ad that flipped over two pages. The first had Mog standing in the center of the page with dozens of huge monsters behind him. The ad said "It doesn't seem fair, does it?". Flipping the page revealed a pile of dead monsters behind Mog, who was still posed in the center. The ad read "Who said life's fair?". Classic stuff!

      --
      Software and Games for Wii's Opera Browser
    4. Re:You forgot some big ones on the list... by Gothic_Walrus · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Does that mean we will see Sonic and Chrono, in addition to Snake?

      I'm going to go out on a limb and say no.

      If you look at the list, there are a LOT of composers there who aren't linked to Nintendo games. Yuzo Koshiro, of ActRaiser and Streets of Rage? Does that mean we can play as Axel Stone in the game? And surely, the inclusion of Masato Kouda means we'll be able to play as Dante, from his Devil May Cry series!

      Plus, if you actually read the post beyond the list...

      Using the game music that has entertained so many as the base for new arrangements by so many famed musicians... Not too shabby, eh? ...and...

      We've asked our group of arrangement supervisors to listen to an elite selection of Nintendo music and asked them to arrange several of their favorite songs...which means there will be quite a number of songs. ...would indicate that they're primarily there to arrange existing Nintendo material.

      As far as third party characters go, I'm pretty sure that Nintendo's going to keep a tight leash on them. Considering that this is a Nintendo fighting game, adding all of the random characters from third party developers I've heard mentioned here and elsewhere on the internet would be silly or just plain stupid, depending on how you look at it. The Sonic characters are possibilities, yes, especially since Nintendo seems to have become the new home for Sega's characters given how the recent games have sold.

      But outside of fanboys who are going to buy the game regardless, what possible benefit would there be in adding Square's characters? Most people who buy the game aren't going to recognize Chrono or any of the random early Final Fantasy characters and there's zero incentive for Nintendo to include them - they won't boost sales, they won't help to promote interest in any games coming out for the Wii or DS, and we've already got one character (Snake) who doesn't fit well with the game's style. I just can't see it happening, and I've yet to see any convincing reason why it will or should.

      --
      Goo goo g'joob.
    5. Re:You forgot some big ones on the list... by Dr.+Eggman · · Score: 1

      I shall only hope for Sonic if they include a certain villain from the series as well. I'm a fan of games like SNK vs Capcom, Marvel vs Capcom, ect, so I think I'd enjoy this kind of cross-series battle. Sonic and Mario at the Olympics sets the precident, even if it is a lame marketing tie in, so I guess here's hoping.

      --
      Demented But Determined.
    6. Re:You forgot some big ones on the list... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your point is lost once you consider that Solid Snake is in the game.

    7. Re:You forgot some big ones on the list... by SighKoPath · · Score: 1

      Hahaha, I never saw that ad! You (or some other fine /.er) wouldn't happen to know of some copy online somewhere, would you?

      Of all the FF characters, Mog probably would be one of the best to include.

    8. Re:You forgot some big ones on the list... by SighKoPath · · Score: 1

      What about the inclusion of Marth and Roy from Fire Emblem as unlockables in SSB:Melee? I would expect other third-party characters to be used in a similar way.

    9. Re:You forgot some big ones on the list... by Mathonwy · · Score: 1

      Not that I don't agree that there is value in crossovers, (that's what smash brothers IS really, is answering the age old question "who would win in a fight, character A, or character B?") but your argument doesn't really work: Fire Emblem WAS a nintendo game, and so Marth and Roy are as much Nintendo characters as Pikachu is. Granted, [just like pokemon] it wasn't developed by nintendo, but it was published by them, which gives them license to use the characters...

      Now, we already know that solid snake (who is definitely NOT a nintendo character) is in brawl, and it seems likely that Sonic will be as well. So crossovers are all well and good and likely. But fire emblem isn't really a good example of precedent.

    10. Re:You forgot some big ones on the list... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Red Mage, who through his mastery of powergaming arts gets the best stats in the game.

    11. Re:You forgot some big ones on the list... by SighKoPath · · Score: 1

      You are absolutely correct regarding character ownership. However, Marth and Roy still work somewhat as examples because they were relatively unknown in the US before the release of SSB:Melee. The first US release of Fire Emblem in the US was the GBA version, which occurred well after the release of Melee.

    12. Re:You forgot some big ones on the list... by Neo_piper · · Score: 1

      I would expect the SEGA reference to be for some of the music from the "F-Zero AX" game.

    13. Re:You forgot some big ones on the list... by Rathus · · Score: 1

      Dug these up off a web page I must have made almost 10 years ago, complete with horrendous background images and music. Lets see if I can link these in properly.

      Moogle Ad Page 1
      Moogle Ad Page 2
    14. Re:You forgot some big ones on the list... by Ondo · · Score: 1

      Most people who buy the game aren't going to recognize Chrono or any of the random early Final Fantasy characters and there's zero incentive for Nintendo to include them.
      You don't include a random early Final Fantasy character - you include someone like Black Mage. Iconic of the series and recognized by most video game fans. He's already shown up in the Square developed Mario Hoops. That would boost sales and increase interest.

    15. Re:You forgot some big ones on the list... by Ondo · · Score: 1

      If you look at the list, there are a LOT of composers there who aren't linked to Nintendo games. Yuzo Koshiro, of ActRaiser and Streets of Rage? Does that mean we can play as Axel Stone in the game?

      Note that pretty much all the composers on the list have done a lot more work then just what is listed. Yuzo Koshiro could be in for the work he did on the 8-bit Sonic games, or Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin. But most likely it's because, as Wikipedia says, "Yuzo Koshiro arranged music from New Super Mario Bros. for the Fifth Symphonic Game Music Concert in Leipzig, Germany on August 22 2007"

      Also, Akihiro Honda is clearly in to do music for Snake, so it makes sense to think at least one or two others are there to do music from one of their games.

    16. Re:You forgot some big ones on the list... by timster · · Score: 1

      Granted, [just like pokemon] it wasn't developed by nintendo

      Easy mistake to make, but Intelligent Systems, developer of Fire Emblem, is an entirely internal team at Nintendo.

      --
      I have seen the future, and it is inconvenient.
    17. Re:You forgot some big ones on the list... by Gothic_Walrus · · Score: 1

      Ah, crap...I don't have a DS, so Mario Hoops slipped my mind entirely. >_

      I'm still thinking no on the Final Fantasy characters, but I guess there is precedent there...

      --
      Goo goo g'joob.
    18. Re:You forgot some big ones on the list... by Nimrangul · · Score: 1

      No, not the earlier ones, the newer ones, the Crystal Chronicals. That is where you will find your Brawler.

      --
      I'm sick of following my dreams - I'm just going to ask them where they're going and hook up with them later.
  2. Daily updates by the+dark+hero · · Score: 3, Informative

    Apparently the site will be updated daily (Japan Time) so expect updates around 11PM Est - 8PM Pac Time.

    --
    You constantly struggle for self improvement - and it shows.

    Hooray for bad Engrish on fortune cookies

  3. Reusing Themes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If you listen to the sample at the bottom of the link, it's the same old title theme re-arranged in a new way but basically the same melody with backing parts.

    Should games continually reuse a theme? Shouldn't they at least explore a darker modification of the theme or something that contributes to the story? Maybe they should aim for new music all together in some cases?

    It is nice to hear Link's Theme from Zelda but I've heard it a thousand times. Put it in Super Smash Bros Dojo but put a nice refreshing twist on it.

    Since this story is music, I'll take this time to bitch about too many games reusing the same damned melody over and over and over and not doing enough with it to give me satisfaction.

    1. Re:Reusing Themes by Tofystedeth · · Score: 1

      You mean something like the Pink Martini version of Que Sera Sera? That is an awesome and really friggin' eerie tune done that way.

      --
      "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Drink deeply or not at all."
  4. Credits by Rob+T+Firefly · · Score: 1

    The list reads like a who's who of Japanese game music, with everyone from Akihiro Honda (Metal Gear Series) and Toru Minegishi (Twilight Princess) to Koji Kondo (creator of the Mario and Zelda themes) himself.
    Did these composers actually do work for this particular game, or are they credited because someone else is covering and remixing their work for the eleventy-millionth time?
    --
    Slashdot Burying Stories About Slashdot Media Owned
  5. older music is great anyway! by x78 · · Score: 1

    I would be very happy with the music from SSBM or Ocarina of time and the like, gotta love Saria's song!

    --
    Don't panic
  6. From the Site by the+dark+hero · · Score: 1
    From "the dojo"

    Using the game music that has entertained so many as the base for new arrangements by so many famed musicians... Not too shabby, eh?

    They're making arrangements of many songs from the games. So yes. they are doing work for the game.

    --
    You constantly struggle for self improvement - and it shows.

    Hooray for bad Engrish on fortune cookies

  7. Obligatory Gandhi Quote by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    First they ignore you - MS: "99% of the world uses windows, *nix is a non-factor."

    Then they ridicule you - MS: "Linux is a joke and can't hope to ever compete with windows in quality or marketshare."

    Then they fight you - MS: "Linux infringes on 200+ of our patents, but we won't tell what they are! GPLv3 is bad for business!"

    Then...............

    You win.

  8. Downloading the MP3 by The+MAZZTer · · Score: 1

    It's embedded in the SWF file, I saved it to disk and used a free tool I had from some other SWF ripping adventure I had done called SWFRIP to extract the MP3.

  9. Well... by obeythefist · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    This is certainly not stuff that matters, it doesn't seem to be news for nerds, this needs to be tagged:

    "News for people considered to be Nerds by even the Nerds who read Slashdot"

    If the game had gone gold, that's possibly worthy of being called news.
    If the game music was composed by someone unexpected instead of say, stock Nintendo game music composers, that would be news (It would have to be someone really crazy, like Steve Ballmer's "Chair Throwing Party Theme", or Richard Stallman's "You can play this music any time you want but you have to hand out the sheet music that goes along with it" song.)
    If the game music composition software was thrown out and replaced by open source software that only runs on a ubuntu/suse/mac/OLPC then it would be news.
    If the RIAA sued everyone who listened to the music because they "pwnz0rz a11 muziks are bel0ng to them" in traditional RIAA fashion, it would be news.
    If the music made the musicians in soviet russia, it would be news.

    But "Nintendo game music being made by Nintendo game musicians" is even less newsworthy than my trip to the office this morning, and you don't see me submitting that to /. every morning.

    --
    I am government man, come from the government. The government has sent me. -- G.I.R.
    1. Re:Well... by The+Sage+Of+Time · · Score: 1

      Uh.. Have you even looked at the list of musicians? Several of them are straight from the inhouse Nintendo staff, sure, but quite of few of them fall into the realms of "unexpected" I'd say.. You got big names from Square, Koanmi, Sega, etc.. Plus, let's not forget that the sheer number of composers here, and the fact that the majority of them are well known for producing very high quality stuff..

      I'd say that this definitely qualifies itself as news.

  10. One Name Missing... by MostAwesomeDude · · Score: 1

    The one name missing from the great Japanese video game composer list is Nobuo Uematsu, who wrote pretty much everything ever created by Square. While I couldn't reasonably expect him to contribute anything to the game, since there are no Square characters in the game (and he retired a couple years ago), his name is still worth mentioning.

    --
    ~ C.
    1. Re:One Name Missing... by kulmala · · Score: 1

      It's weird that Nobuo Uematsu's name is off the list, since he did in fact contribute to the game; it was announced over a year ago that he composed the game's title track which can be heard in the original E3 2006 trailer.

      --
      Luke, I am your signature. Search your feelings, you know it to be true...
    2. Re:One Name Missing... by penp · · Score: 1

      ...who wrote pretty much everything ever created by Square. He wrote pretty much everything Final Fantasy, but there were a lot of other composers (who are also on this list) that did really great work for Square. Notable names are Yasunori Mitsuda, who composed the music for Chrono Trigger and Xenogears; and Yoko Shimomura, who composed the music for Parasite Eve and Kingdom Hearts.

      I just don't get why people are always so quick to give Nobuo credit for all of Square's work.
    3. Re:One Name Missing... by Yusaku+Godai · · Score: 1

      It's already been pointed out that he composed the music for the E3 trailer for the game, and that he certainly did not do everything for Square.

      I will also add that he has not retired. He just quit Square-Enix and is now freelance. He still does some music for them, but under freelance contracts. His band The Black Mages also came out with a new album not too long ago, and he's done music for recent games like Blue Dragon. He still has an offcial web site hosted by Square-Enix: http://www.square-enix.co.jp/music/sem/page/uemats u/index.html

    4. Re:One Name Missing... by Tofystedeth · · Score: 1

      Actually, I think he and Mitsuda collaborated on Chrono Trigger. I think Mitsuda did the bulk of the work, because it is very similar in style to Chrono Cross and Xenogears/Saga, but if I recall correctly, a few of the tracks are Uematsu. Maybe that collaboration is why that is such an excellent soundtrack.

      --
      "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Drink deeply or not at all."
    5. Re:One Name Missing... by 7Prime · · Score: 1

      Yes, Uematsu did a few of the tracks, but a very small amount. Probably the most notable is the boss battle theme (which is one of my favorites in the game), but I think it was as few as 7 tracks.

      On that note, I don't think CT sounds ANYTHING like Chrono Cross. I found CCs soundtrack to be horrific both in musical nature, and how it fit with the game. Xenogears was somewhere in the middle... basically, I don't like where Mitsuda's going. I think he's sort of like a lesser Uematsu who got lost somewhere along there studying James Horner's more recent film scores, which I equally deplore.

      --
      Multiplayer Gaming (defined): Sitting around, discussing single-player games with my friends, at the bar.
    6. Re:One Name Missing... by Tofystedeth · · Score: 1

      I'd say that all three games have many tracks that have instrumentation and melodic styles that when I hear them instantly make me think Mitsuda. I never finished CC or Xenosaga, but I liked most of both soundtracks. I never played Xenogears, but I don't particularly like the soundtrack. I have a copy of the Creid celtic arrangement of it, which is hit or miss. But on Xenosaga, the Prologue, Ormus, Resurrection, and Zarathustra are some of my favorites. As for the collaboration on CT, I knew Mitsuda did a lot more than Uematsu on it, but I didn't realize it was quite that unbalanced. Do you happen to know the other tracks Uematsu did? I love battle musics. I mean, how many battle musics have awesome xylophone parts?

      --
      "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Drink deeply or not at all."
  11. Big names indeed. by Aleanil · · Score: 1

    As was stated, this is like a Who's Who of composers in Japan. It's truly amazing the talent that they're going to have contributing; I personally want to see more of Yasunori Mitsuda (Chrono series, Xenogears) and Yoko Kanno (Escaflowne, Wolf's Rain, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex) and what they'll do with the music. Motoi Sakuraba's arrangement of the title theme is quite nice. Most of the composers listed on the site didn't even have their bigger / well-known franchises listed, like Yoko Shimumura (Parasite Eve) or Motoi Sakuraba (Star Ocean, the early Tales series) for example.

    It's really quite fascinating to me that Nintendo could round up such a group and convince them to contribute to Smash Bros. Brawl. Hopefully the gameplay will be as varied and interesting as the musical selections.