• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

Does Koji Kondo actually COMPOSE music anymore?

A

Ark-AMN

Banned
After reading some threads about Zelda's orchestrated soundtrack and also looking at recent game credits for Nintendo. It seems as though Kondo is only mentioned as the guy who made up the original themes (of Mario and Zelda), but the music composition is done by completely new people.

I know Shikamaru Ninja (EAD Ninja for us old timers) would probably know this. But is Kondo actually composing anything now? (ie. is he doing Zelda: TP? or anything else) Or has he pretty much retired?
 
He still does, it's just that he has a lot of minions under him that do some composing as well.
 
In a (relatively) recent interview with Nintendo Power, he confirmed that he was doing lots of research into various musical styles for the Twilight Princess soundtrack. Presumably, he will be partially composing that one.
 
He was interviewed a while back on Zelda. I think he at least plays a part. Wind Waker had quite a few composers as I recall... I remember wondering if Koji Kondo was credited just because of the old-theme remixes. But yeah, there are interviews about confirming his continuing involvement. Perhaps he's edged more into a position of responsibility for Nintendo's music departments in general but is still kind of hands on...

Not dissimilar to the situation regarding *other* people at Nintendo - does Miyamoto actually DIRECT games anymore?
 
Yeah, there were 4 composers on Windwaker, Koji Kondo, Kenta Nagata, Hajime Wakai, Toru Minegishi. And he had worked with Shinobu Tanaka on Mario Sunshine.
 
Sadly Mario Kart DS with the retro courses really shows how the quality of their music has gone downhill. Only truly memorable tune they've done in recent years is the Luigi's Mansion music IMO.
 
Merlin said:
Sadly Mario Kart DS with the retro courses really shows how the quality of their music has gone downhill. Only truly memorable tune they've done in recent years is the Luigi's Mansion music IMO.
Click to expand...
Super Mario Sunshine had some good tunes. Especially Plaza Delfino.
 
Merlin said:
Sadly Mario Kart DS with the retro courses really shows how the quality of their music has gone downhill. Only truly memorable tune they've done in recent years is the Luigi's Mansion music IMO.
Click to expand...

I totally agree. And MKDS isn't the only game to exemplify this. You just know game music has gone downhill when the only truly memorable tune in Metroid Prime 2 is a remix of a Metroid 3 song. Sad. Very sad.
 
Kondo did a handful of tracks for Wind Waker. Most of them are some of the more memorable ones in the game, such as Dragon's Roost Island.
 
Mallrat83 said:
Super Mario Sunshine had some good tunes. Especially Plaza Delfino.
Click to expand...


I dont know though, actually I can still remember the Luigi's Mansion music, but not a lick of Sunshine's
 
Kondo did about half the tracks for Super Mario Sunshine. I would guess about 5-10 tracks (of 133 total) for Wind Waker. Plus the new tracks for Four Sword Adventures. And that's basically his whole output this generation. Kinda dissappointing. Hopefully he will be more involved in the TP soundtrack.
 
He did one of Wind Waker's best tracks, how could you all forget the Dragon Roost Island theme?
 
AltogetherAndrews said:
Dude needs to retire
Click to expand...

You're crazy. Do you even know who you're talking about?

Koji Kondo is a god in the realm of game music. He's definitely one of the best musicians of all time (that is solely dedicated to game music).
 
jj984jj said:
He did one of Wind Waker's best tracks, how could you all forget the Dragon Roost Island theme?
Click to expand...
I thought that was Kenta Nagata track. Are you sure about that?

bitwise said:
I dont know though, actually I can still remember the Luigi's Mansion music, but not a lick of Sunshine's
Click to expand...
Considering that about 80% of LM's soundtrack is just that one main theme being repeated all the time in different arrangements that shouldn't come as a surprise.
 
Jeff-DSA said:
You're crazy. Do you even know who you're talking about?

Koji Kondo is a god in the realm of game music. He's definitely one of the best musicians of all time (that is solely dedicated to game music).
Click to expand...

Meh. He was lucky enough to gain his reputation when the field was narrow and very little was required to appear competent. One of the best video game musicians of all time? :lol
 
AltogetherAndrews said:
Meh. He was lucky enough to gain his reputation when the field was narrow and very little was required to reach fame. One of the best video game musicians of all time? :lol
Click to expand...


How many people's music can be recognized by just about anybody in the general public outside of Kondo's? Even old farts and kids recognize the Mario and Zelda themes. Heck, my college's band even plays the Legend of Zelda theme at football games on occasion.
 
AltogetherAndrews said:
Meh. He was lucky enough to gain his reputation when the field was narrow and very little was required to appear competent. One of the best video game musicians of all time? :lol
Click to expand...


You are the best video game musician.
 
Jeff-DSA said:
How many people's music can be recognized by just about anybody in the general public outside of Kondo's? Even old farts and kids recognize the Mario and Zelda themes. Heck, my college's band even plays the Legend of Zelda theme at football games on occasion.
Click to expand...

And it's certainly not because the songs are excellent examples of excellent music. Plenty of people can hum "The Look" by Roxette, but that sure as hell doesn't make Roxette one of the best musical acts of all time. He's a legend, but not because he's a musical genius.
 
AltogetherAndrews said:
And it's certainly not because the songs are excellent examples of excellent music. He's a legend, but not because he's a musical genius.
Click to expand...

There are precious, precious few musical geniuses in this world. Koji Kondo is a great composer, IMHO, and there's no shame in him not being a genius.
 
AltogetherAndrews said:
Hardly. Face it, his legendary status has nothing to do with a musical gift, and everything to do with being on the right boat at the right time.
Click to expand...


Stop recycling your argument; it's frustrating. Instead of offering a valid counterpoint you just keep saying the same thing over and over.
 
Jeff-DSA said:
Stop recycling your argument; it's frustrating. Instead of offering a valid counterpoint you just keep saying the same thing over and over.
Click to expand...

I have offered a perfectly valid argument; his legendary status is squarely a result of him being fortunate (or perhaps foresightful) enough to get on the boat at a point where less was required. The reason people play his songs to this day is because they associate those songs with games they remember fondly, not because the songs are musical masterpieces.

Let me know when you have a counterargument that is a wee bit more substantial than "he's a legend!", and I'll get back to you.
 
AltogetherAndrews said:
I have offered a perfectly valid argument. Let me know when you have a counterargument that is a wee bit more substantial than "he's a legend!"
Click to expand...


Bah, I'm done with this one. He's not one of the most respected composers in the gaming industry because he was lucky.

If that was all it took, Roxette (taken from your example from above) would still be topping the charts. Luck produces short-term success and recognition, not decades of it.
 
AltogetherAndrews said:
The reason people play his songs to this day is because they associate those songs with games they remember fondly, not because the songs are musical masterpieces.
Click to expand...

You really shouldn't assume the reasons why people play his music, as you're hardly in a position to tell.
 
Jeff-DSA said:
He keeps editing older posts to make his argument look better in retrospect.

WEAK!
Click to expand...

Huh? I added "river" to one post, and posted a small summary of my argument in another (since you bitched about me not having an argument). I realize that you don't have much of an argument aside from the N-bot standard "it's legendary" tripe, but that's really no reason to behave like a baby.
 
Mejilan said:
You really shouldn't assume the reasons why people play his music, as you're hardly in a position to tell.
Click to expand...

Are you seriously suggesting that people would rock out to the SMB theme song if they didn't have an attachment of some sort to the actual game? Maybe I'm not giving Koji Kondo enough credit, but that's a pretty ridiculous argument. As for staying power... even the Nintendo fans here seem to have trouble identifying his tracks from others at this point. I guess he must have lost that genius in his old age, huh?
 
AltogetherAndrews said:
Huh? I added "river" to one post, and posted a small summary of my argument in another (since you bitched about me not having an argument). I realize that you don't have much of an argument aside from the N-bot standard "it's legendary" tripe, but that's really no reason to behave like a baby.
Click to expand...

What the fuck do you have against kondo you dickwad? Why should he retire? Is he making the world a worse place by being employed???

You should retire. You're in the right place and right time to get banned.
 
Tony HoTT said:
What the fuck do you have against kondo you dickwad? Why should he retire? Is he making the world a worse place by being employed???

You should retire. You're in the right place and right time to get banned.
Click to expand...

I should get banned because I question the excellence of one man's work? You people are too much.
 
AltogetherAndrews said:
Huh? I added "river" to one post, and posted a small summary of my argument in another (since you bitched about me not having an argument). I realize that you don't have much of an argument aside from the N-bot standard "it's legendary" tripe, but that's really no reason to behave like a baby.
Click to expand...
it doesn't matter how you edited them, just the fact that you edited previous posts in an ongoing argument means you lose automatically.
 
AltogetherAndrews said:
I should get banned because I question the excellence of one man's work? You people are too much.
Click to expand...

Yes.

There is absolutely no valid reason to question his excellence. I can't think of any other videogame music that has been more culturally reverred.

My older brother and I used to beat Nintendo games just see Koji Kondo's name in the ending credits. This was when I was about 8 years old.

Gay for Koji Kondo I am!
 
AltogetherAndrews said:
Are you seriously suggesting that people would rock out to the SMB theme song if they didn't have an attachment of some sort to the actual game? Maybe I'm not giving Koji Kondo enough credit, but that's a pretty ridiculous argument. As for staying power... even the Nintendo fans here seem to have trouble identifying his tracks from others at this point. I guess he must have lost that genius in his old age, huh?
Click to expand...

I think this little discussion has gone well beyond overboard, but I suggested nothing, unless it was that you perhaps shouldn't make assumptions about the anonymous masses out there. :)
 
Merlin said:
Sadly Mario Kart DS with the retro courses really shows how the quality of their music has gone downhill. Only truly memorable tune they've done in recent years is the Luigi's Mansion music IMO.
Click to expand...
Hate these threads. Mario Sunshine. Best Mario theme since the original.
 
I love the starting music to Mario 64, the bit where the cloud guy goes around the castle. he did that right?

and the music to Yoshi's island, was that him too? Because he should get a medal for that too.

This generation, I think Luigi's mansion was quite memorable, but the other music this generation, while not having the old school catchyness, is still good. WW had some nice tunes.
 
James-Ape said:
I love the starting music to Mario 64, the bit where the cloud guy goes around the castle. he did that right?

and the music to Yoshi's island, was that him too? Because he should get a medal for that too.
Click to expand...

Yes, Mario 64, Super Mario World, Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Yoshi's Island were all 100% Kondo. Fuck the hataz. :heart:
 
I think Luigi's Mansion is the only game this generation that Koji Kondo did by himself. Everything else he's had a supervisory role over the half-dozen or dozen composers in his sound team, and would contribute maybe a few songs himself to a game.

By the way: which of the four composers that worked on WW did the Credits theme and the title theme? Best two tracks in the game right there.
 
GaimeGuy said:
By the way: which of the four composers that worked on WW did the Credits theme and the title theme? Best two tracks in the game right there.
Click to expand...

Not sure, myself. I'd ASSUME Kondo would do the title, being the leader and all. But you never know. I do know that Hajime Wakai did Molgera's theme, if it matters.
 
Kenta Nagata did that cool piano dungeon remix. That was freakin awesome.


Kenta Nagata, Hajime Wakai, Ryoji Yoshitomi, Minako Hamano, Kenji M. Yamamoto, Kazumi Totaka, Akito Nakatsuka. >>>>>> Koji Kondo
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Koji Kondo & Kenneth Young greatest composers for platformers ever?
31
749
Holammer replied
Are Games Actually Fun Anymore?
2 3 4
167
11K
Roufianos replied
Nvidia really doesn't seem to care about gaming GPUs anymore - Gaming GPU sales no longer reported
News  2 3
101
102
evanft replied
"62% won’t pay $70 anymore": Gen Z's shift toward subscription services
2
72
252
Sintoid replied
Is there a game that actually nails proper 80s and 90s nostalgia?
2 3
107
398
Dacvak replied
Top Bottom