Favorite VGM composers
 

What are your favorite Video Game Music composers? Yes, we're talking game soundtracks here. I'm curious about other people's favorites.

I myself love to listen to anything by Yasunori Mitsuda. The man is brilliant, and the good thing is that his music can stand on itself. I think VGM often has the problem that it doesn't work as individual music; it's great to support a game, but it can't do without it. Yasunori Mitsuda goes way beyond that.

Another composer whose work I really appreciate, is Masami Ueda. His most famous work is probably the soundtrack to Resident Evil 2, which is an absolute gem. Same story as with Yasunori Mitsuda, the music can stand on itself as well.

These two are my top-picks, some other great ones are, imo of course, Stewart Copeland (of The Police-fame, did a great job on the Spyro series though), Yoko Shimomura (her Kingdom Hearst OST is an instant classic) and Nobuo Uematsu (no need to explain, I think). On to you guys now!

/edit

To the staff, I placed this in the General Music Chat, as it is not about videogames themselves but about the music. However, if you feel the need to move it, by all means, do so. Thank you.

nobuo uematsu :yes the ending theme to ffx is out of this world!

What a great idea for a topic, people often overlook the people who give them reasons just to play a game because of its music.

Kenji Yamamoto - Metroid Prime

Hidenori Shoji - F-Zero GX

Norihiko Hibino and Harry Gregson-Williams - Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori - Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2

Yuzo Koshiro - Shenmue, Shenmue II, and Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune

For me, like sven, it's Yasunori Mitsuda. It would have been Nobuo Uematsu all the way but the Chrono Cross OST just speaks volumes to me whenever i listen to it. Be it just a background theme from a town, or the heavily celtic inspired opening theme.... everything is just OMG WOWZORS!!!!

yasunori mitsuda is definitely my favourite VGM composer. he's really awesome. i almost bought Tsugunai: Atonement (a PS2 game with a soundtrack by mitsuda) because the soundtrack is AMAZING. anyway, i'm glad that i read the reviews before i decided to buy it. the reviews said that it'd make more sense to just buy the soundtrack since the game sucked, but the soundtrack rocked!
i don't think yoko kanno has done anything for video games... so she'd be my favourite anime music composer.