Eminence Online

In this article, I will give three examples of torch-passing in action: one where the torch was passed, and the new composer was praised for doing well; one where the torch was passed, and the franchise's music suffered as a result; and one where the torch has yet to be passed, but it will have to happen soon, and it's hard to imagine anyone properly filling the position.

This series goes back ages. In fact, before the "Shin" prefix was stuck to the series, the originally Megami Tensei titles (there were two of them) had soundtracks created solely by Tsukasa Masuko. This was even before Atlus had staked a claim on the franchise. And, through some miracle, this soundtrack from 1991 is still available.

Tsukasa Masuko went on to work on the first two Shin Megami Tensei games (for Super Famicom), as well as the first title in the Devil Summoner gaiden series. Masuko never touched the Persona series, but otherwise, it seems he had his hand in every part of SMT's origins. But, for whatever reason, Masuko left the series in search of other things. Most recently, I discovered that Masuko-san composed the music for Brownie Brown's Nintendo DS RPG, Magical Starsign (a far cry from the SMT series and its emphases on religions and demons).

There is one clear moment where we can see Masuko passing the torch to Shoji Meguro: the second game in the Devil Summoner series, "Soul Hackers" (released on PlayStation and Saturn, only in Japan of course). Both composers worked on this specific title. It was Meguro's first work for an original title in the series, and it was Masuko's last. Since then, Meguro has become strictly associated with all of Atlus' SMT titles: Nocturne, Digital Devil Saga, Persona 3 and 4, even the third and fourth Devil Summoner titles.

There are die-hard fans of the "oldschool" MegaTen games that will argue until they're blue in the face that Masuko was a genius, and Meguro is a hack. I cannot bring myself to agree. There's no question that the two composers attempted fairly different things: even though SMT soundtracks always have those dance/synth-pop tracks, and guitar-rock battle themes, in them. Meguro added two new sounds to SMT: trance J-pop, and jazz. Persona 3's soundtrack, for example, is a far cry from the first two Devil Summoner soundtracks.

Though I certainly miss Masuko's influence on Shin Megami Tensei, his work still makes the occasional appearance. For example, the new MMORPG "Shin Megami Tensei Online: IMAGINE" (released in North America through Aeria Games) uses music from Masuko and Meguro. Meanwhile, I find myself regularly captivated by Meguro's newer works, and I hope he continues to pump out the good tunes.

Koji Kondo is Nintendo's musical trump card. After all, he wrote the original theme songs for Mario and Zelda. Kondo's songs are known the world over, whether people know his name or not.

But I have my doubts that Kondo wanted to become a large-scale composer, comparable to the likes of Motoi Sakuraba or Hitoshi Sakimoto. But, as Nintendo's capacity to produce new Mario and Zelda games would increase, so too would new music have to be made to accompany these new games. And though Kondo's main themes would be re-used a dozen times over for these games, it seems Kondo could only do so much on his own.

The last console entry that Kondo composed solo was Ocarina of Time for Nintendo 64. After that, the follow-up N64 title Majora's Mask allowed the addition of a second composer: Toru Minegishi. Minegishi didn't add a significant number of tracks to the game, but this is where I tend to draw the line between "good" and "bad" Zelda soundtracks.

After working on the Animal Forest series, Minegishi returned to work on The Wind Waker (GameCube), alongside Kenta Nagata and Hajime Wakai. At this point, Kondo's role was nominal; he was credited primarily for the remixed versions of the classic Zelda themes used in the game. At this stage in the series, Link and company are beginning to lose the memorable soundscapes that defined Miyamoto's classic series.

Minegishi also worked on a significant portion of Twilight Princess. His work tends to be the "event" themes for the games, and so his music is that which ought to most influence the player (or listener, in the case of listening to the soundtrack outside the context of the game). Yet, I find that I am routinely unimpressed. And I'm not alone in this complaint.

Most people, if asked about Zelda music, will invariably talk about the original themes found in the NES and SNES games, and the stunning and memorable tracks from Ocarina of Time. After that, it's all a very indistinct blur of music. If Nintendo needed a replacement for Koji Kondo, perhaps they should've searched harder. That, or, perhaps Kondo should've worked more closely with Minegishi-san to help maintain some sort of consistency between "old" and "new" Zelda music.

Born in 1931, Koichi Sugiyama is now approaching the ripe old age of 80. Sugiyama is also widely regarded as one of the greatest Japanese composers of the last century, be it for games, anime, or even original compositions that serve no commercial purpose.

Sugiyama's repertoire of work is large and varied, but gamers best remember Sugiyama for Dragon Quest, and specifically, for the "Overture" that opens each game in the series. Alongside each Dragon Quest release, Sugiyama recorded at least one "symphonic suite" album, using a full symphony orchestra to bring to life the synthesized music used in-game. I say "at least one" because the vast majority of Dragon Quest symphonic suites have been re-recorded and/or reprinted many times over. They are some of the most popular game music albums in Japan, and for good reason.

Sugiyama is a master of the orchestra. His melodies are traditional, very European, very 18th- and 19th-century, and extremely memorable. From the first eight pieces he wrote for Dragon Quest I, to the full two-disc set of music released for Dragon Quest VIII, and everything in between, the Dragon Quest discography is one of the most important works in the history of game music.

But Sugiyama is getting on in his years. If he retires, or (heaven forbid) if he dies in the middle of the creation of another Dragon Quest soundtrack, what will happen? Can a man like Sugiyama even be replaced? All signs point to "no." One possible contender, Hayato Matsuo, has worked under Sugiyama (and Matsuo is considered, by some, to have been mentored by Sugiyama through the work they've done together). But Matsuo's work, widespread as it is (he's done much music for games and anime), just cannot hold a candle to Sugiyama's work. In the past, Matsuo has worked on such soundtracks as Front Mission 3, Ogre Battle, and Magic Knight Rayearth. But I'm not sure he could handle Dragon Quest X.

Suffice it to say, I'm not ready for the next Dragon Quest that comes without Sugiyama. If Sugiyama were to move on, then so too should Yuji Horii (game design) and Akira Toriyama (art), so we as consumers can draw a clear line in the sand and say "from here on, it is a new generation of Dragon Quest." One possibility here would be that developer Level-5 takes full charge of the series, which would mean that their in-house composer Tomohito Nishiura could take the torch from Sugiyama. I'm not sure he could fill those shoes any better than Matsuo, but Nishiura's most recent works (the Professor Layton trilogy) suggest that he's well-versed in European styles of composition and arrangement. 

When the torch is handed from one composer to the next in the handling of a series/franchise, there are two things the next composer can attempt to do: a) they can attempt to imitate their predecessor, which almost always results in failure, or b) they can try to reshape the musical atmosphere of the series, and hope that fans will accept the new artistic direction. Most composers will attempt the latter path, though I do believe that, to an extent, Minegishi attempted the former and failed. I would like to see a composer attempt, and succeed, in the former path, particularly in the case of Dragon Quest. But I have my doubts that such a possibility exists. As time marches on, we audiophiles will have to accept the changes in our favorite game and anime franchises: be it art, music, or other directions. Let us hope that those changes are always for the better; and if not, that they do not detract too much from our enjoyment of the holistic product.