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Kenji Yamamoto
I’m always trying to include at least one musical piece from the previous title to satisfy old Metroid fans. It’s like a present for them. 
— Kenji Yamamoto[1]
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Kenji Yamamoto is a Japanese video game musician working for Nintendo. He was born on April 25, 1964.[2] Yamamoto is notable for composing music in many titles of the Metroid series, mainly Super Metroid and the Prime trilogy. Yamamoto also plays a role as a music director at Nintendo, overseeing the audio for several Nintendo games.[1]
Yamamoto felt that the Prime series needed a musical connection to its roots. Having worked with Super Metroid over a decade earlier, he decided to rearrange several pieces of music from the 1994 installment, including the main theme, to give players a sense of continuity. [1]
Discography[edit | edit source]
Yamamoto is credited with creating the soundtracks of the following Metroid games:
- 1994, Super Metroid (with Minako Hamano)
- 2002, Metroid Fusion (as sound designer)
- 2002, Metroid Prime (with Kouichi Kyuuma)
- 2004, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
- 2004, Metroid: Zero Mission (with Minako Hamano. Original score by Hirokazu Tanaka)
- 2005, Metroid Prime Pinball (with Masaru Tajima)
- 2006, Metroid Prime Hunters (as sound supervisor)
- 2007, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (with Minako Hamano and Masaru Tajima)
Kenji Yamamoto contributed with many other video game composers for Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
Trivia[edit | edit source]
- Yamamoto developed the music of the Prime series from Japan, while Retro Studios were working on other aspects of the games in the United States. During the production of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption Yamamoto visited Retro Studios and played guitar in a jam session with Retro developers Scott Petersen and Michael Kelbaugh[1]
- In Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, if the correct combination of characters is inputted into the communicator messages from the game's developers can be heard. Yamamoto's message begins with him playing the Metroid Prime theme on the acoustic guitar and whistling. The correct combination of buttons is (from left) 3rd, 6th, 4th, 8th.
References[edit source]
