Masayoshi Soken
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese video game composer and sound editor who has worked for Square Enix
since 2001. He is best known for scoring the Nintendo DS
game Mario Hoops 3-on-3
. Throughout his musical career, Soken has also gone under the names "Masayoshi Kikuchi", "Sorbonne Soken", and "Luis Noma".
(now Square Enix
) in 2001, where his first assignment was arranging two songs on the extended play
feel/Go dream: Yuna & Tidus; he was credited as "Masayoshi Kikuchi". His debut as a composer came with the Japan-exclusive sports game
s Nichibeikan Pro Baseball: Final League, in which he was the sole composer, and World Fantasista with synthesizer programmer
Takeharu Ishimoto
. Soken came into the public eye when he performed at the 2005 Square Enix Party event and was confirmed a sound editor for the company. His only known roles as a sound editor are for the 2005 titles Drakengard 2
and Front Mission 5: Scars of the War
.
In 2006, Soken composed and arranged the score to Mario Hoops 3-on-3
(known as Mario Slam Basketball in Europe), a basketball game developed by Square Enix and published by Nintendo
for the Nintendo DS
, featuring both Mario
and Final Fantasy
characters. Along with Kenji Ito
and Tsuyoshi Sekito
, he created the soundtrack to Dawn of Mana
(known as "Seiken Densetsu 4" in Japan), with Academy Award-winning composer Ryuichi Sakamoto
providing the main theme. Soken also arranged a few tracks from previous Mana games, and performed the electric guitar
for his arrangements. In 2007, he scored the online game
Elebest with Ai Yamashita.
Soken has also contributed to Square Enix advertisements; Front Mission 5: Scars of the War
(2005) featured the sports commercial song "Blue Stream", Soken's only composition in the game. He also participated in a Square Enix advertisement for pencils where he got beaten up by two robots; the commercial featured music composed by him. Soken created the fanfare
for Square Enix Music TV, a monthly video feature where new album releases are discussed and interviews with Square Enix composers are conducted. For the iTunes
-exclusive Square Enix Music Official Bootleg collection, Soken contributed the piece "Dog Street" for the first volume in 2006, and "Languid Afternoon" for the third volume in 2007; he went under the alias "Sorbonne Soken" on the third volume. In 2008, he composed the Japan-exclusive Nanashi no Game
, this time under the pseudonym "Luis Noma". In 2010, he composed another sports game for the Wii, Mario Sports Mix
.
Square Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
since 2001. He is best known for scoring the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
game Mario Hoops 3-on-3
Mario Hoops 3-on-3
Mario Hoops 3-on-3, known in Europe and Australia as Mario Slam Basketball and in Japan as , is a sports game developed by Square Enix and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS in 2006....
. Throughout his musical career, Soken has also gone under the names "Masayoshi Kikuchi", "Sorbonne Soken", and "Luis Noma".
Biography
Born in Mexico, Masayoshi Soken joined SquareSquare Co.
was a Japanese video game company founded in September 1983 by Masafumi Miyamoto. It merged with Enix in 2003 and became part of Square Enix...
(now Square Enix
Square Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
) in 2001, where his first assignment was arranging two songs on the extended play
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
feel/Go dream: Yuna & Tidus; he was credited as "Masayoshi Kikuchi". His debut as a composer came with the Japan-exclusive sports game
Sports game
A sports game is a computer or video game that simulates the practice of traditional sports. Most sports have been recreated with a game, including team sports, athletics and extreme sports. Some games emphasize actually playing the sport , whilst others emphasize strategy and organization...
s Nichibeikan Pro Baseball: Final League, in which he was the sole composer, and World Fantasista with synthesizer programmer
Synthesizer programmer
In video game music, a synthesizer programmer - or a manipulator - helps a composer by choosing the right instruments to play the music inside the video game....
Takeharu Ishimoto
Takeharu Ishimoto
is a Japanese video game composer, synthesizer programmer, and musician currently working at Square Enix. He joined Square Enix in 1999 as a synthesizer programmer on Legend of Mana, and worked for them on several games. In 2002 he moved to become a composer, beginning with World Fantastista...
. Soken came into the public eye when he performed at the 2005 Square Enix Party event and was confirmed a sound editor for the company. His only known roles as a sound editor are for the 2005 titles Drakengard 2
Drakengard 2
Drakengard 2, or in Japan, is an action RPG for the PlayStation 2 system and is a direct sequel to the original Drakengard. Like the original, Drakengard 2 combines on-foot hack and slash with aerial combat stages reminiscent of Sega's Panzer Dragoon...
and Front Mission 5: Scars of the War
Front Mission 5: Scars of the War
is a tactical role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix Co., Ltd., and was released in Japan on December 29, 2005. Front Mission 5: Scars of the War is the sixth main entry and ninth entry overall in the Front Mission series...
.
In 2006, Soken composed and arranged the score to Mario Hoops 3-on-3
Mario Hoops 3-on-3
Mario Hoops 3-on-3, known in Europe and Australia as Mario Slam Basketball and in Japan as , is a sports game developed by Square Enix and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS in 2006....
(known as Mario Slam Basketball in Europe), a basketball game developed by Square Enix and published by Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
, featuring both Mario
Mario (series)
The video game series, alternatively called the series or simply the series, is a series of highly popular and critically acclaimed video games by Nintendo, featuring Nintendo's mascot Mario and, in many games, his brother Luigi. Gameplay in the series often centers around jumping on and...
and Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy
is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and is developed and owned by Square Enix . The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science-fantasy role-playing video games , but includes motion pictures, anime, printed media, and other merchandise...
characters. Along with Kenji Ito
Kenji Ito
, also known by the nickname , is a Japanese video game composer and musician. He is best known for his work on the Mana and SaGa series, though he has worked on over 30 video games throughout his career as well as composed or arranged music for over 15 other albums, concerts, and plays...
and Tsuyoshi Sekito
Tsuyoshi Sekito
is a Japanese video game composer, arranger, and musician who has been employed at Square Enix since 1995. As a composer, he is best known for scoring the video games Brave Fencer Musashi and The Last Remnant...
, he created the soundtrack to Dawn of Mana
Dawn of Mana
Dawn of Mana, known in Japan as , is an action-adventure game developed and published by Square Enix for Sony's PlayStation 2. The game is part of Square Enix's World of Mana project that also includes Children of Mana, Heroes of Mana and Friends of Mana. The game was released on December 21, 2006...
(known as "Seiken Densetsu 4" in Japan), with Academy Award-winning composer Ryuichi Sakamoto
Ryuichi Sakamoto
After working as a session musician with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi in 1977, the trio formed the internationally successful electronic music band Yellow Magic Orchestra in 1978. Known for their seminal influence on electronic music, the group helped pioneer electronic genres such as...
providing the main theme. Soken also arranged a few tracks from previous Mana games, and performed the electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
for his arrangements. In 2007, he scored the online game
Online game
An online game is a game played over some form of computer network. This almost always means the Internet or equivalent technology, but games have always used whatever technology was current: modems before the Internet, and hard wired terminals before modems...
Elebest with Ai Yamashita.
Soken has also contributed to Square Enix advertisements; Front Mission 5: Scars of the War
Front Mission 5: Scars of the War
is a tactical role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix Co., Ltd., and was released in Japan on December 29, 2005. Front Mission 5: Scars of the War is the sixth main entry and ninth entry overall in the Front Mission series...
(2005) featured the sports commercial song "Blue Stream", Soken's only composition in the game. He also participated in a Square Enix advertisement for pencils where he got beaten up by two robots; the commercial featured music composed by him. Soken created the fanfare
Fanfare
A Fanfare is a relatively short piece of music that is typically played by trumpets and other brass instruments often accompanied by percussion...
for Square Enix Music TV, a monthly video feature where new album releases are discussed and interviews with Square Enix composers are conducted. For the iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
-exclusive Square Enix Music Official Bootleg collection, Soken contributed the piece "Dog Street" for the first volume in 2006, and "Languid Afternoon" for the third volume in 2007; he went under the alias "Sorbonne Soken" on the third volume. In 2008, he composed the Japan-exclusive Nanashi no Game
Nanashi no Game
-Reception:As of September 30, 2008, Nanashi no Game has sold 60,000 copies in Japan. It was scored 30 out of 40 by Famitsu magazine.- Sequels :...
, this time under the pseudonym "Luis Noma". In 2010, he composed another sports game for the Wii, Mario Sports Mix
Mario Sports Mix
is a sports video game developed by Square Enix for Wii. It was released on November 25, 2010 in Japan, and was released in early 2011 in other regions. It features volleyball, both field hockey and ice hockey, dodgeball, and street basketball...
.
Discography
| Video games | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Collaborator(s) |
| 2002 | Nichibeikan Pro Baseball: Final League | Composition | |
| World Fantasista | Composition | Takeharu Ishimoto Takeharu Ishimoto is a Japanese video game composer, synthesizer programmer, and musician currently working at Square Enix. He joined Square Enix in 1999 as a synthesizer programmer on Legend of Mana, and worked for them on several games. In 2002 he moved to become a composer, beginning with World Fantastista... |
|
| 2005 | Drakengard 2 Drakengard 2 Drakengard 2, or in Japan, is an action RPG for the PlayStation 2 system and is a direct sequel to the original Drakengard. Like the original, Drakengard 2 combines on-foot hack and slash with aerial combat stages reminiscent of Sega's Panzer Dragoon... |
Sound editing | |
| Front Mission 5: Scars of the War Front Mission 5: Scars of the War is a tactical role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix Co., Ltd., and was released in Japan on December 29, 2005. Front Mission 5: Scars of the War is the sixth main entry and ninth entry overall in the Front Mission series... |
Sound editing/composition | Hidenori Iwasaki Hidenori Iwasaki is a Japanese synthesizer programmer and video game composer currently working at Square Enix. He studied at the Tokyo International University before joining Square in 1998. He first worked as a synthesizer programmer before becoming a composer. His first work as a solo composer is Front Mission 4... , Kenichiro Fukui Kenichiro Fukui is a Japanese video game composer and musician. Before working at Square Enix, he was employed at Konami. He is an arranger and a keyboardist in the band The Black Mages, formed in 2003. Additionally, Fukui arranged Angela Aki's "Kiss Me Good-Bye" from Final Fantasy XII. In October 2007, he left... , and Yasuhiro Yamanaka |
|
| 2006 | Mario Hoops 3-on-3 Mario Hoops 3-on-3 Mario Hoops 3-on-3, known in Europe and Australia as Mario Slam Basketball and in Japan as , is a sports game developed by Square Enix and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS in 2006.... |
Composition/arrangement | |
| Dawn of Mana Dawn of Mana Dawn of Mana, known in Japan as , is an action-adventure game developed and published by Square Enix for Sony's PlayStation 2. The game is part of Square Enix's World of Mana project that also includes Children of Mana, Heroes of Mana and Friends of Mana. The game was released on December 21, 2006... |
Composition/arrangement | Kenji Ito Kenji Ito , also known by the nickname , is a Japanese video game composer and musician. He is best known for his work on the Mana and SaGa series, though he has worked on over 30 video games throughout his career as well as composed or arranged music for over 15 other albums, concerts, and plays... , Tsuyoshi Sekito Tsuyoshi Sekito is a Japanese video game composer, arranger, and musician who has been employed at Square Enix since 1995. As a composer, he is best known for scoring the video games Brave Fencer Musashi and The Last Remnant... , and Ryuichi Sakamoto Ryuichi Sakamoto After working as a session musician with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi in 1977, the trio formed the internationally successful electronic music band Yellow Magic Orchestra in 1978. Known for their seminal influence on electronic music, the group helped pioneer electronic genres such as... |
|
| 2007 | Elebest | Composition | Ai Yamashita |
| 2008 | Nanashi no Game Nanashi no Game -Reception:As of September 30, 2008, Nanashi no Game has sold 60,000 copies in Japan. It was scored 30 out of 40 by Famitsu magazine.- Sequels :... |
Composition | |
| 2010 | Mario Sports Mix Mario Sports Mix is a sports video game developed by Square Enix for Wii. It was released on November 25, 2010 in Japan, and was released in early 2011 in other regions. It features volleyball, both field hockey and ice hockey, dodgeball, and street basketball... |
Composition | Kumi Tanioka Kumi Tanioka is a Japanese video game music composer and musician. She is most known for composing the Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles series.-Early life:Kumi Tanioka was born in Hiroshima, Japan. She studied music and composition while in school and enjoyed listening to video game music as her younger brother... |
| Other works | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Collaborator(s) |
| 2002 | feel/Go dream: Yuna & Tidus | Composition | Masashi Hamauzu Masashi Hamauzu is a Japanese video game composer who was employed at Square Enix from 1996 to 2010. He is best known for his work on the Final Fantasy and SaGa series. Born into a musical family in Germany, Hamauzu was raised in Japan... and Tsuyoshi Sekito Tsuyoshi Sekito is a Japanese video game composer, arranger, and musician who has been employed at Square Enix since 1995. As a composer, he is best known for scoring the video games Brave Fencer Musashi and The Last Remnant... |
| 2006 | Square Enix Music Official Bootleg Vol. 1 | Composition | several others |
| 2007 | Square Enix Music Official Bootleg Vol. 3 | Composition | several others |
External links
- Masayoshi Soken at Square Enix Music (North America)