E3 2010: Yuji Naka Reveals His Favorite Game Soundtracks

We’re of course huge fans of Yuji Naka. His work on Sonic the Hedgehog is legendary, and even his last project, Let’s Tap, had an amazing soundtrack and very unique gameplay mechanics. For this reason, we’re greatly looking forward to his next title, Ivy the Kiwi?, which is due out on Wii and the DS this year. While our coverage of Ivy the Kiwi? will be coming in the next couple days, we did want to share what Yuji Naka had to say when we asked him about the music in his games.

Oh, and we also find out what his favorite soundtrack is from the game’s he’s worked on. Join us for our brief chat after the jump!

OSV: Hello Naka-san. Many of the game’s you’ve worked on, including Sonic, NiGHTS, and most recently, Let’s Tap, have excellent soundtracks that are highly regarded among fans. We were wondering what your philosophy was on the music in your games, and how you go about selecting a composer to work on your projects.

Yuji Naka: There isn’t a special formula or way that I go about it. I usually think about what’s best for the title, and from there I try to develop some ideas with the music team. Back in the SEGA days, I would talk to the head of the sound team, saying “This is the type of game I’m thinking about, this is the atmosphere,” and after having a meeting with him, we would decide what style to go with and which composers should be involved. More than anything, I guess it’s more of what’s best for the title.

OSV: So, of all the game projects you’ve worked on, which game has the best soundtrack?

Yuji Naka: Of all the title’s I’ve been involved with, it would probably have to be NiGHTS into Dreams. That was the best one that I remember. Next would be Phantasy Star Universe or Phantasy Star Online. Anything that I made with the Sonic team… all of it was great.

OSV: Yeah, there are a lot of fans who agree. It’s all really good.

Yuji Naka: Thank you. Since I love game music so much, I really want to be involved, and I want them to make music that I like as well. There’s been so much music that has been created and has never seen the light of day.

OSV: That’s a shame, we’d love to hear it someday.

Yuji Naka: Let’s Tap was good, wasn’t it?

OSV: Yes, it was a great soundtrack with the SuperSweep team. I liked the electronic style.

Yuji Naka: Yes, I liked that one too.

OSV: Well, thank you, and we’re looking forward to hearing more from Ivy The Kiwi?.

Yuji Naka: Thank you.

[Special thanks to Jimmy Soga at XSEED for translating]