Resident Evil 5

Game Music

We say “Hakuna Matata” in Afrika: Wataru Hokoyama Interview

September 22, 2009 | Patrick Gann | 4 Comments Share this

Wataru Hokoyama has had plenty of experience in composition, arrangement, and orchestration prior to getting involved in the world of game music. Nerdy trivia: remember the musical episode of Buffy? Hokoyama worked on the orchestration for that episode. He’s done a lot of film and television work in Los Angeles, as a matter of fact.

But in recent years, Hokoyama orchestrated the music for Resident Evil 5, and scored the entirety of the PS3 game Afrika (known in other parts of the world as Hakuna Matata). Note that the release for Afrika (via Natsume) in North America is coming very soon; if there are no further delays, it should be coming on October 6th. Hint hint, nudge nudge, wink wink. Go buy it.

After the jump, check out our interview with the Japanese composer who has spent most of his adult life here in America. (more…)
Game Music

GDC 2009: Interview With Capcom Sound Director Tetsuya Shibata

March 29, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 5 Comments Share this

[Left to right: Wataru Hokoyama, Jayson Napolitano, Norihiko Hibino, Tommy Kikuchi, Tetsuya Shibata]

Tim’s right when he says its been a long week at GDC. But it’s been a lot of fun too. We were fortunate enough to be able to catch up with Tetsuya Shibata, the Sound Director at Capcom Japan. He made his way to the San Francisco for the sole purpose of being present for the evening’s G.A.N.G. Awards where his vocal theme from Devil May Cry 4 had been nominated in the “Best Vocal – Pop” category.

We briefly discuss Resident Evil 5 and Devil May Cry 4, as well as his other 2008 projects. We also learn about Shibata’s progression through the audio department at Capcom, and discuss his role in putting the Breath of Fire Special Box together. An interesting discussion is head.

Read our interview with Tetsuya Shibata after the jump. (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

Three Days of Resident Evil 5 ~ Day 3: The Haunting Sounds of Africa (Review)

March 13, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 3 Comments Share this

The final entry into our Three Days of Resident Evil 5 coverage is, of course, a review of the official soundtrack album that was released last week in Japan. We’ve discussed the title’s music with composers Kota Suzuki and Wataru Hokoyama, but now we listen to the tortuous and suspenseful score for what is sure to be one of the biggest games of the year.

I suppose you know just what to expect given that this is the soundtrack for a survival horror title, but there are some interesting twists and surprises as well. Top the three discs of music off with some incredible packaging, and it sounds like we have a winner.

You’ll find out why in our comprehensive review after the jump. (more…)
Game Music

Three Days of Resident Evil 5 ~ Day 2: Interview with Composer Wataru Hokoyama

March 12, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this

Here we are on day two of our three days dedicated to Capcom’s latest Resident Evil title, Resident Evil 5. Yesterday we spoke with lead composer Kota Suzuki, and mentioned the contributions of additional music composer, orchestrator, and conductor Wataru Hokoyama. Now we speak directly with the man himself about his work on the title.

While Hokoyama has a background in film music, RE5 is only his second game project to date, with his first being AFRIKA. I was interested in learning what Hokoyama-san thought of the differences between the East and West in terms of game development and audio, and he provides some unexpected insights while relaying his experience working on Resident Evil 5.

Hit the jump to read what Wataru Hokoyama has to say about Resident Evil 5 on day two of our three day series. (more…)
Game Music

Three Days of Resident Evil 5 ~ Day 1: Interview With Lead Composer Kota Suzuki

March 11, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 3 Comments Share this

Looking forward to Resident Evil 5 this weekend? Well, we hope you are because we’ve got three days of coverage for you, including interviews with members of the sound team along with a review of the game’s soundtrack. Having already listened to it, I can tell you right now that it has some serious atmosphere.

Capcom composer Kota Suzuki is not a household name; the major credits to his name are Devil May Cry 4 and Onimusha 3. He is, however, the main composer of Resident Evil 5. We talk about how he came to work on the title, as well as the details about his collaboration with Wataru Hokoyama and the use of the orchestra in the game. He has a lot of interesting things to say, and it’s definitely cool to learn that he made extensive use of Spectrasonics’ Atmosphere software (which Dale and I both use as well). Why can’t we write stuff this good?

Read our review with Capcom’s Kota Suzuki after the jump. (more…)
Game Music

E3 2008: The Epic Sound of Resident Evil 5

July 15, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on E3 2008: The Epic Sound of Resident Evil 5 Share this

A 103-piece orchestra creates a pretty massive sound, and that’s exactly what you’re going to get with Resident Evil 5 come March 13, 2009. Some may have seen the sneak peek of the RE5 recording session last week where fifteen minutes of orchestral music was recorded for the game. While no audio was included, I was curious to hear what composer Kota Suzuki and orchestrator/arranger Wataru Hokoyama would come up with. Well, it’s E3, and we finally have a taste of the music from that session.

While the first portion of the above E3 trailer features some electronic elements, faint violin strokes fade in and out before the entire orchestra explodes into sound. The music is appropriately tense, although I wonder what will be done with only 15 minutes of material. I’m excited to hear live orchestral music in the game, but I think most fans are with me when I say that I’m more interested in the ambiance that Suzuki will be creating for the game by electronic means.

Are you impressed with the full orchestral sound? Do you think this is a move in the right direction?