Talk:Koji Kondo

NES sound hardware

"Kondo found himself in a totally different environment at Nintendo. Suddenly, he was limited to only three 'instruments' (melody, harmony, and percussion) due to the system's primitive sound chip. Though he and Nintendo's technicians eventually discovered a way to add a fourth channel (normally reserved for sound effects), his music was still severely limited on the system."

I feel this is inaccurate. I have made music on the NES myself and I know it has five channels, not four: two pulse waves (melody and harmony), a triangle wave (bass), noise (percussion), and DPCM (sampled instruments, usually percussion but can be, say, voice clips). I'm guessing the channel that had to be "discovered" was the DPCM channel, since, e.g., Super Mario Bros. used all the other four channels (many earlier games didn't use the noise channel but they were usually ports of arcade games that didn't use percussive sounds). Super Mario Bros. 3 used all five channels. I'm going to revise this now. --Furrykef 14:51, 11 Jun 2004 (UTC)

Thanks for the correction. Always nice to have people with actual expertise look after the rest of us! Amcaja 19:33, 14 Jun 2004 (UTC)

I second that comment :) - Fredrik (talk) 19:47, 14 Jun 2004 (UTC)

Opinions on Earthbound

I removed the following paragraphs:

A great example for fans (or otherwise) of Koji Kondo, who criticise for lack of style development / evolution, would be the soundtrack from Nintendo's 1994 hit RPG EarthBound. The music in this game is definitely different, to say the very least, and strays away from what most people who may be used to Koji's work would expect.

The musical styles enjoyed and used by Koji Kondo, are probably most noteable on the Super Famicom (SNES) title "EarthBound" (Nintendo/Hal Laboratories - June 27th, 1994 (US release)). In this RPG set in modern-day times, as many players and fans will tell you, the musical score was one of the most enjoyable, hard-hitting aspects of this game. The soundtrack was enough to inspire fans worldwide, and create somewhat of a "cult following", for Koji and his music. Alot of the main themes and overworld tunes for this game were actually converted from actual western music songs/albums, (note: Paula's theme and Runaway 5 theme, "Because I love you", "Smiles and Tears" (used as close of game theme)), and converted to NES sound channels. Sometime after this game caught on in the USA, there was an orchestrated version of this game soundtrack composed, and made available on the internet. Unfortunately, it seems as if this album of sorts has vanished for good. (cooey-at-cooey.org for anymore info regarding this game and it's soundtrack).

The reason is that this is unsourced personal opinion. If a source is added, we can reinstate this, working to reword it to follow the neutral point of view policy. —Amcaja 12:37, 14 December 2005 (UTC)

Birthplace

I honestly have no idea where the guy was born. But if someone wants to change it, please cite your source. Thanks! — Amcaja 12:38, 17 February 2006 (UTC)

Sound Support and Advising

These days, Kondo has done either of these roles in most games, only really working as a composer on a few. Is it okay to state in the Soundtracks listing whether he has been credited as these roles? --Chicobo329 20:30, 15 March 2006 (UTC)

Games he supported or advised on: Mario Golf, Mario Tennis, Mario Vs. Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (thanks for correcting me on that one, Brian!), The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons (in Special Thanks), The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages (in Special Thanks), Mario Kart Super Circuit. His role in the Smash Bros. games are also either support or advising (Hirokazu Ando did most of the work as actual composer, not Kondo) --Chicobo329 20:40, 15 March 2006 (UTC)

neutralized one sentence

Original version (as of 5/30/06):

"...due to the system's primitive sound chip"

Edited version:

"...due to limitations of the system's sound chip"

The word "primitive" is not neutral and is relative. The sound chip had limitations. -R —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 72.43.142.237 (talk • contribs) .

Good call. Thanks for the summary. — Amcaja 17:11, 30 May 2006 (UTC)

I also edited a few bits and pieces for grammar and flow...very minor. -R

Citation frenzy

I don't think one needs a citation in order to judge the category of any artistic work - it is common knowledge that needs no reference.

I am referring to the 'Andalusian flair' that characterizes the Gerudo Valley theme. If one listens to the song, there is very little need for a citation to exorbitantly "confirm" that it has Spanish influences.

Disregarding the question of whether or not a citation is needed, I personally think "Andalusian flair" is not specific enough. The Gerudo Valley theme is clearly written as a flamenco guitar piece.

Exactly why a citation is needed. We are not supposed to be interpreting such things; professional reviewers and musicologists are. Thus, we need to find someone in a reliable source who describes the song in such a way and add a citation to that person's opinion. — Amcaja 22:33, 5 October 2006 (UTC)

Well said. It should be noted, then, for consistency, that the main Ocarina of Time article does refer to the Gerudo music as flamenco, presumably also without citation. Vogelfrei 16:37, 23 October 2006 (UTC)

change of format

i think someone should take into consideration that this is not a discography but an encyclopedia entry, the fact that 3/4 of the page is an album listing might need to be reconsidered

I would concur... Although it looks like a lot of work went into the list of albums and games, it makes up most of the article. I don't want to step into a wasp's nest if this has been discussed and re-hashed before, but is this info really all that necessary in this format? If it needs to be in wikipedia, then perhaps there's another place for it. ----Steve 21:09, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

It seems as if it could be it's own article, Koji Kondo's Discography. --207.179.172.220 12:03, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

Correct year of birth?

There is a mismatch in the year (1960 vs. 1961) of birth between different language versions. Which one is correct?

It's 1961, per the Ocarina of Time Re-Arranged Album liner notes. Dissident93 06:13, 18 September 2013 (UTC)

mario galaxy sountrack

• Composed by Mahito Yokota (1.2.4.5.6.9~12.14~17.19~26)
• Koji Kondo (7.8.13.18)
• Originally composed by Koji Kondo, re-arranged by Mahito Yokota (3.27.28)

• 1. Overture 1:23
• 2. Starbit Festival 1:29
• 3. Attack! Koopa's Fleet 1:19
• 4. Catastrophe 0:54
• 5. Peach's Castle is Stolen 0:32
• 6. Into the Galaxy 1:25
• 7. Egg Planet 2:41
• 8. Rosetta's Comet Observatory 1 2:27
• 9. Honeybee Kingdom 2:37
• 10. Stardust Road 3:21
• 11. Battlerock 3:20
• 12. Grass Beach 2:21
• 13. Rosetta's Comet Observatory 2 2:24
• 14. Koopa Jr. Appears 2:54
• 15. Teresa Waltz 2:52
• 16. Floater Land 3:11
• 17. Wind Garden 3:44
• 18. Rosetta's Comet Observatory 3 2:44
• 19. Nemesis King Koopa 3:14
• 20. Hell Prominence 4:08
• 21. Galaxy Plant 2:27
• 22. Battle for the Grand Star 2:25
• 23. Dawn ~A New Morning~ 0:56
• 24. Birth 1:56
• 25. Super Mario Galaxy 4:03
• 26. Purple Comet 3:02
• 27. Blue Sky Athletics 1:10
• 28. Super Mario 2007 2:19

can someone get a source of this?? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 189.164.37.199 (talk) 09:56, 11 January 2009 (UTC)

Source for Paul McCartney statement

Can anyone provide a source for the statement that Kondo "can count such talent as Paul McCartney among his admirers"? That's a pretty big statement to make without any sort of sourcing. Gatotsu911 (talk) 04:10, 8 December 2009 (UTC)

Discography

Why is Duck Hunt not listed under Discography? According to Duck Hunt, he collaborated with Hirokazu Tanaka on Duck Hunt's music/sound. I would be Bold and add it to the Discography; however, I thought it might be good to know if Duck Hunt's article is inaccurate before adding that information. Thanks, 67.182.237.57 (talk) 21:35, 1 April 2011 (UTC)

Since no one addressed my post, I made the change myself. (I put it under 1984 (since that's when it debuted in Japan), and listed his role as composition, as well as showed Hirokazu Tanaka as his "co-worker") Please adjust the information that I added if it is inaccurate. 67.182.237.57 (talk) 22:14, 29 April 2011 (UTC)

Since Kondo only joined Nintendo in April 1984 – the month the game was released – I guess the possibility that he co-composed its music is pretty slim. I therefore removed Duck Hunt from his credits, and Koji Kondo from the respective article. Sources for his involvement in Golf, Family BASIC and Soccer would be good here, too, as I've never seen him associated with those, and in this interview, he says his first Nintendo project was Family BASIC. Prime Blue (talk) 19:09, 1 June 2011 (UTC)

Prime Blue, I was unaware that Kondo joined Nintendo at that time. My bad. Yeah, that's funny to think that he PROBABLY DIDN'T work on a game the same month it was released. Sorry about the trouble. Good work checking up on sources; thanks for pointing that out and making the necessary changes to both articles. Keep up the good work. I'll try to be on the lookout for any sources that validate his work with the three video games you mentioned, but will at the same time admit that you'll probably find them much easier--it's obvious that you know quite well how to find good solid sources. I am very lacking in that ability. 67.182.237.57 (talk) 02:30, 5 June 2011 (UTC)

No biggie, definitely not your fault there. His early discography is kind of shrouded in mystery still, so it's only natural that some games are attributed to him which he did not work on. That's not even to say that he did not work on Duck Hunt, I've just never come across a source for his involvement in it. Will be clearer once more sources turn up. Prime Blue (talk) 09:31, 5 June 2011 (UTC)

Yes, this is true; you can't necessarily rule that out. It is kind of exciting to think there are still many sources waiting to be discovered/explored that will bring many of these mysteries to light. It will be interesting to see what new information will be gleaned from these sources. 67.182.237.57 (talk) 20:26, 6 June 2011 (UTC)

External links modified

Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified 4 external links on Koji Kondo. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:

• Corrected formatting/usage for https://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/03/72971
• Corrected formatting/usage for http://www.originalsoundversion.com/koji-kondo-talks-ocarina-of-time-gives-details-on-skyward-sword/
• Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20140811172047/http://www.zelda.com/universe/game/twilightprincess/inside04.jsp to http://www.zelda.com/universe/game/twilightprincess/inside04.jsp
• Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20131007211957/http://archive.videogamesdaily.com/features/koji_kondo_iv_p1.asp to http://archive.videogamesdaily.com/features/koji_kondo_iv_p1.asp

When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.

This message was posted before February 2018. After February 2018, "External links modified" talk page sections are no longer generated or monitored by InternetArchiveBot. No special action is required regarding these talk page notices, other than regular verification using the archive tool instructions below. Editors have permission to delete these "External links modified" talk page sections if they want to de-clutter talk pages, but see the RfC before doing mass systematic removals. This message is updated dynamically through the template {{source check}} (last update: 5 June 2024).

• If you have discovered URLs which were erroneously considered dead by the bot, you can report them with this tool.
• If you found an error with any archives or the URLs themselves, you can fix them with this tool.

Cheers.—InternetArchiveBot (Report bug) 11:32, 7 May 2017 (UTC)

External links modified

Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified 3 external links on Koji Kondo. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:

• Corrected formatting/usage for https://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/03/72971
• Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20150929062439/http://www.1up.com/news/mario-music to http://www.1up.com/news/mario-music
• Corrected formatting/usage for http://www.originalsoundversion.com/koji-kondo-talks-ocarina-of-time-gives-details-on-skyward-sword/

When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.

This message was posted before February 2018. After February 2018, "External links modified" talk page sections are no longer generated or monitored by InternetArchiveBot. No special action is required regarding these talk page notices, other than regular verification using the archive tool instructions below. Editors have permission to delete these "External links modified" talk page sections if they want to de-clutter talk pages, but see the RfC before doing mass systematic removals. This message is updated dynamically through the template {{source check}} (last update: 5 June 2024).

• If you have discovered URLs which were erroneously considered dead by the bot, you can report them with this tool.
• If you found an error with any archives or the URLs themselves, you can fix them with this tool.

Cheers.—InternetArchiveBot (Report bug) 17:02, 9 December 2017 (UTC)

Better infobox picture?

He looks like a Disney character in this 2015 shot, not a Nintendo figure. Something free must exist out there where he's simply facing the camera against some generic backdrop. Mustn't it? InedibleHulk (talk) 08:36, 5 July 2020 (UTC)

Yeah it's unfortunately a bad image, but it's the most modern one we have that we can use freely. The one it replaced was from 2006, and there really are not any other options unless we get permission from somebody else (which is rarely done on Wiki). ~ Dissident93 ^(talk) 22:15, 5 July 2020 (UTC)

For a guy who wrote his most memorable stuff in the '80s and '90s, the difference between 2006 and 2015 seems rather pointless. If the one it replaced lacks Minnie ears, count me in. He probably hadn't changed much in those nine years, as a grown man. InedibleHulk (talk) 02:25, 6 July 2020 (UTC)

InedibleHulk, more recent photos are preferred though. ~ Dissident93 ^(talk) 21:53, 6 July 2020 (UTC)

By some editors, sure, but Kirk Douglas currently opens with one from 65 years ago. InedibleHulk (talk) 05:36, 7 July 2020 (UTC)

Also, the WWF Women's Tag Team Championship belt is only pictured because I asked some guy on the Internet nicely for it, it's certainly possible, rare or not. InedibleHulk (talk) 03:47, 6 July 2020 (UTC)

@InedibleHulk and Dissident93: I know, seriously, Minnie ears. Check out my adjustment of the crop. I gave it a shot because you all said there's no better free one, and I really don't see how it could be worse. I honestly think at least a few people who lack full literacy in the megacorporate mob could assume that Nintendo and Disney are related. I would have uploaded a new file if I knew how to overlay the old file without editing every article. — Smuckola(talk) 04:37, 7 July 2020 (UTC)

Much better, thanks. Hadn't even considered that approach. He looks taller now, as well, but not unrealistically so. InedibleHulk (talk) 05:30, 7 July 2020 (UTC)