From Kingdom Hearts to Super Mario RPG: The Yoko Shimomura Mixtape

Kotaku: One of the best parts about doing a weekly mixtape is hearing suggestions from readers on which composer to cover next (PS: keep 'em coming). Out of all the suggestions, nobody has been more requested than Yoko Shimomura. So this week on the Kotaku Mix Tape, we celebrate one of gaming's most moving composers.

Even though she cut her teeth on Street Fighter II and other Capcom titles, Yoko Shimomura is probably best known for her work with SquareEnix. Need somebody to write a piano ballad that'll make you cry your eyes out? Yoko's got your back, and the themes from Xenoblade and Kingdom Hearts are proof of that.

[MacDonagh]

She's a smashing composer and is definitely worthy of praise.

[no_more_heroes]

Can't believe this article almost slipped me by!

Many of you probably know how many times I've posted YouTube links to KHII tracks over the recent past. I did it again just a few days ago. As I type I'm listening to "The Corrupted". She is the other reason why I'm curious about VersusXIII because from what I've heard of the soundtrack from the trailers so far, she's turning it up to eleven for that one!

[-Gespenst-]

I'll be lynched for this, but I think she's seriously overrated. She's good and obviously talented, but when I hear people raving about her, I wonder, have you even heard Masashi Hamauzu? Or Junya Nakano? Or Hitoshi Sakimoto? Or Naoshi Mizuta?

Not that I don't like her stuff, but I'm just saying.

[izumo_lee]

First time i heard her music was in the original Parasite Eve. Once you hear that opening theme 'Primal Eyes' i knew the OST was gonna be epic & it certainly was.

She has expanded her game library with Kingdom Hearts,Xenoblade & others. I didn't know she did the majority of the music in Street Fighter 2, now we know why the music in that game was so good.

I look forward to her work in Final Fantasy vs.13 if that game will ever come out.

@ Gespenst

There is no doubt the composers you named are all extremely gifted musicians but it is really refreshing to see that Yoko Shimomura a women can stand her own in a for the most part a male dominated field.