Final Fantasy: Interview with Nobuo Uematsu

Warcry: What is his favorite piece?
Nobuo: He loves all of them and has composed over 600, but he completely loves the Final Fantasy medley which was played during the concert.

Warcry: Favorite composer?
Nobuo: Right now he has some Beatles and Elton John albums in his CD player.

Warcry: Comments on collaboration on Final Fantasy XII?
Nobuo: Can't very comment on much, but Sakamoto is a good personal friend.

Warcry: Will he ever do anything else independent of Square - Enix?
Nobuo: Can't give anything specific, but Nobuo is currently exploring other projects asides from game music.

Warcry: What is his opinion of music in more Western oriented games?
Nobuo: Game music has not yet developed to the extent it has in Japan, therefore it isn't quite as popular in more Western areas.

Warcry: What is Nobuo's opinion of what similar content for another game would be like?
Nobuo: He isn't sure of any other projects similar to Final Fantasy. Germany has a game music concert that plays Final Fantasy so perhaps Germany will be the next leading edge of game music.

Warcry: What is his most identifying force/character that he has written for?
Nobuo: He doesn't like Cloud, but his favorite would have to be Zidane from Final Fantasy 9.

Warcry: What is was the most difficult score to overcome and how did he overcome it?
Nobuo: He runs into a lot of conflicts when composing but what he generally does is go out and have fun and hopes he will get some inspiration.

Warcry: What are the main differences in quality between composing between CD quality and Famicon quality?
Nobuo: There were only three sounds you could simultaneously emit with the Famicon, but with the PS2 there is a lot more possibility. With this possibility one can create more expression with the sound which dramatically improves the quality and feel of many games.

Warcry: Does he prefer to write upbeat or dramatic music?
Nobuo: He likes both, but noticed that mostly dramatic songs were played in the concert so perhaps he should add more upbeat music.

Warcry: Is there a chance for a concert in Europe?
Nobuo: Yes, he would like to perform wherever he can.

Warcry: How has his style/technique changed?
Nobuo: His own impression of his work is that there is never any improvement. (I.E. being critical of himself).

Warcry: What would Nobuo sing if he were at karaoke?
Nobuo: He doesn't like noisy places, so he has never sung karaoke before.

Warcry: How much has he contributed to Advent Children?
Nobuo: Volume is an issue in a movie, but he can't really say how much he has contributed. There are some tracks that are ready and is going to have to cram to provide more in time for release.

Warcry: Would Nobuo ever compose for an Enix based series?
Nobuo: He would if he was approached, but as is, he already works with many of the original Enix crew.

Warcry: What games does Nobuo play in his free time?
Nobuo: He doesn't have time to play games.

Warcry: What is the most challenging pieces he has written?
Nobuo: He thinks that the Final Fantasy 6 music is by far his favorite and most challenging because it is during the time he had his greatest difficulty in composing.

Warcry: Would he ever be interested in scoring for feature length films?
Nobuo: He is not a feature film composer and doesn't think he can provide to those levels, but if he gets an individual request for a love song or something of the sort he would be interested in doing so. John Williams is the person to go to for films.

Overall, Nobuo's goal is to share the elements of beauty through music to help make the world a better place and hopes to continue to do this through the joys of video game music.