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[Gizmonicgamer]

Soshiro Hokkai, Michiru Yamane, Taro Kudo/Masanori Adachi, Yasunori Mitsuda, Hitoshi Sakimoto, Tim/Geoff Follin, Koichi Sugiyama, Masashi Hamauzu, Jeremy Soule, Shoji Meguro, Kenji Ito.

[Plasticware]

No love for Masafumi Takada?

[reetva]

Please list at least one game (or whatever) each composer was involved in, guys.  Just saying their names isn't really conducive to creating discussion.

[Fifth]

Yoko Shimomura.
She's the composer for a number of non-central Square games, including Mario RPG, Parasite Eve, and Legend of Mana (the game through which I cam to love her work), as well as for the Mario and Luigi games.

And also Grant Kirkhope, the Rare composer responsible for the music in the Banjo-Kazooie games, among others.  He's got a rather distinctive sort of style, and I love his bold chord progressions.

[Gizmonicgamer]

Please list at least one game (or whatever) each composer was involved in, guys.  Just saying their names isn't really conducive to creating discussion.

Ah, of course.

Soshiro Hokkai - Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance

Michiru Yamane - Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Castlevania: Lament of Innocence

Taro Kudo/Masanori Adachi - Super Castlevania IV

Yasunori Mitsuda - Chrono Cross

Hitoshi Sakimoto - Final Fantasy Tactics, Final Fantasy XII, Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter

Tim/Geoff Follin - Equinox

Koichi Sugiyama - Dragon Quest I - IX

Masashi Hamauzu - SaGa Frontier II, Final Fantasy XIII

Jeremy Soule - Secret of Evermore

Shoji Meguro - Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, Persona

Kenji Ito - SaGa Frontier, Romancing SaGa

Yoko Shimomura.
She's the composer for a number of non-central Square games, including Mario RPG, Parasite Eve, and Legend of Mana (the game through which I cam to love her work), as well as for the Mario and Luigi games.

I liked her work for Parasite Eve and some of her work for Legend of Mana (the darkness nova, pain the universe, and earth painting are all fantastic, the latter of which showcasing some nice sakimoto stylings); but, aside from that, I can't say I really appreciate her work much. she's always struck me as fairly middle of the road, especially in the contemporary Kingdom Hearts era. /:

[TheLastBanana]

Hideki Naganuma is probably my favourite for his work on Jet Set Radio and Jet Set Radio Future. I'm not particularly fond of sampling, but his music is a huge exception to that. His work on Sonic Rush was also really good, although I hadn't even realized it was his until about a month ago.
I'm also fond of Masato Nakamura's work on the first two Sonic games. I also liked the music from the other 16-bit games, but none of them have a specific composer credited.
Looking back on this, I look like a bit of a Sega nerd

[HöllenKobold]

No love for Masafumi Takada?

Oh, I loved his work on God Hand, and a bit on No More Heroes. God Hand just had some fabulous boss tunes. I was disappointed when I heard NMH2 was taking another approach. Takada's work is just so varied, experimental yet poppy. For the next iteration to sacrifice all that variety seemed kinda. Well, I can't actually remember much from NMH since it's been a long time so I'm not sure how it really was.

[The Monster King]

Something about indie developers being mentioned in the same breath as commercial professionals who spent their whole lives crafting studio-quality work is a pet peeve of mine.

fuck you

[moi]

shouefshi yamashita
kakode makatoko (aka "beast-devil")
tengudo yarobeshito
mafoto tokoyama (r88)
matsudo yokohama
tokyo hotel

[Rob Lach]

Brother Android and C418

[Cow]

50 Cent - 50 Cent Bulletproof, 50 Cent Blood on the Sand

But seriously Br. Android said ALL of mine on his first post, apparently we have the exact same taste. :Y

[TeeGee]

Other than the obvious choices like Kondo, Uematsu and Soule (mostly his older pieces), I really dig Mark Morgan's stuff.
He's the guy behind that creepy Fallout/Fallout2 ambience and those weird and haunting themes from Planescape: Torment. I wish there was more atmoshperic music like this in modern games. Recently, it's usually generic epic orchestra, or very subdued ambient padding in the background.

[C.A. Silbereisen]

Other than the obvious choices like Kondo, Uematsu and Soule (mostly his older pieces), I really dig Mark Morgan's stuff.
He's the guy behind that creepy Fallout/Fallout2 ambience and those weird and haunting themes from Planescape: Torment. I wish there was more atmoshperic music like this in modern games.

Yeah, how could I forget Mark Morgan? One of the very few game composers who do this whole "ambient soundtrack" thing well.

[surasshu]

Maybe some of these were mentioned already, but hey it's my list. :3

Yuzo Koshiro has got to be my #1 inspiration, the man behind Ys and Actraiser, not to mention Etrian Oddysey's amazing and sometimes outright emotionally moving music. Also, unless I'm mistaken, he also did my favorite track from Portrait of Ruin, also (which I consider in itself to be the best "modern" Castlevania soundtrack). Also.

I'm also continually impressed by Koichi Sugiyama's stuff on the NES. Dragon Quest is peerless, and (at least for me) completely impossible to imitate, let alone rival. Huge example of why simple doesn't mean simplistic.

Manabu Namiki is another favorite, for all his Raizing work and the Mushihimesama and Deathsmiles games.

Also, Kinuyo Yamashita for making the best Castlevania music: the NES ones (also the kick ass soundtrack for Power Blade!). Bet a lot of y'all didn't know two women were responsible for some of the most memorable music in video game history?

And the whole SuperSweep team. (Under Defeat) Synthy Japanese progjazz with ultra-catchy melodies? Yes please! "Let's tap and let's tap"

Sheesh, seems like I only listen to Japanese game composers. Some non-Japanese ones to even it out: Jake "virt" Kaufman (Contra 4 DS), Jeremy Soule (Morrowind), ESTi (La Tale--yeah I am a sucker for stuff like this, bite me), Tim Follin (Plok), Rob Hubbard, Martin Galway (see Terry's comments below)...

The list goes on, and that's not even mentioning all the amazing indie and demoscene and chiptune guys out there.

EDIT: Adding links.

[saimo]

I don't have a favourite composer, but if I really had to choose, I'd mention the already mentioned Matt Gray (for the magic he pulled out of the C64's SID chip with his Last Ninja 2 sountrack) and Olof Gustafsson (for the modules he composed for a few Amiga games).

[Terry]

Please list at least one game (or whatever) each composer was involved in, guys.  Just saying their names isn't really conducive to creating discussion.

Ok!

Matt Gray: Driller, Tusker, Last Ninja 2, Bangkok Nights, Deliverance: Stormlord II

Rob Hubbard: Monty on the Run, Commando, One Man and his Droid

Martin Galway: Ocean Loader 2, Wizball, Comic Bakery

Couldn't find a Youtube video of Veli-Matti, but here are some SID/MP3 links.

[Brother Android]

Other than the obvious choices like Kondo, Uematsu and Soule (mostly his older pieces), I really dig Mark Morgan's stuff.
He's the guy behind that creepy Fallout/Fallout2 ambience and those weird and haunting themes from Planescape: Torment. I wish there was more atmoshperic music like this in modern games.

Yeah, how could I forget Mark Morgan? One of the very few game composers who do this whole "ambient soundtrack" thing well.

Yeah, I feel sort of remiss as well; I like that game's soundtrack very much.

Apparently they were originally going to have Lustmord do it, that would have been interesting.

[C.A. Silbereisen]

I prefer the Fallout soundtrack over Torment. I also prefer the game itself but that's another story.

Also, regarding Lustmord: I think his score was completed already but the producers decided to cut it out last minute because they felt it would be too "experimental" for the game. Apparently parts of the music have been reworked into the track "Eliminating Angel" on the "Metavoid" album.

[ink.inc]

Favorite composer is Uematsu, naturally.


But my favorite piece of videogame music is Lullaby, by _ghost.

[jmp]

Chris Hülsbeck (Turrican II)
Rob Hubbard (Commando, Delta)
Matt Gray (Quedex, Last Ninja)
Martin Galway (Comic Bakery)
Allister Brimble (Project X, Alien Breed)
Andrew Barnabas (Swiv)
Olof Gustafsson (Pinball Fantasies)
Alexander Brandon (Unreal Tournament, Jazz Jackrabbit 2, Deus Ex)
+
Jeroen Tel, David Whittaker, and probably a lot of others I forgot to list.