Fantasys regular series composer Nobuo Uematsu to create a work entirely different from the predecessor Final Fantasy X, their score has become one of the most criticized soundtracks in the series. However, despite the negative response and a low budget, it was commercially successful. The following year, she worked on Final Fantasy X-2s international version Final Fantasy X-2 International + Last Mission and provided three arrangements to the Final Fantasy X-2 Piano Collection album. The Piano Collections album was her last credited work, and she has since left Square Enix along with Eguchi. Musical style and influences Matsueda is noted for her jazzy style, which she often incorporated into the soundtracks she worked on; she also touched on genres like jazz fusion, lounge, and ambient. For the scores that she collaborated on with Eguchi, she was responsible for most of the jazzy tracks, while Eguchi provided the majority of the electronic music. Matsueda has said that the best qualities of a composer are their curiosity and sensitivity, and that watching many things, listening, touching, and feeling are important factors in composition. When asked why she creates music, Matsueda replied that she feels it is an appropriate way to express herself. She cites George Gershwin, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Igor Stravinsky, and Gustav Mahler as musical influences. When composing music for games, Matsueda draws inspiration from all parts of the game, including the story, the world view, the personality of the characters, the graphics, and the tone of color. She has stated that she makes the music thinking about the goal of the sounds for the game and its total balance. Works References 1971 births 21st-century jazz composers 21st-century women composers Japanese jazz composers Japanese women composers Living people Musicians from Tochigi Prefecture People from Tochigi, Tochigi Square Enix people Video game composers Women jazz composers