[1]
Have you ever experienced music whilst playing your favorite games that made the dramatic moments so tense and the action so lively? And then, you bought the soundtrack, skipped over to that same part and – yeah, it was cool. But, you knew there was something missing from that listening experience. What was missing was living the moment in the context for which the music was written.
These moments are no less important than those that work just as beautifully separate from the game. It is for this purpose that we, here at OSV, choose to acknowledge those fantastic mood-enhancing and beautiful moments in a game’s soundtrack. Included in this category may also be games that did not receive a formal soundtrack release. Read on for the nominees!
[2]
Dishonored
Scored by Daniel Licht, Dishonored is among the few, successful, new IP’s with “franchise” written all over it. The highly ambient score peppers in just enough beauty and theme to keep it present and intensify the action, but (intentionally) not enough to take away from the dreary existence that is Dunwall.
[3]
Dys4ia
At OSV, we acknowledge game-music greatness, no matter the platform or the subject matter. Liz Ryerson’s score to Dys4ia helped instill the lack of grounding its autobiographical subject, Anna Anthropy, felt during her six-month hormone treatment. An important and new way to tell a life experience, and the music was an integral part of it all.
[4]
Halo 4
Although the more melodious tones of the series are absent without the great Marty O’Donnell, British composer, Neil Davidge, brings Halo 4 into a darker and more energized world with his highly electronic (and electric) score, all the while still retaining a similar ambience to its predecessors.
[5]
Hotline Miami
A compilation of electronic thunder, Hotline Miami and its soundtrack delivered bloody retro fun in a neat, little package. Capturing all the best of the sounds of the late 80s without the musically inept cheese, this soundtrack makes it cool to be Don-Johnson-gone-mad.
[6]
Journey
Austin Wintory’s Journey score is the rare breed of score that understands silence, beautiful themes, and excitement both in the action of the game, and as a separate listening experience. Not much more gushing to add that hasn’t been written in the other pieces on the site (and other nominations!).
[7]
The Darkness II
Timothy Wynn’s Darkness II score is suspenseful and intense with recognizable recurring themes. The action scenes are made all the gorier and more exciting. But, it is the somber musical moments that so define the life of the protagonist, Jackie Estacado, that propel this score to the next level.
Check back soon for more nominees, categories, and the winners!
See our other nominees here:
Soundtrack of the Year [8]
Best Sound Design [9]
Best Arrange Album [10]
Best Re-Issue Soundtrack [11]
Best Other Album [12]
Comments Disabled To "OSVOSTOTY 2012: Nominees for Best In-Game Soundtrack"
#1 Comment By Jacob On January 25, 2013 @ 4:34 am
Wynn’s the Darkness 2 score… interesting choice. I think Wynn kinda stole the show on XCOM: Enemy Unknown, while McCann was used as a figurehead of sorts.
I had to pass on Halo 4 for my list. Not one of “needs O’Donnell at the helm or it isn’t Halo” types but for some reason it felt kinda lifeless to me (the complete opposite of energized, I would say). It was an admirable effort but it definitely seemed like an obvious transition piece into the game scoring world.