January 13, 2012

  • Best of 2011: Video Game Music

    There are plenty of great video game scores appearing throughout the year and as usual I try to select at least one or two that stand out.  A number of composers send their work to me for review that sometimes do not receive actual releases so those tend to stay at the periphery for now.  Download opportnuities will be added to the mix in 2012 so this category may need to expand.  The proprietary nature of these scores also makes it difficult to share their achievements before games are released.  But there are a growing number of great scores for this genre reflected in a new compilation from Silva that will be available for download this month and which will be reviewed here soon.

     

    Both my choices this year are the third installments of their respective franchises.  The first is Steve Jablonsky’s Gears of War 3 which demonstrates the composer’s melding of Media Ventures-style film scoring with the demands of the gaming industry.  Greg Edmonson’s work on Uncharted 3—Drake’s Deception is also another superb entry in that franchise.  Video Game scores continue to be impressive and often feature the sort of writing that is absent these days from Hollywood scores.  I did hear Jason Grave's follow-up to Dead Space which is another superb effort, though I felt it was a bit too much like the first score.  La-La Land's work with several television and film composers has meant an increase in their video game score releases as well so we may see more of this in the coming year.

     

      Best New Video Game Soundtrack Releases of 2011 

    Listed in alphabetical order:

    Gears of War 3 – Steve Jablonsky (Sumthing Else)

    Uncharted 3—Drake’s Deception – Greg Edmonson (La-La Land)