Top 10 game soundtracks of 2012 so far
By Luke Percy
A good soundtrack can mean the difference between a good and a great game; in much the same way it will impact your enjoyment of a TV show or a movie, perhaps.
There have been some amazing games, with even more notable soundtracks, this year, so I thought I'd collate my favourite ten so far.
If you're interested in buying them, the best place for most people is iTunes. If you don't have Apple hooked into your veins, you could always ask your local retailer, or Google for each soundtrack and see what comes up.
Max is back. He's trying to start anew, in a foreign country, and failing miserably. This soundtrack has elements of traveling to exoctic locations while also providing tracks that New York band HEALTH thought would showcase Payne's troubles. Preview it on YouTube.
Dark, ominous, and a welcome return to the tune from Tristram. Diablo III's soundtrack brought back a really great line up, remastering several tracks from Diablo II: Lord of Destruction and adding a few new entries composed by none other than Russell Brower (World of Warcraft, Batman: The Animated Series.) Preview it on YouTube.
Mass Effect 3's action packed sci-fi score is unbelievable, and definitely notable in my opinion. It has such a massive line-up of composers including Clint Mansell (Requiem for a Dream), Christopher Lennertz (Overlord) and Sascha Dikiciyan & Cris Velasco from previous titles. Preview it on YouTube.
Even without Akira Yamaoka, the original Silent Hill composer, Daniel Licht (Dexter) takes his place, and his interpretation of the misty town of Silent Hill is still a very dark and disturbing place. This album includes the opening theme 'Silent Hill' which was performed by Jonathan Davis (Korn's lead vocalist). Preview it on YouTube.
I'm a huge fan of electronic music with orchestral elements, and Binary Domain has some amazing pieces from Mitsuharu Fukuyama which are so epic they could easily be implemented in blockbuster film. Preview it on YouTube.
Probably a cheeky addition to the list, as you can't quite buy it just yet, but if you have played Spec Ops: The Line, this soundtrack really stands out, with an impressive line up including: Bjork, Jimi Hendrix, Mogwai, Deep Purple, and The Black Angels. Check out the full music list here.
This soundtrack really pumps, and gets you in the mood to go hard. With a mix of genres such as house, electronica and drum n bass, from the likes of Camo & Krooked, Arnon Tobin, Raffertie, and The Qemists. Unfortunately, the retail soundtrack only has 12 of the 51 songs from the game, but it's still a great album. Preview it on YouTube.
Gravity Daze (known as Gravity Rush here) has many tracks which give the game a sense of wonder, with quite an arrangement of orchestral, jazz, and classical; all-in-all, it's very reminiscent of Japanese Anime. Preview it on YouTube.
Journey was a fantastic game in itself, but the soundtrack really added to the sense of adventure in a large open land. With over 18 original pieces by Austin Wintory, who also composed the Soundtrack for flOw (PSN), this soundtrack will take you far, far away. Preview it on YouTube.
Of all the soundtracks this year, none brought back the fond memories of my childhood gaming days like Fez did. I remember playing on machines like the Atari 2600, Amstrad, and Amiga, and the work from Disasterpeace is pure and simple 8-bit love with a modern electronic twist. Preview at the official website.
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