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NeoGAF's Official Game Soundtracks of the Year 2012 (Voting Ended)

Jintor

Member
I want to elaborate more on a little about FTL: even though I stuck it into honourable mentions, I think the area where it really shines is in relation to the audio mixing. It's so seamless as your ship warps in and out of combat points, all the tracks overlay smoothly on one another; just some beautiful stuff.
 

Nert

Member
I'm going to occasionally put in a good word for soundtracks that I don't see getting much attention in this thread (even if I don't end up voting for them), and I'll start things off with Tekken Tag Tournament 2.

jmqe9ZvcIweWb.jpg


I'm far from an expert on the genre, but I tend to not like dubstep music. Like, at all. It doesn't help that video game trailers have been inundated with it lately. This is why I was so surprised to find myself loving Tekken Tag Tournament 2's soundtrack this year. It uses dubstep and other types of electronic dance music in very inventive ways.

For an example of this, listen to my favorite song on the soundtrack, What you will see (Heavenly Garden). Reflecting the transition that takes place in the stage itself, the song takes a sudden turn towards dubstep and a generally rougher sound halfway through, but it doesn't feel out of place at all. Once the two tracks start to play alongside eachother, the effect is really striking.

Tekstep Fountain is another song that comes with a twist: it's dubstep with an orchestral chorus! Akitaka Tohyama's inclusion of the strings here is absolutely brilliant.

Another highlight: the unorthodox, but very relaxing, ending credits theme "Night Falls." The acoustic guitar goes surprisingly well with the electronic pieces.

In addition to the original pieces, the soundtrack also comes loaded with a lot of interesting remixes of older songs. The trancey take on the old Sakura Schoolyard theme is a lot of fun, even with the old one having been so thoroughly burned into my head many years ago.

In short, don't pass this up if you have any interest in at all electronic music. It has some of the most creative arrangements that I've heard from a video game soundtrack in quite a while.
 

Dark Schala

Eloquent Princess
Ooooh, speaking of Tekken Tag Tournament 2's soundtrack, has anyone found that Tekken Ball theme yet? I want to listen to it out of the context of the game.
Edit: Speak of the devil...

Anyway, TTT2 is a good choice as well. Tons of excellent electronic stuff on there.

I swear that's Nintendo's house style since the DS/Wii. I think that it's distinctive, but, yes, the samples are weird. They're not tinny, but..."thin?" It works for some things, but I wish it would stay relegated to the console menus or casual stuff like Wii _ and Nintendo Land, where it fits the gameplay and visual aesthetics.

However, if you can't appreciate Mario Kart Wii, *sad face*.
Nothing against MK Wii at all.

It's the samples that Nintendo seems to like to use lately that I have an issue with. They're completely fine for stuff like eShop or the menu because they fit in those contexts, but knowing what Nintendo is capable of in terms of orchestration, using better samples, and contracting some well-known composers for some of their soundtracks truly makes those other BGMs they've done incredibly lacklustre and disappointing in comparison.
 

Shaneus

Member
1. Hotline Miami
2. Lumines: Electronic Symphony*
3. Sine Mora


*Does this count, given that none of the tracks were actually composed for the game, just hand-picked? Obviously a lot of time went into choosing, licensing and editing the tracks, but I don't know if that's really valid in a thread which solely contains (so far) only especially-written scores.
 

Gravijah

Member
Nothing against MK Wii at all.

It's the samples that Nintendo seems to like to use lately that I have an issue with. They're completely fine for stuff like eShop or the menu because they fit in those contexts, but knowing what Nintendo is capable of in terms of orchestration, using better samples, and contracting some well-known composers for some of their soundtracks truly makes those other BGMs they've done incredibly lacklustre and disappointing in comparison.

boooooooooooooo

i'll take MKW samples over, say, SMG or SS style any day of the week!
 
It's the samples that Nintendo seems to like to use lately that I have an issue with. They're completely fine for stuff like eShop or the menu because they fit in those contexts, but knowing what Nintendo is capable of in terms of orchestration, using better samples, and contracting some well-known composers for some of their soundtracks truly makes those other BGMs they've done incredibly lacklustre and disappointing in comparison.

I agree. It's more than a little frustrating that it took them so long to stop using mediocre samples in the first place. Twilight Princess certainly would've benefited from better sound quality. >.>
 

GhaleonQ

Member
I have some stuff that I want to write, but I'll save it for a more constructive post. Until then, enjoy the 1st of my ineligible soundtracks that I enjoyed this year.

Return To The Neverhood (comic)
http://www.danielamos.com/store
Terry Scott Taylor
http://vgmdb.net/artist/13193
Let’s Get This Ball Rolling
Part 1: Ode To A Hunch
Fishin’ With The Sculptor

It's not up to his regular or video game work, but for a lark that we waited for since 2010 (http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=390015 ), it's very satisfying.
 

Riposte

Member
Don't really care too much about this, but I want Armored Core V to at least get ONE vote:

1. Armored Core V

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaTmnNrP18U (Alt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owys1kVR4og) (Probably my favorite song, nice clash/mix of "instruments". I loved spending time in the garage.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWHA0h4SC9A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yhpGBAvHl8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JygrbkrPA8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDWgI2qpric
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_JdRO3jyCo (the beginning of this song... lol)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dp0GcFwyDx4

Fit the game's oppressively loud and dark atmosphere while also giving it some nuance by making it a little soft and gentle. Some of those themes build hype well and were always welcomed in those tense mech duels or giant boss fights. Shame so few people likely played this game or heard this music, because I think it is good work.

I would add Gravity Daze/Rush because that impressed me when I heard it, but I didn't actually play the game, so nevermind.
 

K.Sabot

Member
1.Final Fantasy XII-2 (It is so god damn good, I want to play that game again just to hear it.)
2. Hotline Miami
3. Gravity Rush
Shoutouts to Guild Wars 2, which retread a bit too much on GW1's music but was still entertaining.

Edit: Screw it I changed my mind quick, sorry Journey.
 

Shahed

Member
1) Journey

Music was amazing start to finish. It's quite clearly in first place, while I had to think about the rest. Best track was Apotheosis

2) Final Fantasy XIII-2

I really like the piano work especially. Favourite track was A Wish

3) Catherine

Not sure if this counts or not since it was last year everywhere bar Europe, and it's a similar situation to Xenoblade. If not let me know and I'll change it.

Anyways my favourite track is Lamb Game between ♂ and ♀

Honourable Mentions

Virtue's Last Reward
Sound Shapes
Gravity Rush
Unfinished Swan

Still need to get around to Halo 4 and Kid Icarus. If I do by then, I may need to change my vote!
 

The Hermit

Member
1-Kid Icarus Uprising ( if Jonh Williams was japanese and worked for Nintendo, he would compose something very close to that... Amazing soudtrack)

2- Super Hexagon ( yeah, just 3 tunes, but the fact that I can't get tired hearing them means they are too fucking good)

3- Virtues Last Reward ( just a very good soundtrack)

HM: Hotline Miami - the constant trance-like sound is both hypnotic and gut wrenching. very unusual OST... Loved it.
 
I came in here expecting to see Guild Wars 2 dominating the lists. I'm really surprised that there have been on a few mentions of it.

1.) Guild Wars 2
2.) Final Fantasy XIII-2
 

Nert

Member

It's really cool to see this game come up, even if it's just an honorable mention. I wasn't even aware of its existence until I came across a review for the game's soundtrack on SEMO. In a year without too many major chiptune releases (compared to, say, 2010), this soundtrack made for a refreshing listen. I put Flash Bang up on my channel a few months back.

2. The Walking Dead: This choice is probably partly biased as it's also my GOTY, but while the soundtrack isn't ground-breaking, it does complement the game's atmosphere perfectly. Alive Inside, nuff' said.

I really loved how that theme popped up again with Goodbye.

Honourable Mentions: Assassin's Creed 3 - It's a shame that Jesper Kyd didn't return, but Lorne Balfe did a decent job, especially on the main theme.

You might enjoy the work that he did on Darksiders II and Borderlands 2 this year.
 
1. Max Payne 3: Just greatness. Electronic, synthy, somber, energetic, melodic, moody, raw, and works even out of context. Great job by HEALTH and another superb soundtrack from Rockstar. It's exactly the kind of style I'd want from a shooter soundtrack and drips with that "heightened reality grimy urban crime story" tone.

2. Darksiders II

3. Hotline Miami
 

Nert

Member
Just as a general reminder, there's no rule dictating that you have to play a game before you can vote for its soundtrack. Obviously, playing the game is the best way to learn how the music works in context, but a lot of the music being posted here makes for a great listening experience outside of the game as well.
 
1. Sleeping Dogs


This is a mixed licensed soundtrack which nailed the atmosphere of Hong Kong perfectly. The Softly radio station in particular introduced me to so much awesome obscure Chinese music, the kind you'd expect to find on chill-out CDs being sold in petrol stations. The radio editing in general is also the most realistic i've come across in any game.

Menu Music
Vivienne Lu - Yellow Fever (made for the game)
Bei Bei & Shawn Lee - East (Billy Paul Cover) (worth noting that Shawn Lee composed the soundtrack for Bully)
Bei Bei & Shawn Lee - Into The Wind
Bei Bei & Shawn Lee - The Blue Grotto
Behind the Great Wall
From Xikou With Love
Hard Life
Lhasa Groove
Dragon Dreams
Utopia
On Buddha's Land
Makino Saburou - Mount Fuji
Beijing Rock
Jay Price - Crystal Dawn
Hudson Mohawke - Fuse
Menahan Street Band - Make the Road By Walking


2. Hotline Miami


It's some sort of acid trip, Drive-inspired, 80s dance homage which I think just speaks for itself. I'm really trying to hold back from posting the entire soundtrack, it's so good. For an indie effort, it also deserves heaps of praise.

Silver Lights - the definition of a fever dream..
Deep Cover - this is like Suda 51's ejaculate put into musical form.
Horses Steppin - drugs. in a desert oasis.
Knock Knock
Paris - one of the best "shit's about to go down" tracks this year.
Crystals
Hydrogen
Miami Disco
Miami
It's Safe Now


3. Max Payne 3

The band HEALTH composed Max Payne 3's soundtrack and did a stunning job portraying the damage of Max's character and the world around him.

TEARS - one of the best "theme" tunes this year, and I bet it sold a lot of people on the game too since it was used in the ad. Amazing bass and it kicks in at the perfect moment at the game's climax.
PAINKILLER - simply one of the best tracks this year. It sets the "deserted football stadium at night" scene perfectly, and the build up to full blown bad ass retribution. I love all of the 70s synth tones in the background.
COMBAT DRUGS - really nails the harrowing feeling of some of the game's more unsavoury sections
PILLS - every depressed person's ideal song..
PAIN - a very haunting ambient track that reminds me a touch of 28 Days Later





Honorable Mentions:

Halo 4 for "To Galaxy"
Dishonored for "Drunken Whaler" (arguably the single best song this year which didn't even make it into the fucking game!)
 

olimpia84

Member
1. Kid Icarus: Uprising
2. Journey
3. Gravity Rush

I was going to vote for Xenoblade for #1 but I see it already won last year and it's not a valid entry for this year. Honorable mention goes to Paper Mario Sticker Star which I don't own (yet) but from what I've heard has a top notch jazzy soundtrack.
 

Nert

Member
3. Paper Mario: Sticker Star - I hope you like jazz, because there's a TON of it here! Jazzy revamped classic tunes abound as well as original offerings (Surfshine Harbor and the poisoned forest theme are easily my favorite songs in the game), and the game's soundtrack as a whole is a big step up in quality, both with production values (live instruments, WOO!) and composition-wise (I was not terribly impressed with SPM's soundtrack). I hope the trend of Nintendo putting more focus into their soundtrack quality for handheld titles continues, as nothing but good can come out of it.

I'm enjoying these links quite a bit and I'll definitely check out more of this game's music. For the purposes of building the archive, do you have any idea who composed this soundtrack? Standard sources like Wikipedia and VGMDB don't seem to have anything, unfortunately.
 
Why is Hotline Miami consider? Most of that music was already released a few years ago. If It was remixed for the game, I understand, but none of the tracks weren't. Is a compilation, not an original score or soundtrack. Hotline Miami should not be consider at all.
 
1. Lollipop Chainsaw

2. Darksiders II

3. Max Payne 3

I loved Akira Yamaoka's work on Lollipop Chainsaw, and I also loved their choices in licensed music as well (although I'm not sure if that counts). Funny enough, while Darksiders II and Max Payne 3 were disappointing overall as games for me this year, their soundtracks were both stellar.

I haven't played Hotline Miami yet, but from the tracks I've heard I've really enjoyed it, so if it goes on sale during the Steam Winter Sale I may edit my list and put it up there instead.
 

Shaneus

Member
Why is Hotline Miami consider? Most of that music was already released a few years ago. If It was remixed for the game, I understand, but none of the tracks weren't. Is a compilation, not an original score or soundtrack. Hotline Miami should not be consider at all.
A soundtrack can be a compilation of music. I'm pretty sure I own the Hackers and Reservoir Dogs movie soundtracks, neither of which contain specifically composed music.

I think the essence of the poll is more for how well the music suits the game, regardless of if it was written especially for it or not. A game would probably get more kudos if it was a soundtrack that WAS specifically made for it, but the fact that Hotline Miami is getting nominated so much is a testament to how well it integrates into it's theme.
 
I'm enjoying these links quite a bit and I'll definitely check out more of this game's music. For the purposes of building the archive, do you have any idea who composed this soundtrack? Standard sources like Wikipedia and VGMDB don't seem to have anything, unfortunately.

There's no soundtrack release, and the credits are no real help, either. A bunch of credits for Sound/Sound Director/Sound Supervisor, but I'm not well-versed in music enough to know what those roles are for. Koji Kondo is credited under Sound Supervisor, though, so... that's something, I guess. They really do want to keep the composers of this game a mystery. >.<
 
1.) Bravely Default: Flying Fairy
In a year filled with fantastic soundtracks from Japanese developed games, narrowing my list down to a top 3 was painful. Bravely Default takes the cake though, with one of the most refreshing OSTs to come out of a Square Enix game in some time. Bringing Revo in was an inspired decision.

A personal favorite:
Wicked Flight: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bVvaSVsmPQ

2.) Gravity Daze
Kohei Tanaka knocks it out of the park with a varied and subdued soundtrack that sticks with you for long after you've seen the end credits.

My personal favorite track:
Douse Shinundakara: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9Tq-e9XDW4

3.) E.X. Troopers

For a game overflowing with crazy bright colors and manga/anime influence, it should come as no surprise that its soundtrack is just as bubbly and cheerful. E.X. Troopers also makes really great use of its vocal tracks during certain big battles. Just a delightfully different kind of soundtrack for a game like this.

My personal favorite track:
Starry Conversation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXG23aoVfYw

Honorable mentions to Kid Icarus, Ys: Celceta, Professor Layton vs Ace Attorney, Nayuta no Kiseki, Asura's Wrath and many others.
 

Thoraxes

Member
A soundtrack can be a compilation of music. I'm pretty sure I own the Hackers and Reservoir Dogs movie soundtracks, neither of which contain specifically composed music.

I think the essence of the poll is more for how well the music suits the game, regardless of if it was written especially for it or not. A game would probably get more kudos if it was a soundtrack that WAS specifically made for it, but the fact that Hotline Miami is getting nominated so much is a testament to how well it integrates into it's theme.
That's the thing I like about this thread is that not everyone judges it based on this. Everyone has a different reason why something is their favorite. I tend to look at the music as something isolated from its medium regardless of what that medium is, then analyze it and figure out why I like it from a different perspective. The integration into the game is something I look at as secondary to the music itself because good music can be in bad games, and I think it's unfair to the music to be lumped in the same category as the game it appears in, especially if it's really good music.

1.) Bravely Default: Flying Fairy
In a year filled with fantastic soundtracks from Japanese developed games, narrowing my list down to a top 3 was painful. Bravely Default takes the cake though, with one of the most refreshing OSTs to come out of a Square Enix game in some time. Bringing Revo in was an inspired decision.

A personal favorite:
Wicked Flight: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bVvaSVsmPQ
I still need to get around to buying this OST. I've only heard good things.
 

Jintor

Member
I generally don't consider licenced soundtracks part of this specific thingy (I made an exception for Walking Dead).
 

GhaleonQ

Member
I'm enjoying these links quite a bit and I'll definitely check out more of this game's music. For the purposes of building the archive, do you have any idea who composed this soundtrack? Standard sources like Wikipedia and VGMDB don't seem to have anything, unfortunately.

There's no soundtrack release, and the credits are no real help, either. A bunch of credits for Sound/Sound Director/Sound Supervisor, but I'm not well-versed in music enough to know what those roles are for. Koji Kondo is credited under Sound Supervisor, though, so... that's something, I guess. They really do want to keep the composers of this game a mystery. >.<

Note: I didn't know this before investigating right now.

See, this is why you all need to have a crippling fan obsession. If you cross-reference the credits, you see that the sound people mostly do sound effects for Intelligent Systems. That leaves 5 people.

OH WAIT TARO KUDO THE GREATEST DESIGNER EVER FORMERLY OF LOVEDELIC WORKED ON THE GAME MAYBE VANPOOL BUDS HELPED OUT

Masanori Adachi http://vgmdb.net/artist/3021 and Kiyoshi Hazemoto (who did The Rolling Western and helped Kimura out on Little/King Story) work at Vanpool and are the only well-known video game composers listed on sound.

AND it fits their style on stuff like U.F.O.: A Day In The Life.

The lesson here is that all good things come from Lovedelic.

But wait! I don't know if http://vgmdb.net/artist/3174 Yasumasa Yamada is freelance now (his website says no), but that's a possibility. S.N.K. was always known for jazz.

However, I will believe that Adachi and Hazemoto did that top-notch score. In any case, I asked him on Twitter, so we'll hopefully know soon. Now, off to tell the video game music scene people to tag their songs that way.
 

ULTROS!

People seem to like me because I am polite and I am rarely late. I like to eat ice cream and I really enjoy a nice pair of slacks.
1. Final Fantasy XIII-2
2. Persona 4 Golden
3. Gravity Daze
 
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