• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

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

antitrop

Member
Is Hitman: Absolution's OST available anywhere? I did enjoy a lot of that game's music, the more Southern-fried stuff especially.
I did a Google search and it looks pretty much like there are no plans for now, if ever, to release an OST to that game.

There's always YouTube.
 

Nert

Member
3. Er... Dead or Alive 5, I guess? This year has been pretty bad for soundtracks, for me.

I'm with Dantis. Imma hafta think carefully and research, but it's looking like I'm going for a very weak list this year, whereas 2011 was about 8 worthy of mention.

I would highly recommend checking out some of the stuff that will be linked and discussed here throughout the coming days. I'd be pretty surprised if there weren't at least three soundtracks that resonated with you, given the huge variety of styles that have been used.

i think this is kind of silly though, even if it did win last year. it only hurts people who didn't get to experience the game until 2012.

It isn't our intention to punish anybody who came to the game late. Xenoblade's soundtrack is very highly regarded on NeoGAF, and it's been brought up in these threads for a while now. If people who played the game for the first time this year really feel strongly about this, they're more than welcome to include it as an honorable mention. We just don't think that having last year's winner show up in the top 15 again would be fair to the other soundtracks that were released this year.
 

GhaleonQ

Member
GHALEONQ AWAKENS FROM HIS SLUMBER. (Sorry, long work week.)

As always, 1,000,000 high-fives to Nert, who puts this topic on his back and carries it home.

Gosh, not being able to open up 3DS games and Wii U games is a real hassle for creating this topic, so you know. Fun!

I'll post my list at the end. Is this because Level-5 refuses to release games before the last weeks of the year? Who can say?!?!

I really do hope that some people check in with the topic and consider revising choices. In my opinion, there's not a choice that NeoGAF would obviously cluster around this year, so I think it's wide open!

Again, thanks to all for participating with us as we experiment, and thanks for caring about video game music in such a passionate way. It makes playing and discussing games that much more rewarding.

For now, NO SPOILERS OMG I'M NOT EVEN DONE, I will merely point out that Botanicula was inspired by Bjork, Lithuanian (yeah!) and other eastern European folk and electronica, and Arvo Part. http://twinfinite.net/blog/2012/06/30/the-beats-in-botanicula-an-interview-with-dva These are many of my favorite music things in the world. Nert has my picks from the soundtrack/gamerip.
 
It isn't our intention to punish anybody who came to the game late. Xenoblade's soundtrack is very highly regarded on NeoGAF, and it's been brought up in these threads for a while now. If people who played the game for the first time this year really feel strongly about this, they're more than welcome to include it as an honorable mention. We just don't think that having last year's winner show up in the top 15 again would be fair to the other soundtracks that were released this year.

I completely agree with this 100%. It was already on a previous list.
 

Vire

Member
1. Halo 4
2. Max Payne 3
3. Journey

Honorable Mention: Mass Effect 3 for the Clint Mansell track.
 

Tagg9

Member
I really do hope that some people check in with the topic and consider revising choices. In my opinion, there's not a choice that NeoGAF would obviously cluster around this year, so I think it's wide open!

I would be very surprised if Journey doesn't win.
 

SpokkX

Member
This one is easy

3 games stand out way above the rest

1. Nintendo land. Best soundtrack in several years. And there are a LOT of tracks
2. Kid Icarus uprising. Awsome new compositions
3. Halo 4. Actually holds up well to the old games
 

UrbanRats

Member
A great year for soundtracks.

1. Max Payne 3
2. Hotline Miami
3. Journey


Honorable mentions:
Sleeping Dogs
DarkSiders 2
Dragon's Dogma
 

Gravijah

Member
It isn't our intention to punish anybody who came to the game late. Xenoblade's soundtrack is very highly regarded on NeoGAF, and it's been brought up in these threads for a while now. If people who played the game for the first time this year really feel strongly about this, they're more than welcome to include it as an honorable mention. We just don't think that having last year's winner show up in the top 15 again would be fair to the other soundtracks that were released this year.

as is, though, it's a popularity contest. it's not going to be fair. it's just going to be a reflection of what a percentage of GAF thinks SOTY 2012 is. everything is all in good fun.
 
I feel kind of bad for doing this, but it's not like I could realistically play and listen to the soundtrack of every game released this year. Furthermore, a lot of what makes these soundtracks great is how well they go with what you're actually playing, so if I haven't played the game... I'll just go with what I've played:

1. Dragon's Dogma - I don't really know quite how to articulate why this soundtrack is my favorite of the year, but, well, it just works for me. It's the one soundtrack I keep listening to over and over and over again long after I've finished the game (twice, at that!). It's REALLY hard for me to pick just one track as an example, but I'll go with this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lxBcxWhqtc
2. Phantasy Star Online 2 - This one gets bonus points for having one of the most unique music systems ever released in a video game. The whole thing is just synth heaven for me. Few games can claim to have a soundtrack that actually complements the on-screen action the way PSO2's does.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRvUUkJc-0s
3. Sound Shapes - Frankly, including this here feels like cheating considering the entire game is centered around the music. But even so, it has quite a few lovely tracks, and the concept itself is novel enough to be worth at least a few bonus points. The format of the game encourages experimentation on the part of the artists, resulting in some truly bizarre and fascinating music. And let's not forget that players themselves have an influence on this when they make their own levels, which itself serves as a way to create new music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91w3Sje_yC8
 

GhaleonQ

Member
Thanks to those who were already able to describe the merits of their choices. That's what makes this fun: the debate!

Is Hitman: Absolution's OST available anywhere? I did enjoy a lot of that game's music, the more Southern-fried stuff especially.

http://vgmdb.net should be everyone's source to see if there are official releases or not. It's very close to perfect, has different languages included, and has an advanced search that's incredibly useful, too (say, if the game isn't in the title of the album).

However, it does "exist" as taken from the game.
 
Honorable Mention: Mass Effect 3 for the Clint Mansell track.

I'm not questioning your choice there at all, it's a good track, but for me that was a problem. When I found out that Clint was on the soundtrack, let's just say I expected better-- and a lot more. I think he only did like two tracks or something and they weren't even that spectacular. This guy is an amazing composer and his involvement brought upon a lot of expectation, so I just can't figure out why they got him to only do a couple of tracks that were just good but far... far from what he normally does or is capable of.

It would be like flipping the shit upon hearing that John Williams is involved with the soundtrack for Uncharted 4, but it turns out that he only does a couple of tracks and that they're not really better or worse than the other tracks that the other composers did, who go largely unnamed despite doing a lot more work.

Not bad. Just disappointing IMO. A missed opportunity.
 
I'm gonna do an actual write-up for my choices, but for now I gotta leave it at votes. This has been a great year for video game music, in my opinion~
 

GhaleonQ

Member
I'm not questioning your choice there at all, it's a good track, but for me that was a problem. When I found out that Clint was on the soundtrack, let's just say I expected better-- and a lot more. I think he only did like two tracks or something and they weren't even that spectacular. This guy is an amazing composer and his involvement brought upon a lot of expectation, so I just can't figure out why they got him to only do a couple of tracks that were just good but far... far from what he normally does or is capable of.

It would be like flipping the shit upon hearing that John Williams is doing the soundtrack for Uncharted 4, but it turns out that he only does a couple of tracks and that they're not really better or worse than the other tracks that the other composers who go largely unnamed despite doing a lot more work.

Not bad. Just disappointing and misguided IMO.

(I can't speak directly to this as my fandom is not great for either,) but I definitely hear you. That's how I feel about Chikayo Fukuda, among a few others this year. http://vgmdb.net/artist/3651 She's always been very underrated and put on lower series, but I think that she had a real breakthrough with Solatorobo: And Then To Coda/Red The Hunter. (Incidentally, it finally got a full soundtrack release this year after getting about 3/5 released outside of a rip in the previous. http://vgmdb.net/album/35564 )

Asura's Wrath's bored me, and I thought the game itself was, if a lot of other things, not boring.

Edit: NOI, LOOK AWAY. (Sorry!)
 
(I can't speak directly to this as my fandom is not great for either,) but I definitely hear you. That's how I feel about Chikayo Fukuda, among a few others this year. http://vgmdb.net/artist/3651 She's always been very underrated and put on lower series, but I think that she had a real breakthrough with Solatorobo: And Then To Coda/Red The Hunter. (Incidentally, it finally got a full soundtrack release this year after getting about 3/5 released outside of a rip in the previous. http://vgmdb.net/album/35564 )

Asura's Wrath's bored me, and I thought the game itself was, if a lot of other things, not boring.

Yeah. And again I'm not questioning or calling out Vire's opinion at all. It was more or less a jumping point for me to rant about that a little bit because I was seriously disappointed with Mansell's work on ME3.

Luckily ME3 still had a very good soundtrack. It's on my list. But the Mansell factor was a waste.
 

GhaleonQ

Member
Yeah. And again I'm not questioning or calling out Vire's opinion at all. It was more or less a jumping point for me to rant about that a little bit because I was seriously disappointed with Mansell's work on ME3.

So (and I understand you're fleshing out your opinion, not attacking another's), but WHY was it disappointing to you? Was it that he did his usual work, but worse? Was it a change in style or instrumentation that didn't work? Was it that he got stuck with tracks for situations where he didn't get "starring roles?" Was your opinion of the game what dragged it down?

For me, Asura's Wrath was more in touch with her work on licensed games and it had some neat choices. (Reference the archive when Nert has it up.) However, like the game, it was a bit dumb and overblown, and nothing puts me off a game more than someone describing it as, "EPIC!!1!."

i remember feeling that the OST fit the game pretty nicely, but it's not something i would listen to on its own.

Sure, it contributes to the total insane bombast, but it's not very nutritious, if you get my drift. It's like terrible 1970s American soft/pop rock played in a giant stadium: take it out of there and you realize how embarrassing it is.
 

randomkid

Member
Yeah dudes, at least post a link to your favorite song on the soundtrack, gimme something to work with to figure out where you're coming from. Maybe another bolded line in the OP is needed (at least it's nice to see that the thread is outpacing last year's as of now).

Related Recommendations

No single work exists in a vacuum. As with any other type of music, it’s natural to think “wow, I have got to find something else that sounds like this” after you hear a great game soundtrack for the first time. Because this thread is largely about discovery, we would like to open it up to related recommendations of other game soundtracks that aren't necessarily eligible for voting this year.

For example, for those of you that enjoy FTL : Faster Than Light's soundtrack, I could point out that Mass Effect's soundtrack might hit some of those same buttons. Both before and after the voting period ends, you’re more than welcome to give recommendations in that vein, and we will incorporate them into the results thread.

I like this idea a lot, a "You Might Like This" with specific song choices will be mad helpful.
 

GhaleonQ

Member
Okay, not to keep with the negativity, but Bravely Default: Flying Fairy controversial opinion incoming!

I was incredibly thrilled by the Final Fantasy IX-ness of the initial reveals, but while I really, really, really enjoy the game, the soundtrack may be 1 of the worst parts (this is still a compliment; the total package is just excellent).

I should have expected the progressive rock influence (which is fine, but a weird change in mood; he doesn't incorporate it as well as Sakuraba does in his games), but the more baroque-sounding tracks weren't quite up to the level of the initial choices.

I'll post what Nert will:
Bravely Default: Flying Fairy
http://vgmdb.net/album/33726
Yasuo Kamanaka
http://vgmdb.net/artist/3622
Quietness Of The Forest
Horizon Of Light And Shadow
Below The Duchy’s Banner

This is 1 that would rank higher if I just considered how they were used in-game or if I only considered top tracks. As a total soundtrack, I don't think it hits Square Enix Music's 10/10 rating. http://www.squareenixmusic.com/reviews/don/bravelydefault.shtml http://www.rpgfan.com/soundtracks/bravelydefault/index.html

Still, it's very good. I was expecting a competitor for "all-time greatest," though.
 

AHA-Lambda

Member
1. Halo 4
2. Journey
3. Mass Effect 3


Disclaimer: Honestly not been a great year for me regards game OSTs; I only mention ME3 as a candidate because of the 2 tracks Clint Mansell did but apart from those it's a pretty forgettable soundtrack. I just couldn't think of a another candidate.

Honorable Mentions:

To The Moon:
I know this isn't this year, but I only played this recently and it's SOOO good! BEst OSt I've listened to this year.
 
1. Journey
2. FEZ
3. Hotline Miami

Honorable:
Max Payne 3
Double Dragon Neon (Almost exclusively for the crazy lyrics)
NintendoLand
Persona 4: Golden (Cheating, most of the music is from 2008)
Gravity Rush
 
So (and I understand you're fleshing out your opinion, not attacking another's), but WHY was it disappointing to you? Was it that he did his usual work, but worse? Was it a change in style or instrumentation that didn't work? Was it that he got stuck with tracks for situations where he didn't get "starring roles?" Was your opinion of the game what dragged it down?

Again, because my expectations were a lot higher for Clint Mansell and it isn't hard to hear why.

Instead of getting music that is even remotely on par with his film scores, he does a couple of tracks (I think he did two) that were just... okay, and not really superior to the work by the other composers on the same soundtrack.

When you reveal that you're hiring a composer like Mansell, you expect nothing but greatness, and while his work was decent, you can't really help but ask "why?" Again, why hire him, such a prestigious film composer, to only do a few tracks that are arguably not much better than the work by the other composers anyway? It just makes no sense to me at all-- hence the disappointment.
 

ghst

thanks for the laugh
1. hotline miami
2. some other game
3. who cares?

fighting a rising tidy of wanky first party pet projects and AAA megaliths, but it'll always have the moral victory.
 

DY_nasty

NeoGAF's official "was this shooting justified" consultant
1) Final Fantasy XIII-2
2) Mass Effect 3
3) XCOM

Its a shame that so many people revolted against FF13-2 because of FF13's hype train not ending like so many had hoped. 13-2 did a lot of things very well. Its soundtrack was easily the best of the year imo (it was a down year, but still).
 
I would highly recommend checking out some of the stuff that will be linked and discussed here throughout the coming days. I'd be pretty surprised if there weren't at least three soundtracks that resonated with you, given the huge variety of styles that have been used.

Oddly enough, I am. I said what I did as most of my lists come from games I play, but this year had a lot of games with bad/average/extremely sparse OSTs, so I'm having to go afield as it were.
 
Top Bottom