8th Annual G.A.N.G. Awards Nominees

It’s that time of year again! We had a good time at the G.A.N.G. Awards last year, where not only did we see strong wins from AFRIKA, Dead Space, and Wrath of the Lich King, but also saw some amazing performances by Norihiko Hibino and others. G.A.N.G. has just announced their nominees for the 8th Annual G.A.N.G. Awards set to take place this year.

While I’m glad to see a number of titles that we’ve covered on the site on the list, including Assassin’s Creed II, AVATAR: The Game, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, I am disappointed that the only Japanese offering to make an appearance is Resident Evil 5. In fact, between the 5 OSV editors who listed their top 5 soundtrack picks from 2009, none of the 25 or so entries (there were duplicates) are nominated in the G.A.N.G. Awards (save for Gideon’s pick of Flower), including the amazing soundtrack to Shatter. I’m still interested to see who will win.

What do you think of the nominees this year? Are you rooting for a particular game, or feel that an important title went overlooked?

Hit the jump for the full list of nominees.

AUDIO OF THE YEAR

Assassin’s Creed II
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Need For Speed: Shift
Resident Evil 5
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

MUSIC OF THE YEAR

Assassin’s Creed II
AVATAR: The Game
Dragon Age: Origins
Flower
Halo 3: ODST
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

BEST SOUND DESIGN

Assassin’s Creed II
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Need For Speed: Shift
Resident Evil 5
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

BEST SOUNDTRACK ALBUM

Assassin’s Creed II
Brutal Legend
Dragon Age: Origins
inFAMOUS
Tom Clancy’s: H.A.W.X.
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

BEST INTERACTIVE SCORE

Assassin’s Creed II
Flower
Halo 3: ODST
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

BEST HANDHELD AUDIO

Gran Turismo (PSP)
Jak & Daxter: The Lost Frontier (PSP)
Mecho Wars (iPhone)
Resistance: Retribution (PSP)
The Secret Of Monkey Island: Special Edition (iPhone)

BEST CINEMATIC/CUT-SCENE AUDIO

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Left 4 Dead 2
Need For Speed: Shift
Resident Evil 5
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

BEST DIALOGUE

Assassin’s Creed II
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Brutal Legend
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Resident Evil 5
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

BEST ORIGINAL INSTRUMENTAL

“Ezio’s Family” – Assassin’s Creed II
“Flight Over Venice” – Assassin’s Creed II
“Spirit of Bladehenge” – Brutal Legend
“Sonny Tang” – Eat Lead
“Reunion” – Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

BEST ORIGINAL VOCAL – CHORAL

“Venice Rooftops” – Assassin’s Creed II
“A Creature Shall Rise” – Brutal Legend
“Sad Theme” – Tom Clancy’s: H.A.W.X.
“Washington Under Seige” – Tom Clancy’s: H.A.W.X.
“Halls of Iron” – World of Warcraft: Fall of the Lich King

BEST ORIGINAL VOCAL – POP

“I Am The One” (High Fantasy Version) – Dragon Age: Origins
“Lelianna’s Song” – Dragon Age: Origins
“Silent Melody” – inFAMOUS
“Best Friends Menu Theme” – Littlest Pet Shop Friends
“Pray – Theme Song” – Resident Evil 5
“Plants vs. Zombies” – Plants vs. Zombies

BEST USE OF MULTI-CHANNEL SURROUND IN A GAME

Bayonetta
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Forza Motorsport 3
Left 4 Dead 2
Resident Evil 5
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

BEST USE OF LICENSED MUSIC

Brutal Legend
DJ Hero
Guitar Hero: Van Halen
Rock Band: The Beatles
SingStar: Queen

BEST GAME AUDIO ARTICLE, PUBLICATION OR BROADCAST

“Avoiding Tedium – Fighting Repetition in Game Audio” – AES Conference Paper
“Dynamics of Narrative” – Gamasutra.com
“The Future of Game Audio / The Game Audio Mixing Revolution” – Gamasutra.com
“Less is More” – Game Developer Magazine
“Surviving the Crunch – Being Healthy Sound Designers” – Designing Sound
“Surviving Your First Composing Gig” – Shockwave-Sound.com