It is a surprise to nobody who reads this site that, often times, the “surprise,” “sleeper,” or “out-of-nowhere” game hits of the year are often accompanied by a great score. It is even less of a surprise to this same class of individuals that such scores are often invaluable to the artistic and critical success of said games. One need not look any further than Flower, Braid, or Demon’s Souls – just to name a few – to see how innovative gameplay paired with an unforgettable soundtrack can propel a small game into the discussion of the greats of the industry, and, very often, with a budget a small fraction the size of the big boys’.
2010 found its first “surprise” hit rather quickly (early January) in Vigil Games’ first outing, Darksiders. Designed by Marvel Comics acclaimed artist, Joe Madureira, Darksiders is a beautiful-looking mish-mosh of several games’ mechanics weaved together gracefully to create an experience that scored near-unanimous acclaim in the gaming community.
Composers Cris Velasco and Mike Reagan of God of War fame are here to accompany War’s charge against the angels and demons, and they brought their friend, Scott Morton, to help.
Click the jump to read how Darksiders might just be another title to add to this list. Or is it on a different list altogether?! More importantly, did Cris Velasco bring his drums? (more…)
