Uncharted 2

Game Music

Uncharted 3 OST: No Deception Needed Here

January 4, 2012 | Gideon Dabi | Comments Off on Uncharted 3 OST: No Deception Needed Here Share this

I have always felt that Greg Edmonson is a wonderfully gifted composer. His work on the two previous Uncharted games saw a dramatic improvement from a competent score to an exceptional score by the time Uncharted 2 came along to wipe the floor with all its rivals. Regular readers of the site may already know that Edmonson had set awfully high expectations for his third Uncharted score after snagging the coveted and prestigious BAFTA award in 2010. Unsurprisingly, this year Edmonson may be up against some of the same franchises in Batman and Modern Warfare.

But, with great respect to the aforementioned franchises, if Greg Edmonson should be against them again, it should not be a close contest. Find out why! (more…)
Game Music

UNCHARTED 2 Soundtrack Review: Marco Polo’s Lost Treasure?

April 14, 2010 | Gideon Dabi | 2 Comments Share this

Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 2: Among Thieves found Nathan Drake stealing nearly every GOTY award in 2009. If you think I’m kidding, check out Wikipedia’s entry devoted entirely to honors received by the Playstation 3 exclusive. Among these awards are several honors for its score and composer Greg Edmonson. Most recently, Edmonson and his score received the honor from BAFTA – consistently viewed as one of the more prestigious honors in the community.

Though mostly good, the first Uncharted was a bit of a mixed bag. My memories of unloading a clip into a dancing native’s face only to have him continue his ridiculous dodging routine are not my fondest gaming moments. The original’s score, though musical, did not stand out save for the main theme.

We know the second one improved gameplay and graphics immensely, but what of the score? Click the jump for my take! (more…)
Game Music

Uncharted 2 Wins Best Original Score at BAFTA Awards

March 20, 2010 | Gideon Dabi | 2 Comments Share this

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) had its 2010 Video Game Awards yesterday, and Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 2 walked away with the lion’s share of honors, including Best Original Score. Although Rocksteady’s Batman: Arkham Asylum took home Game of the Year, Naughty Dog’s masterpiece nabbed four awards.

The nominees for Best Original Score were:

Assassin’s Creed II
Batman: Arkham Asylum
PixelJunk Shooter
Uncharted 2
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

All of these entries are certainly respectable. However, not one RPG or JRPG soundtrack is included, and none of the favorite soundtracks of the writers of this site can be found here.

What say you? Are these the top five original scores of 2009 or has BAFTA missed a few gems? I think you know how we feel!

(Full list of nominees and winners can be found HERE).
Game Music

GDC 2010: A Much Smaller G.A.N.G. Awards, And Results!

March 14, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on GDC 2010: A Much Smaller G.A.N.G. Awards, And Results! Share this

We mentioned the 8th Annual G.A.N.G. Award Nominees a month or so ago, but at GDC, we final saw results. This year’s G.A.N.G. Awards were considerably smaller than last year, taking place in a much smaller room in south hall as opposed to the traditional north hall location. There were no musical acts, which facilitated a much faster ceremony (it was crammed into 90 minutes), but despite the simplicity of the event this year, there were still many and often humorous technical issues, which led to G.A.N.G. President Paul Lipson having to call out the nominees in his best announcer voice and Tommy providing live sound effects for the footage when the audio cut out.

They showed a number of YouTube videos throughout the evening, which took the place of the performances. Included were a Michael Jackson video where his sprite from Moonwalker was placed in a number of games, and that amazing Japanese Zelda commercial for A Link to the Past. They also interspersed some comedic bits in between with a top ten worst game titles (including Sticky Balls and Irritated Stick) and top ten worst voice acting moments, which came from Resident Evil and a number of early RPGs.

As far as the winners go, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves was the big winner, but there were a few surprises, including The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition for iPhone taking the best handheld audio award and Plants Vs. Zombies winning for best original vocal – pop. Flower also won in its category (best interactive music), which was good to see.

Hit the jump for the full list of winners, and let us know what you think! (more…)
Game Music

Game Developer’s Choice Awards Audio Nominees

February 1, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this

It’s that time of year again. GDC has announced its 2010 Game Developer’s Choice Awards nominees, and of course, we jumped right to the audio. Honestly, when you’re as into game music as most of us are here, you can’t help but be a little disappointed by the sometimes mainstream selections that find their way onto these lists, but hey, it’s hard to pick just 5 from the slew of titles with amazing soundtrack released each year.

The GDCA Main Competition Nominees for “Best Audio” are: Uncharted 2 (Naughty Dog), Dragon Age: Origins (BioWare), Rock Band: The Beatles (Harmonix), Flower (thatgamecompany), and Brutal Legend (Double Fine Productions)

The 2010 Independent Game Festival Nominees for “Excellence in Audio” are: Super Meat Boy! (Team Meat), Shatter (Sidhe), Closure (Closure Team), Rocketbirds: Revolution! (Ratloop Asia), and Trauma (Krystian Majewski)

Whose cuisine will reign supreme? Find out in March when the winners are announced!

Are you satisfied with the list of nominees? Any titles that you think belong in the top 5 that aren’t here?
Game Music

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Soundtrack Goes Electro: Carmen Rizzo Joins The Mix

October 14, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Soundtrack Goes Electro: Carmen Rizzo Joins The Mix Share this

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is out, and so is the game’s soundtrack, composed by original Uncharted composer Greg Edmonson. It’s currently available on iTunes, and while we’re looking forward to hearing Edmonson’s score. we were surprised to learn that electronic artist Carmen Rizzo, who you may remember from his joint interview with Gerard Marino about The Agency, also contributed to the score.

“The Road to Shambhala” is his sole contribution, and is an awesome ethnic electronic track with gritty, overdriven bass synths and ethnic stringed instruments and vocals that create a pretty unique marriage of musical styles. This is what Rizzo does best, and I’m personally hoping that this track introduces him to gamers out there who aren’t familiar with his work. It’s apparently being used in advertisements for the game, and it’s one of Rizzo’s biggest contributions to the world of game music thus far. We’re looking forward to checking out Greg Edmonson’s work, and recommend heading over to iTunes to check it out.

What do you make of this frenzy to include mainstream electronic artists on game soundtracks these days? Are you excited about the Uncharted 2: Among Thieves soundtrack?