Annual Game Music Awards 2011 Winners
We are proud to present the winners of the Annual Game Music Awards 2011. These panel-voted officially recognised awards provide a thorough and wide-reaching recognition of achievement in game music over the last year. Congratulations to all winners, runners-up, and nominees.
Best Score — Japan :: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword continued series’ tradition with its large, adaptive, and highly thematic score. Yet the music often exceeded its predecessors with its rich stylings and immersive orchestrations — thanks to the creativity and experience of leads Hajime Wakai and Mahito Yokota.
Runners-Up
Final Fantasy Type-0
Dark Souls
Other Nominations
Ace Combat: Assault Horizon
Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten
Earth Seeker
El Shaddai: Ascension of the Maelstrom
Nora and the Engraving Studio
Rewrite
The Last Story
Best Score — Western :: inFamous 2
inFamous 2‘s music team, led by Jonathan Mayer and Jim Dooley, concocted an intoxicating mixture of timbres, colours, and styles that was truly genre-defying and mesmerising. The title managed to hold it all together through its edgy, gritty nature and an outstanding recording and mixing effort.
Runners-Up
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
Dead Space 2
Other Nominations
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Crysis 2
Might & Magic Heroes VI
Mortal Kombat
Shogun II: Total War
SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Best Score — Contemporary / Alternative :: Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Michael McCann extensively explored the concept of ‘transhumanism’ with his score for Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Headlined by an incredible main theme, the score portrayed the game’s future-noir world in a deep and subtle manner with hybrids of electronic, acoustic, and vocal elements.
Runners-Up
Portal 2
Child of Eden
Other Nominations
Black Rock Shooter: The Game
Dangan Ronpa
L.A. Noire
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Impact
Patapon 3
Shadows of the Damned
Tekken Tag Tournament 2
Best Score — Retro / Remixed :: Hard Corps: Uprising
Having a wide-spanning involvement in Hard Corps: Uprising, Daisuke Ishiwatari created music that complemented the title’s action-packed gameplay and his own illustrations. What’s more, while still denied an album release, the music greatly entertained gamers with its hard rock arrangements and originals.
Runners-Up
Sonic Generations
Super Mario 3D Land
Other Nominations
Bejeweled 3
Bionic Commando Rearmed 2
de Blob 2
Dissidia 012: Final Fantasy
Kirby’s Return to Dreamland
Rayman Origins
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
Best Score — Independent :: Bloodrayne: Betrayal
By combining exuberant gothic stylings with powerful melodies, WayForward Technology’s Jake Kaufman dazzled listeners with Bloodrayne: Betrayal‘s exuberantly produced orchestral score. In fact, he even went a step further by offering an authentic chiptune version reminiscent of Castlevania.
Runners-Up
To the Moon
Cthulhu Saves the World
Other Nominations
Alpha Squad
Eschatos
Fusion: Genesis
Irotoridori no Sekai
PixelJunk Shooter 2
Spacechem
Sword & Sworcery
Outstanding Achievement – Main Theme :: Ace Combat: Assault Horizon – Rebirth
Keiki Kobayashi proved himself once again with this incredible opening theme. With heroic militaristic melodies from the Northwest Sinfonia and brooding Arabian performances from the Yuval Ron Ensemble, the clash of styles culminated with a mammoth build-up at the climax of the theme.
Runners-Up
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword – Ballad of the Goddess
Deus Ex: Human Revolution – Icarus
Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection – Opening Theme
Other Nominations
Batman: Arkham City – Arkham City Main Theme
Darkspore – Darkspore Theme
El Shaddai: Ascension of the Maelstrom – Theme of El Shaddai
Killzone 3 – And Ever We Fight On
SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs – Theme from SOCOM 4
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Main Theme
Outstanding Achievement – Vocal Theme :: Disgaea 4 – Golden Memories
While Tenpei Sato has a long-standing reputation for creating vocal themes, Disgaea 4’s “Golden Memories” is one of his very best. The vast vocal melody — gorgeously performed by Sarah Àlainn — brought so much to this lushly orchestrated ballad.
Runners-Up
inFamous 2 – Fade Away
Atelier Meruru – Cadena
Portal 2 – Want You Gone
Other Nominations
Bastion – Setting Sail, Coming Home
Chaos Rings Omega – Chaos Rings Omega
Devil Survivor 2 – World of Illusions
Homefront – Stand Your Ground
Senritsu no Stratus – Eternal Blue
Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure – Skylanders Main Theme
Outstanding Achievement – Licensed Music :: LittleBigPlanet 2
LittleBigPlanet 2’s weird and wonderful levels were enhanced with an eclectic selection of original and licensed music. On the licensed side, it was amazing how selections from artists as diverse as Shostakovich, Nightwish, and Squarepusher all found a memorable place in the game.
Runners-Up
Driver: San Francisco
Rocksmith
Other Nominations
Dance Central 2
Deepak Chopra’s Leela: body.mind.spirit.play
FIFA 12
Gran Turismo 5
Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet
Michael Jackson: The Experience
Saints Row: The Third
Outstanding Achievement – Sound Design :: Battlefield 3
The Battlefield series has always placed more emphasis on sound design than music, and Battlefield 3 was no exception. Stefan Strandberg’s team blended futuristic yet gritty ambient soundscapes with the sheer force of bullets and engines to incredible effect.
Runners-Up
Dead Space 2
Dark Souls
Other Nominations
Dead Island
Forza Motorsport 4
From Dust
Resistance 3
Shadows of the Damned
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
Outstanding Achievement – Voice Dialogue :: Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception got everything right in the audio department this year and the voice dialogue was no exception. Charmingly scripted, convincingly performed, and excellently integrated, the dialogue immersed gamers into Drake’s latest adventure.
Runners-Up
Catherine
Portal 2
Other Nominations
Bastion
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten
Dissidia 012: Final Fantasy
Dragon Age II
L.A. Noire
RAGE
Best Album – Arrangement :: Muramasa -The Demon Blade- Music Collection
Basiscape’s unexpected decision to revisit their score for Muramasa: The Demon Blade yielded particularly creative arrangements this year. At the core of the album were menacing yet beautiful performances of traditional Japanese instruments, supported by rich orchestrations and contemporary fusions.
Runners-Up
Valkyria Chronicles Piano Pieces
Distant Worlds – Music from Final Fantasy Returning Home
Castlevania Tribute Vol. 2
Other Nominations
Hideki Sakamoto Orchestral Works
Monster Hunter Orchestra Concert -Hunting Festival 2011-
Rockman Zero Collection Soundtrack -résonnant vie-
The Legend of Heroes -Zero no Kiseki- Super Arrange Version
The Greatest Video Game Music
Xenogears Myth
Best Album – Remix :: Persona 4 Reincarnation -Never More-
Persona 4 Reincarnation -Never More- stood out as this year’s most stylish remix album. Shoji Meguro and Atsushi Kitajoh greatly developed on the ideas of the the original Persona 4 with their sassy vocal tracks, moody contemporary experiments, and classical interludes.
Runners-Up
Nier Tribute Album -echo-
Café SQ
Rewrite – Soil
Other Nominations
Armored Core Reprises
Chaos Theory Remixed
Immortal 4
L.A. Noire Remixed
Monster Hunter Arrange a la carte -I’ll Love You-
We Are Rockmen
Best Album – Fan-Arranged :: Armored Core Tribute Album -The Answer- (Anosou)
Anosou’s decision to commemorate the contemporary scores for the Armored Core series was refreshing in an age filled with tributes to Touhou titles and 8-bit classics. And by blending beats, riffs, and vocals in a bizarre yet compelling way, The Answer stood out for more than just its choice of source material.
Runners-Up
Black Materia: Final Fantasy VII (Random)
Heroes vs. Villains (OverClocked ReMix)
Other Nominations
Harmony of a Hunter (Shinesparkers)
OverDriver (Dangerous Mezashi Cat)
PPPPPPowerup (SoulEye)
Over The Limits! (Tribullets)
Touhou Gensou Shiten 6 -Grimoire- (Sound Sepher)
Touhou Zerokyo Kesshi -Scarlet Bloodbath- (Zero Symphonic Battalion)
Unavenged (Random Encounter)
Best Album – Chiptune :: Hit and Run (Chipocrite)
Chipocrite’s Hit and Run provides a clear and enjoyable example of what a talented composer can do with a 22-year-old piece of hardware: the entire album was written with a particularly unconventional synthesizer, the original Game Boy!
Runners-Up
Soundshock: FM Funk Madness (Various Artists)
SQ Chips (Various Artists)
Other Nominations
Biscuit (xyce)
Cheap Dinosaurs (Cheap Dinosaurs)
Impostor Nostalgia (Jimmy Hinson)
O.S.T. (Daniel Capo)
The Octagon (Jonathan Baken)
Waveform 2 (Joshua Morse)
zeta force (zabutom)
Best Album – Original :: Cryptidalia (Rom Di Prisco)
Rom Di Prisco’s Cryptidalia may have been his first original album, but it showed his years of experience scoring games. With ten contrasting electronic tracks, from the soothing anthem “Trophosphere”, to the percussive experiment “Caverns of Suursonnabu”, Cryptidalia is a rich, imaginative, and polished work.
Runners-Up
Blue Orb (onoken)
GE-ON-DAN Super Rare Trax: Land of the Rising Sun (Various Artists)
Other Nominations
6E 61 32 (Tim Wright as CoLD SToRAGE)
After all… (Motoi Sakuraba)
A New Story (Kanon)
Goodbye World (Naoyuki Sato)
Nerdcore Now Volume 1 (Various Artists)
Octave Theory (Earthbound Papas)
Play For Japan: The Album (Various Artists)
Best Album – Compilation :: Seiken Densetsu Music Complete Book
The Seiken Densetsu Music Complete Book compiled all the original scores and arranged albums for the Mana series to celebrate its 20th anniversary. In addition to its extensive musical content, the compilation stood out for its casing in a lavishly presented book.
Runners-Up
Sonic the Hedgehog 1 & 2 Soundtrack
Gradius Ultimate Collection
Other Nominations
Monster Hunter Hunting Music Collection Special Pack
pop’n music Super Best Box
Silent Hill Sounds Box
Symphonic Suite Dragon Quest Scene-Separated I – IX
The King of Soundtracks ’94 – XIII
Toaplan Shooting Chronicle
Yakuza The Best Original Soundtrack
Outstanding Production – Game Studio :: Nintendo
After several years lagging behind, Nintendo took a leading role in the audio sector this year with creative and polished scores for the Zelda, Mario, Star Fox, and Pilotwings series. In doing so, they have showcased the superior specifications of their next-generation handheld, the 3DS.
Runners-Up
Sony Computer Entertainment
Namco Bandai Games
Other Nominations
Atlus
Electronic Arts
Konami
Microsoft Game Studios
Taito
THQ
Ubisoft
Outstanding Production – Music Studio :: Basiscape
Hitoshi Sakimoto’s Basiscape showcased their individuality and versatility throughout 2011 with a range of releases, including Valkyria Chronicles III, Black Rock Shooter, and even a Pokémon spinoff. They also appealed to collectors by internally publishing various soundtrack releases and arranged albums.
Runners-Up
noisycroak
Pyramind Studios
Other Nominations
Design Wave
Dynamedion
Elements Garden
Procyon Studio
Remote Control Productions
T’s Music
Unique Note
Outstanding Achievement – Record Label :: Sweep Record
Shinji Hosoe’s Sweep Record have made so many album releases possible this year: cutting-edge new releases, retrospective soundtrack chronicles, surprising remix albums, and electronic mini-albums. They have also given Basiscape, noisycroak, Sound Sepher, and others a means to distribute their releases.
Runners-Up
Square Enix
Konami Digital Entertainment
Other Nominations
5pb. Records
Dog Ear Records
E.A.R.S.
Sumthing Else Music Works
Team Entertainment
Wavemaster
Zuntata Records
Outstanding Production – Concert :: Symphonic Odysseys
Symphonic Odysseys – Tribute to Nobuo Uematsu was the fourth in a legendary series of symphonic game music concerts that occurred in Cologne. Produced by Thomas Boecker, this concert combined daring arrangements of Final Fantasy and Mistwalker favourites with dramatic and polished performances.
Runners-Up
LEGENDS
Video Game Heroes
Other Nominations
4star Orchestra
Back to the Future
Fantasy Rock Fes 2011
Guilty Gear X BlazBlue Music Live 2011
Keys of Game Vol. 1
Press Start 2011: Symphony of Games
Video Game Music Live Extend
Outstanding Production – Tour :: The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Symphony
One way Nintendo celebrated the anniversary of The Legend of Zelda was through orchestral concerts in Tokyo, Los Angeles, and London. Featuring numerous popular themes, memorable video projections, and special guests, producer Jason Michael Paul adapted a successful formula for a treasured series.
Runners-Up
Distant Worlds – Music from Final Fantasy
Dragon Quest in Concert
Other Nominations
PLAY! A Video Game Symphony
Video Games Live
Outstanding Contribution – Eastern Composer :: Motoi Sakuraba
Motoi Sakuraba innovated with several major new game scores this year, notably a dark symphonic accompaniment to Dark Souls and a rare solo Tales score. He successfully balanced such projects with solo albums and live appearances that focused on his core progressive rock style.
Runners-Up
Akira Yamaoka
Mahito Yokota
Other Nominations
Takeshi Abo
Rio Hamamoto
Takeharu Ishimoto
Kenji Ito
Hiroki Kikuta
Hirokazu Koshio
Nobuo Uematsu
Outstanding Contribution – Western Composer :: Jason Graves
Jason Graves demonstrated his creativity with five high-powered sequels and two charity albums this year. He especially shone with Dead Space 2, where he took gamers on a frightening but touching musical journey that exceeded even the esteemed original.
Runners-Up
Jeremy Soule
Pawel Blasczcak
Other Nominations
Rod Abernethy
Lorne Balfe
Christophe Héral
Laura Karpman
Tilman Sillescu
Cris Velasco
Inon Zur
Outstanding Contribution – Independent Composer :: Jake Kaufman
Jake Kaufman’s transition from freelance composer to WayForward audio lead has given him more opportunities than ever. With projects ranging from the gothic Bloodrayne: Betrayal to the retro Mighty Milky Way, from cinema adaptations to Japanese shmup tributes, the artist has yet to let us down.
Runners-Up
Josh Whelchel
Keishi Yonao
Other Nominations
Hijiri Anze
Sean Beeson
Danny Baranowsky
Norihiro Furukawa
Chris Geehan
Brian Allen Holmes
Tomomi Teratani
Outstanding Contribution – Newcomer :: Brian Tyler
Veteran movie and television composer Brian Tyler made his mark on the games industry this year with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Need For Speed: The Run. The former especially brought the might of Hollywood with him with its action-packed focus and momentous production values.
Runners-Up
Gordon McNeil
Tsutomu Narita
Other Nominations
Kan R. Gao
Taku Inoue
Asuka Ito
Justin Lassen
Akiyoshi Manabe
Yasuyuki Nagata
Brian Reitzell
Outstanding Contribution – Soloist :: Kanon
Classical-crossover artist Kanon won the hearts of listeners this year with her soprano vocals on The Last Story‘s “Toberu mono”. Her clear and expressive bilingual performance conveyed both the humanity and spirituality of Nobuo Uematsu’s creation.
Runners-Up
Emi Evans
Mary Elizabeth McGlynn
Other Nominations
Aubrey Ashburn
Kaori Asou
Grant Henry
Lang Lang
MASA
Ellen McLain
Laura Shigihara
Outstanding Contribution – Ensemble :: Quartet San Francisco
With their performance of Dead Space 2‘s “Lacrimosa”, the Quartet San Francisco demonstrated how small ensembles can bring much big budget productions. In this case, the performers communicated Isaac’s fear and loneliness while carefully interpreting the complex source material.
Runners-Up
Yuval Ron Ensemble
Tokyo Philharmonic Chorus
Other Nominations
Chantliceer
Eminence Symphonic Choir
kidneythieves
Philharmonia Orchestra
Skywalker Symphony Orchestra
Slovak National Symphony
The Black Heart Procession
Posted on December 31, 2011 by Chris Greening. Last modified on April 5, 2014.
About the Author
Chris Greening I've contributed to websites related to game audio since 2002. In this time, I've reviewed over a thousand albums and interviewed hundreds of musicians across the world. As the founder and webmaster of VGMO -Video Game Music Online-, I hope to create a cutting-edge, journalistic resource for all those soundtrack enthusiasts out there. In the process, I would love to further cultivate my passion for music, writing, and generally building things. Please enjoy the site and don't hesitate to say hello!
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