Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G) 2007 awardees

Posted Mar 13, 2007 at 9:23AM EST by QJ Staff

Listed in: News Tags: G.A.N.G., GDC, Koji Kondo, Nintendo

Ó

0
While a good game will often get top merits for good graphics, gameplay, and storyline, we can't forget to mention one other aspect that rounds out this winning combo: good sounds. With that in mind, the Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.) announces this year's G.A.N.G. Awards winners.

The 5th Annual awarding were concluded last Tuesday, March 8, with candidates being selected by members of the game audio industry, and G.A.N.G.'s own crop of 1,200 members.

Xbox 360 fans will be very delighted to know that Gears of War can happily lancer-up another notch in its growing list of achievements, as Epic's runaway hit game for the 360 bags "Audio of the Year," followed closely by Call of Duty 3, Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter, Tomb Raider: Legend, and Splinter Cell: Double Agent.

Moving on to specific gaming personalities, we find G.A.N.G. giving Nintendo composer Koji Kondo a much-deserved "Lifetime Achievement" award, even as they hand out a "Rookie of the Year" award to upcoming composer Christopher Tin, whose musical score "Baba Yetu" for the Civilization IV game wins the "Best original vocal - choral" award. Read on for the rest of the finalists (winners are in bold):

Audio of the year

• Call of Duty 3
• Gears of War
• Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter
• Splinter Cell: Double Agent
• Tomb Raider: Legend

Music of the year

• Dreamfall
• Destroy All Humans! 2
• Hitman: Blood Money
• Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth II
• Tomb Raider: Legend

Sound design of the year

• Call of Duty 3
• Gears of War
• Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter
• Lost Planet: Extreme Condition
• Splinter Cell: Double Agent

Best interactive score

• Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter
• Need For Speed: Carbon
• Red Steel
• Splinter Cell: Double Agent
• Tomb Raider: Legend

Best original soundtrack album

• Earthworm Jim Anthology
• Halo 2: Volume Two
• Hitman: Blood Money
• Psychonauts
• Sly Cooper III: Honor Among Thieves

Best dialogue

• 24
• Call of Duty 3
• Dead Rising
• Scarface: The World Is Yours
• Tomb Raider: Legend
  

Best cinematic/cut-scene audio

• Gears of War
• Half-Life 2: Episode 1
• Lost Planet: Extreme Condition
• Splinter Cell: Double Agent
• The Godfather

Best audio - other

• Assassin's Creed (website)
• Cartoon Networks Re-animated: Fit to be Pie'd
• Happy Feet
• Hexic
• Splinter Cell: Double Agent (Website)

Best original instrumental

• "Theme" - Dreamfall
• "Gates of Stonehelm" - Dark Messiah of Might and Magic
• “Titan” - ParaWorld
• "Main Theme" - Star Trek: Legacy
• "Main Title" - Hitman: Blood Money
• "Titan" - Paraworld

Best original vocal - pop

• "All My Life" - Battlefield 2: Modern Combat
• "Angel's Heaven" - Red Steel
• "Dr. Kunkle's Funnkle Cake" - Thrillville
• "Let It Go" - NBA 07
• "Shadow Song" - SpellForce 2

Best original vocal - choral

• "Ajikistan Theme" - SOCOM: Combined Assault
• "Apocalypse" - Hitman: Blood Money
• "Baba Yetu" - Civilization IV
• "Elven Morning" - Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth II
• "Main Theme" - Heroes of Might and Magic V

Best use of licensed music

• Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
• Guitar Hero II
• Need for Speed: Carbon
• Scarface: The World is Yours
• The Godfather

Best arrangement of a non-original score

• "All Along the Watchtower" - Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter
• "Amazing Grace" - Left Behind: Eternal Forces
• Jaws: Unleashed
• Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams
• The Godfather

Most innovative use of audio

• Every Extended Extra
• Guitar Hero II
• Loco Roco
• Lumines II
• Singstar: Rocks

Best use of multi-channel surround in a game

• Black
• Call of Duty 3
• Gears of War
• Rainbow Six: Vegas
• Splinter Cell: Double Agent
• Tomb Raider: Legend

Best game audio article, publication or broadcast

• "2006 GDC Audio Boot Camp" by Scott Selfon & others*
• "Musical Symmetry" by Jesse Harlin, Audio Column - Game Developer Magazine
• "Settling the Score" by Daniel Kayser - Hardcore Gamer Magazine
• "SiN Episodes: Emergence music study" by Zak Belica - Music4Games.Net
• "Play On: The Composers Behind Today's Game Music" by Russ Pitts - The Escapist

Rookie of the year

• Christopher Tin
  

G.A.N.G. recognition award

• Audiokinetic - Wwise
• Gene Semel
  

Lifetime achievement award

• Koji Kondo

Distinguished service award

• Scott Gershin
• David Murrant
• Scott Selfon

Student contest winners:

• Sound Design: "Necromancing," by  Vince Iannelli
• Music Comp: "Anura" by JJ Lee

Tweet

This story sucks? This story rocks!

Vote Now!    (0) (0)

Become a Member of QJ.Net! If you want your comments to go live without waiting for moderation, you need to be logged in. Being logged in has its benefits: Logged in members do not wait for their comments to be approved. Logged in members can sign up for nightly updates. Logged in members can create Profiles to be seen by other users. So why wait? Create an account or login now! It's easy, quick, and free. To get started, use the LOGIN boxes, or the REGISTER link at the top right!

Comments 

 

# these awards are a bit pointless — Guest 2007-03-13 13:03

fair enough, the music in games add atomsphere, etc. but awards dedicated to gaming soundtracks? doesn't seem very worthwhile to me i'm afraid.

Reply

 

 

# CoD3 being a nominee? — Guest 2007-03-13 16:23

what is the point of that when the sound effects for footsteps and weapon switches sound like they were recorded in a tin can!

Reply

 

 

# your speakers must be *****ed — Guest 2007-03-14 11:28

I don't know what version you played but I have the Xbox 360 version and the sounds are wonderful. My only complaint is that they toned down the ping noise the M1 Garrand makes when a cartridge is ejected. It's still authentic but not as loud(or satisfying) as CoD2.

Reply

 

 

# Versions I've played — Guest 2007-03-16 06:02

both! and on different peoples setups. One friend has a PS3 hooked up with HDMI Audio to a Yamaha RX-V2700 playing out of Jamo D450 speakers and the accompanying surrounds to create a 7.1 setup. and i still heard those low quality sounds.

Reply

 

Refresh comments list

Add comment

Name (required)

Title

Refresh

Send

Cancel

JComments