The team was intending on doing a full podcast in memory of the fantastic music throughout 2012 coming from the games department, but since there just didn’t seem to be time with possibility of new consoles coming faster and faster, we decided to write about it instead.
Enjoy everyone’s favorite songs of 2012!
Tony –
Fez – Adventure – Disasterpiece
In my opinion, a game as cryptic as Fez deserves music equally as cryptic. I’ve always paired platforming games with the older style of VGM. Pairing dubstep with a game like Fez would never fly with me. Not only that, but the mysterious nature of this track pairs itself with the multiple layers of Fez perfectly. This is my favorite song of all of them for 2012. Makes sense that it came from my nominee for 2012 GOTY!
Tales of Graces: f – Main Theme
The Main Theme for Tales of Graces f sets an excellent feel for the game as a whole. The only way to make it more reminiscent of the JRPG it is would be to change the voice to Japanese! The track hints at main themes from the game, and (to my great annoyance) also hints at things that should happen later on in the game, but never do!
All in all, Tales of Graces f’s main theme may not have hit the fans in 2012, exactly, but it definitely deserves a good bit of praise.
Journey – Nascense – Austin Wintory
Some of you may not know that back in my highschool years, I was a huge band guy. I played in all of the bands, orchestras, and sung in all of the choirs throughout my years there. Nascense from Journey instantly brought me back to those years and got me interested right away.
The song itself is beautiful. A stunning orchestral piece that does not owe its greatness to anything but its own simplicity. Perfect for a game like Journey. Perfect for the setting of Journey. These factors brought Nascense directly to the upper few song of 2012 that distinctly stood out to me over the year.
Nabeshin –
Mass Effect 3 – Mars
After you’re introduced to Mass Effect 3, Shepard and his crew travel to Mars to discover the weakness of the Reapers. Here is where the game opens up and gameplay becomes the larger focus of the game. What better way to show it off than with some kickass music! Not only does the Mars theme set the tone and atmosphere of the level when entering the warehouse, but it also picks up incredibly when the enemies appear and combat ensues. It shows Mass Effect 3 can have the right balance of being a game that has emotion and action, all at the same time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyRT_n7uadY
Persona 4 Golden – Time to Make History
It’s extremely hard to choose the best song from Persona 4 Golden, seeing that the soundtrack is so amazing, but out of all the tracks this one stands out the most. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard this song, seeing that it’s the default battle theme, but despite the repetitiveness of it, I never got tired of hearing it. It gets me so pumped listening to it and makes me want to go all out so it can look flashy as I sync in with the music. You couldn’t ask for a better battle theme for my personal Game of the Year.
Rhythm Heaven Fever – Ring Side
This was the song that honestly sold me on Rhythm Heaven Fever. This is the song that I show off to anyone trying out Rhythm Heaven Fever for the first time because this is what sums up the game in general. So funny, catchy, and creative that it’s almost impossible to not sing-a-long with it once you’ve experienced it for the first time.
Gregory –
Fry Cry 3– Make It Bun Dem – Skrillex
In Far Cry 3 there is one particular level called “Kick the Hornet’s Nest”. This mission requires you to go to a marijuana field owned by Hoyt and burn the whole thing down to the ground. Not only is this mission awesome, but it adds my personal favorite use of dubstep in 2012, using the song “Make It Bun Dem” by Skrillex.
The song came out of left field with the overall soundtrack using lower bass tones, this song kicks things up a notch. As you take your flamethrower to everything in sight, you can’t help but jam to Skrillex’s beats and erupt with satisfaction to your enemies and pot burning all around you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYNQUl9ydOE
Dragon’s Dogma– Eternal Return
Dragon’s Dogma is one of my personal favorite games of 2012. Not only was it a good JRPG, but it also had a great soundtrack. I would have to say that one of my favorite songs from the game was the “Eternal Return”: this song makes the ending of the game truly beautiful. The intro of the woman singing in addition to the orchestra in the background really sets the tone for the ending of the game in satisfying way.
Just imagine the you and your pawn (your companion on your journey) on the amazing journey that you just completed, along with the countless hours that made that ending incredibly satisfying. Dragon’s Dogma’s soundtrack is one of my favorites and should be experienced by everyone.
Journey – Road of Trials – Austin Wintory
As you all know I am a huge fan of Journey’s soundtrack, assuming you listened to the game of the year show. Austin Wintory did a fantastic job with this game’s soundtrack, and one of my favorite songs from that soundtrack is “Road of Trials”. This song can be found in the level called the Path of Trials; this moving part of the game brings or main character through an easy to navigate, beautiful scene that displays the true beauty of Journey. The song adds some magic to an already beautiful level and drives home the point that Journey is a game that everyone should experience.
Evan –
Assassins Creed 3 – Battle at Sea
The Assassin’s Creed III soundtrack was composed by Lorne Balfe, and he did a fantastic job. Every time I did a ship battle mission, I always looked forward to hearing the epic battle scene music. This really put me in a sea battle mood every time I heard it, and made me want to play more and more ship missions (as opposed to the rest of the game). It was a real shame when you ran out of ship missions to complete, so I had to go back to the soundtrack again and again.
Sly 2: Band of Thieves HD – Tango with Carmelita Fox
I know the Sly HD Collection didn’t come out in 2012, but that was the year I got my PS3, so i was making up for lost time.
The tango scene with Carmelita Fox was one of my favorite parts of Sly 2, not only because of the witty remarks, but also the music. Yes, I know that the music is just a normal tango song, but when played while tangoing with Carmelita, it really makes the scene come alive. But everytime I hear the song I think of all the hard work and intense moments leading up the tango, and all that was at stake when tangoing with Inspector Fox. It’s really the grunt of the heist in the second chapter.
Alex –
XCOM: Enemy Unknown – Main Theme –
XCOM’s Theme is definitely the piece you’ll remember the most; that or the sound of Mutons murdering all of your squad. It has that modern sci-fi feel of games like Deus Ex and moves like Tron Legacy. It just gives you this massive-scale sci-fi feel.
Setting the tone of building a team and a base that is the first and last line of defense between human annihilation and the growing alien threat is a hard line to tot, but I think XCOM’s theme kind of hits the nail on the head.
Darksiders II – Crowfather’s Theme – Jesper Kyd
Jesper Kyd has done a lot of great work across the gaming industry, from Assassin’s Creed to Hitman, he has had his fingers in musical pies all across the last generation. His composition work has always made music exciting and epic which just goes great alongside an epic adventure as Death like Darksiders II.
The opening of Darksiders II sets the tone like no other, and it is all played to Crowfather’s Theme. It is just one of those songs that fits the image perfectly: the rider Death on his horse Despair riding to his target: The Crowfather, keeper of secrets. This is how the game opens, and begins its epic adventure.
Playstation All Stars – Main Theme – Finale by Madeon –
I’m normally not a big fan of licensed music in videogames, but there are moments when it breaks into pure brilliance, such as the use of Stronger, but Kanye West in Saint’s Row the Third. the use of Madeon’s Finale is also one of those cases. The opening to Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale always sends chills down my spine. It just gets me pumped. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve listened to Finale in my car just to get me pumped. My favorite opening of 2012, and definitely my favorite use of licensed music.
