Annual Game Music Awards 2014 – Audio of the Year
We are proud to present the winners in the ‘Audio of the Year’ category of the Annual Game Music Awards 2014. These panel-voted, officially-recognised awards provide a thorough and wide-reaching recognition of achievement in game music over the last year. The panelists have selected their choices by carefully considering the merit of the game music created this year — as art and entertainment, as part of in-game experiences and as part of stand-alone albums. Congratulations to all winners, runners-up, and nominees.
Outstanding Achievement — Cinematic Music
Destiny
Destiny offered everything most ask for when it comes to cinematic music: elegantly woven thematic elements, a mixture of instrumental textures, and powerhouse symphonic performances. But above all, Martin O’Donnell and co.’s score presented unified vision not just of a world, but a whole fictional universe.
Runners-Up
Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor
inFamous: Second Son
Other Nominations
Assassin’s Creed: Unity
Bayonetta 2
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow II
Divinity: Original Sin
The Walking Dead: Season Two
Wolfenstein: The New Order
World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor
Outstanding Achievement — In-Game Music
Mario Kart 8
Under the direction of Kenta Nagata, an ensemble team of Nintendo newcomers pushed the often-lagging music of the Mario Kart series back into pole position. Boasting diverse stylings, vibrant performances, and even some tributes to fan favourites, Mario Kart 8’s music was a fast, fun accompaniment to the race tracks.
Runners-Up
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth
Other Nominations
Bayonetta 2
Dragon Age: Inquisition
Far Cry 4
Hyrule Warriors
Entwined
LittleBigPlanet 3
Transistor
Outstanding Achievement — Music Production
The Banner Saga
The Banner Saga combined tutti from the Dallas Wind Symphony with solos from revered musicians such as Taylor Davis, Malukah, and MB Gordy. Throughout, Austin Wintory ensured the performances, recordings, and post-production were top-tier and brought the very most out of his compositions.
Runners-Up
Ar nosurge
Etrian Odyssey Untold 2: The Knight of Fafnir / SPATE (tie)
Other Nominations
Destiny
inFamous: Second Son
Halo 2: Anniversary
Guilty Gear Xrd: Sign
The Elder Scrolls Online
World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor
Outstanding Achievement — Music Licensing
LittleBigPlanet 3
Thanks to excellent sound direction, the soundtrack of the LittleBigPlanet series seems to get better with each instalment. LittleBigPlanet 3’s soundtrack brightened up an already-bubbly game with a varied, balanced, and of course quirky assortment of original and licensed music.
Runners-Up
OlliOlli
The Walking Dead: Season Two
Other Nominations
Asphalt 8: Airborne
Forza Horizon 2
KickBeat
Pro Evolution Soccer 2015
Sunset Overdrive
Wolfenstein: The New Order
WWE 2K15
Outstanding Achievement — Sound Design
Alien: Isolation
As so many classic films have demonstrated, audio is often more important than visuals in creating a truly horrifying experience . This too was true for Alien: Isolation, which used sound design realistically and artistically to depict the encounters of two living, breathing creatures in a barren space station.
Runners-Up
Transistor
The Evil Within
Other Nominations
Bayonetta 2
Broken Age
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
Dragon Age: Inquisition
Mario Kart 8
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
Outstanding Achievement — Voice Dialogue
South Park: The Stick of Truth
The creators of South Park: The Stick of Truth managed to translate the ‘charm’ of the cult television series into a critically-acclaimed role-playing video game. Wittily-written and boisterously-acted, the voice dialogue was particularly effective and sets the bar high for all future comedic video games.
Runners-Up
The Walking Dead: Season Two
Bayonetta 2
Other Nominations
Assassin’s Creed: Unity
Broken Sword V: The Serpent’s Curse
Divinity: Original Sin
Far Cry 4
Ryu ga Gotoku: Ishin!
Sunset Overdrive
Transistor
Outstanding Achievement — Main Theme
D4: Dark Dreams Don’t Die – Theme of D4
The main theme for D4: Dark Dreams Don’t Die combines smoky jazz styles befitting a noir detective with unforgettable melodies and drum parts depicting the iconic lead. Composed by Tomomi ‘MANYO’ Teratani in collaboration with Yuji ‘TECHNOuchi’ Takenouchi, “Theme of D4” encapsulates both the game and its soundtrack.
Runners-Up
Valiant Hearts: The Great War – Little Trinketry
Shovel Knight – Main Theme
Other Nominations
Angry Birds: Transformers – Main Theme
Civilization: Beyond Earth – The Future of Mankind
DriveClub – Be Here Now
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U – Main Theme
Terra Battle – Main Theme
The Forest – Main Theme
WildStar – Main Theme
Outstanding Achievement — Vocal Theme
Bayonetta 2 – Moon River (Climax Mix)
A cover with a difference! Naofumi Harada reinvigorated Henry Mancini’s sleepy 1960s hit with an over-the-top Bayonetta-styled arrangement featuring snazzy jazz-pop stylings, seductive vocals from Keeley Bumford, and extended instrumental interludes and solos.
Runners-Up
Octodad: Dadliest Catch – Nobody Suspects a Thing
Ar nosurge – Class::CIEL_NO_SURGE
Other Nominations
Chaos Rings III – Even if the World is Our Enemy
D4: Dark Dreams Don’t Die – Only Love
Destiny – Hope for the Future
Final Fantasy XI – Forever Today
Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth – Maze of Life
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter – Valley of the Blinding Mist
Transistor – Paper Boats
Posted on February 4, 2015 by Chris Greening. Last modified on February 4, 2015.
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!
Related Posts
Annual Game Music Awards 2020 – Scores of the Year →
Annual Game Music Awards 2020 – Audio of the Year →
Moeyo! Kung-Fu Lady Dragon Original Soundtrack & Remixes →
