9Th Annual G.A.N.G. Nominees Announced

The annual Game Developers Conference plays host to several awards ceremonies, the highest profile including the Independent Game Festival Awards and Game Developer Choice Awards. Another yearly celebration is found in the Game Audio Network Guild Awards, a more focused ceremony aimed to honor “outstanding creative, technical and artistic audio achievement in the world of interactive entertainment.” Chosen by fellow game audio professionals on a 70-person committee, the final nominees for excellence in audio have been announced.

“I hate to sound redundant, but each and every year the quality and workmanship of the industry continues to soar higher and higher,” said Tommy Tallarico, G.A.N.G. Founder, CEO and Chairman. “The level of quality continues to be outstanding and each of these nominees is a unique and wonderful creation and incredible piece of art for the entire industry to be proud of.” 

 “With over 350 submissions this year, just making it to the final nomination process is something to be very proud of,” G.A.N.G. President Paul Lipson added. “Spotlighting the hard work and talented game audio individuals from around the world has always been a major focus of G.A.N.G. and something we pride ourselves on.”

The winners will be announced on Thursday March 3 after the daily GDC festivities conclude.

Check out the full list of nominees below.

AUDIO OF THE YEAR
Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Dante's Inferno
God of War III
Heavy Rain
Red Dead Redemption
 
MUSIC OF THE YEAR
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
Bioshock 2
Dante's Inferno
Heavy Rain
James Bond 007: Blood Stone
Red Dead Redemption

SOUND DESIGN OF THE YEAR
Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Bioshock 2
Dante's Inferno
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
God of War III
Red Dead Redemption
 
BEST SOUNDTRACK ALBUM
Bioshock 2
Dante's Inferno
Halo: Reach
Mass Effect 2
Red Dead Redemption
Video Games Live - Level 2

BEST INTERACTIVE SCORE
Dante's Inferno
God of War III
Halo: Reach
Heavy Rain
James Bond 007: Blood Stone
Red Dead Redemption
 
BEST HANDHELD AUDIO
God of War: Ghost of Sparta
Monkey Island 2 Special Edition: LeChuck's Revenge
Monster Hunter Portable 3
Ni no Kuni: Shikkoku no Madoshi
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands
 
BEST CINEMATIC/CUT-SCENE AUDIO
Battlefield: Bad Company 2
God of War III
Medal of Honor
Red Dead Redemption
StarCraft II
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm
 
BEST DIALOGUE
Bioshock 2
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
God of War III
Mafia II
Medal of Honor
Red Dead Redemption
 
BEST ORIGINAL INSTRUMENTAL
"Athens Harbour Chase" - James Bond 007: Blood Stone
"Ethan Mars Theme" - Heavy Rain
"Main Theme" - Red Dead Redemption
"Northern Grasslands" - Age of Conan: Rise of the Godslayer
"The Palace Gates" - Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (Wii)
 
BEST ORIGINAL VOCAL - CHORAL
"Alice's Theme" - Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland
"Dante's Theme" - Dante's Inferno
"Hymn" - Halo: Reach
"Invincible" - World of Warcraft: Cataclysm
"Overture" - God of War III
"Redemption" - Dante's Inferno
 
BEST ORIGINAL VOCAL - POP
"Dagomba" - Just Dance 2
"Dead Man's Gun" - Red Dead Redemption
"Far Away" - Red Dead Redemption
"I’ll Take It All" - James Bond 007: Blood Stone
"No Death In Love" - Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
"The Peri" (Zahara's Theme) - Prince of Persia The Forgotten Sands
 
BEST USE OF MULTI-CHANNEL SURROUND
Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Call of Duty: Black-Ops
Crackdown 2
Fable III
Halo: Reach
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II
Transformers: War for Cybertron

BEST USE OF LICENSED MUSIC
BioShock 2
Civilization V
DJ Hero 2
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
Mafia II
Rock Band 3

BEST GAME AUDIO ARTICLE, PUBLICATION OR BROADCAST
APM Film & Television Music Podcast
"Composing the Music of Star Wars: The Old Republic"
"From the Shadows of Film Sound: Cinematic Production & Creative Process in Video Game Audio"
"Recording Firearms Explosions"
"The Weight of Silence - How Silence Can Indicate a Character's Importance"