Best of 2012

My, how things have changed. When it came time for the staff here at Destructoid to sit down and pick our favorite soundtracks of the 2012, I was surprised to see most big-name composers and franchises absent from the list.

There isn’t a single title nominated this year that is a direct sequel. I think that says a lot about where the industry is going, as it’s becoming increasingly more and more difficult to differentiate indie games from their AAA counterparts. This is especially true in the music department where some amazingly talented composers are creating innovative scores with budgets that are on par with some of the biggest titles in the industry, and I’m really happy with the quality this year as a result.

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With that, these are our nominees for best soundtrack of 2012.

Fez

It’s interesting, but just listening to the album from start to finish, I feel as though I’ve accomplished something great. This is a true masterpiece from Disasterpeace, and I think everyone needs to give it a listen.

Read the fullFezreviewandsoundtrack review

A battle scene in Battlefield 6 Open Beta

Gravity Rush

This is definitely some of the most fun I’ve had listening to a soundtrack in a long time. It’s full of wonder and adventure while avoiding a lot of the stereotypical trappings of grandiose orchestral music. Prepare to be amazed!

Read the fullGravity Rushreview

capcom evo moment 37

Hotline Miami

The soundtrack adds to the atmosphere, bordering on David Lynch and David Cronenberg fandom with a dash of ‘80s cool (thinkDrive).

Read the fullHotline Miamireview

GigabyteMon

Journey

Even when you’re out on the go, you’re able to experience the magic ofJourneyany time with this soundtrack. Even those who didn’t play the game should appreciate Austin Wintory’s majestic score, and it obviously comes just as highly recommended as the game itself.

Read the fullJourneyreviewandsoundtrack review

A snap of the upcoming MESA update in PEAK

Kid Icarus: Uprising

TheKid Icarus: Uprisingsoundtrack is set to be one of the best of the year featuring the talents ofMotoi Sakuraba (Talesseries,Star Oceanseries,Dark Souls), Yuzo Koshiro (Streets of Rage,Etrian Odyssey), Masafumi Takada (No More Heroes), Noriyuki Iwadare (Grandiaseries,Lunarseries,Ace Attorneyseries), and Yasunori Mitsuda (Chrono Trigger,Xenogears).

Read thefullKid Icarus: Uprisingreview

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Congrats to all the nominees! We’ll be announcing the official winner on Friday, December 14. In the mean time we wantyouto tell us which game this year had the best soundtrack. Plus, be sure to go vote in ourCommunity Choice Awardfor your favorite game of 2012.

Naked Snake sneaking around in MGS Delta.

Check out all our other categories and nominations:

Battlefield 6 aiming RPG at a helicopter

BO7 key art

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Milla Jovovich portraying Alice in Resident Evil 2002, wearing a red dress and holding a gun in her hand.