For me, it was a hell of a year as a few games with soundtracks were very close to each other. In fact, I’ll list my top 3 for each:
Game of the Year
1st: Omega Quintet
2nd: Sonic Mania
3rd: Shantae: Half-Genie Hero
Soundtrack of the Year
1st: Shantae: Half-Genie Hero
2nd: Omega Quintet
3rd: Sonic Mania
Needless to say, it was a big year for these 3 games. I can’t imagine how close the runner-ups were. This is also the second year in a row which a Jake Kaufman soundtrack won Soundtrack of the Year with DuckTales Remastered being the third in 2014.
So, how about you guys?
1. Horizon Zero Dawn
2. Cuphead
3. Sonic Mania
Soundtrack of the Year
1. Graceful Explosion Machine – Robby Duguay
2. Bleed 2 – Jukio "Kuabee" Kallio
3. Cosmic Star Heroine – Hyperduck Soundworks
4. Hand of Fate 2 – Jeff van Dyck
5. Rakuen – Laura Shigihara
Shantae was a great game and all but… game of the year? Over Super Mario Odyssey? Or Breath of the Wild? Or Cuphead? Or a game I really liked — The Mummy Demastered?
I did a soundtrack review on Super Mario Odyssey that I hope you will enjoy. Do check it out here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQJoXKYhRsM
– RESIDENT EVIL 7 biohazard (January 2017)
A pleasant surprise for me, not a perfect biohazard, but definitely a small step in the right direction (after the crap started with RE4). If I had my way, I would have picked RESIDENT EVIL 2 for both "categories", ’cause nothing will ever top that.
Game:
Yooka Laylee
Pokemon Ultra Sun/Moon
Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
OSTs:
Yooka Laylee
Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
Shantae: Half Genie Hero
Pokemon Ultra Sun/Moon
I have not played Sonic Forces, Mario Odyssey or any of the other good games this year.
As for soundtracks, I might as well compile a list as I heard downright fantastic video game music all around. Nioh, Ryu ga Gotoku 0 & Kiwami (Yakuza 0 & Kiwami), Prey, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, STRAFE�, Destiny 2, Yooka-Laylee, zYnthetic’s musical updates to Killing Floor 2 & many more! Kristofer Maddigan & Tee Lopes were particularly killing it with their music for Cuphead & Sonic Mania! Mick Gordon’s "Everything Is Going to Be Okay" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TRdx2tbUFI) for Prey was an awesome piece I still can’t get enough of (And his music for Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus looks to be another sadly unsold masterwork of his). Martin O’Donnell created another signature piece; "Dreamers Lullaby" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSiqHYsAZsM) for his Echoes of the First Dreamer. Mario + Rabbids had a particularly humourous orchestral piece, and I haven’t even begun to explore what Super Mario Odyssey has within. And I sure hope a release of the theme for Street Fight V: Arcade Edition’s Cinematic Opening (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l4mux-seHI) does/will exist, because that visual spectacle was backed by one hell of a jam!
I’m just sitting here excited for what musical delights games such as Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, Freedom Planet 2, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Golem and the many more coming our way could be bringing us, with yet many more old delights for me to discover & indulge in.
NieR Automata anyone? My 1st place for sure both game and music.
Sonic Mania is hard to leave it on 2nd, but…
3rd would be… I don’t know just yet.
Ooooh, have I heard that’s something special, even as a soundtrack release! But having not yet played the game, I haven’t delighted in it as of yet as I want to experience it when I do, not hear it before I do. Next year, I’ve gotta make some time for some gaming gems & treasures that raced past me!
but seriously, i dont think i bought a game released in 2017.
but i think cuphead has a great ost when i played it at my neighbors house
Akiba’s Beat
Shantae: Risky’s Revenge
Shantae & The Pirate’s Curse
Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception
Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth
My thoughts expressed!
———- Post added at 08:49 PM ———- Previous post was at 08:43 PM ———-
I also didn’t play anything pure-2017, mostly this year was about replaying old jewels and that’s that.