Greatest Game Music of 2016

There are several games that have been released this year. My favorite would definitely be Nathan Drake's last adventure found in Uncharted 4. Henry Jackman created an incredibly moving score that perfectly matched the equally moving, character-driven story. While there are several scores to choose from and such a large audience, it is truly impossible to create a master list.

To start, the DOOM reboot has had significant praise, listed as number 10 on Factmag. While this horror game is bloody and disgusting, I would never dream of playing it. After a listen, I can't stand it and must say that it is terrible, so it will not be making my list.

I thought that Stardew Valley made a much bigger impact on me. It was simple, mesmerizing, and fun. The album doesn't disappoint in terms of length, featuring over 2 hours of music across 70 tracks. I would agree with the placement of this title.

I find that I agree completely with Andrew's list over at ClassicFM.com. He mentions excellent scores, from Ramin Djawadi's surprisingly effective score for Gears of War 4, to the exquisite, complex masterpieces heard in Final Fantasy XV. The moving strings from The Last Guardian and Austin Wintory's surreal and atmospheric work on ABZÛ. Being the superior list, I recommend you visit it so see what Andrew has already written. He also included some videos in his list as well as samples of music from each pick.

Chris Remo's score for the indie title Firewatch is another one worth recognizing, one that I have actually written about earlier this year. Also Gears of War 4 by Ramin Djawadi is probably one of my favorites from the series and from Djawadi in general. There are many 4th-iteration games out, most of them have better music than their predecessors (i.e. Uncharted 4, Fallout 4, Gears of War 4 to name the ones that come to mind). While there has been countless game releases, I must say that I have listened to less than half of those released so far.

I must say that out of all these, The Last Guardian is one of the best game scores that I have heard. It is just astounding as to how good it is. Coming from what I believe is a Japanese composer, I almost expected this. Those composers over in Japan have a beautiful way of incorporating captivating themes that sound very classical, but still maintain a slight modern ring to them. The Last Guardian does not disappoint.

This year is not yet over, but when it eventually will be we are surely in for a good ride. 2017 will be an excellent year for music, both game, film, and trailer. In the meantime, Merry Christmas eve, eve!