The International Film Music Critics Association announced the nominees for the annual IFMCA Awards, and there certainly are some interesting choices among the nods for video games.
Among the nominees for “Best Original Score for a Video Game or Interactive Media” are Sega’s Valkyria Revolution and its soundtrack by legendary Xenogears maestro Yasunori Mitsuda, Ready at Dawn’s Deformers by Austin Wintory, The Farm 51’s Get Even and its score by Olivier Deriviére, Exploding Tuba Studios’ Divide by Chris Tilton, and Tequila Works’ RIME with its touching soundtrack by David García Díaz.
It’s certainly interesting to see how the IFMCA went really deep into the gaming ecosystem to find soundtracks in games that certainly aren’t what you’d call mainstream. Valkyria Revolution (or Valkyria: Azure Revolution as it’s titled in Japan) was certainly hit and miss in the gameplay department, but Yasunori Mitsuda doesn’t miss a beat. It’s a pity that many missed on his masterful score due to the game’s reception, and it’s very nice to see him recognized.
Ready at Dawn’s Deformers may have left behind the cinematic grandeur of The Order 1886, but the soundtrack by Austin Wintory certainly shows that a cartoony and comedic game can have an epic score.
All the nominees are great choices, and to be perfectly honest, despite coming from an association that mainly focuses on film, they put to shame many gaming-dedicated awards with how they managed to look far beyond the usual mainstream choices. They even included a game that I did not know at all, and I won’t admit which one it is because I’m ashamed of it now.
Winners of the award will be announced on February 22nd.