Assassin's Creed II, Uncharted 2 Lead G.A.N.G. Awards Nominations

Naughty Dog's Uncharted 2 (nearly 3 million in sales) was one of the highlights on the holiday season, drawing nigh universal praise from critics and showing gamers what the PS3 hardware could really do. Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed II (8 million copies shipped) was also very well reviewed, as the development team made substantial improvements to the original formula. Now both games have earned 9 nominations each from the Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.), which will announce the winners for the 8th Annual G.A.N.G. Awards at a ceremony being held on Friday, March 12th, during the Game Developers Conference.  

The finalists (see full list below) were voted and judged upon by the game audio industry and members of G.A.N.G., which is a "non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement and recognition of game audio."  G.A.N.G. looks to honor outstanding creative, technical and artistic audio achievement in the world of interactive entertainment.

"The level of quality for game audio continues to get higher and higher each year," said Tommy Tallarico, G.A.N.G. Founder, CEO and Chairman. "It's so important to make sure that the talented game audio individuals from around the world get the recognition they deserve."  G.A.N.G. President Paul Lipson added, "This was one of our biggest submission years yet and over 70 game audio professionals on our global advisory boards helped in deciding the final nominees.  With the level of talent these days, being voted as a final nominee is a remarkable accomplishment."

Here's the list of finalists:

AUDIO OF THE YEAR

Assassin's Creed II

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Need For Speed: Shift

Resident Evil 5

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

MUSIC OF THE YEAR

Assassin's Creed II

AVATAR: The Game

Dragon Age: Origins

Flower

Halo 3: ODST

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

BEST SOUND DESIGN

Assassin's Creed II

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Need For Speed: Shift

Resident Evil 5

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

BEST SOUNDTRACK ALBUM

Assassin's Creed II

Brutal Legend

Dragon Age: Origins

inFAMOUS

Tom Clancy's: H.A.W.X.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

BEST INTERACTIVE SCORE

Assassin's Creed II

Flower

Halo 3: ODST

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

BEST HANDHELD AUDIO

Gran Turismo (PSP)

Jak & Daxter: The Lost Frontier (PSP)

Mecho Wars (iPhone)

Resistance: Retribution (PSP)

The Secret Of Monkey Island: Special Edition (iPhone)

BEST CINEMATIC/CUT-SCENE AUDIO

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Left 4 Dead 2

Need For Speed: Shift

Resident Evil 5

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

BEST DIALOGUE

Assassin's Creed II

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Brutal Legend

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Resident Evil 5

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

BEST ORIGINAL INSTRUMENTAL

"Ezio's Family" - Assassin's Creed II

"Flight Over Venice" - Assassin's Creed II

"Spirit of Bladehenge" - Brutal Legend

"Sonny Tang" - Eat Lead

"Reunion" - Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

BEST ORIGINAL VOCAL - CHORAL

"Venice Rooftops" - Assassin's Creed II

"A Creature Shall Rise" - Brutal Legend

"Sad Theme" - Tom Clancy's: H.A.W.X.

"Washington Under Seige" - Tom Clancy's: H.A.W.X.

"Halls of Iron" - World of Warcraft: Fall of the Lich King

BEST ORIGINAL VOCAL - POP

"I Am The One" (High Fantasy Version) - Dragon Age: Origins

"Lelianna's Song" - Dragon Age: Origins

"Silent Melody" - inFAMOUS

"Best Friends Menu Theme" - Littlest Pet Shop Friends

"Pray - Theme Song" - Resident Evil 5

"Plants vs. Zombies" - Plants vs. Zombies

BEST USE OF MULTI-CHANNEL SURROUND IN A GAME

Bayonetta

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Forza Motorsport 3

Left 4 Dead 2

Resident Evil 5

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

BEST USE OF LICENSED MUSIC

Brutal Legend

DJ Hero

Guitar Hero: Van Halen

Rock Band: The Beatles

SingStar: Queen

BEST GAME AUDIO ARTICLE, PUBLICATION OR BROADCAST

"Avoiding Tedium - Fighting Repetition in Game Audio" - AES Conference Paper

"Dynamics of Narrative" - Gamasutra.com

"The Future of Game Audio / The Game Audio Mixing Revolution" - Gamasutra.com

"Less is More" - Game Developer Magazine

"Surviving the Crunch - Being Healthy Sound Designers" - Designing Sound

"Surviving Your First Composing Gig" - Shockwave-Sound.com