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.

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 full Fez review and soundtrack review

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 full Gravity Rush review

Hotline Miami

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

Read the full Hotline Miami review

Journey

Even when you’re out on the go, you can experience the magic of Journey any 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 full Journey review and soundtrack review

Kid Icarus: Uprising

The Kid Icarus: Uprising soundtrack is set to be one of the best of the year featuring the talents of Motoi Sakuraba (Tales series, Star Ocean series, Dark Souls), Yuzo Koshiro (Streets of Rage, Etrian Odyssey), Masafumi Takada (No More Heroes), Noriyuki Iwadare (Grandia series, Lunar series, Ace Attorney series), and Yasunori Mitsuda (Chrono Trigger, Xenogears).

Read the full Kid Icarus: Uprising review

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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 want you to tell us which game this year had the best soundtrack. Plus, be sure to go vote in our Community Choice Award for your favorite game of 2012.

Check out all our other categories and nominations:

• Game of the Year nominees
• Best visuals nominees
• Best multiplatform game nominees
• Best PC exclusives
• Best console exclusives
• Best multiplayer
• Best portable
• Best platformer
• Best action adventure
• Best fighting
• Best shooter
• Best RPG
• Best strategy game