The audio in Battlefield 3 continued the advances made by audio director Bence Pajor on Battlefield 2. With a focus on replicating the sensory experience of being on a real battlefield, the game’s multi- layered audio benefitted from a process of constant refinement that enabled the sound to compliment impressive visuals.
Batman: Arkham City (Rocksteady Studios)
In a Batman title featuring a horde of characters Rocksteady Studios amassed an expansive voice cast to bring to the villains to life. The story was pushed along with dialogue spoken by both main characters and humble street thugs alike.
Beat Sneak Bandit (Simogo)
Sound design was integral to this rhythm game, where players must move to the beat of the music, navigating through doors, obstacles and temperamental lighting.
Driver: San Francisco (Ubisoft Reflections)
The audio aspect of Driver: San Francisco that really impressed was its detailed narrative function, with 30 writers penning interactions between several hundred characters. Players were able to float around the city, delving into people’s consciousness and listening to conversation that would add narrative, structure, and often humour.
Okabu (Resonate Music/Hand Circus)
The energetic sound design in this colourful game employeda range of vibraphones, marimbas and kalimbas, Resonate Music created a vibrant African-inspired soundtrack perfect for Okabu’s bright bouncy world.
Total War: Fall of the Samurai (The Creative Assembly)
As a studio home to an Ivor Novello Award-winning audio team, it may come as no surprise that The Creative Assembly’s latest title has the greatest density of sound design and content in any Total War title to date. Alongside the smash of combat and the crashing of armour, the game features over 100,000 lines of spoken dialogue.
14 | Develop Industry Excellence Awards 2012
Zombies, Run! (Six to Start & Naomi Alderman)
Key to the success of Six to Start’s fear-inducing fitness app was its use of sound to place runners directly into a world brimming with flesh-eaters. With headphones in, users experienced instructions and directions as to where to run as well as the more threatening moans and groans of approaching zombies.