Black Swan composer tuning into Mass Effect 3

While Mass Effect 2 won the overall Game of the Year accolade at the Academy of Interactive Arts and Science's awards show yesterday, Heavy Rain took home the prize for outstanding achievement in original music, a category Mass Effect 2 was not nominated for. That could change next year, as Mass Effect 3's soundtrack will be created by a Hollywood composer.

In an interview with rock and pop culture music website The Quietus, composer Clint Mansell said he will be attached to BioWare's upcoming Mass Effect 3. Mansell’s previous composing credits include Darren Aronofsky silver screen entries Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, The Wrestler, and, most recently, Black Swan.

Mansell explained his enthusiasm for creating music for Mass Effect 3, saying that a video game is a complex endeavor, but that he's excited for the project.

"With something like Mass Effect, you're more like a DJ, with all these elements. You've got the holding pattern, then the big explosion where you need the score to kick in. Then you need to take it off on a tangent," he said.

"You've got all these different elements that change depending on what the player does. You have to figure out an overall symphony but be able to break it down into component parts. You can bring the pain when required."

Mass Effect 3 is due out on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC during holiday 2011. The game casts players again as Commander Shepard, a former space marine tasked with saving humanity.