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Best Music
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Best Music

Icewind Dale
Publisher: Interplay
Developer: Black Isle Studios
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"The sweeping score seems to lend purpose to everything that goes on in the game." - Greg Kasavin,
GameSpot Review

Music is an important part of any gaming experience. It can set the tone for an entire story, one scene, or even a single action, but more importantly, music serves as a guide in an unfamiliar world that can tell you when you're safe or when you're approaching danger. However, only the best musical scores succeed in establishing the mood for nearly every aspect of a game, while others serve a less dynamic purpose. Each game nominated this year has excellent music that works well, but the musical score for Icewind Dale is unmatched in both quality and scope.

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In fact, as a testament to the quality of the score, Interplay actually sells the soundtrack separately from the game through its Web site. Of course, Icewind Dale's amazing musical score wouldn't be possible without the talent of its composer, Jeremy Soule. Soule is no stranger to the world of game music. He is also the composer behind the highly acclaimed musical score for the real-time strategy game Total Annihilation, as well as this year's funny action game, Giants: Citizen Kabuto.

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From the very beginning of Icewind Dale, you immediately get the sense of how good and how effective the orchestral score is. When you begin play, the quiet theme in the starting city of Easthaven builds to give you the sense that you're indeed at the humble beginning of a massive quest. The music always suits the situation in Icewind Dale; entering the massive structure on the west side of town makes the music transition into a mix of light orchestral sounds and Gregorian chants that tell you that you're stepping on hallowed ground. The game's stirring battle theme makes the huge combat sequences in Icewind Dale seem that much more dramatic.

Clearly, a tremendous amount of effort went into the creation of Icewind Dale's dynamic orchestral score - the CD actually contains 41 distinct pieces of music that were written exclusively for the game. Whether you're walking into new areas of wilderness or foreboding structures or meeting new characters, Icewind Dale's music effectively draws you closer to the environment, the story, and the characters. It's also an incredibly effective composition in its own right and is something you might easily find yourself listening to or thinking about even when you're finished playing the game.

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