Book Review: A Composer's Guide to Video Game Music by Winifred Phillips

Review by Marius Masalar

Normally when packages arrive for us, they’re small, padded little envelopes. Sometimes, we don’t know the exact titles, but inevitably we know that inside those envelopes is the subject of a future review: a soundtrack CD. 

Imagine my delight when, instead of a small padded envelope, the mailman brought me a large cardboard box. I had been waiting for this particular delivery eagerly, and while its contents was still the subject of a review, it was not a CD… 

It was a book. Winifred Phillips, a long-time friend of Tracksounds, recently published her ?rst book, entitled A Composer’s Guide to Game Music. Readers who aren’t familiar with her name will no doubt be familiar with her music, which has graced franchises as diverse as Assassin’s Creed, LittleBigPlanet, and God of War. She is a strong voice in the game audio community, a talented composer, and, as it turns out, an accomplished author....

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Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole (Video Game) by Winifred Phillips - Review

With Notes Sublime
Review by Marius Masalar

Though she may not be a common household name just yet, WINIFRED PHILLIPS is no stranger to critical acclaim. And this year, she’s finally walking away from the Hollywood Music in Media Awards with a win. In 2008 and 2009 she was a finalist for Best Original Score in a Video Game, and now she’s just taken home Best Song in a Video Game for one of the tunes in her score for LEGEND OF THE GUARDIANS: THE OWLS OF GA’HOOLE. Based, of course, on the film, the game earned mediocre reviews from critics (as one unfortunately comes to expect from these quick tie-in titles), though the score at least has managed to attract more attention after a generous 53 minute release on iTunes.

Following PHILLIPS “Into the Darkness” (1), we learn that the score follows only lightly in the footsteps of David Hirschfelder’s score for the film, tending more toward a percussive, punchier orchestral writing that’s common to the modern media music landscape. No catchy theme is introduced in this first track, but a strong sound palette is established. “With Hearts Sublime” (2) is the award-winning track of the album, and it is certainly a very attractive piece of music with swirling harp arpeggios and soft strings beneath the haunting vocals. It reminds of the music of Enya and some of the songs from the Lord of the Rings, though it tends a bit more toward the generic.

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Composer Winifred Phillips Scores SimAnimals!

In just a few short days (January 21, 2009) you'll be able to dive into the forest with your woodland animal friends, but today, iTunes released composer WINIFRED PHILLIPS latest video game score for, SIMANIMALS. After the high-energy ride she delivered for the SPEED RACER tie-in game last year, she travels to the softer, greener, side of the Wii (and Nintendo DS). Her music for SIMANIMALS really fits in the Wii-World and is a delightful, little listen. Look for a full review in the not-too-distant-future, too. For now, check out the full press release below, but if you want to claim your copy of this new Sim game, you can do so here: SIMANIMALS (WII) or SIMANIMALS (DS)

Press Release:

The Sims Label Announces Winifred Phillips as the Composer of the Original Score for SimAnimals™

Available January 21, 2009 SimAnimals Allows You to Take the Wild World of Animals into Your Hands

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) today announced that award-winning composer Winifred Phillips will score the theme music for the newest IP in The Sims™ family, SimAnimals™. Winner of four Game Audio Network Guild Awards, Phillips has been repeatedly recognized for her contributions to videogames, TV and radio. Most recently she was nominated for a Hollywood Music Award for her work on Speed Racer: The Videogame. Now, her talents will be used to make the forest come alive in SimAnimals!

“Our goal was to give a unique and sophisticated voice to the game,” said Robi Kauker, Audio Director for The Sims Label. “Drawing inspiration from pieces like Prokofiev’s Peter and The Wolf, we found the context of the game gave us plenty of opportunity for the timelessness of the orchestra’s instruments and the rich range of Winifred’s compositions.”

In SimAnimals, you can venture into the wild world of animals like never before. You have the power to reach out and touch, pick up and move everything in the forest from squirrels and foxes to trees and flowers. As you journey deeper and deeper into the forest, you can feed a bear what he craves, pick up a rabbit or a hedgehog and bring him to his friends or water your favorite tree and watch it grow. Throughout your voyage you will make new animal friends and discover what other creatures lurk in the wild. In SimAnimals, you have the ability to engage wild animals, experience life in the forest and run the wild!

Your journey through the forest is comprised of many small musical moments that combine as the soundtrack. Each location starts off with a unique score, from strains of Celtic music for ancient castle ruins to the funky groove of the old junkyard. Small melodies of solo orchestra instruments underscore the big events of the animals’ lives and fully orchestrated moments define the player’s choices in the world. The music is designed to ground the complexities of the animal’s life in the human scale of emotions. As the fortunes of the world reflect the player’s interactions and creative, fun and mischievous choices, the music gives voice to a forest rejoicing or suffering. When the individual animals are in distress due to neglect, the music calls out, and during moments of pure happiness, like the arrival of a new born, the music shares the tender warmth.

“We are very excited about the caliber of music being included in SimAnimals. We needed the music to reflect the status and mood of the game and Winifred has nailed that with her score,” said Sam Player, Executive Producer of SimAnimals. “As you move through the game, you will hear how your choices are affecting the forest through the music, whether that be upbeat and light when the forest is happy or dramatic and dark when the forest is not so happy.“

Phillips is an American music composer for video games and radio as well as a published fantasy author. Working with music producer Winnie Waldron, Phillips has written music for the video games Shrek the Third, The Da Vinci Code, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and God of War. Her work on the God of War video game received an Interactive Achievement Award in the category of “Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition” from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences.

“It is extremely inspiring for my music producer Winnie Waldron and I to be involved in a blockbuster project like SimAnimals, where the music sets the tone for the entire user experience,” said Phillips. “Working on a brand new game allows me to have creative control over the sound from the start with nothing to compare it to, which is invigorating and quite an honor.”

For more information about SimAnimals, please go to www.SimAnimals.com. For assets related to this story, please go to www.info.ea.com.

About The Sims

The Sims franchise celebrates an impressive over 100 million units sold since its launch in February 2000. Now translated into 22 different languages in 60 different countries, The Sims has quickly become a universal gaming and cultural phenomenon. For the latest information about The Sims and to check out the hottest creations for The Sims 2 made by our community members, please visit www.thesims2.com. To stay up-to-date on The Sims 3 news and information, check out www.thesims3.com.
About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world's leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, cellular handsets and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTSTM, EATM, EA SPORTS FreestyleTM and POGOTM. In fiscal 2008, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.67 billion and had 27 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA's homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS Freestyle, POGO, The Sims and SimAnimals are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

High Score: Version 2.0 Launched - The New Era of Video Game Music

New reviews, interviews, and streaming music!

August 2, 2008

I am starting off this update to HIGH SCORE talking about one of the video game world's most important locations - LucasArts Entertainment, which recently relocated from Marin county, California to San Francisco's Presidio (virtually the only spot in California not engulfed in the smoke of uncountable Summer fires). This incredible campus is also home to the effects company, INDUSTRIAL LIGHT AND MAGIC and a portion of LUCASFILM LIMITED. I start here because, if you haven't started talking about their next game release, THE FORCE UNLEASHED, you will. For some of you, this groundbreaking game's score will also be a popular topic.

Back in July, my gracious host for an afternoon's lunch and tour of just a small segment of "Lucas-Land" was Vice president of Sales for LucasArts, Mary Bihr. Props and costumes from the Lucas empire adorn the foyer (the only place photos are allowed) and within the halls and offices are gobs of original conceptual art pieces and models from countless ILM projects. Echoing off of the paintings, models, and sculptures was positive buzz over the recent worldwide launch of the new Indiana Jones Lego video game. Having just spent the day previous at "The Ranch," where the other half of LucasFilm remains located, as well as SKYWALKER SOUND, and seeing original props from the Indiana Jones franchise like "the fedora," "the whip," and newly added "Crystal Skull," I have to admit that I felt a little Indiana Jones buzz myself.

There, at Skywalker Sound, I met up with composer MARK GRISKEY where he recorded his score for THE FORCE UNLEASHED. Visiting the incredible scoring stage, it was bewildering to think that THE FORCE UNLEASHED was the first LucasArts video game to have its score recorded there! In the mixing room, I met Dann Thompson, audio engineer who mixed Mark Griskey's THE KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC: THE SITH LORDS score. While still in the mixing suite, I briefly met the Director of Recording and Scoring, Leslie Ann Jones, who worked on THE FORCE UNLEASHED with Griskey.

"LucasLand" is indeed "Disneyland" for the film and game geek in all of us. (Ok...in me, then.) A large portion of this update to HIGH SCORE revolves around the release of THE FORCE UNLEASHED. You'll find a full review of the promo soundtrack as well as an exclusive interview with MARK GRISKEY. In addition you'll find full reviews of KEVIN RIEPL's HUXLEY and WINIFRED PHILLIP's SPEED RACER: THE VIDEO GAME. Finally, we've added two new SCOREFRONT profiles: COLIN O'MALLEY and DUANE DECKER, both of whom have a number of significant video game projects under their belts. And don't miss the new music above from titles such as: PRINCE CASPIAN (Mark Griskey), SUPERMAN RETURNS (Colin O'Malley), HEROES OF MIGHT AND MAGIC V (Paul Anthony Romero).

"Upgrade" yourself to High Score (Ver. 2.0) here!

Composer Winifred Phillips Scores Speed Racer (Game)

Even as IRON MAN continues to tear up the box office, the next big "Summer Movie" is upon us - SPEED RACER. While composer Michael Giacchino's score for the film has proven a bit of an orchestral-shock to me, veteran-video-game composer, WINIFRED PHILLIPS' score for the SPEED RACER VIDEO GAME is much more along the lines of what the film's trailer appeared to be setting us up for.

Check out three tracks from the video game soundtrack here!

Below you can read the full Press Release:

Go Speed Racer! In Stores Now!
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Presents
Speed Racer: The Videogame

Burbank, Calif. — May 6, 2008 —

Speed Racer: The Videogame, published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, hits stores across North America today on Wii™ and Nintendo DS™. Based on the upcoming Warner Bros. Pictures film directed by the Wachowski brothers, Speed Racer: The Videogame features the voices of Emile Hirsch as Speed Racer, Matthew Fox as Racer X and Christina Ricci as Trixie, who reprise their film roles as playable characters.

In Speed Racer: The Videogame, developed by Sidhe Interactive for the Wii and Virtuos for the Nintendo DS, players will race at amazing speeds to engage in “Car-Fu” battles to outmaneuver opponents as they jump, flip, smash and spin competing cars off the track. Select from 19 different drivers and their extreme cars as players take to the track in an effort to win the illustrious World Racing League cup. One of the first games compatible with the Wii Wheel, Speed Racer: The Videogame allows players to experience all the twists and turns of the film’s racing sequences first hand as they jump behind the wheel of Speed’s T180 race car the Mach 6, or the specially designed T180 race cars of more than 15 other characters, including Racer X, Trixie and other film favorites.

Speed Racer: The Videogame captures the action, look and feel of the high adrenaline arena racing developed for the movie in an accessible, fun-filled game with intense, rollercoaster-like race tracks. Award-winning composer Winifred Phillips, created an original score for the videogame, fusing rock, classical and retro beats into a truly unique game soundtrack.
Speed Racer: The Videogame is a fast-paced, action racer for kids of all ages. Speed Racer: The Videogame is rated “E” for Everyone and is available on Wii at the suggested retail price of $49.99 and Nintendo DS for $29.99.

About SPEED RACER,
in theatres on May 9

From the Wachowski brothers, creators of the groundbreaking “The Matrix” trilogy, comes the live-action, high-octane film “Speed Racer,” which follows the adventures of the young race car driver Speed in his quest for glory in his thunderous Mach 5. Joel Silver, who previously worked with the Wachowski brothers on “The Matrix” movies and “V for Vendetta,” is producing the film under his Silver Pictures banner. Grant Hill, Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski are also producing. David Lane Seltzer, Michael Lambert and Bruce Berman are the executive producers. “Speed Racer” stars Emile Hirsch (“Into the Wild”) in the title role; Christina Ricci (“Penelope”) as Speed’s girlfriend Trixie; John Goodman (“Evan Almighty”) and Oscar winner Susan Sarandon (“Dead Man Walking”) as Mom and Pops Racer; Matthew Fox (TV’s “Lost”) as the mysteriously masked Racer X; Benno Fürmann (“The Mutant Chronicles”) as Inspector Detector; Hiroyuki Sanada (“The Last Samurai”) as Mr. Musha; Asian pop superstar Rain, making his American feature film debut, as a rival driver named Taejo Togokahn; and Richard Roundtree (TV’s “Heroes,” “Shaft”) as Ben Burns. Based on the classic series created by anime pioneer Tatsuo Yoshida, the live-action “Speed Racer” will showcase the kind of revolutionary visual effects and cutting-edge storytelling that have become the benchmarks of the Wachowski brothers’ films. “Speed Racer” is a Warner Bros. Pictures presentation, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, of a Silver Pictures Production, in association with Anarchos Productions.

About Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, is a premier worldwide publisher, developer, licensor and distributor of entertainment content for the interactive space across all current and future platforms, including console, handheld and PC-based gaming for both internal and third party game titles.