Knut-Haugen
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Age of Conan composer joins PlanetSide 2 and Starcraft II nominees for music award
Say what you will about the rest of the game, there's little argument that Age of Conan has impressive music. And now, soundtrack composer Knut Avenstroup Haugen joins the list of nominees for the Best Score in a Video Game at the 2013 Hollywood Music in Media Awards. His nomination comes for his work heard in AoC's latest content update, Dragon's Spine, which can be heard in the trailer. Other nominees include Jeff Broadbent (Planetside 2) and Russel Bower, Derek Duke, Glenn Stafford, and Neal Acree (Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm), nominated in January and March, respectively. The winner for best score will be selected at the HMMA ceremony at Hollywood's Fonda Theatre November 21st. Interested in listening to these impressive soundtracks for yourself? You'll find selections for both AoC and PS2 (and many more) in our own Jukebox Heroes feature.
Jukebox Heroes: Age of Conan's soundtrack
I'm going to be honest with you: I've been putting off this particular column for months now. I've been dreading it, really. Because what I say next is probably going to turn off a lot of you who seem to worship this score like nothing else I've seen: I only kind of like Age of Conan's soundtrack. It's not really my favorite, nor in my top 10. And I know that this goes really against the feelings for this score that I've seen professed in Jukebox Heroes and elsewhere. You know what? That's OK. Musical preferences are some of the most subjective things in the world, and we can't be expected to like everything, right? If Age of Conan's soundtrack gets people listening to more MMO (and even video game) scores, then that's a win for our niche-within-a-niche-within-a-niche hobby. This score (and all of Age of Conan's subsequent music) was composed by Norwegian Knut Avenstroup Haugen. He won several awards for his work on the game, including the International Film Music Critics Association Award for Scoring Excellence. If you're interested in the man, Massively's Jef Reahard did an interview with him back in 2010 that makes for good reading. Otherwise, let's head onward and I'll share my personal favorites from the original game score!
The Anvil of Crom: Thanksgiving leftovers and what's new in Hyboria
What's up, Age of Conan fans? Hopefully all of you had an overindulgent Thanksgiving (I'm picturing clusters of barbarians hunched around roaring campfires, gnawing the blackened meat off the bones of whatever game animal happened to pass by). For my part, I spent the last couple of days avoiding work, gaining weight, and catching up on recent news from Funcom's Hyboria. I've been a bit distracted with various online shooters lately, but I always find myself coming back to AoC because of its unique fantasy world and rough-and-tumble themepark mechanics. Join me after the break for a few recent tidbits that piqued my interest.
The Anvil of Crom: Can Funcom capitalize on the Conan film reboot?
I don't know about you, Age of Conan-faithful, but I'm a hopeless film trailer junkie. I collect them. I watch (and re-watch) them on my computer, my phone, my television, and of course, at the cinema proper. A lot of the time, trailers are substantially better than the full-length films they're meant to sell, and I've even been known to pay full price for a ticket only to walk out after the preview (particularly when said preview concerned a long-awaited prequel and was inexplicably tacked on to the front of Meet Joe Black). Given that Conan already plays a significant role in my gaming life, I think deconstructing the recently released trailer for the upcoming film franchise reboot makes a certain sort of sense. Sadly, Massively isn't a haven for film criticism, but I'd like to get around that by doing a bit of theorizing on how the new flick could conceivably affect our favorite MMORPG.
The Anvil of Crom: Knut Haugen talks game music, film music, and inspiration
Welcome, my fellow barbarians, to another installment of The Anvil of Crom. This week I've got a bit of a treat for the music fans in the audience -- which is basically everyone, amirite? Yes, I finally got the chance to ask a few questions of Funcom's Knut Avenstroup Haugen, the man responsible for Age of Conan's sweeping soundscapes and evocative musical score. Even if you're not an Age of Conan fan, you'll want to check out what Haugen has to say about the creative process, musical inspiration and research, and the crucial role that work ethic plays for the artist. Join me after the cut as we talk about all that and more.
Age of Conan soundtrack turning heads in Hollywood
Long-time Age of Conan players need no introduction to Knut Avenstroup Haugen. Even though they might not know the name, Haugen's seminal score for Funcom's sword and sorcery MMORPG is instantly recognizable. It seems that Hollywood is finally coming around as well, nominating the composer for a best original score award in the Music in Media category. Even if you're not an Age of Conan fan, Haugen's Rise of the Godslayer soundtrack (as well as the Hyborian Adventures suite for the original game) is well worth a listen, particularly if you're into big-budget fantasy soundscapes that rival the work of Howard Shore and Hans Zimmer. Check out the press release on the game's official website, and have a look back at the Rise of the Godslayer Making the Music trailer.
Age of Conan composer speaks about Hyborian soundtrack
One interesting side effect of having a developer like Funcom being based out of Norway is that we are introduced to a whole cavalcade of interesting Scandinavian names. Case in point: they recently posted an interview on their official site with Knut Haugen, the game's composer, to celebrate the release of the Age of Conan official soundtrack on the iTunes store. The soundtrack itself is suitably epic, and you get a robust 25 tracks for the respectable price of $9.99. Plus, you get to own an album by a guy named Knut! Quite a deal.As for the interview itself, Haugen talks about how he got into composing originally and how he came to be acquainted with the Age of Conan team. He also talks about the intricacies of balancing Age of Conan's ancient, almost primeval ambiance with a desire to convey complex emotions for a situational score. It's an interview that's definitely worth reading, as it effectively relates an aspect of game development that we often hear too little about.
