P R E S S   H I G H L I G H T S

INTERVIEWS:
Recent interviews with Michael McCann about the music for Splinter Cell: Double Agent

• IGN Interview (October 2006)
• Music 4 Games Interview (October 2006)
• GameZone Interview - Part 1 (November 2006)
• GameZone Interview - Part 2 (November 2006)
• Play Magazine (also January 2007 print issue.)
• Convergence Magazine (June 2007 print Issue)
• Computer Music Magazine (June 2007 Print Issue)
 

REVIEWS:

• Official XBOX 360 Magazine UK - 9/10
"...Sound is also fantastic, with an often perfectly understated musical score...."

• GameSpot - 8.5/10
“There are only good things to be said about the game's new soundtrack, which is perfectly fitting superspy-sounding stuff that gets louder and tenser when Fisher gets up close to an enemy.”

• USA Today - 9/10
“….Presentation is dark yet powerful, maintaining a high level of suspense. The various locales look vibrant, particularly the Arctic level in eastern Russia. Music ramps up as the alert levels peak, while the sounds of nervous bosses talking in your ear keep you on the edge of your chair.”

• GameSpy - 9/10
"...I couldn't help but feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up when the dramatic music swept in after I engaged an enemy."

• NZ Gamer - 8.5/10
" [Music] not only enhance the stealth aspects of the game, but also the emotional and often dark twists the storyline takes.....The score does just that, adapting to in-game decisions that players make, while still managing to stay cohesive throughout each level...Splinter Cell Double Agent sets an impossibly high standard for sound. Other games ought to feel ashamed.

• Games Radar - 9/10
"Oppressive atmosphere of tension."

• Game Zone - 9.2 / 10
"...Another really outstanding point for this game is the soundtrack. The music for this game fits every situation that Sam is forced upon, if he is in Iceland, prison, and other locals that he will visit."

• Gaming Target - 9.1 / 10
"...Sound wise the game fires on all cylinders, with great music, excellent voice acting (particularly Ironside, who is Sam Fisher, he owns the role) and the digital sounds of warfare and espionage..."

• 3D Avenue - 8/10
“…the soundtrack is once again brilliant...”
 

• IT'S ALL GONE PETE TONG

• IGN - "Best Original Score of 2006"

IGN has awarded Michael's score for Double Agent, "Best Original Score of 2006" for the XBOX 360. This is what they had to say:

"Why It Rocked: Composer Michael McCann hit the nail on the head with the outstanding score in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent. Of course, Splinter Cell features plenty of digital sound influenced from heart-pounding spy movies and episodes of 24. These elements are prevalent early in the game as an homage to the earlier titles. But as the deep story begins to progress, so does McCann. He truly excels in his more traditional, organic pieces that help make Double Agent sound more like an action movie rather than a videogame about spies..." (read more)
 

• 2007 AIAS Award Nomination - "Best Original Score"

Michael's score for Double Agent was nominated by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences  for "Best Original Score". The 2007 awards show was held in Las Vegas at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. For information about the AIAS and the awards please click here.
 
 

• 2007 GANG Nomination "Best Interactive Score"

Michael's score for Double Agent was nominated by the Game Audio Network Guild  for "Best Interactive Score". The 2007 awards show was held in San Francisco at the GDC Conference. For information about GANG and the awards please click here.
 

REVIEWS CONTINUED:

• MS Xbox WORLD - 9 / 10
"...The ambient sound is nothing short of perfect, either, as the background music has been tweaked to match the exact degree of tension experienced by the player in game at any given time. This helps to immerse you even further, as the highs and lows of excitement blend naturally, in and out, without a hitch in the music’s play."

• EuroGamer - 9/10
"On the basis of the solo mode alone it's worth a nine, not just because it's by far the best game in series to date, but because it's finally delivering on the rich potential that's been apparent since the beginning. By giving players a real incentive to be the stealthy super-spy, it's opening the game up to being what it should have been....

• G4 - 4/5
"...and it's in these nail biting moments when the game really excels. The game's soundtrack swells as tension mounts and then, pow, Sam chops the dude in the neck then pulls him into a headlock. There are few experiences in gaming as satisfying."

• Killer Betties - 8 / 10
"....Great voice work. Great sound. And great music. The holy trinity of sound work in videogames...."

• Extreme Gamer - 8.5 / 10
"...Finishing up the presentation is the audio which like the graphics always excels. In Double Agent we are treated to the same high level of effects from the wind to walking over metal, pushed along with the dramatic music of Michael McCann, and excellent voice work of Mr. Michael Ironside..."

• Gamer Node - 8.2/10
“…Audio gets the big-ups, too. Michael Ironside and Don Jordan return as their respectful roles of Fisher and Lambert. Renowned Canadian composer Michael McCann makes his video game debut, handling all the music in the game..."