Oooh, yes, right there. It's as itchy as hell.
EA has revealed that veteran composter Garry Schyman will provide the score for its forthcoming action horror title Dante’s Inferno. The Philharmonia Orchestra and Metro Voices Singers will accompany him on his descent into hell.
Schyman is best known to gamers for his moody (and award winning) work on BioShock, but his gaming resume actually dates back to 1994, when his work appeared in Off World Interceptor from Crystal Dynamics. Since then he has contributed to the likes of Destroy All Humans, Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers and Resistance: Retribution. He also produced the scores for the third and fourth (made for television) instalments of Revenge of the Nerds and, frankly, that’s how I like to remember him (not that he’s dead).
The game itself is shaping to be one of 2010’s most divisive releases. Dante’s Inferno is being developed by Visceral Games, the EA studio responsible for the somewhat derivative, but immensely playable Dead Space. When the studio announced Dante’s Inferno, some expressed doubt that a frenetic and bloody action game could capture the spirit of its purported inspiration, Algheri’s poem of the same name. Others were quick to label the game a God of War clone.
Without question, Dante’s Inferno is a left field choice for a developer coming off a critically acclaimed hit. The hiring of the composer responsible for BioShock is confirmation the studio considers the game to be something more significant than a crowd pleasing button masher.
Dante’s Inferno is to be released on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PSP in Q1 2010. Only then will we discover whether the game will enhance or hobble the reputation of this talented young studio.
