Well-known to many score fans through his participation on film and video game music message boards, New Orleans native Chris Tilton has worn many hats in the industry, from orchestrator to composer to fan. His career has been closely tied to that of his friend Michael Giacchino, who first hired Tilton as an assistant on the hit TV show Alias.

Tilton soon found plentiful Hollywood work, orchestrating and composing additional music for many of Giacchino's big and small screen scores, including a significant portion of the music for seasons 4 and 5 of Alias, Mission: Impossible III, The Family Stone, and The Incredibles.

It was in the field of video game music, though, that Tilton made his biggest splash. His first major solo project, 2004's Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction, allowed him to create a full-length, fully orchestral score virtually on his own, with impressive results. More high-profile assignments like 2006's Black would follow; both it and Mercenaries received full soundtrack releases as well.

"Films tell stories and more and more games are attempting to tell cinematic stories in a similar fashion. I think it would be shortsighted to shun any score that takes its influence from films, opera, musicals, or any other storytelling medium that's been around a lot longer than games."