Cobb: Halo2 Making Epic Strides

October 12, 2004

Halo2 Making Epic Strides

OK I have to admit that I'm a sucker for a new sense of things right about now. I'm dropping the sensitivity screens in order to develop a vocabulary for things hot. In my new role as CTO for a very, very cool web venture coming up I'm courting an interesting audience not too far off from where I was 10 - 15 years ago.

What has this got to do with Halo2? Well it turns out that Bungie has hooked up with Nile Rodgers (yes that Nile Rodgers) to produce the music for the Halo2 soundtrack. The first single is by a group called 'Breaking Benjamin' which sounds like a grown-up ~~Blink 182~~ Linkin Park with a touch of Korn. It's called 'Blow Me Away' and it is slammin'. It's... (hmm how do the young people say it these days?) The lead singer has a touch of that Matchbox 20 guy and the guitars have a touch of the STP when they go epic. This is damned good music for a video game. It's actually damned good music, period.

I am starting to get the feeling that what we're going to be hearing a lot after the release of H2, is that video games are turning the corner into real cross-media starmakers. I've been playing Burnout 3 so I know how EA has been dropping little rock tracks into their cut screens, but that's kind of disposable stuff. As anyone who has played Halo knows, O'Donnell and Salvatori's music is outstanding. Now it rocks and a lot of people are going to be paying attention.

I'm just listening to the streaming version available here, and I've played it 8 times just writing this piece. It's that good.

Posted by mbowen at October 12, 2004 02:40 PM

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� Halo Update from amcgltd
One of the things that lifted Halo from "really good" to "superb" was the soundtrack. As with Homeworld (one of the top three games I've ever played), it makes a huge difference in how you perceive the game. Thanks... [Read More]

Tracked on October 13, 2004 11:21 AM

Comments

I think you're right about computer games becoming an alternate route to stardom for musical groups - and possibly another way for actors to make some coin if they're not getting signed to movie or TV deals. I especially remember Michael Biehn and James Earl Jones in EA's Tiberian Sun. We may be seeing the Stateside beginning of a phenomenon that's been going on in Japan for a while, but I'm going to save the rest of my speculating for my LJ.

Posted by: Kevin at October 13, 2004 03:12 PM