The Music of Halo 4 - Where's the "pop?

Games Other Halo
1

After having played a lot of games, and especially a lot of Halo in let’s say, the last ten years, I’ve heard some of the greatest soundtracks to ever be created. In fact a lot of what compels me about a game is its soundtrack. I can honestly say that all this years ago when Halo came out, it wasn’t just the great story and mystery, nor the beautiful visuals, or even just the great gameplay, but the music made me want to go out and kick -Yoink-. That or feel somber, or inquisitive, nervous.

For me, from everything I’ve heard from Halo 4’s soundtrack, it’s all these things… Well spare that first one. Everything I hear makes me feel like I’m exploring, or gearing up for something but never, “alright this is tense, but I’ve got -Yoink- to do”, or “alright, job needs doing, lets wreck face”.

Now don’t get me wrong, Halo 4’s soundtrack is great, feels a bit (hate to use the word) generic sounding at times, but good work is good work. But where’s the “pop”? The pop that I’m speaking of is that tune, that theme that were you not sitting playing a game would make you want to jump up yell F*** YEAH! And want to storm a beach or run through enemies as they cower before you. Or to just get you amped for combat.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve played (and still play) The Silent Cartographer just to hear Rock anthem for saving the world. Other examples are the regular Halo 1 title theme, Covenant Dance, Unless you mean to shoot, the beginning if Oni Sword Base from reach. In H2 I was engulfed by songs like Peril, and In amber clad. Hell, in ODST I even had deference to darkness.

I realize this is a new halo with a new composer, but can someone show me just 1 song. 1 that actually will make me want to fight? So far, nothing I’ve heard has . Sure context, and actually playing will help, but I know when I like something I hear, and so far all Halo 4’s music sounds the same. Like something I should hear on some spaceship tv show like battlestar or andromeda or something.

Someone show me something. To date, no Halo game has left me without at least 1. I don’t want halo 4 to be the start.

2

I don’t know about you, but Faithless, Desecration, and Ascendancy feel like battle themes to me.

3

Thanks for the suggestions. Faithless had a section starting around 1:30 that was decent, but it only lasted about 30 seconds. Desecration was “ok”. Decent overall, while I found Ascendancy lacking.

4

Find the full version of “117” on YouTube. It’s about 7 min and the second half got me pretty pumped. You can hear a subtle nod to the halo 3 soundtrack twoards the end.

5

Hmm, well the only other songs I could think of are Belly of the Beast and Revival, but Revival is more like the build up to a fight than an actual theme that makes you feel like a badass. Personally, I find the soundtrack in Halo 4 to more than live up to the legacy made by Halo games of the past, especially the track 117, but of course everyone has their own opinions and interpretations of music.

6

> I can’t tell you how many times I’ve played (and still play) The Silent Cartographer just to hear Rock anthem for saving the world.

Exactly, that’s the pop. You play the level to get that “pop,” because playing the game in conjuction with the music is the experience. You can’t hear the “pop” if you have yet to see the context.

Out of context, none of Marty’s music has that feel either (and don’t tell me it does, that’s your subconscious recollection of the context talking).

7

The thing about the music in the original trilogy is that it developed from relatively simple and recognizable tunes, motifs, and themes in Halo: CE into more the mature, heavier, and complicated music in Halo 2 and Halo 3 that still retained that feeling, that sense of recognition, that link, that basic structure and theme.

Halo 4 has thrown all of that evolution, all that progress, away. They’ve severed ties with that those mature and recognizable themes, making the new music seem alien and foreign to the series, which I think was a brass mistake. A bold move, but ultimately a failure. They’ve restarted the music in such a way that it began with complicated, obscure, overstuffed pieces, leaving no room for evolution and the development of specific thematic recognition.

You have to have that central, uniting theme or themes to tie it all together and make it recognizable, otherwise it’s just a bunch of random, chaotic music.

8

I wonder if you still will get a whiny message/ childish punishment of having all the dialog removed if you try and do custom soundtracks.

9

> > I can’t tell you how many times I’ve played (and still play) The Silent Cartographer just to hear Rock anthem for saving the world.
>
> Exactly, that’s the pop. You play the level to get that “pop,” because playing the game in conjuction with the music is the experience. You can’t hear the “pop” if you have yet to see the context.
>
> Out of context, none of Marty’s music has that feel either (and don’t tell me it does, that’s your subconscious recollection of the context talking).

I get what you’re saying, but i disagree. I have played levels, JUST to hear the music. There were times in Halo 2 when you got to “off the rock, through the bush, nothing but jackal” that I just stood around and listned to it and didnt play the game. Similar example, I have gone on youtube and found music from games I’ve never played that was awesome. Like Lost Odyssey and the Ipsilon Mountains. Was better when I played it, sure, because there was context, but I listened to that song for months before I ever played the game.