@@hunterh1175 Yeah, if this series runs to covering all the games, I'm really curious what she'll make of the post-O'Donnell soundtracks. The gamers rag on 343 a lot, but that's mostly for plot writing decisions that are out of scope for this. On a purely soundtrack level, 4 was probably the best of their work.
@@LionelBercovich The song is We're the desperate measures. It's the second part of The Menagerie, because most "songs" in early Halo OST's are suites of several tracks. Edit: Yeah you're right they also added the bombastic part from Skyline. BUT it's clearly a variation of the same song. Marty's OST tracks are grouped by level, not by actual songs - that's why half of Reach's soundtrack sounds the same
Fun fact: Marty O'Donnel originally didn't think making halo ODST was a good idea He then proceeded to make one of the most incredible soundtracks of any video game ever, for a game he didn't think should be made... (He obviously later changed his mind, but its fun knowing he was against it in the beginning)
Combat Evolved is where you find yourself on a strange world. Halo 2 is where you have to save the Earth. Halo 3 is where you win the war. ODST is where you're just one cog in the machine, lost and alone, trying to help in a small way. Halo Reach is where you lose.
So excited for the reaction video for Reach, the soundtrack of the ultimate sacrifice. I'd love to see videos for The World Ends With You and Owlcat's 40k Rogue Trader as well
Yes Reach has some great tracks. The title theme, winter contingency, tip of the spear, exodus, and lone wolf missions… And Halo 4, 117 is a great track. Should’ve taken samples from 4 to use in the TV series intro.
Sad jazz while hiding in the ruins of New Mombasa and trying to dodge Covenant patrols is probably one of the best experiences I’ve had playing a game.
Of all the Halo soundtracks, ODST is by far the most unique. That feeling of loneliness conveyed by the music and the games environments really makes it stand out amongst the other games
I'd make an argument for Reach being pretty standalone in the uniqueness of its soundtrack, though ODST takes themes from previous Halo OSTs and adds brass, reed, and keys brilliantly. Super pumped for the Reach video! Also hoping we see a video for The World Ends With You and Owlcat's 40k Rogue Trader
For the song in the beginning of deference for darkness. Imagine hearing this in an empty city in the middle of the night. Alone and looking for your lost squad mates but only finding traces of them. the only other sounds being wind, rain, distant thunder, and car alarms.
ODST is if you take fighting aliens in an urban environment and turn it into a Film Noir Detective story that's also an allegory for Dante's Inferno. It's def my favorite
@@TurkeyMuncher117 to hit the quick cliff's notes: Virgil & Vergil are both guides, Sub level 7 is where you find Virgil, all levels and deadly sins are encountered in Sadie's Audio logs, and I believe the set piece levels are also potentially related. So there's a lot of stuff but it's really apparent in Sadie's story.
5:43, we all felt that way the first time we heard deference for darkness, surrounded by a ghost city at night, fighting enemies, trying to find your squad mates... such a memory
The basic story of ODST is as you are dropping into the city of New Mombasa an explosions scatters you and your team, your character "the Rookie" wakes up in his pod 6 hours later & has to look for signs of his missing squad, when he finds a sign you get a flashback mission of what that squad member was doing. Deference for Darkness & Asphalt And Ablution both take place after the rookie has found a clue, the first third is sad as it reflects on the Rooky being alone and separated from his squad, the second third is more action orientated as he fights through the streets of Mombasa, the final third is more ominous as he approaches the next clue. The Finale takes place after the team has been reunited & desperately has to get out of the city before the Covenant start glassing (orbitaly bombarding) the city. It starts off hopeful but gets more intense as you drive across the Coastal Highway and are beset upon by more & more enemies. It finally ends on a crescendo as they get on a ship & the Leader say's "What can I say, it was a hell of a night" as they narrowly escape the city. The very ending part is actually from the Legendary (hardest Difficult) ending which has some hidden implications from the previous games
ODST means Orbital Drop Shock Trooper. you're basically a commando unit but still a regular soldier/regular person compared to Spartans which they are like enhanced cyborg soldiers.
@@Macbravolive ODST were the best of the best. Before ONI released the footage and aknowledgement of the spartans. Which were way better and heavily armored compared to the ODSTs
@@noahhernandez296 they were the best at taking down rebels but... Soldiers can defect.. so i guess Oni made Spartan 2s out of children so they can brainwash and build them better against Rebels.. Spartans were meant to extinguish rebel forces. I think that's why some Halo fans were also sceptical about Spartan 4s because there were regular soldiers and there are alot of cases where they defect after. You know what it is.
What's pretty zany is that calming music from Asphalt and Ablution doesn't swap out if you get into a fight. There will be times in the game where you are in a life or death struggle with soft jazz notes in the background, which makes it even eerier.
The last part of We're the desperate measures with the electric guitar plays when you're on the rooftop of a skyscraper fighting off an assault of alien airships while they also drop off enemies. It's pretty intense but you have a bunch of missile pods, rocket launchers & chain guns so it's really fun. Also the name doesn't really have anything to do with that specific scene, it was the name of one of the trailers, it does describe the ODST's in general though, they're essentially the Paratroopers of the future, they get in pods that are dropped from orbit by spaceships, they're the best of the best & many of their missions are almost suicide missions. They are nicknamed the Helljumpers.
"Most of the crew, not to mention your fellow jarheads, will be leaving the ship in lifeboats. They'll ride to the surface in air-conditioned comfort, sipping wine and nibbling on appetizers. Not you however. Oh no, you're going to leave the Pillar of Autumn in a different method. Tell me, boys and girls, how will you leave?" "WE GO FEET FIRST, SIR!"
Hot take: Reach is more atmospheric than ODST. Sure Mombasa streets are atmospheric and the soundtrack amplifies that but reach has more diversity and so many beautiful set pieces. And this is coming from someone who has a lot of issues with reach.
Reach definitely as a few good parts with atmosphere but you're generally always with another squad mate and there isn't that much downtime between combat. When you're playing the rookie unless you're playing multiplayer you're always alone and the dark and music make you feel more vulnerable especially if it's your first time playing the game because you never know what's going to be around every corner. Reach is my favorite halo to play but I feel so much more immersed playing ODST.
@@BillyCobbOfficialI could see an argument for both being more atmospheric, they both execute very different vibes perfectly, ODST is one of feeling tiny and isolated, having a mystery to solve in an abandoned megacity, Reach one of the end being near and death all around you on this alien planet which we nonetheless called home, being ripped from Humanity's hands
Deference For Darkness and Asphalt and Ablution violently sends me back in time and brings tears to my eyes. As someone who was there, jumping feet first into hell back in 2009, playing this game for hours on end, I can tell you these tracks are unparalleled for me. In 2008, my older brother enlisted into the marines and was deployed to Afghanistan, where he became a REAL helljumper. So every time i played this game, it made me think of big bro, a world away from me, and how he was the best of the best. When he came back for a christmas holiday in 2010, I showed him this game, and we played it for HOURS. It's our favorite halo game by far.
“We are the desperate measures” mostly takes place at a crash sight on top of a building, where the player holds out against waves of drop ships with missile launchers and mounted turrets. Top 3 favourite moments in halo.
You should watch "deliver hope" trailer of halo reach before you start with the music of reach. Sets up the mood. Also you should watch the "we are ods" live action trailer. The entire bungie halo trilogy is a very cinematic experience and they mostly have better camera shots then a lot of movies nowadays.
Watching people listening to a game's soundtrack is one thing, but watching someone intently listen to game's soundtrack that you literally grew up playing is a completely different thing, a mixture of emotions was laid watching this and I just love your appreciation for Halo!
14:14 Y'know, the "it sounds like an animal call" comment doesn't feel super far off from how the game feels: like a dying animal. In this case, the Kenyan city of New Mombasa is the animal, and over the course of the story (split between the action-packed flashback day sequences, the eerie and lonely exploration night sequences, and the literally found-footage story you find throughout the game) you watch how it dies. And there's nothing you can do, by the time the gameplay starts the city is already taking its last breaths. It's so haunting and Martin O'Donnell and and Michael Salvatori did such a good job reinforcing that.
Rest of the Halo Games: (Space opera with some rock here and there) Halo ODST: "Alright, time to break out the piano and saxophone, it's Noir time." And it really works in context too. Halo ODST is the only Halo game made so far where you do not play as a Spartan. You play as an ODST, which is just a normal human, albeit the elite of the elite of normal humans, and the game is almost entirely set in the Covenant-occupied ruins of New Mombassa at night with the main character searching through the ruins for evidence of his squad that he was separated from. It's dark, it's lonely, you only have the Covenant to keep you company, and there's a little bit of a top secret mission going on too.
The reason the songs are more like scores than just tracks is because each one basically plays over an entire mission of the game. So they have ambience and combat music blended together, which the game will switch between based on what’s going on/how far you are into the mission
Halo 3 ODST's narrative revolving around Sadie is a retelling of Dante's Inferno and the journey through the 9 levels of hell. The moody, sorrowful, ominous and intense tracks of ODST I like to think can act as a soundtrack to the original story itself
"We're the desperate measures" is the perfect opening for odst, it really conveys the sneaky special forces focus of odst, vs the bombast of the main games where you play as an invulnerable super soldier.
Nothing will ever change the feelings one gets when listening to the music from their most loved childhood video games, the passion, the brilliance, the balance. Simply perfect. Pure shivers every time.
Its especially Marty's musical genius, there's not a single game franchise that even comes close to Halo in terms of its soundtrack, nothing can ever evoke those same feelings and memories that Marty's work on Combat Evolved all the way through to Reach could
22:00 yeah it is an actual orchestra. If you watch the trailers of halo 3 and halo reach and I think also halo 2, Martin odonnel talks about making the music for halo. One trailer I have in my mind right now, in which you can briefly see the orchestra, is "halo reach - once more unto the breach". Also might be a good inside into Halo Reach before listening to the music.
Deference for Darkness may be my favorite song from Halo ever. Your reaction to it was mine my first time. The first part is so absolutely hauntingly beautiful that I cannot ever describe it properly. So glad i found your channel.
I think especially because the piano and sax sound so much like those kinda FF7/Kingdom Hearts main menu themes like that style is always written to sound tragic yet hopeful, it just hits that part of you where your imagination can run wild in envisioning places, characters etc
ODST alongside Deference for Darkness will forever be part of my life. One of my favorite Halo games and the first third of deference has helped me through some very tough times, helped me to cry when I felt I couldn't. Great video!
Ngl, there are a surprisingly large number of tracks in this that remind me of Destiny’s OST and Halo Reach’s. It feels like this is the first game where you can kinda feel Bungie’s approach shifting a bit and into what it would later become.
@@Jose_Doethey were starting work on destiny at the time of odst it was still rough concepts and prototypes didn’t start until the last dlc for reach as they used reaches engine to prototype destiny 1 while they worked on the new engine for it
I have been looking forward to your reaction to this for a while, and it did not disappoint. Halo 2 will always be my favorite OST, but ODST is an incredibly close second.
I don't know why, but despite having played this game numerous times over, something about sitting down and really taking the songs for themselves instead of gameplay supporting music and watching you react along with it...I cried. I'm a grown ass man who rarely ever cries and this soundtrack just does it for me. The combination of everything plus intense nostalgia.
If halo 4 is next I hope she listens to mantis theme, requiem, nemisis, revival, haven, intruders, and aliens but if it's halo reach then new Alexandria or the sad song that plays during the intro cutscene in halo reach where you fly around in a falcon
Defence for darkness is at the beginning of the gane when you and your team crash land and are seperated, with coms down and you dont know whos alive and whos dead
I have absolutely been waiting for you to hear Deference for Darkness since your first halo video. That is about the reaction I expected. I love that piece. There’s an 8 hour loop on YT that I’ve listened to for almost a decade now. It’s how I calm down, and it’s become my thinking song. I’m just so glad I get to see someone else enjoy this music.
So the sax is sorta the motif of a character that spends almost the entire story lost, searching for his team. Were the desperate measures feels like the teams theme song in my opinion. That sax that appears in finale, I feel, is like that lost character finding his way back.
All of the tracks that start with piano follow the silent protagonist trying to find his team. They tend to follow the pattern of understanding the clue you just found (piano), fighting your way to the next clue (mellow synth/percission), and trying to find the next clue (creepy synth). It all blends with gameplay cues so well So glad you finally got to this one!!
What I love about the ODST soundtrack is that it sounds more human with notes of mystery than the main trilogy, the only other games released prior to ODST. There's such an alien aspect to the other games' soundtracks because of the three (four? 3.5? H2-H3 elites make it a little muddy) alien factions involved: Covenant, Forerunners, Flood. Plus the epic nature of Master Chief's battles and story, there's rightly an ethereal and otherworldly aspect to a lot of the OSTs. ODSTs are just normal people, even if they are highly trained. The mystery is from an EMPed city after the in-atmosphere slip space rupture from the Covenant cruiser in Halo 2, trying to find your team in a highly enemy controlled cityscape.
This music with this game was crazy, I loved the og halos but this was still a banger. Exploring a ruined city alone with this stuff going on was a great time
Were the desperate measures plays in a section where your ride gets downed, and you make it to the downed pelican and you spend a good bit blasting banshees put of the sky, you and your 5 allies are on a tower making a last stand against dozens and dozens of these flying war machines. In the end one of your guys takes an axe to the lung
As a Republican :( I wish he wouldn't have brought his politics so front and center, it's harder to ignore when he's literally running as a politician and publicly endorsing Trump
Deference of Darkness hits real hard for me. I recommended this song to my friend who said it helped him get through dark times of his life. A year later he passed away and every time this plays I think of him.
ODST is the acronym for Orbital Drop Shock Trooper. They are deployed in Single Occupant Exoatmospheric Insertion Vehicles from space to act as light infantry on the ground. They're a kind of special forces. This game is the only one in the Halo franchise to include silenced weapons to reflect the ODST mission set. If you ever decide to play a single Halo game, I would recommend Halo 3: ODST or Halo Reach. Halo 3: ODST was developed fairly quickly reusing a lot of assets from Halo 3, although the story takes place shortly after a specific event from Halo 2. ODST is probably my favourite Halo game to replay, just wandering the streets going where ever and either avoiding or fighting enemies depending on what I feel like doing at the time, falling into almost some kind of trance listening to the music. The Halo series is when I started really paying attention to the music in video games and it probably helped me develop my taste in music, especially Jazz styles from ODST. The only other franchise with that kind of impact would be Persona.
When I was 9 my parents got me an Ipod Nano, that I still have, and the ODST soundtrack on disc for christmas. The game had recently released if I remember correctly. Anyways you don't know how long I've waited for someone to discuss the masterpiece that is "Finale" . It has to be one of the greatest tracks from any Halo game next to the main theme in my opinion.
its crazy to think that given the context in which this music is played, it somehow makes it even more impactful. the moment deference for darkness played after one of the cutscenes makes you feel so lonely/vulnerable. such a beautiful game.
"It's so empty," yes, yes it is. It really highlights the gameplay during the solo parts of the mission. All of Bungie's games had phenomenally accurate soundtracks that really enhance the feeling you get from the setting and action or lack thereof.
Oveture was always my favorite from that soundtracck, with the rain, the sax? And piano, was absolutely beautiful and in the context of the game, loanly and empty almost.
ODST is by far my favorite Halo game ODST stands for Orbital Drop Shock Trooper. You play as a regular human defending earth while Master Chief and gang are out in space. This game is my childhood ❤❤
I love the musical reference to the Halo 3 campaign music during the finale around 25:20 ODST takes place During Halo 2 and ends just before Halo 3. You could probably even call the electric guitar in "We're the desperate measures" a reference to Halo 2.
Not sure if I'd consider this my favorite Halo OST, but it's 100% the one that stands out the most! It does such a good job of making you feel what you're supposed to feel at each point of the game. From blowing through enemy controlled territory at full throttle to wandering deserted city streets at night in the rain, the music never fails to elevate the feelings you get from the gameplay! Also something I just noticed, the very end of the "Finale" score actually comes from the very first trailer we saw for the game.
"We're the desperate measures" is actually not an official mix as part of the original soundtrack but is kind of this universally agreed upon honorable addition to the soundtrack. It's basically a mix of some very similar parts of the OST, and they work well together, but I personally prefer each section on its own within its respective part of the soundtrack.
Also, I feel like you were kind of robbed because most people voted for that unofficial mix instead of other parts of the soundtrack. The whole OST is absolutely amazing, but I really would've liked to see your reaction to other parts of it that are just so perfect, like Neon Night or Traffic Jam. Each part of the soundtrack has so many smaller sections that are so different but blend so well, I just wish one of those got chosen instead of "We're the desperate measures."
The interesting bit about We're The Desperate Measures is that there was an officially assembled version that's basically the same song that shows up in Reach, but even there it's not part of the OST
ODST has some incredible music all around. Deference for Darkness and Finale are among my favourite tracks potentially in all of Halo! But it is so hard to pick my absolute favourite!
Halo music is some of the most emotional pieces I hold to my heart I can remember every moment about the games and how they made me feel it's such an amazing feeling. ODST will forever be one of my favorite in the series❤
Every halo game has one or two tracks that stands out, but I think ODST soundtrack is truly beautiful all the way, it fit so well with the atmosphere, it''s kinda of hypnotic
Deference For Darkness is my favorite track from any game, ever. it's just.. perfect for the setting it plays in. It's dedicated to the 'Mombasa Streets' Section, which are simply you, the sole survivor of your squad (as far as you know) wandering the streets, avoiding/confronting enemy patrols while piecing together the mystery of what happened in the time you were knocked unconscious. all this in rain soaked, dimly neon lit streets of a city ravaged by war. 'Rain', the soft piano, strings and sax piece is the portion I love the most.
Asphalt and Ablution is so lonely and atmospheric I love it. The soft howls making you feel like you're alone at night in the light rain cold and empty city streets. Marty O'Donnell is sooooo good at music that makes you feel.
You did them in a perfect order too. Brings a tear to my eye to see someone else enjoy the beautiful music many of us grew up with, I’ll be in it a violet video game, it impacted so many. most of us young to truly appreciate the quality we had received unlike nowadays.
This soundtrack is special because of the way it evokes loneliness. In ODST you aren't playing as a supersolider saving the world, you are a mere human, separated from your team after your pod crash lands, and you wake up in a city controlled by the Covenant, no backup, no allies, you are walking the streets filled with hostiles trying to find your missing squad mates. Of course, being a Halo game we still get plenty of action, hence the changes between Sad and Lonely to Action Pew pew. Its just perfection.
watching Emily react to Halo’s music, which changed my life, is almost an emotional experience. she has such an incredible ear and incredible appreciation/understanding of music :,)
5:54 pov your roaming the streets of new Mombasa all alone in the search for your crew but all you find is darkness, loneliness and hope of finding your lost crew.
This is arguably the best OST in the halo franchise. I love the lower stakes of the game, I’m not a Spartan saving the galaxy, I’m a Marine, fighting to defend earth. From smooth noir lonely jazz in Mombasa streets, to the bombastic orchestra accompanying my rampage down Kizingo Boulevard, this is my absolute favorite Halo game
I love all of Halo, but Deference for Darkness was literally the reason I started following your journey to begin with. Your reaction is exactly what I expected, in the best way- silence, followed by "time to cry" followed by nothing but amazement and feels. Unsure what the change in tune is about, but the piece is essentially over after the last horn repeats the "home" phrase G, F#, B
The difference between the first score and second, is that the first one was fan compiled to represent how it played in-game, while the second is OST compiled. Each track of the OST score plays at different times in the game and in completely different orders, so there is much less need for them to blend together. There was a lot of story telling, combat, and other tracks that happened between the individual tracks of an OST score.
Bits and Pieces is a super underrated ODST song in my opinion its the best song on the soundtrack it gets me nostalgic of the game, what you feel while hearing it is truly unique.
On the note you brought up regarding a lot of ODST's songs as scores, there is an important note about the Halo 2 soundtrack. It was split up into 2 separate parts by Marty and Michael, with part 1 being all the standalone tracks as well as the collaborations with Breaking Benjamin, Incubus, and a few other artists. Part 2 contains all the level/section specific scores that were made for the actual game.
I REALLY hope Winter Contingency is in the Halo: Reach reaction. I know it’s really long (over 12 minutes) but it’s my favorite track from the album. So patrons please don’t fail me.
man, listened to the ost about dropping in pods from orbit and you didn't even get to hear the drop music! it's my favorite part of the OST, you can really tell when it kicks in, and it really give the feeling that you are falling
Asphalt And Ablution reminds me SO MUCH of a Save Room Soundtrack from Resident Evil...and i LOVE IT Edit: the first 2mins i mean lol. Then we get some Halo vibes lol
For context. Songs like We’re The Desperate Measures play while you’re playing as squad members on the day of an invasion of earth, desperately fighting to maintain control over the city of New Mombasa. Songs like Deference For Darkness play during sections that take place about a 12-16 hours after initial deployment due to the character in these sections being knocked out until then. In these lonely sections you have little to no allies, wandering the rainy and dark city streets at night, avoiding enemy patrols and trying to find what happened to your team
Deference for darkness starts with “you just found a helmet belonging to your squad mate, you’re all alone”, then goes to “fighting under the cover of night against enemies that outnumber you and own the streets”, then ends with “you’re alone again, now it feels too quiet, you’re hunting for more clues as to the location of your squad”
ODST. Unmistakably unique, but still unmistakably halo.
Indeed it was
Halo 4: Unmistakably unique but not unmistakably Halo
Halo 5: tries to be unmistakably Halo, ends up not being unique nor Halo
@@hunterh1175PAINFULLY accurate.
@@hunterh1175 Yeah, if this series runs to covering all the games, I'm really curious what she'll make of the post-O'Donnell soundtracks. The gamers rag on 343 a lot, but that's mostly for plot writing decisions that are out of scope for this. On a purely soundtrack level, 4 was probably the best of their work.
@hunterh1175 thankfully Infinite knocked it out of the park with the ost
"What can I say? It was a hell of a night."
"Take my advice Rookie, you ever fall for a woman, make sure she's got balls"
"saxophone noise intensifying"
"if you ever fall for a woman, make sure she got balls."
That line is even funnier when you realize that the audio logs for Sadie's side story is basically an allegory for Dante's Inferno.
Jackalsniper is crazy😂
Mickey: "My vote? We hole in, wait for backup."
Marty O'Donnel: *plays "we're the desperate measures"*
Dutch: "Your vote just got overruled"
There’s no OST called like that, it’s probably a mix of Menagerie (ONI Alpha Site) and Skyline (NMPD HQ)
@@LionelBercovichdon’t ruin the joke my guy
Mickey:
Ahw!☹️
@@LionelBercovich The song is We're the desperate measures. It's the second part of The Menagerie, because most "songs" in early Halo OST's are suites of several tracks.
Edit: Yeah you're right they also added the bombastic part from Skyline. BUT it's clearly a variation of the same song. Marty's OST tracks are grouped by level, not by actual songs - that's why half of Reach's soundtrack sounds the same
Except this music didn't start at that moment, soooo...I know it's a joke, but The Menagerie played earlier.
Music Theorist: "You can't make a leitmotif out of only three notes!"
Marty O'Donnell: "So, I decided to write something for the saxophone today..."
Underrated comment
plin plin plon(gwyns theme from dark souls 1) would like a word with you...
ECHO also did that very well
And then he did it again in reach with only 2 chords
@@HairyySun It really is Halo's Plin Plin Plon
Fun fact:
Marty O'Donnel originally didn't think making halo ODST was a good idea
He then proceeded to make one of the most incredible soundtracks of any video game ever, for a game he didn't think should be made...
(He obviously later changed his mind, but its fun knowing he was against it in the beginning)
"God works in mysterious way"
I believe he's also said that it was his favorite project to work on out of all the Halo games because of the small scale of the team.
Even people who don't like Halo know about ODST's soundtrack.
And Salvatori
@@ZHibikiSeriously, everyone forgets that there was more than one composer for these titles.
Combat Evolved is where you find yourself on a strange world.
Halo 2 is where you have to save the Earth.
Halo 3 is where you win the war.
ODST is where you're just one cog in the machine, lost and alone, trying to help in a small way.
Halo Reach is where you lose.
So excited for the reaction video for Reach, the soundtrack of the ultimate sacrifice.
I'd love to see videos for The World Ends With You and Owlcat's 40k Rogue Trader as well
And that's why Reach is the last Halo.
@@LordEmpyreal Don't forget the original Halo Wars!
Yes Reach has some great tracks. The title theme, winter contingency, tip of the spear, exodus, and lone wolf missions…
And Halo 4, 117 is a great track. Should’ve taken samples from 4 to use in the TV series intro.
i know it's out of the first loop, but what your thought on Halo 4, 5 and infinite ?
Marty & Michael: *Does a thing*
Emily: :O
That was us all at one point or another.
Same
Sad jazz while hiding in the ruins of New Mombasa and trying to dodge Covenant patrols is probably one of the best experiences I’ve had playing a game.
Of all the Halo soundtracks, ODST is by far the most unique. That feeling of loneliness conveyed by the music and the games environments really makes it stand out amongst the other games
The reverb on the saxophone solo ... it's like someone all alone in an empty room playing to themselves.
I'd make an argument for Reach being pretty standalone in the uniqueness of its soundtrack, though ODST takes themes from previous Halo OSTs and adds brass, reed, and keys brilliantly.
Super pumped for the Reach video! Also hoping we see a video for The World Ends With You and Owlcat's 40k Rogue Trader
God you almost feel relieved when you see an enemy in the early missions.
@mistertestsubject seriously, but it's honestly my favorite Halo game
For the song in the beginning of deference for darkness. Imagine hearing this in an empty city in the middle of the night. Alone and looking for your lost squad mates but only finding traces of them. the only other sounds being wind, rain, distant thunder, and car alarms.
And Plasma fire😂
So like the white noise I use to sleep then?
@@otacon8790 I fall asleep to an 8 hour long track of this song most nights.
@@ericarnold1096same here!
@@ericarnold1096you too? Nice!
"Relax, Rookie. He don't mean nothin'. 'sides, now's one of those times...
Pays to be the strong, silent type."
-Dutch
ODST is if you take fighting aliens in an urban environment and turn it into a Film Noir Detective story that's also an allegory for Dante's Inferno.
It's def my favorite
thats quite possibly the best description of this game
I'd love to hear the connection between ODST and Dante's Inferno
Renaissance Italian Christian author 🤝 Microsoft
"Hey bungie, wanna make a quick dlc?"
@@TurkeyMuncher117 to hit the quick cliff's notes: Virgil & Vergil are both guides, Sub level 7 is where you find Virgil, all levels and deadly sins are encountered in Sadie's Audio logs, and I believe the set piece levels are also potentially related.
So there's a lot of stuff but it's really apparent in Sadie's story.
Deference for Darkness was the OST that taught me how powerful music is as an atmospheric tool. It captured how empty a destroyed megacity would feel.
5:43, we all felt that way the first time we heard deference for darkness, surrounded by a ghost city at night, fighting enemies, trying to find your squad mates... such a memory
i love meloncholy songs like that. It captivated me while fighting for my life. Its honestly what i consider THE Odst theme.
The basic story of ODST is as you are dropping into the city of New Mombasa an explosions scatters you and your team, your character "the Rookie" wakes up in his pod 6 hours later & has to look for signs of his missing squad, when he finds a sign you get a flashback mission of what that squad member was doing.
Deference for Darkness & Asphalt And Ablution both take place after the rookie has found a clue, the first third is sad as it reflects on the Rooky being alone and separated from his squad, the second third is more action orientated as he fights through the streets of Mombasa, the final third is more ominous as he approaches the next clue.
The Finale takes place after the team has been reunited & desperately has to get out of the city before the Covenant start glassing (orbitaly bombarding) the city. It starts off hopeful but gets more intense as you drive across the Coastal Highway and are beset upon by more & more enemies. It finally ends on a crescendo as they get on a ship & the Leader say's "What can I say, it was a hell of a night" as they narrowly escape the city.
The very ending part is actually from the Legendary (hardest Difficult) ending which has some hidden implications from the previous games
ODST means Orbital Drop Shock Trooper. you're basically a commando unit but still a regular soldier/regular person compared to Spartans which they are like enhanced cyborg soldiers.
@@Macbravolive ODST were the best of the best. Before ONI released the footage and aknowledgement of the spartans. Which were way better and heavily armored compared to the ODSTs
lost of salty relations between the ODSTs toward the spartans.
@@noahhernandez296 they were the best at taking down rebels but... Soldiers can defect.. so i guess Oni made Spartan 2s out of children so they can brainwash and build them better against Rebels.. Spartans were meant to extinguish rebel forces. I think that's why some Halo fans were also sceptical about Spartan 4s because there were regular soldiers and there are alot of cases where they defect after. You know what it is.
@@Macbravolive i couldnt agree more. I personally dont like the 4s but a lot of others dont either
What's pretty zany is that calming music from Asphalt and Ablution doesn't swap out if you get into a fight. There will be times in the game where you are in a life or death struggle with soft jazz notes in the background, which makes it even eerier.
"What can I say...? It was a hell of a night." 🔥💀
The last part of We're the desperate measures with the electric guitar plays when you're on the rooftop of a skyscraper fighting off an assault of alien airships while they also drop off enemies.
It's pretty intense but you have a bunch of missile pods, rocket launchers & chain guns so it's really fun.
Also the name doesn't really have anything to do with that specific scene, it was the name of one of the trailers, it does describe the ODST's in general though, they're essentially the Paratroopers of the future, they get in pods that are dropped from orbit by spaceships, they're the best of the best & many of their missions are almost suicide missions.
They are nicknamed the Helljumpers.
And the trailer "desperate measures" is insanely good and fun. All of the bungie era trailers were so freaking good.
"Most of the crew, not to mention your fellow jarheads, will be leaving the ship in lifeboats. They'll ride to the surface in air-conditioned comfort, sipping wine and nibbling on appetizers. Not you however. Oh no, you're going to leave the Pillar of Autumn in a different method. Tell me, boys and girls, how will you leave?"
"WE GO FEET FIRST, SIR!"
Worth mentioning that they're the inspiration for the game Helldivers.
@@Zyo117”FEET FIRST INTO WHAT TROOPER?”
If you only play one halo game ODST is probably the most chill and atmospheric 100% recommend.
Hot take: Reach is more atmospheric than ODST. Sure Mombasa streets are atmospheric and the soundtrack amplifies that but reach has more diversity and so many beautiful set pieces. And this is coming from someone who has a lot of issues with reach.
Honestly both are great, atmospheric I would give it to ODST but story and emotional impact goes to reach, easy!
Reach definitely as a few good parts with atmosphere but you're generally always with another squad mate and there isn't that much downtime between combat. When you're playing the rookie unless you're playing multiplayer you're always alone and the dark and music make you feel more vulnerable especially if it's your first time playing the game because you never know what's going to be around every corner. Reach is my favorite halo to play but I feel so much more immersed playing ODST.
@@BillyCobbOfficial I don't think this is a hot take, I think either ODST or Reach are excellent introductions to the series. ❤
@@BillyCobbOfficialI could see an argument for both being more atmospheric, they both execute very different vibes perfectly, ODST is one of feeling tiny and isolated, having a mystery to solve in an abandoned megacity, Reach one of the end being near and death all around you on this alien planet which we nonetheless called home, being ripped from Humanity's hands
Deference For Darkness and Asphalt and Ablution violently sends me back in time and brings tears to my eyes. As someone who was there, jumping feet first into hell back in 2009, playing this game for hours on end, I can tell you these tracks are unparalleled for me.
In 2008, my older brother enlisted into the marines and was deployed to Afghanistan, where he became a REAL helljumper. So every time i played this game, it made me think of big bro, a world away from me, and how he was the best of the best. When he came back for a christmas holiday in 2010, I showed him this game, and we played it for HOURS. It's our favorite halo game by far.
"Take my advice Rookie, wanna listen to the Halo OST's? Make sure you're watching Emily react to them"
Love your videos!❤❤❤❤
“We are the desperate measures” mostly takes place at a crash sight on top of a building, where the player holds out against waves of drop ships with missile launchers and mounted turrets. Top 3 favourite moments in halo.
You should watch "deliver hope" trailer of halo reach before you start with the music of reach. Sets up the mood. Also you should watch the "we are ods" live action trailer.
The entire bungie halo trilogy is a very cinematic experience and they mostly have better camera shots then a lot of movies nowadays.
I agree. 100%, she should see the Delivery Hope trailer.
I haven't seen a better looking shot than the Ark blowing up behind Chief and Cortana in Halo 3, at least not in recent movies
Ahh yes I love the we are ods
15:40 the original halo theme with the Gregorian monk chant was written by Marty in his car 3 days before appearing live at Mac world
Speechlessness is a entirely proper and understandable reaction to Deference For Darkness, youre all good
Watching people listening to a game's soundtrack is one thing, but watching someone intently listen to game's soundtrack that you literally grew up playing is a completely different thing, a mixture of emotions was laid watching this and I just love your appreciation for Halo!
Deference of darkness really hits home.
14:14 Y'know, the "it sounds like an animal call" comment doesn't feel super far off from how the game feels: like a dying animal. In this case, the Kenyan city of New Mombasa is the animal, and over the course of the story (split between the action-packed flashback day sequences, the eerie and lonely exploration night sequences, and the literally found-footage story you find throughout the game) you watch how it dies. And there's nothing you can do, by the time the gameplay starts the city is already taking its last breaths. It's so haunting and Martin O'Donnell and and Michael Salvatori did such a good job reinforcing that.
its the engineer communicating with the player.
Rest of the Halo Games: (Space opera with some rock here and there)
Halo ODST: "Alright, time to break out the piano and saxophone, it's Noir time."
And it really works in context too. Halo ODST is the only Halo game made so far where you do not play as a Spartan. You play as an ODST, which is just a normal human, albeit the elite of the elite of normal humans, and the game is almost entirely set in the Covenant-occupied ruins of New Mombassa at night with the main character searching through the ruins for evidence of his squad that he was separated from. It's dark, it's lonely, you only have the Covenant to keep you company, and there's a little bit of a top secret mission going on too.
The reason the songs are more like scores than just tracks is because each one basically plays over an entire mission of the game. So they have ambience and combat music blended together, which the game will switch between based on what’s going on/how far you are into the mission
Halo 3 ODST's narrative revolving around Sadie is a retelling of Dante's Inferno and the journey through the 9 levels of hell. The moody, sorrowful, ominous and intense tracks of ODST I like to think can act as a soundtrack to the original story itself
Wow never thought about like that makes the game even more awesome
This actually makes a lot of sense, I never saw it that way until now
"We're the desperate measures" is the perfect opening for odst, it really conveys the sneaky special forces focus of odst, vs the bombast of the main games where you play as an invulnerable super soldier.
part of the track "Skyline" was def part of the "we're the desperate measures" bit
Yeah, it's a blend of the back half of "The Menagerie" and the climax of "Skyline"
I think an officially assembled version shows up during Buck's cameo in Reach, but unfortunately it isn't part of that game's OST either
@@caseybaker7935 pretty sure halo reaches ost was kinda built off of/ inspired by odst
Nothing will ever change the feelings one gets when listening to the music from their most loved childhood video games, the passion, the brilliance, the balance. Simply perfect. Pure shivers every time.
Its especially Marty's musical genius, there's not a single game franchise that even comes close to Halo in terms of its soundtrack, nothing can ever evoke those same feelings and memories that Marty's work on Combat Evolved all the way through to Reach could
22:00 yeah it is an actual orchestra. If you watch the trailers of halo 3 and halo reach and I think also halo 2, Martin odonnel talks about making the music for halo.
One trailer I have in my mind right now, in which you can briefly see the orchestra, is "halo reach - once more unto the breach". Also might be a good inside into Halo Reach before listening to the music.
No "More Than His Share" 😢
Rest in peace, Rookie.
I used to make my last minute engineering assignments with "We're the desperate measures" in a loop hahahah. It worked every time
LMAO I do that now !!! It's fantastic that my strategy is effective !
Deference for Darkness may be my favorite song from Halo ever. Your reaction to it was mine my first time. The first part is so absolutely hauntingly beautiful that I cannot ever describe it properly. So glad i found your channel.
I think especially because the piano and sax sound so much like those kinda FF7/Kingdom Hearts main menu themes like that style is always written to sound tragic yet hopeful, it just hits that part of you where your imagination can run wild in envisioning places, characters etc
Man now I’ve gotta play ODST again. No way around it, thems the rules
Ohhhh my god that was insane, my imagination was running wild with this OST :O it really could be a film score!
ODST alongside Deference for Darkness will forever be part of my life. One of my favorite Halo games and the first third of deference has helped me through some very tough times, helped me to cry when I felt I couldn't. Great video!
Ngl, there are a surprisingly large number of tracks in this that remind me of Destiny’s OST and Halo Reach’s. It feels like this is the first game where you can kinda feel Bungie’s approach shifting a bit and into what it would later become.
Ya mean Marty and Michaels approach also some destiny tracks feel way more halo then destiny especially some of the Cosmo drone tracks from destiny 1
@@Jose_Doethey were starting work on destiny at the time of odst it was still rough concepts and prototypes didn’t start until the last dlc for reach as they used reaches engine to prototype destiny 1 while they worked on the new engine for it
@@KarltheBarl I know that's why a lot of tracks still felt halo like
@@Jose_Doean old video on Marty's channel said he wrote the latin choir chant from Destiny 1 loading screen during the making of Halo 3
Hell yeah- ODST is probably one of my favorites soundtracks out of all the Halo games
I have been looking forward to your reaction to this for a while, and it did not disappoint.
Halo 2 will always be my favorite OST, but ODST is an incredibly close second.
I don't know why, but despite having played this game numerous times over, something about sitting down and really taking the songs for themselves instead of gameplay supporting music and watching you react along with it...I cried. I'm a grown ass man who rarely ever cries and this soundtrack just does it for me. The combination of everything plus intense nostalgia.
Same brother, it hits hard 👊
FOR DEMOCRACY.......ops wrong game
This bring me memories
Helldivers is just Starship Troopers except with theater kid energy infused.
Deference for Darkness, or the entire ODST album rather, was Marty just going "SO, YOU KIDS LIKE JAZZ?"
If halo 4 is next I hope she listens to mantis theme, requiem, nemisis, revival, haven, intruders, and aliens but if it's halo reach then new Alexandria or the sad song that plays during the intro cutscene in halo reach where you fly around in a falcon
The song is called New Alexandria
Defence for darkness is at the beginning of the gane when you and your team crash land and are seperated, with coms down and you dont know whos alive and whos dead
I have absolutely been waiting for you to hear Deference for Darkness since your first halo video. That is about the reaction I expected. I love that piece. There’s an 8 hour loop on YT that I’ve listened to for almost a decade now. It’s how I calm down, and it’s become my thinking song. I’m just so glad I get to see someone else enjoy this music.
Still blown away that the soundtrack for the biggest shooter and entertainment product ever just decides to do jazz next. Lol
Odst was like an investiagtive noir themed halo fps
So the sax is sorta the motif of a character that spends almost the entire story lost, searching for his team. Were the desperate measures feels like the teams theme song in my opinion. That sax that appears in finale, I feel, is like that lost character finding his way back.
All of the tracks that start with piano follow the silent protagonist trying to find his team. They tend to follow the pattern of understanding the clue you just found (piano), fighting your way to the next clue (mellow synth/percission), and trying to find the next clue (creepy synth). It all blends with gameplay cues so well
So glad you finally got to this one!!
What I love about the ODST soundtrack is that it sounds more human with notes of mystery than the main trilogy, the only other games released prior to ODST. There's such an alien aspect to the other games' soundtracks because of the three (four? 3.5? H2-H3 elites make it a little muddy) alien factions involved: Covenant, Forerunners, Flood. Plus the epic nature of Master Chief's battles and story, there's rightly an ethereal and otherworldly aspect to a lot of the OSTs. ODSTs are just normal people, even if they are highly trained. The mystery is from an EMPed city after the in-atmosphere slip space rupture from the Covenant cruiser in Halo 2, trying to find your team in a highly enemy controlled cityscape.
God ODST was such a fantastic game. Walking around a desolate empty city while the sax and piano play in the back ground is unmatched.
This music with this game was crazy, I loved the og halos but this was still a banger. Exploring a ruined city alone with this stuff going on was a great time
Deference for darkness... One of my favorite songs in all existence ❤
Were the desperate measures plays in a section where your ride gets downed, and you make it to the downed pelican and you spend a good bit blasting banshees put of the sky, you and your 5 allies are on a tower making a last stand against dozens and dozens of these flying war machines. In the end one of your guys takes an axe to the lung
Fun fact Marty O’Donnell just became a candidate for Nevada state congress representative.
As a Republican :( I wish he wouldn't have brought his politics so front and center, it's harder to ignore when he's literally running as a politician and publicly endorsing Trump
@@scirrhia_kruden Oh no! Anyway.
Yeah, he's a tool
@@scirrhia_kruden
Separate the art from the artist 🫡
@@scirrhia_krudenwhatever honestly, I can forgive him for that knowing he helped make one of the greatest video game franchises in history.
When i do exercise, i play "we're the desperate measures" and I feel strong.
Next step, Halo Reach soundtracks, you will love it.
Deference of Darkness hits real hard for me. I recommended this song to my friend who said it helped him get through dark times of his life. A year later he passed away and every time this plays I think of him.
ODST is the acronym for Orbital Drop Shock Trooper. They are deployed in Single Occupant Exoatmospheric Insertion Vehicles from space to act as light infantry on the ground. They're a kind of special forces. This game is the only one in the Halo franchise to include silenced weapons to reflect the ODST mission set. If you ever decide to play a single Halo game, I would recommend Halo 3: ODST or Halo Reach. Halo 3: ODST was developed fairly quickly reusing a lot of assets from Halo 3, although the story takes place shortly after a specific event from Halo 2.
ODST is probably my favourite Halo game to replay, just wandering the streets going where ever and either avoiding or fighting enemies depending on what I feel like doing at the time, falling into almost some kind of trance listening to the music.
The Halo series is when I started really paying attention to the music in video games and it probably helped me develop my taste in music, especially Jazz styles from ODST. The only other franchise with that kind of impact would be Persona.
"Jumping feet first into hell isn't your job. Making sure it's crowded when you get there is."
When I was 9 my parents got me an Ipod Nano, that I still have, and the ODST soundtrack on disc for christmas. The game had recently released if I remember correctly. Anyways you don't know how long I've waited for someone to discuss the masterpiece that is "Finale" . It has to be one of the greatest tracks from any Halo game next to the main theme in my opinion.
I absolutely cannot wait for you to cover Reach. Every game has its own unique and incredible theme, and Reach has my favorite vibe
Totally agree its just perfect
its crazy to think that given the context in which this music is played, it somehow makes it even more impactful. the moment deference for darkness played after one of the cutscenes makes you feel so lonely/vulnerable. such a beautiful game.
"It's so empty," yes, yes it is. It really highlights the gameplay during the solo parts of the mission. All of Bungie's games had phenomenally accurate soundtracks that really enhance the feeling you get from the setting and action or lack thereof.
Oveture was always my favorite from that soundtracck, with the rain, the sax? And piano, was absolutely beautiful and in the context of the game, loanly and empty almost.
Seriously, she could do at least another video listening to more tracks, with how much great music there is in ODST
ODST is by far my favorite Halo game ODST stands for Orbital Drop Shock Trooper. You play as a regular human defending earth while Master Chief and gang are out in space. This game is my childhood ❤❤
I love the musical reference to the Halo 3 campaign music during the finale around 25:20 ODST takes place During Halo 2 and ends just before Halo 3. You could probably even call the electric guitar in "We're the desperate measures" a reference to Halo 2.
Not sure if I'd consider this my favorite Halo OST, but it's 100% the one that stands out the most! It does such a good job of making you feel what you're supposed to feel at each point of the game. From blowing through enemy controlled territory at full throttle to wandering deserted city streets at night in the rain, the music never fails to elevate the feelings you get from the gameplay!
Also something I just noticed, the very end of the "Finale" score actually comes from the very first trailer we saw for the game.
"We're the desperate measures" is actually not an official mix as part of the original soundtrack but is kind of this universally agreed upon honorable addition to the soundtrack. It's basically a mix of some very similar parts of the OST, and they work well together, but I personally prefer each section on its own within its respective part of the soundtrack.
Also, I feel like you were kind of robbed because most people voted for that unofficial mix instead of other parts of the soundtrack. The whole OST is absolutely amazing, but I really would've liked to see your reaction to other parts of it that are just so perfect, like Neon Night or Traffic Jam. Each part of the soundtrack has so many smaller sections that are so different but blend so well, I just wish one of those got chosen instead of "We're the desperate measures."
The interesting bit about We're The Desperate Measures is that there was an officially assembled version that's basically the same song that shows up in Reach, but even there it's not part of the OST
ODST has some incredible music all around. Deference for Darkness and Finale are among my favourite tracks potentially in all of Halo! But it is so hard to pick my absolute favourite!
Halo music is some of the most emotional pieces I hold to my heart I can remember every moment about the games and how they made me feel it's such an amazing feeling. ODST will forever be one of my favorite in the series❤
Every halo game has one or two tracks that stands out, but I think ODST soundtrack is truly beautiful all the way, it fit so well with the atmosphere, it''s kinda of hypnotic
Deference For Darkness is my favorite track from any game, ever. it's just.. perfect for the setting it plays in. It's dedicated to the 'Mombasa Streets' Section, which are simply you, the sole survivor of your squad (as far as you know) wandering the streets, avoiding/confronting enemy patrols while piecing together the mystery of what happened in the time you were knocked unconscious. all this in rain soaked, dimly neon lit streets of a city ravaged by war. 'Rain', the soft piano, strings and sax piece is the portion I love the most.
Asphalt and Ablution is so lonely and atmospheric I love it. The soft howls making you feel like you're alone at night in the light rain cold and empty city streets. Marty O'Donnell is sooooo good at music that makes you feel.
You did them in a perfect order too. Brings a tear to my eye to see someone else enjoy the beautiful music many of us grew up with, I’ll be in it a violet video game, it impacted so many. most of us young to truly appreciate the quality we had received unlike nowadays.
This soundtrack is special because of the way it evokes loneliness. In ODST you aren't playing as a supersolider saving the world, you are a mere human, separated from your team after your pod crash lands, and you wake up in a city controlled by the Covenant, no backup, no allies, you are walking the streets filled with hostiles trying to find your missing squad mates.
Of course, being a Halo game we still get plenty of action, hence the changes between Sad and Lonely to Action Pew pew.
Its just perfection.
watching Emily react to Halo’s music, which changed my life, is almost an emotional experience. she has such an incredible ear and incredible appreciation/understanding of music :,)
5:54 pov your roaming the streets of new Mombasa all alone in the search for your crew but all you find is darkness, loneliness and hope of finding your lost crew.
This is arguably the best OST in the halo franchise. I love the lower stakes of the game, I’m not a Spartan saving the galaxy, I’m a Marine, fighting to defend earth. From smooth noir lonely jazz in Mombasa streets, to the bombastic orchestra accompanying my rampage down Kizingo Boulevard, this is my absolute favorite Halo game
I love all of Halo, but Deference for Darkness was literally the reason I started following your journey to begin with. Your reaction is exactly what I expected, in the best way- silence, followed by "time to cry" followed by nothing but amazement and feels. Unsure what the change in tune is about, but the piece is essentially over after the last horn repeats the "home" phrase G, F#, B
The difference between the first score and second, is that the first one was fan compiled to represent how it played in-game, while the second is OST compiled. Each track of the OST score plays at different times in the game and in completely different orders, so there is much less need for them to blend together. There was a lot of story telling, combat, and other tracks that happened between the individual tracks of an OST score.
The little sad bit near the end of Defence for darkness, I can imagine something like it was played at the rookies funeral rip rookie
No "Traffic Jam, Street Sweeper"??!! What is this heresy 😭😭⁉️
8:19 crouching in the rain, in a dimmed lit city in the night with covenant patrols passing by as you move from building to building and ruin to ruin
Damn they should've recommended her "traffic jam" 😞 still one of my favorite halo songs to this day!
the reason the music is so different in this game is because the main character and situation are much more different 🙌
Bits and Pieces is a super underrated ODST song in my opinion its the best song on the soundtrack it gets me nostalgic of the game, what you feel while hearing it is truly unique.
This is Exactly what I’ve been waiting for!!! This Soundtrack is my favorite of all the halos
On the note you brought up regarding a lot of ODST's songs as scores, there is an important note about the Halo 2 soundtrack. It was split up into 2 separate parts by Marty and Michael, with part 1 being all the standalone tracks as well as the collaborations with Breaking Benjamin, Incubus, and a few other artists. Part 2 contains all the level/section specific scores that were made for the actual game.
I REALLY hope Winter Contingency is in the Halo: Reach reaction. I know it’s really long (over 12 minutes) but it’s my favorite track from the album. So patrons please don’t fail me.
man, listened to the ost about dropping in pods from orbit and you didn't even get to hear the drop music!
it's my favorite part of the OST, you can really tell when it kicks in, and it really give the feeling that you are falling
Finale: oh there were such great moments played well in there..."High Coastal Highway".
Honestly ODST is one of if not my favourite game of all time (to the point of planning to cosplay one soon!) and the music played a big part in that
Loving the Halo content!! I’m excited for you to do Reach. Keep up the quality work.
Asphalt And Ablution reminds me SO MUCH of a Save Room Soundtrack from Resident Evil...and i LOVE IT
Edit: the first 2mins i mean lol. Then we get some Halo vibes lol
For context. Songs like We’re The Desperate Measures play while you’re playing as squad members on the day of an invasion of earth, desperately fighting to maintain control over the city of New Mombasa. Songs like Deference For Darkness play during sections that take place about a 12-16 hours after initial deployment due to the character in these sections being knocked out until then. In these lonely sections you have little to no allies, wandering the rainy and dark city streets at night, avoiding enemy patrols and trying to find what happened to your team
A bit of trivia. The 3 Saxophone notes which are repeatedly used were to sound like "Aaaaall Aaaaa-loooooone".
Deference for darkness starts with “you just found a helmet belonging to your squad mate, you’re all alone”, then goes to “fighting under the cover of night against enemies that outnumber you and own the streets”, then ends with “you’re alone again, now it feels too quiet, you’re hunting for more clues as to the location of your squad”