Halo's music is so legendary. I'm very thankful that I was able to play the Bungie Halo's as they released. Playing Halo 1 on the original Xbox all the way back in 2001 with my Dad will always be a cherished memory of mine.
My bro worked for Bungie back in '01 and kindly bought me an Xbox that I couldn't afford. That first run down the spine of the Pillar of Autumn in the Warthog remains one of my all time gaming highs. Thank you Mr O'Donnell, and all of the Bungie teams.
That’s pretty sweet, I was also lucky to grow up on halo, but in a different way. In 2009ish my uncle came and stayed w the fam for a bit and brought (and left😎) his Xbox, among other things, with all the halos that were out yet so you already know I and my three brothers played tons and tons of it. Four brothers is a perfect number of kids to grow up playing halo
11:58 calling it unsettling is perfect considering this theme represents an enemy that is one of the most conceptually terrifying existential threats in all of sci-fi
That's what I was telling myself too and I remember this music having me on the edge of my seat thinking somethings gonna pop out at me especially with the flood
The opening suite string part is so perfect because it is tonally on point. It's the vastness and emptiness of space with a hint of intrigue and mystery.
"Men, we lead those dumb bugs out to the middle of no-where to keep them from getting their filthy claws on Earth. But we stumbled onto something they are so hot for, they are scrambling over each other to get it! Well, I don't care if it's God's own anti-sonuvabitch-machine, or a giant hoola hoop. We ain't gonna let 'em have it! What we will let them have, is a belly full of lead, and pool of their own blood to drown in! Am I RIGHT Marines?!"
@@MostlyPennyCat "Get here first? Covenant ships have always been faster. As for tracking us all the way from Reach, at lightspeed my maneuvering options were limited. They were waiting for us on the far side of the ring"
_Keyes:_ "We were running dark, yes?" _Cortana:_ "Until we deccelerated. No one could have missed the hole we tore in sub-space. They were waiting for us on the far side of the planet." _Keyes:_ "So, where do we stand?"
Warthog Run is the most iconic, and will live for generations to come. Not just the mission itself, but also what it invokes, especially the Halo 2 version (Mjolnir Mix).
Insanely fun to do that run. Have a bad day? Warthog run. Win some money? Celebrate with a warthog run. There should be a warthog run in every game not just halos. It should be a requirement
"THE BIG JEEP WITH GUNS ON IT" FUCK yeah. Got yer plasma based electromagnetic induction fields manipulating spacetime and shit, we're gonna throw the heaviest rock we found on earth (thanks, previous supernovas) at you as fast and hard as we fucking can. Humanity baby. Thank gosh we got you Covenant assholes otherwise we'd just be still trying to kill each other.
It's really interesting cause she is not reacting to the gameplay or cutscenes, but just the music, yet she is on point in catching the "feel" of the moment-to-moment narrative and action. Just goes to show how laser focused and in tune the music team was with the game and level designers
Most FPSs before Halo used high-octane music to amp the player up; Halo took the opposite effect and played super mellow tracks over which the player is kicking alien ass. The result, having played Halo extensively, is that it drops you into a flow state like no other FPS. It turns off your frontal lobe and engages your instincts, making you feel like a swift, deadly hunter. It’s an amazing feeling
@@tombraiderstrums09Excellent analysis. Even as a kid I noticed something like what you said; the music was so mellow, so ethereal, that I never got hyped up in a fake, artificial way; it was as you said, a clean and cold focus enhanced by that entrancing music.
Yeah it's just him with lots of reverb. Some guys in his dept was wondering who the lady singing was until Marty had to blow his cover. He retells it in a commentary of Halo Speedruning. Highly recommend it @@ginandcreme Like jonwallace said, once you learn this you can't unhear him lol
The halo soundtracks and how they are implemented are referenced in almost every single academic book about game music. The pinnacle of game music, especially the Halo 3: ODST soundtrack
I'm still going back to MCC to try to relive the glory days from time to time haha. There's a project btw folks that is going to restore the original halo 2 servers on the original xbox, called 'Insignia' I believe.
Cannot stress enough how important halo was for the gaming industry. If you ever decide to play it please do it blind and do it with the older graphics, the remaster did a lot to kill the moodiness of the game’s environments which goes so far for its environmental story telling. It will feel like a generic shooter at first but it’s so much more than that. Cannot stress enough how important it is to be spoiler free on the first play through, you can only have that experience once with halo and you don’t want it to be wasted. It can feel a bit dated these days but if you play it coop with a friend you will have a great time, even more so if they are also going in blind, or if they can keep their mouth shut ;)
@@puddel9079the game was Halo 3. The level was “Cortana”. The difficulty was Legendary. I was playing with my three best friends. It took us over eight real-time hours, an entire day, because of the countless times one would sword-dash half a second after another player so the first kills the enemy and the second kills the homie. I’ve never laughed so hard while being that frustrated.
Fr dude like I'm still so upset that h2a gravmind cut out blow me away from breaking Benjamin that shit slap so hard at the end of mission. Also the theme for mlg halo 2
she should only revert to the original graphics for that one mission in CE (we all know which one I'm talking about) otherwise nah she should use remastered.
Everything is filled with hate now, I know we were privileged compared to reality of the rest of the world’s living conditions. But there was time of peace & unity & ambition to reach for the stars, to prevent a galactic war, to assume the mantle of responsibility for humanity. We’ve been in a dark long daze thanks to the slave masters. I’ve always resonated with Halo, the idea of an ancient galactic civilization & super intelligence & knowledge which parallels a shrouded & mysterious history of our beginnings & origins. Ancient spiritual texts from across many continents & eras having contact with something higher.. a better harmony with the universe… now it feels like a fleeting fantasy.
You know, I'd just like to say that Halo is more than a shooter. Its a story with amazing ups and downs. Intensity, somber notes, horror, and melancholy victory. It is a story that has inspired hundreds of people especially children to keep pushing through when the times get tough. I definitely recommend playing it, or watching a friend or family play it.
Yeah I can't believe that Locke had his blue team go after Master Chief while red team was trying to save the world from Al Dama and that the Covenant had a civil war going on and Cortana turned evil and awakened the big bird forerunners after having defeated the big flying metal ball dude by turning into a dozen or so small blue physical manifestations of an A.I. mind!
@@NeonBeeCat LucasArts, Dark Forces, 1995 beat them to it. There's a good case even Goldeneye 007 did more to push shooter stories. Both feature multiple returning characters, story events in gameplay, and objective based missions more in line with advanced FPS design and narrative, a tradition carried on in Halo and its sequels, arguably the most strongly in the original Combat Evolved, where every single level features at least one in gameplay story beat, complete with a cutscene to make sure you see the story and also get a reward and break. The Library excepted. Half Life is iterative of older games like Wolfenstein with just plopping you in a labyrinth and you kill your way to the end with a minimally involved plot you have to squint to see, and even harder to make out as a plot. Were you looking for ammo or the way forward when an NPC was making some throwaway dialogue or a quick appearance? Well too bad, you missed that vital story beat! HL2 doubled down on this, just with the added element of a psychotic addiction to levels that last 3+ hours for no reason and demand you stop the game for minutes at a time to stack boxes or do the same exact electric water / climbing a shaft / clear the hazard floor challenge for the 25th time! And that's why nobody makes HL style games anymore.
Play Greyhill Incident. The soundtracks in that game give the same feelings of "get away from me" vibes & it's very strong. Since I played Halo for 20 years, thousands of hours had de-sensitise the feeling with that feeling fighting the flood. 😅😂
Please make this a trilogy, the evolution from games 1-3 is so good. 😭 Especially since they go up in clarity and complexity with the newer console's increased capability.
@@Dr0ctagonapus5 There's also a soundtrack cue in 2 that sounds like Covenant Dance, but slightly stripped back. You only hear it in two parts, and for a really short time.
4:24 It is an FPS, but it was *the first time that it was executed well* on consoles. Back then console shooters were viewed as less than their PC progenitors. Many of the common practice tricks we enjoy today (checkpoints, dual stick controls, aim assist, etc.) are because of this game. 7:32 Always a classic! It only plays twice, but the context radically alters the feel. Fun fact: the female vocals were actually done by Marty O'Donnel himself. 11:04 "What is it?" "That stench, I've smelt it before..." 14:52 Another classic. I can't tell you how great it feels to just drive those. 5:39 This would have been considered a tonal clash before Halo came out. The fact you can jam out while going to town on Covenant is both comedy and zen. There's a forward rolling rhythm without being in your face about it.
It never crossed my mind that the Warthog Run track is the culmination (and then some) of all the other styles in the soundtrack. The strings, the male vocals, the drums. Fitting, since it plays during the final climax of the game.
For context: "Warthog Run" is played during the last mission of the game, which sees the player driving a Warthog through two kilometers of service corridors on a self-destructing starship as it falls apart around you, while three different hostile factions fight each other and you. It's an intense piece of gameplay, and deserves the epic soundtrack it receives.
that wart hoog was a disaster to drive in that end mission with all skidding and slow mo jumps with the Duke controller looking like a steering wheel 😂 was more rage proof then controllers today 😁
@@NullFame I believe that's because they accidentally left in a super low value for traction on that level. They also accidentally left it some other settings that is why it's borderline impossible to make that one huge jump without flipping the warthog.
Halo is a beautiful game, in terms of checking every box, story, gameplay, writing, music, multiplayer, community, just everything. Absolutely brings back memories the best games ever made to me
and right at the perfect moment when your thinking this is getting boring and its really just another generic shooter Bungie went and pulled the rug. in the fog of the swamp. in a lost bunker. in the depths of a facility. all that fear you stand a frightful guard, their guns pointing in, their blood painting the walls, their leaders nowhere to be seen. odd "friendlies" appearing on your motion tracker disappearing before you can arrive. a crashed pelican crying its last desperate plea into the night, "they're not Covenant." and in a room turned red, filled with not but helmets and guns, you find a recording. and Halo was never the same for a decade to come.
I remember hearing "Devils... Monsters..." for the first time and being terrified beyond belief. It was at that point I questioned if I had chosen the right game to play, if my loadout was adequate. I ran through ammo counts and keybinds in seconds, making sure that I was ready for what lay ahead: An onslaught of epic proportions against an enemy that did not relent. Jumping, and shotgunning large shamblers while fragging and spraying groups of flood swarmers. The terror as the ammo counts dwindled and went red, the uncertainty of having to melee certain forms while reloading with what little ammo I had left. For an 8 y/o at the time I first played, that was sheer terror.
The music in Halo pairs unbelievably well with the visuals in the game. It combines high-stakes, well-executed combat with the wonder and excitement of exploring locations in the far reaches of space never seen by human eyes. The result is that it is far, FAR more immersive than any other FPS I’ve played. If I had to put it into one phrase: playing Halo feels like fighting in a cathedral.
“Fighting in a cathedral” is a perfect descriptor of it. Perhaps to add onto it: Fighting on a cathedral on another planet. So alien, so mystical, so beautiful…
I wholeheartedly recommend looking into every Halo soundtrack, a personal favorite is the Jazzy/Blues of Halo 3: ODST. Deference for Darkness is, in my opinion, Marty O'Donnells underappreciated masterpiece.
That whole game is underappreciated. It was a great game but too disconnected from Halo 3 to work as DLC. The mood was just top notch, and I don't think it would've worked as well if there wasn't that feeling that you're a newly trained baseline human in cheap body armour with only the slightest of a clue as to what was going on. It made it obvious how much of a bulwark the Spartans are, in spite of the horrific things done by the programme. That doesn't excuse the people who created the Spartans, it only emphasises that the Spartans themselves held the line when no-one else could.
@@talideonWhile it may not be praised as much now ( it should be praised more) it was very much well received at the time. It won best music at the game awards that year.
To answer your question, yes Halo's main series is a First Person Shooter. Some call it a Space opera in terms of story telling and the music backs it up. The main synopsis for the first game is the year is 2552, you play as a Spartan II Super Soldier named John 117, also known by his rank, Master Chief (Petty Officer). You are an augmented human in a power suit and a companion AI named Cortana. You battle against an alien group known as the Covenant, who are hell bent to exterminate humanity. Its up to you and Cortana to stop these beings from destroying everything, as well as explore this mysterious Ring floating in space called Halo, and the secrets it holds.
That Marty O'Donnell, man. He knew what to give those Halo games. One of the best composers out there imo. I'd also recommend btw, Red Dead Redemption and RDR2's soundtracks, RDR1 also had a dlc for it called Undead Nightmare.
usually the "thing" in the opening suit is usually immediately followed by the warthog run. the combination is often considered the pinnacle halo theme. unfortunate that "on a pale horse" wasn't included this time. its short but powerful and since you liked the strings so much you would probably love that song as well.
Showing my age but there was nothing like being on your dorm floor and you'd hear the opening chant come from down the hall and had to jump on in your room. Halo was beyond a thing.
The Halo series soundtrack really is something, isn't it? 2 years went by, 10 years went by, 20 years went by, and it never stops being amazing, does it?
Never will. This music is immortal. We will fade either and turn to dust. But this music will rip emotions out of even those who have never lived the events that spawned it
As a longtime Halo fan, it was super cool seeing you experience the magic of the soundtrack. I remember playing back in 2001 before Halo was a THING. While we were playing, the music would kick in and I’d look over to my best friend incredulously like, “Is this the best video game ever or am I crazy?”
My mother worked at a Sam's Club back in 01-03 and I would drive her to/from work. The Electronics section had a display Xbox that had Halo loaded on it. I'd hang around playing it for a few hours every week 😂 In 2003 I had a coworker who mentioned he was selling his Xbox and a few games. I said "you have Halo?" And bought it before he even mentioned the price lol
Most of these themes are so iconic that they're reintegrated into basically every entry of the franchise but with a little extra added to them (definitely recommend checking out the variants on your own). Each entry has also a couple of unique themes that makes them stand out from the rest, so hopefully you'll check some of them out I think also listening to ODST’s and Reach’s soundtracks are a must, since they're the most unique in the series given that these games are spinoffs.
I second listening to ODST and Reach...the themes from those games are absolutely incredible! Edit: Obviously all Halo soundtrack is, but as you say, ODST and Reach such unique tones among the Halo games
I adore Reach’s Soundtrack. Long Night of Solace always brings my emotions on. Bit of an unpopular opinion, but I also love Halo 4’s soundtrack, green and blue & the title screen theme send shivers down my spine
@@HannahFortalezza Oh yeah, I also love H4 soundtrack, those you mentioned and also 117. Honestly, I was hoping for 343 to embrace their own good stuff with Infinite and use those OSTs along with the classics, but I guess that's too much to ask.
Not enough people make videos reacting to the Halo games OST, when it’s such a unique, defining collection of soundtracks. Highly recommend that you give a listen to the rest of the series, as each game always has something new for it.
I feel like part of the reason why there aren't many reaction vids to the Halo soundtracks is because they are so iconic that it's hard to find someone who hasn't heard it in some capacity. I was surprised to see this video come up on my feed at all!
Even though ive listened to these tracks hundreds of times. For some reason, this video made me tear up. In a good way. Seeing peoples reaction to these iconic pieces brings me joy.
Hi Emily! I'm an elder Millennial (turning 36 next month) and I grew up playing and loving Halo in both middle school and high school. The gameplay is phenomenal don't get me wrong, but it was never the part that really hooked me and made me a life long fan - the music and story did that. I remember getting this soundtrack on CD in grade 12 (I'm old don't judge me! XD) and listening the crap out of it. It's by far one of my favourite soundtracks of all time (possibly only eclipsed by those of Halos 2, 3, and Reach), and I actually wrote the first draft of a YA sci fi series I'm currently working on back in high school while blasting this through my headphones. Seeing you react to it for the first time made my heart so happy. Thank you for this! I'm SO glad you loved it!
"Arrival" from Halo 4, the ost for the final mission, i think it's one of the hypest moments in my life, it truly made me feel like the hero in the action film, fighting against the odds.
I’m so glad you got the chance to listen to this soundtrack. The music Halo is so distinct and nothing like any other first player shooter. I personally love Halo 2’s soundtrack the best, and while you may also like it, I feel like you Halo 3’s and Halo 3 ODST’s music are right up your alley!
I’m so glad this popped up on my feed. I’ve haven’t come across your content before but since I love all things Halo it did today. It was such a joy to hear this soundtrack with fresh ears through you. The score IS hypnotic, and I did at one point slept to this soundtrack for weeks end back in the day. I think I was 15 when Halo CE came out and there was nothing else like it. Truly revolutionary for gaming. Like others have said, if you decide to play it, do it with a friend and classic graphics. Thinking about my first play through with my brother… .. sorry I had to pause. Was chocking up with tears. This game was magical. Especially booting it up on the OG Xbox and staring at the main menu for 20 mins for the first time. Just sat there.. watched and listen. Your mind transported.
Marty is truly a legend. These tracks are forever. They will never age poorly. The sound design of the original halo trilogy is incredible and without a doubt is one of the key points in what made the franchise so memorable. You could play any of these pieces of music on a public speaker somewhere and someone will immediately recognize them and have flashbacks to what part of the game they were tied to. That is so incredibly rare. People remember menu screen and opening tracks right and left, but it's hard to think of any other franchise where the entirety of a gaming trilogy of soundtracks is memorable. Bungie and Marty did so many things right with the sound design in these games.
As a long time gamer and massive Halo fan since 2001.. I can feel every note and see every level of the game. It's incredible how Marty and Michael were able to not only create an icon and benchmark for soundtracks and video gaming as a whole, but embed feeling and invoke such strong memory and emotion with their work. Halo is a masterpiece.
2:52 “in a humongous hall with no one else in it.” I’ve never heard anyone perfectly describe both the musical score and the empty, mysterious feeling of the game in one statement before.
Halo for it's time was really big on environmental storytelling, tone and atmosphere. It has proper rising and falling action in the narrative that usually syncs with rising and falling action in gameplay hence the track diversity. It also came before the time that console shooters felt the need to constantly be loud and in your face with everything all the time.
You hit on something important that mostly goes unsaid. There is a very thoughtful, emotional core to Halo's music. Don't know if you plan to expand on this video, but I recommend the first movement of Halo 3 ODST's "Deference for Darkness" and Halo 2's "In Amber Clad".
Just imagine how many of us felt as kids when playing & listening to this game for the first time. Speaking in my case, it was truly an amazing experience.
Referring to 8:30, I've always looked at the game's more somber tones to immerse you in what humanity is feeling in the universe. At the start of the game, a lone human ship is being chased by a force that just wiped out one of the UNSC's (Humans Military) most defensive planets. The feeling that Marty's masterful music gives you, is a combination of desperation, hope, and a sense of duty that just perfects the game in every way. I highly recommend taking a look at more of the music in Halo, especially "Never Forget". That one never fails to get an emotional response out of me.
The older Halo games have such a relaxing and, as you put it, hypnotic feel to them. They were definitely on my homework playlist when I was in high school. The Medal of Honor series also has some phenomenal music (composed by Michael Giacchino), along with Battlefield 1.
1:25 We made a blind jump! How did they- get here first? Covenant ships have always been faster. As for tracking us all the way from Reach… at light speed, my maneuvering options were limited. Were running dark, yes? Until we decelerated. No one could’ve missed the hole we tore in slipspace.
The opening suite does a great job at portraying what is happening. You are on a spaceship that has just come across a mysterious ring world. Brothers in arms gives the feeling of preparing for battle and that is again the case. Your ship is being attacked by the enemy and the humans are preparing their response to the attack. Every Halo fan gets PTSD when they hear Devils... Monsters... Seriously you should listen to more Halo music and I do suggest playing it. It is a FPS but it has an incredible story that is much more than it initially seems.
Brothers in arms does such a good job linking the battle-space and the explore-y feel of halo! Honestly the whole OST is such a vibe. In the game, the audio direction is just so well done. Marty didn't have to go so hard on this, but he did. Legendary.
There's no way you can listen to just the first OST and not listen to the rest. It's so good, and Halo is renowned for its music and how it innovated audio techniques in gameplay. But also just how Marty O'Donnell just knew all the right things to play and when. Truly somenof his greatest work.
15:59 The context from the game is this is the song that plays as you drive one of those "giant jeeps with a gun" down the spine of the ship as you desperately try to get to a way out before the ship's engines explode. Meanwhile, there is a massive battle going on all around you.
I remember playing Halo 2 back in 05 and being blown away. I had never played a first person shooter before, and a friend and I sat down after work one day and started on the campaign. I went and bought a refurbished Xbox the next week with Halo 1 and 2. To this day Halo 1 is my favorite shooter. Under Cover of Night kind of chokes me up a bit. When it plays near the end of the game the whole tone of the story had changed. Revisiting an earlier location with an entirely new purpose, it was just done so well.
11:06 is when the trauma of any Halo player comes back out, that song is trauma incarnate When that song pops, people are gonna be looking for the nearest shotgun in a hurry
Devils…monsters… the composer did such a good job of capturing that feeling of rediscovering a long forgotten horror. The Flood consumes all, welcoming them to their eternal grave
Someone has probably already said this, but the context of Warthog Run is basically the grand finale of the entire game. In short, you've set the reactor of an enormous, crashed human ship to go supernova in order to wipe out something that could threaten all life in the galaxy and your ride out of there just got shot down before your very eyes. There is one starfighter still docked in the ship's hanger over a kilometer away. Cue a mad dash to the very last hope of living to tell the tale. Cue Warthog Run.
Listening to the Halo 2 and Halo 3 soundtracks are a real treat too, all the motifs and themes evolve and change in a really naturalistic and earnest way.
I kind of wish she had screenshots of what environment you're walking through when hearing these pieces, like how some of the chilling high pitch notes really add to the creepiness factor of Flood infected areas. There's an extra level of appreciation you miss when not knowing what levels the pieces are made for
@@Kintizen Yeah, but Halo 3's version of the track is peak. Especially the unreleased full version that transitions back and forth between the Chief's classic, string Halo theme and the Arbiter's piano version.
@@LordEmpyreal not imo. In fact, all of the remixed tracks in 3 are worse than the originals with all the tinkering done to them. The originals always have a rawness to them that is lost with subsequent versions. For example, the percussion is that much clearer in the original warthog run track because there aren't as many different elements. In 3 it's just that much messier that it isn't as impactful, not to mention ending the game by repeating the exact same trope felt very derivative
@@elchasqui6986 The difference is synth vs orchestra. I agree a lot of them weren't as good, On a Pale Horse is a great example, as well as Under Cover of Night. But I definitely disagree about it making every track worse. The Warthog run is incredible when fully realized by an orchestra. And while I wouldn't call Another Walk necessarily better than A Walk on the Woods, I think it suited the jungle tone of the first mission a lot better than it would of you just plugged the song from CE directly into H3.
The panniny in a walk through the woods is about discovery. The walking and little things catching your eyes on all sides. Again a perfect song for the level it is was made around.
You can sort of get a good feeling of the factions from the music pieces. Vocals generally seem to be associated with the Halo ring itself and the structures. Guitars(Bass and electric), violins, and snare drums seem to signify the UNSC/ODST(human military). Synths and a lot of percussion seem to be the theme for the Covenant. The Flood seem to use intruments from both the Humans and Covenant sounds, but they sound faster, sort of panicky besides the unsettling squeaky industrial sound that plays throughout.
I love how the music alone let's me visualize what would normally be on screen as it's so ingrained in my memory and she's able to fairly accurately describe what would be there as well.
"A Walk in the Woods" and "Under Cover of Night", I'm pretty sure play during a mission that has a significant stealth option to it, so there's a lot of sneaking around, picking off enemies with a sniper rifle, using camouflage, stuff like that. Unless you decide not to. So the music goes along with being quiet and sneaky.
Halo is such an important conerstone of video games and art and engineering as a whole. Everyone involved was at their peak of passion, and everything came together so perfectly and masterfully that it's nothing short of magical
People always place halo 2 and 3 as their favourites of the OG trilogy, but the soundtrack of Halo CE is just so retro and fresh. The feeling it brings can never be replicated. Greatest Video Game soundtrack.
It's definitely the most unique game OST. But I still find H2's to be more refined, even if the edgy rock makes the soundtrack a bit more conventional.
Warthog run always bring me back to my first time completing the compaign with ny buddy. Your having to drive the jeep with the big gun it to safty while things are blowing up around you the graound is falling apart under you, and the bad guys are shooting you. With the song playing in the back ground it is just amazing.
Marty and Mike outdid themselves with this one. Thanks to both of them for making such a fittingly incredible soundtrack for such an awesome game, and thank you for bringing some of the joy I’d forgotten from when I first played with my friends long ago
the scene context is what makes these songs so great, like for example that first song is played when you see they hopelessness of the situation the ship is in, how they are about to be boarded by a superior force and people are scrambling to do the best they can.
the second song with the militaristic theme is the soldiers scrambling around to try and get ready for this assault, knowing the odds aren't exactly "good", to say the least, you can hear the worrisome overtones.
With Halo the soundtrack is complimented by the story just as the story is complimented by the music. The impression of the ethereal music is heightened by the visual scene where you find yourself lost in deep space, staring at an awe-inspiring & ancient alien structure. 20 years later and it still sends chills down my spine
I could go on and tell you how this series has an incredible and surprisingly believable lore and backstory about the beginning and the end of the universe, or its deep themes and messages about the misuse and manipulation of religion and how that leads to war, death and destruction, but all im gonna say is, it loves encouraging you to stop ,take in the atmosphere , think, and smell the roses in the middle of killing things lol
Love seeing people react to 25 year old music! Oh and for the record, it’s just my normal singing voice with lots of reverb 😉
Thanks for listening.
Well this was a comment I wasn’t expecting to see! Thank you so much for stumbling across my little video, your work is absolutely fantastic 💜💜
Seem to see you everywhere Mr O'Donnell! Love your work mate, wish you good health forever
The man, the myth, the legend himself... by the Rings.
Thanks for the music Mr. O Donell, it was amazing, we were there back in the day. Regards from México!
Thank you for always being a cool dude who loves his fans
"do the 30 men in a bathroom thing" lol 💀💀💀💀
she's not wrong though
She's really not, definitely did it in High School and have seen multiple videos of other people doing it too.
@@srlopez875 I know
Notice how she consistently says men and not boys... She knows they're no longer children 😎
@@thisiskt9210 calm down
Marty O'Donnell is a gift that keeps on giving tbh
And Michael Salvatori, don't forget my goat Michael
@@ZHibiki how could I forget
Damn. There were 117 likes until I likes it... sorry everyone.
@@squshyleech1 I begrudgingly forgive you lol
As long as you never look up what he believes 🥲
Marty didn't have to go this hard for Halos soundtrack but he did and I love him for it
The fact he did it for 4 MORE GAMES and still managed to stick the landing just goes to show he and his team were god tier
Arguably he did, it’s his job
@@rubenleavell you sound entitled as shit bud.
Don’t forget Michael Salvatori
Lol they literally fired Marty because he said he likes America
Halo's music is so legendary. I'm very thankful that I was able to play the Bungie Halo's as they released.
Playing Halo 1 on the original Xbox all the way back in 2001 with my Dad will always be a cherished memory of mine.
My bro worked for Bungie back in '01 and kindly bought me an Xbox that I couldn't afford. That first run down the spine of the Pillar of Autumn in the Warthog remains one of my all time gaming highs. Thank you Mr O'Donnell, and all of the Bungie teams.
Im just as thankful to have played since the very beginning, first began with my cousins getting an original xbox for the holidays in 2001.
That’s pretty sweet, I was also lucky to grow up on halo, but in a different way. In 2009ish my uncle came and stayed w the fam for a bit and brought (and left😎) his Xbox, among other things, with all the halos that were out yet so you already know I and my three brothers played tons and tons of it. Four brothers is a perfect number of kids to grow up playing halo
I was born in 2001 and halo ce is the first game I have any memory of actually playing when I was like three or so
@@JWalker444 hell yeah brother
Devils... Monsters... being really unsettling is a very apt description, especially when you know the context of the track lol
Instant fight mode honestly
it was when all players learned the true meaning of fear in this game
Against the Covenant you were fighting to win. Against the Flood you were fighting to survive. The soundtrack reflects the change in mood perfectly.
Hair standing on the backof my neck level of unsettling.
The skin crawl
11:58 calling it unsettling is perfect considering this theme represents an enemy that is one of the most conceptually terrifying existential threats in all of sci-fi
That's what I was telling myself too and I remember this music having me on the edge of my seat thinking somethings gonna pop out at me especially with the flood
playing that level almost gave me a bloody heart attack
it's a sound you don't want to hear 😱
That gives some flashbacks and they ain't good ones.
The disturbed pfp on a halo video man's got godly taste
The opening suite string part is so perfect because it is tonally on point. It's the vastness and emptiness of space with a hint of intrigue and mystery.
And she perfectly identified what setting the music was attributed to as well. A credit to @TheMartyODonnell and Emily.
Seemingly safe, though with an uneasy tension, as though a Covenant cruiser could exit slipspace at any moment...
I always thought it also made the ring feel super empty. Like the whole game takes place in a huge empty cathedral
I just realized how much it sounds like final fantasy music. Maybe it was more common around the time.
4:10 "All you greenhorns who wanted to see Covenant up close, this is gonna be your lucky day!" - Sgt. Johnson
"Men, we lead those dumb bugs out to the middle of no-where to keep them from getting their filthy claws on Earth. But we stumbled onto something they are so hot for, they are scrambling over each other to get it! Well, I don't care if it's God's own anti-sonuvabitch-machine, or a giant hoola hoop. We ain't gonna let 'em have it! What we will let them have, is a belly full of lead, and pool of their own blood to drown in!
Am I RIGHT Marines?!"
1:37 _"Cortana, all I need to know is, did we lose them?"_
Seared In My Brain to those opening chords.
I think we both know the answer to that
@@Agent4077
_"We made a blind jump. How did they..."_
@@MostlyPennyCat "Get here first? Covenant ships have always been faster. As for tracking us all the way from Reach, at lightspeed my maneuvering options were limited. They were waiting for us on the far side of the ring"
_Keyes:_ "We were running dark, yes?"
_Cortana:_ "Until we deccelerated. No one could have missed the hole we tore in sub-space. They were waiting for us on the far side of the planet."
_Keyes:_ "So, where do we stand?"
Warthog Run is the most iconic, and will live for generations to come. Not just the mission itself, but also what it invokes, especially the Halo 2 version (Mjolnir Mix).
I listened to the mix on repeat for like a straight week as a younger lad. It’s so damn good.
Insanely fun to do that run. Have a bad day? Warthog run. Win some money? Celebrate with a warthog run. There should be a warthog run in every game not just halos. It should be a requirement
"THE BIG JEEP WITH GUNS ON IT"
FUCK yeah. Got yer plasma based electromagnetic induction fields manipulating spacetime and shit, we're gonna throw the heaviest rock we found on earth (thanks, previous supernovas) at you as fast and hard as we fucking can.
Humanity baby. Thank gosh we got you Covenant assholes otherwise we'd just be still trying to kill each other.
My favorite would be Halo 3 Warthog Run . Forever my go-to every year when I'd want to revisit some nostalgia
It's the Halo 3 warthog run theme (Finish the Fight) for me.
It's really interesting cause she is not reacting to the gameplay or cutscenes, but just the music, yet she is on point in catching the "feel" of the moment-to-moment narrative and action.
Just goes to show how laser focused and in tune the music team was with the game and level designers
Marty
That's what happens when your composers are in house staff who live and bleed the project. The modern gaming industry could not fathom
Most FPSs before Halo used high-octane music to amp the player up; Halo took the opposite effect and played super mellow tracks over which the player is kicking alien ass. The result, having played Halo extensively, is that it drops you into a flow state like no other FPS. It turns off your frontal lobe and engages your instincts, making you feel like a swift, deadly hunter. It’s an amazing feeling
@@tombraiderstrums09Excellent analysis. Even as a kid I noticed something like what you said; the music was so mellow, so ethereal, that I never got hyped up in a fake, artificial way; it was as you said, a clean and cold focus enhanced by that entrancing music.
Don’t reduce Marty to “the music team” 😂😂😂
Fun fact, those “lady” vocals is actually Marty O’ Donnel’s. Blew my mind when I found that out. They fit so well though.
😱 *WAT*
@@ginandcreme Yep. Long time Halo player here. That's the truth and I was shocked when I learned about that too 😂
Same. When he said it was a pitch shift of himself my mind was blown and now I can’t unhear it.
Not even pitch shifted, just lots of reverb and mixed to sound distant, but original pitch. @@jonwallace6204
Yeah it's just him with lots of reverb. Some guys in his dept was wondering who the lady singing was until Marty had to blow his cover. He retells it in a commentary of Halo Speedruning. Highly recommend it @@ginandcreme
Like jonwallace said, once you learn this you can't unhear him lol
11:58 "This is just reaalllllyyyy unsettling."
Sister, you have no idea.
*The Library Intensifies*
@@GsQDoom "oh The Library, it cant be that bad" said by many unsuspecting fools.
read this comment before i even got there and immediately knew it was about the library
Still one of my favorite sequences from the game. Especially the first time through it when you have no idea what is coming.
Shit gave me ptsd
The halo soundtracks and how they are implemented are referenced in almost every single academic book about game music. The pinnacle of game music, especially the Halo 3: ODST soundtrack
Mind you, there's the first Mass Effect, which also nailed everything. And then there was the excellent choice of music for the credits!
sombre jazz in a rainy mysterious city environment is quite the vibe
Genuinely, ODST has my favorite soundtrack. Even without the effects you can FEEL the rain within the music, the desolate quiet, it's just amazing
Halo ODST is easily the greatest video game soundtrack of all time and is genuinely one of my favorite _albums_ ever
@@talideon Mass Effect credits or Halo credits?
2 decades later and the music still gives me chills. God how I adore the memories of feeling this in the heat of the moment. Such an amazing time!
It reminds me of playing split-screen co-op with my friends, and carting a CRT TV and my Xbox to theirs so we could do link play.
Always makes me want to go play halo 2 again.
I couldn't agree more. Hearing the music brings me back to exciting times with halo
I know we are all brothers in a way here ✊😐
I'm still going back to MCC to try to relive the glory days from time to time haha. There's a project btw folks that is going to restore the original halo 2 servers on the original xbox, called 'Insignia' I believe.
Cannot stress enough how important halo was for the gaming industry. If you ever decide to play it please do it blind and do it with the older graphics, the remaster did a lot to kill the moodiness of the game’s environments which goes so far for its environmental story telling. It will feel like a generic shooter at first but it’s so much more than that.
Cannot stress enough how important it is to be spoiler free on the first play through, you can only have that experience once with halo and you don’t want it to be wasted. It can feel a bit dated these days but if you play it coop with a friend you will have a great time, even more so if they are also going in blind, or if they can keep their mouth shut ;)
Oh yeah, episodes of smacking your co-op buddy in the back (in game) were fun times.
@@puddel9079 Sticking them with the plasma grenades too. "What? Nah I didn't throw that, must have been one of the enemies."
@@puddel9079the game was Halo 3. The level was “Cortana”. The difficulty was Legendary. I was playing with my three best friends. It took us over eight real-time hours, an entire day, because of the countless times one would sword-dash half a second after another player so the first kills the enemy and the second kills the homie. I’ve never laughed so hard while being that frustrated.
Fr dude like I'm still so upset that h2a gravmind cut out blow me away from breaking Benjamin that shit slap so hard at the end of mission. Also the theme for mlg halo 2
she should only revert to the original graphics for that one mission in CE (we all know which one I'm talking about) otherwise nah she should use remastered.
Each track is like a Time Machine, taking me back to the simpler times
I feel this in my soul and I want to break down and just cry. Times were so much simpler then.
Same bro same.. Halo 1-3 OST takes me back to the ascension we were supposed to have in society.
Everything is filled with hate now, I know we were privileged compared to reality of the rest of the world’s living conditions. But there was time of peace & unity & ambition to reach for the stars, to prevent a galactic war, to assume the mantle of responsibility for humanity. We’ve been in a dark long daze thanks to the slave masters.
I’ve always resonated with Halo, the idea of an ancient galactic civilization & super intelligence & knowledge which parallels a shrouded & mysterious history of our beginnings & origins. Ancient spiritual texts from across many continents & eras having contact with something higher..
a better harmony with the universe… now it feels like a fleeting fantasy.
Nostalgia is such a painful emotion sometimes
No one else can like this comment now lol 117 🫡
“If that’s a running theme throughout this I’m gonna be very happy” well do I have news for you
Please do Halo 2, it’s even better
You know, I'd just like to say that Halo is more than a shooter. Its a story with amazing ups and downs. Intensity, somber notes, horror, and melancholy victory. It is a story that has inspired hundreds of people especially children to keep pushing through when the times get tough. I definitely recommend playing it, or watching a friend or family play it.
Gotta thank valve for setting the precedent for shooters to have meaningful stories... most of the time.
Yeah I can't believe that Locke had his blue team go after Master Chief while red team was trying to save the world from Al Dama and that the Covenant had a civil war going on and Cortana turned evil and awakened the big bird forerunners after having defeated the big flying metal ball dude by turning into a dozen or so small blue physical manifestations of an A.I. mind!
@@NeonBeeCat LucasArts, Dark Forces, 1995 beat them to it. There's a good case even Goldeneye 007 did more to push shooter stories. Both feature multiple returning characters, story events in gameplay, and objective based missions more in line with advanced FPS design and narrative, a tradition carried on in Halo and its sequels, arguably the most strongly in the original Combat Evolved, where every single level features at least one in gameplay story beat, complete with a cutscene to make sure you see the story and also get a reward and break. The Library excepted.
Half Life is iterative of older games like Wolfenstein with just plopping you in a labyrinth and you kill your way to the end with a minimally involved plot you have to squint to see, and even harder to make out as a plot. Were you looking for ammo or the way forward when an NPC was making some throwaway dialogue or a quick appearance? Well too bad, you missed that vital story beat!
HL2 doubled down on this, just with the added element of a psychotic addiction to levels that last 3+ hours for no reason and demand you stop the game for minutes at a time to stack boxes or do the same exact electric water / climbing a shaft / clear the hazard floor challenge for the 25th time! And that's why nobody makes HL style games anymore.
Oh god, the library. That theme has left me with some serious PTSD
You are not alone 😢😅
Still stuck there on Legendary and I haven’t the guts to get back in.
The only reason I won’t replay HCE LASO
FR
Play Greyhill Incident. The soundtracks in that game give the same feelings of "get away from me" vibes & it's very strong. Since I played Halo for 20 years, thousands of hours had de-sensitise the feeling with that feeling fighting the flood. 😅😂
Please make this a trilogy, the evolution from games 1-3 is so good. 😭 Especially since they go up in clarity and complexity with the newer console's increased capability.
i agree so muchhhh
Funnily enough, there are a few songs where it's 100% noticeable because they're just remixes of versions from the previous titles.
@@tallynnyntyg6008 Halo 3's soundtrack especially, it was meant to have an homage to every song throughout the first 2 games.
@@Dr0ctagonapus5 There's also a soundtrack cue in 2 that sounds like Covenant Dance, but slightly stripped back. You only hear it in two parts, and for a really short time.
Yes that would be amazing. Do all of the games while you’re at it! Might as well since they are incredible😄
4:24 It is an FPS, but it was *the first time that it was executed well* on consoles. Back then console shooters were viewed as less than their PC progenitors.
Many of the common practice tricks we enjoy today (checkpoints, dual stick controls, aim assist, etc.) are because of this game.
7:32 Always a classic! It only plays twice, but the context radically alters the feel. Fun fact: the female vocals were actually done by Marty O'Donnel himself.
11:04 "What is it?" "That stench, I've smelt it before..."
14:52 Another classic. I can't tell you how great it feels to just drive those.
5:39 This would have been considered a tonal clash before Halo came out. The fact you can jam out while going to town on Covenant is both comedy and zen. There's a forward rolling rhythm without being in your face about it.
Star trek has the first twinn stick shooter, back on the PS1.
@@robertharris6092he said “executed well”.
The reason for the pc like experience was because the Xbox was a pc in console form.
First? Goldeneye be like: Am I a joke to you?
I remember fucking hating FPS on the PS1 lol
It never crossed my mind that the Warthog Run track is the culmination (and then some) of all the other styles in the soundtrack. The strings, the male vocals, the drums. Fitting, since it plays during the final climax of the game.
Look up Halo Theme Uncut, it's an attempt at stitching the full theme that Marty was going for back together.
For context: "Warthog Run" is played during the last mission of the game, which sees the player driving a Warthog through two kilometers of service corridors on a self-destructing starship as it falls apart around you, while three different hostile factions fight each other and you. It's an intense piece of gameplay, and deserves the epic soundtrack it receives.
Nono don't tell her! If she never gets told, maybe she'll play it!
@@tannerbarnes7392 Maybe being told what an epic piece of gameplay it is will encourage her to play.
@@fizzywhizzbanger5610 that is also true
that wart hoog was a disaster to drive in that end mission with all skidding and slow mo jumps with the Duke controller looking like a steering wheel 😂 was more rage proof then controllers today 😁
@@NullFame I believe that's because they accidentally left in a super low value for traction on that level. They also accidentally left it some other settings that is why it's borderline impossible to make that one huge jump without flipping the warthog.
Halo is a beautiful game, in terms of checking every box, story, gameplay, writing, music, multiplayer, community, just everything. Absolutely brings back memories the best games ever made to me
and right at the perfect moment when your thinking this is getting boring and its really just another generic shooter Bungie went and pulled the rug. in the fog of the swamp. in a lost bunker. in the depths of a facility. all that fear you stand a frightful guard, their guns pointing in, their blood painting the walls, their leaders nowhere to be seen. odd "friendlies" appearing on your motion tracker disappearing before you can arrive. a crashed pelican crying its last desperate plea into the night, "they're not Covenant." and in a room turned red, filled with not but helmets and guns, you find a recording. and Halo was never the same for a decade to come.
Devils and monsters gives me immediate anxiety of being a 10 year old again and being scared out of my skin.
Heart Monitor had mine jumping up to 100 beats per minute at that track. Oh the memories.
My resting heart rate is below 60 bpm.
I always hear the shotgun ... It's called PTSD.
Oh hey a shared experience! I was nine. I deeply regret that small boy's decisions.
Wasn't that the fun if it? I miss that
31 years old and it still gets under my skin. Utter perfection. 👌🏻
Devils… Monsters… gives me chills every time. At that point in the game it goes from space opera fps to horror film
Since that level, i cannot go to any library at night, not even of my house.
Just introduced my girls to the Flood last night. “What are those things?!” 😂😂
Devils... Monsters makes me panic whenever I unexpectedly hear it. It's like hearing an Obelisk of Light charging, I can't help but react.
The flood, on legendary. I'll never forget it 😂.
I remember hearing "Devils... Monsters..." for the first time and being terrified beyond belief. It was at that point I questioned if I had chosen the right game to play, if my loadout was adequate. I ran through ammo counts and keybinds in seconds, making sure that I was ready for what lay ahead: An onslaught of epic proportions against an enemy that did not relent. Jumping, and shotgunning large shamblers while fragging and spraying groups of flood swarmers. The terror as the ammo counts dwindled and went red, the uncertainty of having to melee certain forms while reloading with what little ammo I had left. For an 8 y/o at the time I first played, that was sheer terror.
The music in Halo pairs unbelievably well with the visuals in the game. It combines high-stakes, well-executed combat with the wonder and excitement of exploring locations in the far reaches of space never seen by human eyes. The result is that it is far, FAR more immersive than any other FPS I’ve played.
If I had to put it into one phrase: playing Halo feels like fighting in a cathedral.
“Fighting in a cathedral” is a perfect descriptor of it. Perhaps to add onto it: Fighting on a cathedral on another planet. So alien, so mystical, so beautiful…
You have opened a can of worms with this one, and I am here for it.
Seriously, the OST is HALF of the experience. Whats going on while those songs are playing add so much impact.
@@Vaioplayer88Even after multiple playthroughs, it always amazes me how much heavy combat one green guy can go through while a vibe track plays.
I believe the politically correct term is “opened a can of Lekgolo”
I'd like this but it's at 117 and I can't bring myself to break that balance
I wholeheartedly recommend looking into every Halo soundtrack, a personal favorite is the Jazzy/Blues of Halo 3: ODST. Deference for Darkness is, in my opinion, Marty O'Donnells underappreciated masterpiece.
Deference for Darkness is up there for me, too.
That whole game is underappreciated. It was a great game but too disconnected from Halo 3 to work as DLC. The mood was just top notch, and I don't think it would've worked as well if there wasn't that feeling that you're a newly trained baseline human in cheap body armour with only the slightest of a clue as to what was going on. It made it obvious how much of a bulwark the Spartans are, in spite of the horrific things done by the programme. That doesn't excuse the people who created the Spartans, it only emphasises that the Spartans themselves held the line when no-one else could.
@@talideonWhile it may not be praised as much now ( it should be praised more) it was very much well received at the time. It won best music at the game awards that year.
0:16 When you first heard Halo were you deafened by its majesty?
11:21 "this is very different"
Yes, that's what a lot of kids said while playing the game back then, and having nightmares the following nights...
To answer your question, yes Halo's main series is a First Person Shooter. Some call it a Space opera in terms of story telling and the music backs it up. The main synopsis for the first game is the year is 2552, you play as a Spartan II Super Soldier named John 117, also known by his rank, Master Chief (Petty Officer). You are an augmented human in a power suit and a companion AI named Cortana. You battle against an alien group known as the Covenant, who are hell bent to exterminate humanity. Its up to you and Cortana to stop these beings from destroying everything, as well as explore this mysterious Ring floating in space called Halo, and the secrets it holds.
That Marty O'Donnell, man. He knew what to give those Halo games. One of the best composers out there imo.
I'd also recommend btw, Red Dead Redemption and RDR2's soundtracks, RDR1 also had a dlc for it called Undead Nightmare.
usually the "thing" in the opening suit is usually immediately followed by the warthog run. the combination is often considered the pinnacle halo theme.
unfortunate that "on a pale horse" wasn't included this time. its short but powerful and since you liked the strings so much you would probably love that song as well.
Showing my age but there was nothing like being on your dorm floor and you'd hear the opening chant come from down the hall and had to jump on in your room. Halo was beyond a thing.
The Halo series soundtrack really is something, isn't it? 2 years went by, 10 years went by, 20 years went by, and it never stops being amazing, does it?
Never will. This music is immortal. We will fade either and turn to dust. But this music will rip emotions out of even those who have never lived the events that spawned it
As a longtime Halo fan, it was super cool seeing you experience the magic of the soundtrack.
I remember playing back in 2001 before Halo was a THING.
While we were playing, the music would kick in and I’d look over to my best friend incredulously like, “Is this the best video game ever or am I crazy?”
Just sitting on the title screen because it was so beautiful you had to let it finish before playing the game.
My mother worked at a Sam's Club back in 01-03 and I would drive her to/from work. The Electronics section had a display Xbox that had Halo loaded on it. I'd hang around playing it for a few hours every week 😂
In 2003 I had a coworker who mentioned he was selling his Xbox and a few games. I said "you have Halo?" And bought it before he even mentioned the price lol
Magical times back then, for sure
Most of these themes are so iconic that they're reintegrated into basically every entry of the franchise but with a little extra added to them (definitely recommend checking out the variants on your own).
Each entry has also a couple of unique themes that makes them stand out from the rest, so hopefully you'll check some of them out
I think also listening to ODST’s and Reach’s soundtracks are a must, since they're the most unique in the series given that these games are spinoffs.
I second listening to ODST and Reach...the themes from those games are absolutely incredible!
Edit: Obviously all Halo soundtrack is, but as you say, ODST and Reach such unique tones among the Halo games
Completely agree!
I adore Reach’s Soundtrack. Long Night of Solace always brings my emotions on.
Bit of an unpopular opinion, but I also love Halo 4’s soundtrack, green and blue & the title screen theme send shivers down my spine
@@HannahFortalezza Oh yeah, I also love H4 soundtrack, those you mentioned and also 117. Honestly, I was hoping for 343 to embrace their own good stuff with Infinite and use those OSTs along with the classics, but I guess that's too much to ask.
Halo 2 definitely has the best of the soundtracks
Not enough people make videos reacting to the Halo games OST, when it’s such a unique, defining collection of soundtracks. Highly recommend that you give a listen to the rest of the series, as each game always has something new for it.
I feel like part of the reason why there aren't many reaction vids to the Halo soundtracks is because they are so iconic that it's hard to find someone who hasn't heard it in some capacity. I was surprised to see this video come up on my feed at all!
Even though ive listened to these tracks hundreds of times. For some reason, this video made me tear up. In a good way. Seeing peoples reaction to these iconic pieces brings me joy.
FR! Halo’s glory is not forgotten but it’s starting to fade, I hope this video shows others the magic & strength that is Halo.
Hi Emily! I'm an elder Millennial (turning 36 next month) and I grew up playing and loving Halo in both middle school and high school. The gameplay is phenomenal don't get me wrong, but it was never the part that really hooked me and made me a life long fan - the music and story did that. I remember getting this soundtrack on CD in grade 12 (I'm old don't judge me! XD) and listening the crap out of it. It's by far one of my favourite soundtracks of all time (possibly only eclipsed by those of Halos 2, 3, and Reach), and I actually wrote the first draft of a YA sci fi series I'm currently working on back in high school while blasting this through my headphones. Seeing you react to it for the first time made my heart so happy. Thank you for this! I'm SO glad you loved it!
Elder Millennial would be a sick band name
"Arrival" from Halo 4, the ost for the final mission, i think it's one of the hypest moments in my life, it truly made me feel like the hero in the action film, fighting against the odds.
The most underrated halo song!! My favorite. 😁
Atonement, from Halo 4's menu, is one of my favorite video game songs ever
I’m so glad you got the chance to listen to this soundtrack. The music Halo is so distinct and nothing like any other first player shooter. I personally love Halo 2’s soundtrack the best, and while you may also like it, I feel like you Halo 3’s and Halo 3 ODST’s music are right up your alley!
I agree completely! I’d definitely recommend Halo 3 ODST’s soundtrack as it is so different and so totally amazing!
As a kid I purposely would play through the whole game again to just watch the end credits of halo 2 and hear the electric guitar theme so badass!
Yeah, bringing in Vai to shred the guitar a bit was a good call on Bungie's part.
I’m so glad this popped up on my feed. I’ve haven’t come across your content before but since I love all things Halo it did today.
It was such a joy to hear this soundtrack with fresh ears through you. The score IS hypnotic, and I did at one point slept to this soundtrack for weeks end back in the day. I think I was 15 when Halo CE came out and there was nothing else like it. Truly revolutionary for gaming. Like others have said, if you decide to play it, do it with a friend and classic graphics. Thinking about my first play through with my brother…
.. sorry I had to pause. Was chocking up with tears. This game was magical. Especially booting it up on the OG Xbox and staring at the main menu for 20 mins for the first time. Just sat there.. watched and listen. Your mind transported.
Title screen vibe check😎🤝
Marty is truly a legend. These tracks are forever. They will never age poorly.
The sound design of the original halo trilogy is incredible and without a doubt is one of the key points in what made the franchise so memorable. You could play any of these pieces of music on a public speaker somewhere and someone will immediately recognize them and have flashbacks to what part of the game they were tied to. That is so incredibly rare. People remember menu screen and opening tracks right and left, but it's hard to think of any other franchise where the entirety of a gaming trilogy of soundtracks is memorable.
Bungie and Marty did so many things right with the sound design in these games.
As a long time gamer and massive Halo fan since 2001..
I can feel every note and see every level of the game.
It's incredible how Marty and Michael were able to not only create an icon and benchmark for soundtracks and video gaming as a whole, but embed feeling and invoke such strong memory and emotion with their work.
Halo is a masterpiece.
You saying EDMy is accurate. The vibe i believe Marty was going for was futuristic yet tribal.
A walk in the woods is so great gives me chills to this day
Yes yes and yes
Favorite track from the entire series. So otherworldly
2:52 “in a humongous hall with no one else in it.”
I’ve never heard anyone perfectly describe both the musical score and the empty, mysterious feeling of the game in one statement before.
With every song, my mind is brought back to the hours and hours spent on each of these levels. So much emotion and memories of legendary mode.
Halo for it's time was really big on environmental storytelling, tone and atmosphere. It has proper rising and falling action in the narrative that usually syncs with rising and falling action in gameplay hence the track diversity. It also came before the time that console shooters felt the need to constantly be loud and in your face with everything all the time.
You hit on something important that mostly goes unsaid. There is a very thoughtful, emotional core to Halo's music. Don't know if you plan to expand on this video, but I recommend the first movement of Halo 3 ODST's "Deference for Darkness" and Halo 2's "In Amber Clad".
Somewhat different tone but Halo 3: ODST (separate game from Halo 3) had some of my favorite music in the series.
I wish they had more saxophone in it tbh. Amazing soundtrack regardless
Just imagine how many of us felt as kids when playing & listening to this game for the first time.
Speaking in my case, it was truly an amazing experience.
I was not expecting to cry to this but here i am tearing up. So many beautiful memories :')
Referring to 8:30, I've always looked at the game's more somber tones to immerse you in what humanity is feeling in the universe. At the start of the game, a lone human ship is being chased by a force that just wiped out one of the UNSC's (Humans Military) most defensive planets. The feeling that Marty's masterful music gives you, is a combination of desperation, hope, and a sense of duty that just perfects the game in every way. I highly recommend taking a look at more of the music in Halo, especially "Never Forget". That one never fails to get an emotional response out of me.
Under the Cover of Night is my favorite track in this OST, and it's successor tracks especially in Halo 3 are phenomenal.
whats the succesor track of under the cover of night in halo 3
The halo infinite one is amazing as well
@@purpleimperialist7373Cloaked in Blackness I believe. It’s my favorite Halo track.
@@purpleimperialist7373 Roll call from Halo 3 sountrack mixes this and In Amber Clad from Halo 2 and it's amazing.
Covenant Dance has always been my favorite. When it comes on during gameplay you get chills
The older Halo games have such a relaxing and, as you put it, hypnotic feel to them. They were definitely on my homework playlist when I was in high school.
The Medal of Honor series also has some phenomenal music (composed by Michael Giacchino), along with Battlefield 1.
1:25
We made a blind jump! How did they-
get here first? Covenant ships have always been faster. As for tracking us all the way from Reach… at light speed, my maneuvering options were limited.
Were running dark, yes?
Until we decelerated. No one could’ve missed the hole we tore in slipspace.
The opening suite does a great job at portraying what is happening. You are on a spaceship that has just come across a mysterious ring world. Brothers in arms gives the feeling of preparing for battle and that is again the case. Your ship is being attacked by the enemy and the humans are preparing their response to the attack. Every Halo fan gets PTSD when they hear Devils... Monsters... Seriously you should listen to more Halo music and I do suggest playing it. It is a FPS but it has an incredible story that is much more than it initially seems.
Brothers in arms does such a good job linking the battle-space and the explore-y feel of halo! Honestly the whole OST is such a vibe. In the game, the audio direction is just so well done. Marty didn't have to go so hard on this, but he did. Legendary.
There's no way you can listen to just the first OST and not listen to the rest. It's so good, and Halo is renowned for its music and how it innovated audio techniques in gameplay. But also just how Marty O'Donnell just knew all the right things to play and when. Truly somenof his greatest work.
15:59 The context from the game is this is the song that plays as you drive one of those "giant jeeps with a gun" down the spine of the ship as you desperately try to get to a way out before the ship's engines explode. Meanwhile, there is a massive battle going on all around you.
I remember playing Halo 2 back in 05 and being blown away. I had never played a first person shooter before, and a friend and I sat down after work one day and started on the campaign. I went and bought a refurbished Xbox the next week with Halo 1 and 2. To this day Halo 1 is my favorite shooter.
Under Cover of Night kind of chokes me up a bit. When it plays near the end of the game the whole tone of the story had changed. Revisiting an earlier location with an entirely new purpose, it was just done so well.
If you enjoy first person shooters, I would 100% watch you play this game. Halo has been my childhood, seeing a new reaction to it would be so cool!
11:06 is when the trauma of any Halo player comes back out, that song is trauma incarnate
When that song pops, people are gonna be looking for the nearest shotgun in a hurry
Halo 3 is my favorite OST of any game ever. I still listen to these soundtracks when I’m stressed at work. So nice.
Devils…monsters… the composer did such a good job of capturing that feeling of rediscovering a long forgotten horror. The Flood consumes all, welcoming them to their eternal grave
when she comments on the uncomfortability of it. PERFECT, she doesnt even know.
The "high pressure" soundtrack.
Someone has probably already said this, but the context of Warthog Run is basically the grand finale of the entire game. In short, you've set the reactor of an enormous, crashed human ship to go supernova in order to wipe out something that could threaten all life in the galaxy and your ride out of there just got shot down before your very eyes. There is one starfighter still docked in the ship's hanger over a kilometer away. Cue a mad dash to the very last hope of living to tell the tale. Cue Warthog Run.
Puma Run 😊
Listening to the Halo 2 and Halo 3 soundtracks are a real treat too, all the motifs and themes evolve and change in a really naturalistic and earnest way.
I kind of wish she had screenshots of what environment you're walking through when hearing these pieces, like how some of the chilling high pitch notes really add to the creepiness factor of Flood infected areas. There's an extra level of appreciation you miss when not knowing what levels the pieces are made for
Warthog Run is the final stretch of the game and NOT EASY. It hits harder when you've driven the warthog to escape
Warthog Run on the final mission in Halo 3 is probably the most epic moment in video game history.
Halo 1 will always be more iconic! 2k of pure adrenaline.
@@Kintizen Yeah, but Halo 3's version of the track is peak. Especially the unreleased full version that transitions back and forth between the Chief's classic, string Halo theme and the Arbiter's piano version.
nah. most epic moment in gaming history is seeing halo CE at the end of Halo reach.
@@LordEmpyreal not imo. In fact, all of the remixed tracks in 3 are worse than the originals with all the tinkering done to them. The originals always have a rawness to them that is lost with subsequent versions. For example, the percussion is that much clearer in the original warthog run track because there aren't as many different elements. In 3 it's just that much messier that it isn't as impactful, not to mention ending the game by repeating the exact same trope felt very derivative
@@elchasqui6986 The difference is synth vs orchestra. I agree a lot of them weren't as good, On a Pale Horse is a great example, as well as Under Cover of Night. But I definitely disagree about it making every track worse. The Warthog run is incredible when fully realized by an orchestra. And while I wouldn't call Another Walk necessarily better than A Walk on the Woods, I think it suited the jungle tone of the first mission a lot better than it would of you just plugged the song from CE directly into H3.
Ah yes at 11:00 when halo went from a fun shoot em up to a horror survival game
The panniny in a walk through the woods is about discovery. The walking and little things catching your eyes on all sides. Again a perfect song for the level it is was made around.
You can sort of get a good feeling of the factions from the music pieces. Vocals generally seem to be associated with the Halo ring itself and the structures. Guitars(Bass and electric), violins, and snare drums seem to signify the UNSC/ODST(human military). Synths and a lot of percussion seem to be the theme for the Covenant. The Flood seem to use intruments from both the Humans and Covenant sounds, but they sound faster, sort of panicky besides the unsettling squeaky industrial sound that plays throughout.
I love how the music alone let's me visualize what would normally be on screen as it's so ingrained in my memory and she's able to fairly accurately describe what would be there as well.
Highly, highly recommend checking out more music from the series, all the games have absolutely *iconic* OST’s.
"A Walk in the Woods" and "Under Cover of Night", I'm pretty sure play during a mission that has a significant stealth option to it, so there's a lot of sneaking around, picking off enemies with a sniper rifle, using camouflage, stuff like that. Unless you decide not to. So the music goes along with being quiet and sneaky.
Love people getting to hear this all for the first time. Brings absolute joy to my heart and a smile to my face. 😊
Halo is such an important conerstone of video games and art and engineering as a whole. Everyone involved was at their peak of passion, and everything came together so perfectly and masterfully that it's nothing short of magical
Watching the "making of" documentaries for Halo and Oblivion should be mandatory for everyone in management in the industry. That's how it's done.
People always place halo 2 and 3 as their favourites of the OG trilogy, but the soundtrack of Halo CE is just so retro and fresh. The feeling it brings can never be replicated. Greatest Video Game soundtrack.
It's definitely the most unique game OST. But I still find H2's to be more refined, even if the edgy rock makes the soundtrack a bit more conventional.
Warthog run always bring me back to my first time completing the compaign with ny buddy. Your having to drive the jeep with the big gun it to safty while things are blowing up around you the graound is falling apart under you, and the bad guys are shooting you. With the song playing in the back ground it is just amazing.
The Jeep with the big gun...
There’s just…*something* about CE’s atmosphere that I can’t put into words, but is just too perfect
13:30 Best kind of EDM, like in older Tekken games like 3 and Tag 1.
Marty and Mike outdid themselves with this one. Thanks to both of them for making such a fittingly incredible soundtrack for such an awesome game, and thank you for bringing some of the joy I’d forgotten from when I first played with my friends long ago
the scene context is what makes these songs so great, like for example that first song is played when you see they hopelessness of the situation the ship is in, how they are about to be boarded by a superior force and people are scrambling to do the best they can.
the second song with the militaristic theme is the soldiers scrambling around to try and get ready for this assault, knowing the odds aren't exactly "good", to say the least, you can hear the worrisome overtones.
With Halo the soundtrack is complimented by the story just as the story is complimented by the music. The impression of the ethereal music is heightened by the visual scene where you find yourself lost in deep space, staring at an awe-inspiring & ancient alien structure. 20 years later and it still sends chills down my spine
I could go on and tell you how this series has an incredible and surprisingly believable lore and backstory about the beginning and the end of the universe, or its deep themes and messages about the misuse and manipulation of religion and how that leads to war, death and destruction, but all im gonna say is, it loves encouraging you to stop ,take in the atmosphere , think, and smell the roses in the middle of killing things lol
Fable1 also has a beautiful score. I still sometimes listen to the song "Summer fields".
The chest rooms
@@davsr7789 yes!
Beautiful OST ❤
Brothers in Arms still gives me chills to this day 😭
OG Halo Veterans getting flashbacks from “Devils… Monsters…”
Once Devils....Monsters... Came up, the unsettling flight or fight feeling coming just gives you the chills!
That goddamn rocket flood tho
There is Halo music and Doom music. All other FPS soundtracks exist somewhere on a spectrum between those two.
Fr, but mw2 og was phenomenal too
Also ty so much for taking the warthog run suggestion 🙏
A walk in the woods is my favorite .
Loved their reaction 😅