Memorable Music in Gaming - FPS Edition

Starting this fine year of 2025, we are adding to the Memorable Music in Gaming series. The last Wednesday of each month will feature a game genre and favorite composer by each of our authors here at Chalgyr Games Room. Since our All Hands on Deck was well-received, we decided that it was time for a little bit of everyone to join in the fun! This month's genre is First Person Shooter composers and the music that grabbed each and every one of our author's love of their music in the game that they presented those soundtracks. I, for one, work from home, so blasting the music from my favorite composer gets my creative juices flowing and my body up out of the chair for that much needed exercise from sitting too long in front of a computer screen, or drawing board. Are there any favorite composers you'd like to talk about? Or just favorite game soundtracks in general?

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Nick

Martin O’Donnell – Halo: Combat Evolved

When I think of first-person shooters and music, without hesitation the first song that comes to mind is the titular “Halo”. It is a song that within the first notes is immediately recognized, and has been covered and remade over the years numerous times in a variety of ways.

While O’Donnell had plenty of credits prior to Halo: Combat Evolved, it was said that he was a little nervous trying to concoct something “big, exciting and unusual with a classical orchestra touch to give it some weight and stature. We also wanted it to have some sort of ‘ancient’ feel to it.” (per references in Wikipedia). 

On that front, I think the theme of Halo (which was leveraged in future titles and covered numerous times and ways by other artists over the years) certainly hit the mark. I remember finding it almost a surprise at first. I was familiar with the visuals before the game came out and given the futuristic weapons and armor and science fiction settings, I was expecting the OST to be much more futuristic or techno in nature, but instead got something far more satisfying and memorable.

 
If this was the only notable song released for the game, it still would have been impressive in its longevity and instant recognition, but the rest of the Halo: Combat Evolved soundtrack was amazing as well. As the audio director for Bungie at the time, Martin O’Donnell gets most of the credit, but it’s worth calling out that Michael Salvatori is also credited with the soundtrack. 

Pulse pounding tunes like “Brothers in Arms” and the percussion heavy “The Gun Pointed at the Head of the Universe” do an excellent job of representing the action found in this FPS classic, while “Under the Cover of Night” blends a variety of softer instruments and ambient sounds to compliment the game’s quieter moments. Beyond the song “Halo”, my next favorite title in this particular track is also the longest, “Truth and Reconciliation Suite”. Due to the song’s length, it has a bit more time to move between swells of sound that are loud and demanding of attention, and moments of lull and slower pace that make it feel like a more complete piece than most of the offerings here, which turn to run about three minutes or less.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bzrnw4niuTA&list=PLE247806E68BCF2AC&index=27

 

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Richard

FPS titles aren’t exactly my main forte, and I’ve usually not been too great at them either, but there have been some titles over the years that have caught me. While I’ve played a lot of the other titles that my cowriters have written about or discussed, there is one title that is probably the most memorable to me, although I probably wouldn’t list it as the best soundtrack, even though it isn’t bad.

By far the most memorable FPS soundtrack for me has to belong to Perfect Dark. The original, I’d like to point out. From the haunting opening theme, the cool menu theme, all the way to the Skedar Leader theme. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Perfect Dark was probably more popular in my circle of friends growing up than 007 was, believe it or not. There were many nights spent with gag weapon loadout runs, only proxy mines, and a lot of laughs and yelling. Even if there were only two of us, we could always tackle the campaign together.

Honestly, the menu themes still play in my mind to this day. The haunting tones of an intrepid mission that you must complete, but you’re still in the preparation phase. The Combat Simulator theme as me and my friends try to complete all the challenges. All primarily put together by the man, the legend, the absolute Chad that is Grant Kirkhope.

If you don’t recognize Kirkhope, shame on you, but you’ll probably recognize some of the soundtracks he’s been a part of: Banjo Kazooie/Tooie, GoldenEye 007, Killer Instinct 2, Star Fox Adventures, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse (remake of the original soundtrack and original compositions), Civilization: Beyond Earth, Guest Composer for A Hat in Time. He also did voicework as Donkey Kong and Mumbo Jumbo from the Donkey Kong and Banjo Kazooie games. He’s also made guest appearances at video game orchestras and even on a cover from FamilyJules. I honestly think the man has a golden touch, because every soundtrack he touches comes out as pure gold.

Come and give the soundtrack a listen and dare tell me it’s not an absolute banger: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6QZ6FuL-4k&list=PL8646AF39FBED4288

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Robert

Doom 2016's score is something of a powerhouse soundtrack and is among the most influential pieces of music in the past decade. Nearing 10 years old, the Doom 2016 soundtrack is one of the best in the business. Standing firm like a lighthouse standing against the oppressive weight of a deep fog, Mick Gordon's work is a standout among game soundtracks. Typically dominated by the likes of Nobuo Uematsu, Hans Zimmer, or Jeremy Soule, Mick Gordon brutally carved a place amongst that pantheon of greats by following the philosophy of, "combat as rhythm." In doing so, Doom's soundtrack is on that dynamically adapts to the player's actions in game. This approach was not just more immersive, but it streamlined and simplified the music that Mick composed. Rather than overly complex music that's meant to wrap the player up in warm and fuzzies, Mick's approach is simple, straightforward, and energetic. From Rip & Tear to Ties that Bind and everything in between, adrenaline and immersion are the goal.

And he succeeded in attaining that goal, and then some.

For as weaving and complex as the music found in Doom sounds, the long and short of it is that it's actually quite simple in approach. Mick went in with a mission and came out with a BAFTA-awarded soundtrack for his work; something only a handful of artists in the video game world can claim. The only truly sour note in Mick's legacy is with how he was treated with regard to Doom Eternal's soundtrack. If you listen to the two of them, there's a noticeable difference in quality between Doom 2016 and Doom Eternal. That's because midway through production and after Mick had already composted about a dozen songs (wickedly-good songs, mind you) to be used in Doom Eternal, he was unceremoniously replaced ... and id Software didn't even have the common decency to pay him for his work.

So let's talk about the work ... what makes it great? Synthesized chainsaws. Gordon actually synthesized the sounds of chainsaws to use in Doom's soundtrack and all the while, he paid deep homage to Bobby Prince's original Doom score. Truly epic. Take Rip & Tear for one; perhaps my favorite track on a soundtrack full of my favorite tracks, this adrenaline-pumping track draws you in and doesn't let you go for nearly four and a half minutes. For me, it's the definitive "I'm the superboss and this is my song and you're about to have a bad time" track that truly fulfills the power fantasy. The fact that it dynamically plays throughout Doom is just the icing on the cake and there are times that I would get so wrapped up in the music that I'd be breathing hard after some of these songs, because they just put you in a mood ... a mood to rip and tear through the denizens of Hell.

Don't believe me? Take a listen for yourself as Mick's music stands above and alone- it is truly epic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyA1z2A-lhU&list=PL3-Zr0Ym0Fgw9G6368AMfMKp9TR1ToaqR&index=2  
 

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Hamza

When it comes to first-person shooters, you cannot find a more influential title than DOOM. And when it comes to the music, there are very few that parallel the rockin’ tunes of Bobby Prince.

Active primarily in the ’90s, Mr. Prince’s repertoire includes the likes of Bio Menace, Duke Nukem 3D, Rise of the Triad, Blake Stone, Wolfenstein 3D, and, of course, DOOM and DOOM II. His contributions to the latter two are nothing short of legendary.

At Doom’s Gate, or E1M1, is quintessential. It’s the archetypal track that continues to inspire underground and mainstream musicians to this day. In the seven-part BBC documentary Seven Ages of Rock, Rolling Stone senior editor David Fricke likens the opening snare of Dylan’s Like a Rolling Stone to “a judge wackin’ the gavel on his desk” and says that “history is called to order.” I believe the same sentiment applies to the opening riff of E1M1. With just a few notes, the landscape of gaming was changed forever.

The rest of the soundtrack is just as iconic, with I Sawed the Demons (E2M1) and The Demons from Adrian’s Pen (E2M2) being personal favorites. Even some of the lesser-known tracks, such as the Tchaikovsky-inspired Waltz of the Demons (E2M7) and Donna to the Rescue (E3M2), are bangers in their own right.

For DOOM II, Mr. Prince raised the bar even further, producing what I consider to be his magnum opus. There isn’t a weak track here; each is a worthy successor to what came before.

Running From Evil, or E1M1, is fantastic in its composition. Anyone who’s spent even 10 minutes attempting to create their own WAD in Doom Builder can attest to its earworm catchiness. I’m sure that if there had been a third entry in the classic series, Mr. Prince would have scored a hat trick with yet another unforgettable E1M1 track.

As for the rest of the DOOM II soundtrack, I often come back to Shawn’s Got the Shotgun and Into Sandy’s City. These two are regular repeats in my household. Out of all the tracks mentioned in this article, these two wear their heavy metal inspirations the most on their sleeves, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Mick Gordon—the composer for DOOM 2016 and DOOM Eternal—was, in some way, trying to meet the standard set by these tracks.

Bobby Prince may not be very active anymore, and the younger generation might not even recognize his name, but to us slightly old hats, he remains one of the defining composers of our time. You may be a Prince, but you’re definitely a King.

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Valerie

Of all the first person shooters I've played, I still relish Quake (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeNrRHty-Lo). The music of this game composed by Trent Reznor had me going from the theme, all through the rooms, and to the final area. In case you didn't know anything about this game, your mind definitely plays tricks on you if you get so engrossed in the music and not pay attention to your surroundings. This first person shooter has a wonderful gothic environment with a wide array of weapons from sci-fi and fantasy.

I have a penchant for unique music and Nine Inch Nails supplied my quest for rocking out the shots while getting all the treasures in a room. That is, of course, if an enemy didn't pick me off first! Trent Reznor is pure genius in the composing of all of Quake. The Hall of Souls (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SFkuwGPdeg) sounded so much like a room whispering tips and tricks to me. Never, never take your hand off your gun during the pounding, fist-pumping sequence at the 4 minute mark in this track.

Want me some Scrags! These bad guys popped out of nowhere it seemed to me, until I finally had a good bead on them as I rounded a corner, or aimed up a lot. The Castle of the Damned (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90gID2mLPZA) is pure Lovecraft done in music at its best! I felt like I was sitting on a beach with the waves licking my toes. Put that to the dark, monster-ridden game and one can imagine red instead of blue for those waves licking your toes.

Mr. Reznor makes fine use of industrial rock, industrial dance, industrial, electro-industrial, industrial metal, electronic rock, alternative rock, and alternative metal in all the tracks on the Quake OST. I had a lot of fun in this game because of the real-time 3D rendering in the Quake engine that differs from the DOOM series I also play. 

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Of Spartans and Men - Gaming Thoughts

Taking a little bit of “me” time recently, I finally decided to load up Halo’s The Master Chief Collection that I had picked up with my Xbox One a few years back. Replaying the first two with their upgrades and their new scenes, the third, and ODST that I had never played, and Bungie really did make a hell of a series. While having started off as nothing more than another first person shooter, Halo set the bar and become revolutionary for first person shooters. Adding in sequels that have held some rather strong narratives between the spin off of ODST and the prequel that was Reach was just bonus alongside a continually refined gameplay that made the campaigns just as fun as the multiplayer.

I just wish that Reach would be added into the Master Chief Collection like ODST has been.

A man of many words, Halo’s Sierra 117, Master Chief knows how to get an entire room to listen. Just a little more than a silent protagonist, John has jumped from one ship to another riding a bomb that he was returning to enemy forces. He’s jumped through portals in order to stop the prophets from launching their attacks. Hell, he’s even ridden nothing more than his combat suit in an atmospheric drop down to the ground because the ship came apart. He’s rough, he’s tough, he’s a Spartan. It takes a lot of effort to take one out as the enemies of Reach’s squad found out first hand.

So when you’re that strong, when you can essentially punch alien races in the face and end their lives to conserve ammo, how do you go about switching the scenario to be nothing more than a couple humans fighting for their lives? You’ve seen the troops die left and right beside you, they have armor sure but not power armors. They don’t have giant shields and casings to hide behind. The Spartans, like in ancient Greece, are the best of the best. These are Humanity’s elite and it shows as just the Master Chief sparks fear into his enemies as they have called him the demon. So when you finally take control of a human soldier, the enemies that seemed so easy and dispatchable are scary as hell and you’ll have to pick your way forward carefully.

The change in ODST was really neat and I’m a bit sad that I hadn’t played it up until two weeks ago. While I’m pretty sure that it was a test case for Reach, they play out fairly different from one another as in Reach, you’re at least a Spartan. Taking control of a Rookie in the ODST, Orbital Descent Shock Troopers, you land rather harshly into the city of New Mombasa which is where the Master Chief in Halo 3 will zoom through on the way to the Covenant's excavation site. In your case however, you’ve crash landed away from your team, alone, and in the dark when you finally wake up from the nasty crash that you took. Heading into the city to hopefully find other members of your team and however else is still left fighting off the alien invasion, you’re going to need to tread lightly as the Brute can crush you in a heartbeat.

The shift into playing as a human was big. Going back to having to heal up was a neat touch though the sound chimes under a certain health percentage could have been passed on. Having a shield system helps but it doesn’t last long as it’s only designed to take a few hits. Especially after having gone through Halo 1-2-3, having to remember to take things slow and not pick large fights was just the start of the changes. I’ll be honest, yes I went up to a Brute and punched it in the face. Was it smart? HELL NO as his buddy crushed me flat. Being a plain old human this time around changes it up as a sort of hard mode in a sense.

What really made ODST shine though wasn’t being put into a human’s shoes for a day, as it really is a day or two in game. Where it shines is that it’s a non-linear approach to the events of the invasion. Having to search the city for your squad mates you’ll come across logs of people trying to get out of the city which gives you a more realistic view into the state of things. While also searching for them you’ll come across pieces of hardware or equipment and by hacking into the CCTV (Closed Circuit TV) feeds, you then play through each of these members’ events as they moved through the city trying to find each other as the mission was pretty much scrapped the second you landed and the commanding officer gone missing in action.

So in effect, there are really two storylines and they mesh really well together as the second doesn’t always answer a question without adding in another one. Are they still alive? Are they dead? How far did they make it? As the rookie you’re on your own and at night it’s fairly tense as you don’t really have the firepower right away to truly make a dent. You’ve got to take it slow, hide, take your enemies out one by one. Eventually though sure, you can storm through if you’re lucky enough to not die, but at that point, you’ve at least got a few people on your side to help.

Having gone from a “on the rails” to a non-linear open space actually worked quite well for the series as it wasn’t just how it was spatially designed. Having changed “you” from a Spartan to a Human added in some atmospheric tension that would never have been present as a Spartan. Sure things can feel tense against the Flood for the first time or two, but it was never a looming threat of dying outright because you literally cannot take a hit. While moving into 343 Industries’ Halo 4 which I’m probably going to have finished by the time of this posting before also finally getting to Halo 5, and Bungie did really well with how they ended off their original saga. I wish I could say that Destiny had the same range but while it doesn’t, it’s slowly getting there.

Article by Pierre-Yves

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Memorable Music in Gaming #42

So Memorable Music in gaming. It's selective and what inspires or gets one person pumping may not exactly be what gets another moving. Recently between some larger titles like Dragon Quest XI, Tales of Berseria, the new God of War and Mortal Kombat 11 between the various reviews, I've loaded up Halo: The Master Chief Collection and started from the beginning and that opening theme? Damn still gets me every time.

With a bit of Gregorian chanting to give it a haunting tune, it's enough to lead onto the unknowns of space and when starting off for the first time, the unknown that you'll find as you start to face off against the Covenant forces before even ever seeing the Flood, the Brutes or the Forerunners. Spun off of the main theme's upbeat portion you have hear a bit of tribal like chanting as you either sprint for your first Banshee run or just a really good firefight sequence.

While in effect these two are basically the same musical entries, the difference is in how they start and how they are used. The intro is used to lead in while the combat music, named The Warthog Run, is used to basically tell you to "Nut up or shut up". Got a love Zombieland for all the usable quotes. Skipping done quite a few from the very beginning of what Bungie started to where they finished, Halo: Reach's opening is still one of my favorites and I'm disappointed for it not being in the collection.

And finally from the end of Bungie to the start of 343, which I finally realize may be named after the damned traitor from the very first making it a very Halo like company name, the opening to Halo 4 is something that I love to have on in the background because of the range from soft and haunting to the more upbeat while still staying close to what made the original opening so good.

Article by Pierre-Yves

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Halo Wars 2 - Xbox One Review

Halo Wars 2 takes place 28 years after the events of the first Halo Wars, which places it more in line with the rest of the Halo franchise timeline, as Halo Wars took place 20 years prior to the first Halo event … Halo Wars 2 finds the UNSC Spirit of Fire back in action after floating adrift in space, her crew in cryo, with the now-rampant AI Serina waking the crew as the Spirit of Fire floats above a mysterious Arc. Rejoin Captain Cutter, Professor Anders, and what remains of te now AI-less UNSC Spirit of Fire as they wake to a new enemy.

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Memorable Music in Gaming #23

Sometimes I find myself wondering when we will 'run out of good music' to look up and offer our thoughts on. But then I play something (old or new) and almost inevitably find something that holds my interest every few games. After my last selection was so RPG-heavy, I decided to go in a decidedly non-RPG direction this time.

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Halo 5 opening cinematic

I know we said we weren't going to be posting anything today, but I figured - what the heck? This has been circulating for about a week, but it was still too good not to make sure everyone saw it.

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Looking back at my last month in gaming

I finally just knocked out a bunch of titles that had been backing up on me. Not a bunch of heavy RPGs - though I have now started a couple of those as well. Still, probably my 'busiest' gaming month in some time. I am hoping to crank out a few more of these over the next couple of months.

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Halo: Reach - Xbox 360 game review

Halo has always been one of the more polarizing series over the last decade of gaming. It came to reflect the Microsoft Xbox brand in much the same way Mario has for Nintendo, or Kratos has for Sony or even Sonic did for the Genesis. Thing is – I never played the series. I owned a Playstation 2 at the time, and did not have the budget for multiple gaming systems. So I missed the first couple of Halo games, and never really jumped on board for the Halo 3 and ODST releases either. First person shooters were never really my favorite genre. However, while they still do not top sports and RPG games for me, Modern Warfare 2 did a great job of getting me into first-person shooters and the competitive online aspects of such games.

So, when Reach came out, and a few of my co-workers were getting very excited about it, I was interested. I had let my Xbox Live gold membership lapse back around May of this year as well, with no intention to resume it. Then, Microsoft offered some good deals, including something like a good % off if you signed up during the Halo: Reach launch, and Walmart had a nice deal going where if you bought Reach during launch week, you got a free $20 gift card. So, I combined these deals, did the math and (most importantly) got my wife to agree to let me drop a few extra bucks on it.

Now, this was right around the time I quit writing for my blog here. Halo: Reach was the start of some serious game playing over the last couple of months, plus the kids starting school, plus work getting very busy so… the blog lost out. Well, since then, I’ve spent a good chunk of time playing Halo: Reach and I thought I would share my thoughts on it.

Graphics – 9:

This is one of those areas I see mixed responses on. Some people really love the Halo art style, and others come away very unimpressed. Overall, I liked them though. I found the color palettes appealing, the look of the environments to be engrossing, and characters moved pretty well. An additional detail I liked was that the customizations made to your armor appear to carry over in every aspect, including things like cut scenes. There were a few moments of slow down during some of the more intense scenes, and that is always frustrating, but they are relatively few and far between.

Music & Sound – 9:

I’ve never played any of the other games, but I first fell in love with the Halo theme song when they released a version of it for Guitar Hero 3 as a downloadable a few years ago. Since then, I’ve gone and listened to a lot of the more popular tunes and I’ve come away very impressed. That doesn’t really change for me here – the score fits the often epic feel of the game, and while some of the voice acting is a bit stilted, most of it is pretty good and really helps to advance the story. The surround sound is used to excellent effect as well, as you can hear a laser going off to your right, or hear a gibbering alien coming at you from behind. Excellent stuff all of the way around.

Gameplay - 9:

It’s smooth stuff – and I mean that earnestly. There’s a few different control schemes you can choose from, but they are all pretty intuitive. I picked up the game immediately and dove into the story and then the online modes with no problem. Menus were easy to get around in, and there is just a ton to do. The armor effects were pretty slick as well. I read about these, and they’re all new to the Halo series – but whether you’re using armor lock, jetpack, camouflage – they are all useful in the right circumstances. In the large team battles involving vehicles I find armor lock incredibly handy. In headhunter modes sprint does me a world of good. You versus everyone? Going invisible (or Predator Mode as I like to call it) is super fun. Jetpacks and holograms of your character also add layers of depth (and deception) to the affair.

Intangibles – 9:

The game has a pretty decent single player storyline. I still recall Modern Warfare 2’s being awesome – but really short. I could get through it in about 6 hours. Not so here. There are a ton of multiplayer modes, and that always helps replay value. There’s some custom side games like Firefight to keep you entertained as well. There’s a ton of extra polish here also such as the forge – that has some nice map making/adjusting qualities to it, and theater which lets you save images and video clips to store to your hard drive or upload to the Halo servers (like my entertaining sticky grenade one. It was fun – a guy tried to get away from me, and he leapt up an air/elevator so I launched a sticky that clung to his leg as he neared the next level, and it blew him up. I’d say you had to be there, but you don’t – I’ve uploaded it!). Perhaps my single disappointment is with the customization. It looks awesome, but I found the online rewards for Modern Warfare 2 to be more rewarding. Some people disliked the system of getting new items and attachments, and that sort of thing in Modern Warfare 2 because they felt it gave an advantage to more experienced players who probably didn’t really need said advantage. To me though, it was a lot of fun going through and making several loadouts with customized attachments and perk sets. Halo does have a more level playing field, but some of the game modes restrict the weapons and armor abilities you can have. It’s not a game killer by any means, but it did leave me wanting a little bit more.

Overall – 9:

Easy score to add up, but seriously – this game was a lot of fun and it made me interested in earlier games in the series. My son bought the first Halo for the Xbox awhile back (it retro plays in the 360), and I’ve considered picking up the others in the series to experience them and learn a bit more about the storylines. Tons to do, and a well-made overall game in terms of control, graphics and sound? That’s a recipe for success. Most of the people I work with really enjoy it too. One thing I do find interesting is that for most of them, the game’s not holding as much long term appeal as Modern Warfare 2 did, and most of them are using Halo to tide them over until Black Ops comes out. I’ll be curious to see how many of them, myself included, let Halo slip by less played once that happens this Tuesday.

More Halo: Reach Videos

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