Halo: Combat Evolved Forum
This topic has moved here: Subject: Can they keep the eeriness of the audio?
  • Subject: Can they keep the eeriness of the audio?
Subject: Can they keep the eeriness of the audio?

The sounds of Halo are my favorite thing about it. The mechanical reload of the MA5B and pistol, the howling wind in Assault on the Control Room, the sick gurgling in the unseen corridors of 343 Guilty Spark...

Halo's sounds are a key factor in its overall magic. I remember going into Sidewinder by myself and just wandering around, taking in the ambiance. I could hear the footfalls across every surface, the snowy wind, and the periodic firing of mysterious Forerunner machinery sending bolts of blue into the starry sky. The sounds brought the environment to life, and made me feel as if I was really alone in some snowy canyon on the Halo ring. It was almost unsettling, and if that kind of audio doesn't return, I'll be severely disappointed. Hopefully they'll just use the old sounds.

Unless, of course, they're going to give it 5.1 support (or is it already? IDK, my sound setup usually consists of either TV speakers or a JVC stereo),

Thoughts on audio?

  • 05.15.2011 4:04 PM PDT

The audio is what made 343 GS what it is. Along with many other areas of the game.

IMHO it's one of the more brilliant areas of the game.

  • 05.15.2011 5:23 PM PDT

HCE has mind-blowingly effective use of audio.

Unfortunately, it sounds comparatively terrible on most speakers on flatscreen TV's, which is one of the main reasons I got myself a new (well, used) tube recently.

  • 05.15.2011 6:21 PM PDT

We’re flawed because we want so much more. We’re ruined because we get these things and wish for what we had.

I hope 343i keeps the sound the same, it was just so well done I don`t think they need to touch it at all.

  • 05.15.2011 7:02 PM PDT


Posted by: Tupolev
HCE has mind-blowingly effective use of audio.

Unfortunately, it sounds comparatively terrible on most speakers on flatscreen TV's, which is one of the main reasons I got myself a new (well, used) tube recently.
Really? I've played a chunk of the game on my LCD and haven't noticed anything detrimental yet, but then again, I wasn't listening very hard. I'll test that out next time I play.

  • 05.15.2011 7:04 PM PDT

I'm agent Nahman Jayden, eff-bee-eye.

>implying the rumors of the Combat Evolved remake are true

  • 05.15.2011 7:10 PM PDT

Posted by: Techno Greek
Posted by: Tupolev
HCE has mind-blowingly effective use of audio.

Unfortunately, it sounds comparatively terrible on most speakers on flatscreen TV's, which is one of the main reasons I got myself a new (well, used) tube recently.
Really? I've played a chunk of the game on my LCD and haven't noticed anything detrimental yet, but then again, I wasn't listening very hard. I'll test that out next time I play.

Admitedly, I've only played it on two different flatscreens over the last few months. On both, the sfx sounded kind of flat and weak, and the gameplay sfx had a tendency to ickily overpower the music (most disgustingly in areas where "The Gun Pointed at the Head of the Universe" plays, such as the first time to the main structure in Silent Cartographer).

On the cheap old tube's speakers, the sounds have more body to them, and ambient sound, music, and gameplay sfx can all be powerful without nasty clashing. It seems also to be more in line with what I remember from my former tube, which was a pretty awesome TV until it broke down.

[Edited on 05.15.2011 7:43 PM PDT]

  • 05.15.2011 7:37 PM PDT


Posted by: Tupolev
Posted by: Techno Greek
Posted by: Tupolev
HCE has mind-blowingly effective use of audio.

Unfortunately, it sounds comparatively terrible on most speakers on flatscreen TV's, which is one of the main reasons I got myself a new (well, used) tube recently.
Really? I've played a chunk of the game on my LCD and haven't noticed anything detrimental yet, but then again, I wasn't listening very hard. I'll test that out next time I play.

Admitedly, I've only played it on two different flatscreens over the last few months. On both, the sfx sounded kind of flat and weak, and the gameplay sfx had a tendency to ickily overpower the music (most disgustingly in areas where "The Gun Pointed at the Head of the Universe" plays, such as the first time to the main structure in Silent Cartographer).

On the cheap old tube's speakers, the sounds have more body to them, and ambient sound, music, and gameplay sfx can all be powerful without nasty clashing. It seems also to be more in line with what I remember from my former tube, which was a pretty awesome TV until it broke down.
Call me crazy, but I think that may be an example of manufacturers caring more then than they do now about the in-TV speakers. My Sharp's speakers don't sound bad, but they were apparently praised for their high-quality compared to the competition. I don't think that many companies care about the built in audio anymore; it just isn't a selling point in a surround-sound market. Sad.

  • 05.16.2011 2:25 PM PDT