"Everybody should have his personal
sounds to listen for …
sounds that will make him exhilarated and alive or quiet and
calm."
—André Kostelanetz, 1955
The Russian conductor André Kostelanetz was certainly not thinking
about the sizzle of Covenant plasma grenades when he penned this
memorable phrase in a New York paper a half century ago.
Nonetheless, once the shrink wrap comes off that copy of
Halo 2, it is the
sound of futuristic warfare that will exhilarate millions of gamers
around the world. From the roar of the USNC Battle Rifle to the
throaty rumble of the reliable Warthog, Halo 2 is—with
apologies to Megadeth—a symphony of destruction.
The game's rich soundscape is the result of truly cutting-edge
technology. The original Halo: Combat Evolved was
certainly no slouch in the sound department, but the sequel exceeds
it in all respects.
It sounds as good as it looks!
For starters, the simultaneous sound count has dramatically
increased. Halo 2 plays up to 81 simultaneous stereo
sounds, plus up to 51 simultaneous 3-D sounds, far more than most
games. Spec-savvy readers will know that the Xbox hardware supports
192 stereo voices and 64 3-D voices—as amazing as the Halo
2 sound effects are, the system still has some headroom
left!
The game's dozens of voices are not only positioned precisely on a
Dolby Digital 3-D soundstage, but also processed with a variety of
special effects created anew for Halo 2. For example,
radio chatter is simulated in real-time with a distortion filter.
Even more impressive, the game can add multiple reverberation
effects to voices. For example, when you move from a tunnel to a
wide-open outdoor space, you will hear sounds altered by both
environments simultaneously.
This audio alchemy is the result of a 100-percent Bungie-built
sound engine that takes maximum advantage of the powerful Xbox
hardware, while only consuming two to three megabytes of precious
RAM. In fact, the official Xbox sound tools were influenced by
Bungie's early work on the first Halo—more proof that this
team knows its stuff.
I can see my house from up here!
Sound Advice To enjoy the full sonic
assault of Halo 2, you'll need a Dolby Digital-capable
surround sound system with an optical input. Also required is an
optical digital audio cable and either the Advanced AV Pack or the
High-Definition AV Pack. Your Halo 2 audio experience is
as dependent on your own system as it is on the genius of Bungie's
artists and developers. If you've been considering an upgrade to
Dolby Digital, your excuse is shipping November 9.
