The Sounds of Halo

 I was sitting on the couch one night, trying to be still in our warm apartment, and Mike was playing his nightly Halo. He had his surround sound headset on and was heavily involved in the game, but he left he sound on the television on as well so I could hear the game. Usually I'm able to block the sounds out because I've heard it so many times before. That night I listened. There are so many sounds in Halo. I thought I'd take a moment to describe them, from my "outsider" perspective.

  The Musical Score: Wow. This is some nice music. It's powerful and woeful, calming and exciting. Chanting monks and rising Manheim Steamroller type guitar riffs meet up with classical instruments. The violin piece is beautiful. The sounds are an excellent introduction to this epic adventure. Any fan would agree.

  The Weapons: There are at least 5 different sounds that the guns make when Mike shoots them. The needler makes a very distinct sound like shards of glass zipping through the air. Anything with a laser, when used properly, makes a long wining sound before it fires. Shotguns sound like shotguns everywhere. The Sniper Rifle makes it's "pikow" perfectly every time. And I really like rockets and the way they hiss as they pass. There are a variety of grenades, stickies are my favorite, but I don't really know any sound other than the explosion they make. And their explosions sound the same to me. I'll make sure to listen closely for a variation and make an edit later if needed.

  The Creatures: There are a variety of creatures in the Halo universe. The Hunters growl and mumble. Brutes do a different type of growl and chatter in their own language. Grunts are my favorite. They have their own language too, they sound like cracked out five year olds sometimes. When they get shot in the head they explode into a celebration of cheers with confetti. There's also a faint popping noise which I didn't hear at first but now that I hear it, it makes the Grunts even more special to me. They remind me of balloons.

  The Vehicles: I'm not so good at telling the difference in vehicles. Sometimes, the only way I know they're Covenant vehicles is because they're purple. But there are a few sounds I recognize. The Wraith makes its hover craft, electricity sound. The Warthog sounds like a Jeep. And the stupid Scarab sounds like death. Also lasers. (I played Halo Wars today and lost to the Scarab and the little Scarabs that I can't remember the names of, quickly.)

  The Dying Sounds: Nothing makes the players and the creatures more noisy than the dying sounds. And most of them are pretty dramatic. Elites make a funny "Garr arrghrgghhh" or "Gruuurrrggh" while Spartans usually make some breathy sound and lady Spartans make a sad little girl sound. Sometimes I listen to the game just for the sounds, especially when there're Elites playing. 

  The Referee Guy: I don't know what he's really called and Mike was in the

middle of a round of Firefight as I was writing this, so I didn't find out. (It causes lag if I browse the internet, he doesn’t hear me when he's got his headphones on, you understand.) Anyway, he announces the game type and medals awarded during the game. He says things like, "Grifball" "Slayer" "Perfection" and "Game over."  I can judge the quality of a game by the medals that the guy is calling out. I know that if he says a lot of things like "Triple Kill" "Running Riot" "Extermination" or "Untouchable" the game is going well. If it's just a bunch of "Double kill" and "Killjoy" it's not such an awesome game. For me, the one time I got a double kill, it was the best game ever.

 The Firefight Voices: These are fun. I don't think I've heard all of them, but I recognize Master Chief, Auntie Dot, Cortana, Sargent Johnson and Noble 6. These voices tell you things about the status of your soldier and the surrounding enemy. For example, Auntie Dot says something like, "Your vital signs indicate that you are dead." It's hilarious. (Not the dying part, the fact that she breaks it down like that.) I also like it when Noble 6 gets excited about killing a whole lot of grunts.

  The Players: There are a variety of words that people don't use in polite society. A game of Halo Reach online is generally not considered polite society. In fact, the only time that Mike watches his language is if he is aware that there is a child in the game with them, or in the room with him. The rest of the time, the potty mouthing flows freely. Not to say that I mind, I'm a potty mouth myself, it's just one of the sounds. And all of the players talk this way. They even come up with creative and crafty names for each other, new phrases and insults and new ways to get a rise out of each other. It's all part of the fun.

  So Halo, as pretty as it is, is also sometimes fun to listen to. I particularly like the dying sounds and the noises that the creatures make and the referee cheering my honey on. When you listen, what do you hear?