Little disclaimer…These reviews are my opinion on sound as a player and what engages me into a game and doesn't annoy me while playing a game. I will not be one who says "Come on, that doesn't sound like a real M16!!" I will be rating my sound review on close-to-real as possible. I will not rate anything on gameplay. I am just rating sound.
Rating is as follows: 1 through 10
1 Being BAD, what were you thinking, horrible sound.
10 Being the Best sound element ever!
COD Black Ops, ZOMBIES sound review so you won’t see any “close-to-real” comments for obvious reasons.
Call of the Dead Trailer:
Opening statement:
When I started play COD:WaW I never really got into the Zombies portion of the game. When Black Ops came out, Zombies was again introduced. I didn’t start playing the Zombies portion of the game until the Ascension map came out and then I became a big fan. I play this more now that MP of #CODBlackOps simply because it is a lot of fun and mostly from a sound perspective as there is so much to interact with. I will touch on three maps specifically for this review. Five, Ascension and Call of the Dead.
Music: Now, the music portion is focused on the “Easter eggs” that players find during gameplay to play a soundtrack for the maps. All three were awesome picks for songs for each of the maps. So for those who don’t want to know, stop reading.
Map: “Five” – Song: “Won’t Back Down (Featuring Pink)
Map: “Ascension” – Song: “Abracadavre” by Elena Siegman and Kevin Sherwood
Map: “Call of the Dead” – Song: “Not Ready to Die” by Avenged Sevenfold
Music gets a 10
Ambient: Since the squishy and goofy walking/running/jumping sounds moved over from MP, it seems more acceptable for Zombies maps as the “close-to-real” is not being focused on for this. Now, the way these maps should be played using the sounds is actually useful in handling to hordes of zombies that come at you. I find playing this with a headset is MUCH better than normal speakers. You can certainly hear the zombies coming from the different directions. When you have a break in the play, you can explore the environments to find really cool things. When you get close to objects and they make noise, they may activate other actions. For instance, when you get near the Teddy bears in Ascension, when you activate them, you hear a distinctive sound. After activating them all, you are gifted with a song to play for the duration of the song. I am just bummed that you can’t reactivate them as the songs are great for killing zombies. The various, and large number of, sounds associated with Zombies, it seems like Treyarch really put a lot of thought and energy into making the Zombies experience in a class of its own. Makes me wonder if it will be a spin off and become its own game cause HOURS goes by if you continue to play this part of the game and there is so much to do.
Ambient gets a 9
Dialog: I love the dialog in Zombies (aside of the zombies themselves but they do creep me out) as the characters have witty, funny and clever statements as you play them. I just wish I could pick which one I want to play when I start the game. But it is not hard to restart and get the character you want to play. With the addition of named actors for Call of the Dead was a nice and welcoming experience. Good job Treyarch, it certainly makes this game a lot of fun.
Check out this video on the actors and their contribution for Call of the Dead:
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Robert Englund:
Danny Trejo:
Michael Rooker:
Dialog gets a 10.
Weapons: Aside from the normal weapons, I love the sounds that the developers picked for the special weapons in Zombies like the Ray gun, thunder gun and VR-11. Very cool and entertaining to play Zombies with these really cool sounding weapons.
Special weapons gets a 9
Overall Sound: Treyarch did a great job on the sound design, music selection and overall weapon sounds. I truly enjoy playing Zombies because it is fun to listen to and the dialog and ambient keep if fun for what you have to do in this portion of the game (#CODBlackOps that is). I really look forward to what Treyarch will do for this part of the franchise. Maybe a spin off, maybe more story connections, who knows but what I do see is Treyarch making each map of Zombies better and better each time. Keep up the good work on this guys.
CALL OF DUTY BLACK OPS ZOMBIES overall sound review: 9.5
That is all for now, Raptor Claw 141 out.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Multi Player) - Sound Review
Little disclaimer…These reviews are my opinion on sound as a player and what engages me into a game and doesn't annoy me while playing a game. I will not be one who says "Come on, that doesn't sound like a real M16!!" I will be rating my sound review on close-to-real as possible. I will not rate anything on gameplay. I am just rating sound.
Rating is as follows: 1 through 10
1 Being BAD, what were you thinking, horrible sound.
10 Being the Best sound element ever!
Multiplayer for Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 sound review…
Opening statement:
Modern Warfare 2 was one of the most anticipated FPS games to come out. #MW2 has broken records on sales and broke records on video gaming controversy. But with all of that, it is STILL the 2nd highest game being played on Xbox live. I find myself playing this more than CODBlackOps just due to one simple reason.. SOUND. I am sure my gamer friends out there will either slam me or agree that MW2 has decent sound in some places and great sound in others. But I (in my opinion) think and feel that MW2 sounds so much better than CODBlackOps and here is why:
Music: I am not going to review music for MP. I only do that for SP (Single Player).
Ambient:
Environments: Wind, noise is at good levels. Other sounds like distant gun fire or metal creaking, snow, ice, glass breaking, water, fire hydrants, of course fire and most importantly BEER KEGS is also at good levels and doesn’t over power the game play.
Walking/Running/Jumping: Walking, running and jumping are also at decent levels when playing again not overpowering the gameplay. Walking on sand, dirt etc. is close-to-real as expected. Nothing weird sounding there. Walking on metal is solid and tinny sounding which is expected although when crouched there seems to be no sound at all. Not sure if that was by design but it would have been nice to just drop the levels a bit, not eliminate it all together because isn’t that what Ninja Pro is for? Anyway, good job on this one.
Physical surroundings (Buildings, Tanks, etc.): Not much in this area… as very little happens when you interact with buildings, etc. You get the swipe noise when you mellee an object and it makes a very basic sound (if movable) but that is it. When you run into objects, no noise is made at all. Not a biggie, just something I noticed. Breaking glass was cool, as it was a quick and not too overpowering sound.
Non-Playable Vehicles (Airplanes, etc.): None in this game.
Comms. (Radio chatter): Basic comm chatter as in most COD games letting you know when you are losing a flag etc.
Projectiles (Bullets, Rockets, etc.): Bullet hits, richochets, etc. seem very basic but when you are playing you don’t notice or care about them. Just I do. J
I give Ambient an 8.
Dialog: Dialog in MP is basic, but what I did like what the attention to detail when it comes to the British nomenclature for Z. It is pronounced “Zed” and when I would play with friends, they would always ask, “Why does he say that?”… Good job on that. The accents were very good and not overpowering like Ice Cube. Wait, did I just hear the Enemy took Bravo??? Good job on the dialog - 9
Vehicles (Playable): Playable vehicles (aircraft) sounded very close-to-real and very cool. The pave low and the chopper gunner had very distinct sounds. You knew which was in the air without looking. And if I heard the low rumble of the Stealth, I just ran for the toughest cover I could find. Very good job on the vehicle sounds guys. - 9
Equipment: Equipment had its own distinct and subtle sound. Basic but got the job done. Bouncing of the grenades (non-semtex) sounded metallic and you knew when a frag was bouncing past you and it was time to run. Semtex however had the same sound. Although the beeping ball of clay flying by distinguished itself rather well. Placing of claymores was cool cause as both a good guy or bad guy, you knew when one was being placed close to you. The pillow throwing sound of the C4 pack is funny but does have a good sound. Very clever on the throwing knife as if you were a bad guy and you heard that familiar noise of one landing next to you, you are certainly glad it didn’t hit you. Although it is very quiet, it has a good sound associated with it. - 8
Weapons: Weapons were done pretty well in #MW2. They all had their own distinctive sound and were very unique to the game. InfinityWard did a better job with the weapons in #MW2 than COD4: MW. Sniper rifles sounded great! Actually, all the weapons sounded great.
Explosions were good. Not too big and loud and not to chinsy. Barrels and vehicles blowing up were obviously better than a semtex ball blowing up all by its lonesome self.
As far as silence weapons, MW2 actually gets it done right with a good mix or not too quiet and having some sound with them.
Pistols were done pretty well as they had noticeable echo when shot and sounded very close-to-real especially the Desert Eagle. Well, maybe not so close-to-real but it did sound cool and I wanted to shoot it just to hear it.
Good job on this and I am looking forward to see if you step it up once more with #MW3
Hmm, my favorite weapon in this game has to be the AK-47. Good mix of gunshot sound and metal hitting metal. SOOO many games have Kalashnikovs but MW2 did a good job on it.
WEAPONS gets a: 9
Overall Sound: InfinityWard did a great job with this game. The music was a bit much during MP play, leave it at the beginning of the round and at the end. (Maybe that was a contract item they had with Hans but who knows.) I just hope he does the music for #MW3 as that was a big reason I loved the SP so much in this game. More on that later though. But when you play this game with headsets, MY OH MY, was it done right. I can hear guys coming around the corner and the correct one at that! Big time props on the surround sound properties. Maybe another studio can learn from this. Thanks guys!
MODERN WARFARE 2 MP overall sound review: 9 (rounded up hahaha)
That is all for now, Raptor Claw 141 out.
Rating is as follows: 1 through 10
1 Being BAD, what were you thinking, horrible sound.
10 Being the Best sound element ever!
Multiplayer for Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 sound review…
Opening statement:
Modern Warfare 2 was one of the most anticipated FPS games to come out. #MW2 has broken records on sales and broke records on video gaming controversy. But with all of that, it is STILL the 2nd highest game being played on Xbox live. I find myself playing this more than CODBlackOps just due to one simple reason.. SOUND. I am sure my gamer friends out there will either slam me or agree that MW2 has decent sound in some places and great sound in others. But I (in my opinion) think and feel that MW2 sounds so much better than CODBlackOps and here is why:
Music: I am not going to review music for MP. I only do that for SP (Single Player).
Ambient:
Environments: Wind, noise is at good levels. Other sounds like distant gun fire or metal creaking, snow, ice, glass breaking, water, fire hydrants, of course fire and most importantly BEER KEGS is also at good levels and doesn’t over power the game play.
Walking/Running/Jumping: Walking, running and jumping are also at decent levels when playing again not overpowering the gameplay. Walking on sand, dirt etc. is close-to-real as expected. Nothing weird sounding there. Walking on metal is solid and tinny sounding which is expected although when crouched there seems to be no sound at all. Not sure if that was by design but it would have been nice to just drop the levels a bit, not eliminate it all together because isn’t that what Ninja Pro is for? Anyway, good job on this one.
Physical surroundings (Buildings, Tanks, etc.): Not much in this area… as very little happens when you interact with buildings, etc. You get the swipe noise when you mellee an object and it makes a very basic sound (if movable) but that is it. When you run into objects, no noise is made at all. Not a biggie, just something I noticed. Breaking glass was cool, as it was a quick and not too overpowering sound.
Non-Playable Vehicles (Airplanes, etc.): None in this game.
Comms. (Radio chatter): Basic comm chatter as in most COD games letting you know when you are losing a flag etc.
Projectiles (Bullets, Rockets, etc.): Bullet hits, richochets, etc. seem very basic but when you are playing you don’t notice or care about them. Just I do. J
I give Ambient an 8.
Dialog: Dialog in MP is basic, but what I did like what the attention to detail when it comes to the British nomenclature for Z. It is pronounced “Zed” and when I would play with friends, they would always ask, “Why does he say that?”… Good job on that. The accents were very good and not overpowering like Ice Cube. Wait, did I just hear the Enemy took Bravo??? Good job on the dialog - 9
Vehicles (Playable): Playable vehicles (aircraft) sounded very close-to-real and very cool. The pave low and the chopper gunner had very distinct sounds. You knew which was in the air without looking. And if I heard the low rumble of the Stealth, I just ran for the toughest cover I could find. Very good job on the vehicle sounds guys. - 9
Equipment: Equipment had its own distinct and subtle sound. Basic but got the job done. Bouncing of the grenades (non-semtex) sounded metallic and you knew when a frag was bouncing past you and it was time to run. Semtex however had the same sound. Although the beeping ball of clay flying by distinguished itself rather well. Placing of claymores was cool cause as both a good guy or bad guy, you knew when one was being placed close to you. The pillow throwing sound of the C4 pack is funny but does have a good sound. Very clever on the throwing knife as if you were a bad guy and you heard that familiar noise of one landing next to you, you are certainly glad it didn’t hit you. Although it is very quiet, it has a good sound associated with it. - 8
Weapons: Weapons were done pretty well in #MW2. They all had their own distinctive sound and were very unique to the game. InfinityWard did a better job with the weapons in #MW2 than COD4: MW. Sniper rifles sounded great! Actually, all the weapons sounded great.
Explosions were good. Not too big and loud and not to chinsy. Barrels and vehicles blowing up were obviously better than a semtex ball blowing up all by its lonesome self.
As far as silence weapons, MW2 actually gets it done right with a good mix or not too quiet and having some sound with them.
Pistols were done pretty well as they had noticeable echo when shot and sounded very close-to-real especially the Desert Eagle. Well, maybe not so close-to-real but it did sound cool and I wanted to shoot it just to hear it.
Good job on this and I am looking forward to see if you step it up once more with #MW3
Hmm, my favorite weapon in this game has to be the AK-47. Good mix of gunshot sound and metal hitting metal. SOOO many games have Kalashnikovs but MW2 did a good job on it.
WEAPONS gets a: 9
Overall Sound: InfinityWard did a great job with this game. The music was a bit much during MP play, leave it at the beginning of the round and at the end. (Maybe that was a contract item they had with Hans but who knows.) I just hope he does the music for #MW3 as that was a big reason I loved the SP so much in this game. More on that later though. But when you play this game with headsets, MY OH MY, was it done right. I can hear guys coming around the corner and the correct one at that! Big time props on the surround sound properties. Maybe another studio can learn from this. Thanks guys!
MODERN WARFARE 2 MP overall sound review: 9 (rounded up hahaha)
That is all for now, Raptor Claw 141 out.
Battlefield 3 12 Minute Gameplay Trailer - Sound Review
Little disclaimer…These reviews are my opinion on sound as a player and what engages me into a game and doesn't annoy me while playing a game. I will not be one who says "Come on, that doesn't sound like a real M16!!" I will be rating my sound review on close-to-real as possible. I will not rate anything on gameplay. I am just rating sound.
Sound review for the 12 minute gameplay trailer for #BF3 SP (Single Player)
Video HERE:
Opening statement:
When the announcement came out for Battlefield 3, I was excited. The main reason was because based on what I experienced in #BFBC2, I knew that DICE would again raise the bar for game sound for this next version of the Battlefield series. Unfortunately, I do not have the game, as the rest of you, but I do have the privilege of having 12 minutes of what obviously is part of the single player campaign of the game. I will do my quick review on this and save my detailed review on the full version when the game comes out as well as reserving my rating for the full game and MP portions of the game.
Initial thoughts on what I heard in the trailer: (I am writing this as I watch it so please excuse the brevity)
Opening credits absolutely evoke the feeling of tension and turmoil and is solidified when you read what is going on. Sets the perfect scene for a war movie. I MEAN GAME… Onto the gameplay... Maybe it is me, or my headphones are turned way up, but it seems like the environment sounds are a little loud. AGAIN, being that this is a trailer and YouTube does not do Dolby processing (as far as I am aware) I am giving DICE the benefit of the doubt on this one. The soldiers’ voices felt believable and close-to-real as I have heard soldiers before. The opening scene is certainly cinematic stylized and dramatic. To the details… When the troops go taking off to find the patrol of lost Marines (Where are the SEALS?? Sorry, had to), they run through an alley. I can’t tell if there is noticeable echo since the walls were high and the surfaces were hard and flat but the running sounded good. I like the detail when they reached the door and the dog was barking and jumping and you could hear the fence rattle when it jumped. Nice touch. Comms. sounded decent and the echo when the troops were talking inside the building was very good.
<MOVING INSIDE>
Ah the infamous “Check Your Corners” comment… GAMERS, TAKE NOTE!!!!... Moving on…I did notice the hum of the fluorescent lights (probably rated A ballasts) or it was the hidden A/C unit but good ambient sound for the environment. Nice dramatic touch on the quake tremor. Again, a bit strong but I will see when I have the full game and I play it with my headset on. Vehicle drive by sound was very good and again, echo was in sync with the sound and image. Like the dramatic hum when it is about to get bad. Is this just in the trailer?? Guess we will find out.
<MOVING OUTSIDE - SNIPER ENCOUNTER>
Sniper rifle when fired seemed to be right next to you when it was fired. Would have been more close-to-real if the shot was fired then split second later, the soldier was hit. Even the Nano-second delay would help. I know, sniper is right across the courtyard, but there is still travel. MG fire sounded awesome and close-to-real. Very cool with the depth of sound with the weapon fire as the primary character walks away (dragging the downed soldier) and then back in action and firing his own weapon. DID I just hear the PLR?? Sure sounded like the ones from #MOH J… When the action is over, the soldiers give a sitrep. Now, I know from being around the military that it is frowned upon to swear over comms. but I understand it for cinematic purpose and dramatic effect. So I will let this slip on this one. I finally get to hear the magazine being changed and it sounded close-to-real. AWESOME whizzing sound from the RPG and impact of it. Very cool. Glass breakage and metal bending sounded good. FINALLY the sound of metal moving when the soldiers climbed over the rail with sheet metal on it. Good job on the detail. Who is screaming? Main character or another soldier?
<ROOFTOP>
Slamming through the door (assuming it is metal) sounded very good. Not too distracting. SEE this is what I mean, sniper fire is quieter, and then the shot hits next to the soldiers. Now I know the sniper is much further away than the other scene but I guess I need to be shot at more to make a better call on this one (No offense to my soldier brothers and sisters who ARE really getting shot at over there – BE SAFE). I loved the subtle sounds of the ammo and other gear movement when the soldier is crawling across the rooftop. Good attention to detail again on that. Great distance sound when the AT rocket is hit on the building.
<INTERIOR FOLLOWING WIRE>
Good job on the metal bending as the soldier crawls across it but why no mouse claw noise as it runs by??? Just kidding. Tremor noise and metal creaks were good too. Very dramatic. Somebody send me a pair of G.I. boots so I can go outside and run around and make that noise when the soldiers run and drop down… very strong and solid sounding. Gives a good feeling of strength on the soldier’s part. I do like that DICE didn’t over do the fighting sequence when it came to punches. I am SOOOO tired of the Hollywood SMACK, THWACK and THUD sounds they do.. punches in this trailer sound solid and good. Well, not for who is getting hit. When the soldier starts to leave the building, it was cool to hear the MG fire (muffled) and got clearer in sound as he reached his squad mates. Oh be still my heart boys… I am a sucker for the LMG and the sound was awesome on this one but what happened to that clever distinctive noise when you get close to empty??? Was that something that was only done in #MOH?? That was cool... bummed it wasn’t in this… maybe it will be put in the final release? (hint hint). Reload sounds were good and not to over powering. Again, good job on defeaning the player when something near them explodes or rings the ears. Little bird firing sounded like the MG’s on the Blackhawk in #BFBC2 which is not a big deal, just pointing it out and the casings falling from it sounded cool. Subtle sounds when soldier climbs into back of truck, small details but always important. Great cinematic effect with the building falling and the earthquake but what finally got my friends (the goose bumps and hairs) to jump up was the ending sound when the Battlefield 3 came across the screen.
Closing note:
Way to be smart about getting your gamers to WANT this game. I know I will be in line and will write my detailed sound reviews once I have completed the campaign and played a few hours of the MP on each map.
Thanks for taking the time to read my blog and I always appreciate the comments!
That is all for now, Raptor Claw 141 out.
Sound review for the 12 minute gameplay trailer for #BF3 SP (Single Player)
Video HERE:
Opening statement:
When the announcement came out for Battlefield 3, I was excited. The main reason was because based on what I experienced in #BFBC2, I knew that DICE would again raise the bar for game sound for this next version of the Battlefield series. Unfortunately, I do not have the game, as the rest of you, but I do have the privilege of having 12 minutes of what obviously is part of the single player campaign of the game. I will do my quick review on this and save my detailed review on the full version when the game comes out as well as reserving my rating for the full game and MP portions of the game.
Initial thoughts on what I heard in the trailer: (I am writing this as I watch it so please excuse the brevity)
Opening credits absolutely evoke the feeling of tension and turmoil and is solidified when you read what is going on. Sets the perfect scene for a war movie. I MEAN GAME… Onto the gameplay... Maybe it is me, or my headphones are turned way up, but it seems like the environment sounds are a little loud. AGAIN, being that this is a trailer and YouTube does not do Dolby processing (as far as I am aware) I am giving DICE the benefit of the doubt on this one. The soldiers’ voices felt believable and close-to-real as I have heard soldiers before. The opening scene is certainly cinematic stylized and dramatic. To the details… When the troops go taking off to find the patrol of lost Marines (Where are the SEALS?? Sorry, had to), they run through an alley. I can’t tell if there is noticeable echo since the walls were high and the surfaces were hard and flat but the running sounded good. I like the detail when they reached the door and the dog was barking and jumping and you could hear the fence rattle when it jumped. Nice touch. Comms. sounded decent and the echo when the troops were talking inside the building was very good.
<MOVING INSIDE>
Ah the infamous “Check Your Corners” comment… GAMERS, TAKE NOTE!!!!... Moving on…I did notice the hum of the fluorescent lights (probably rated A ballasts) or it was the hidden A/C unit but good ambient sound for the environment. Nice dramatic touch on the quake tremor. Again, a bit strong but I will see when I have the full game and I play it with my headset on. Vehicle drive by sound was very good and again, echo was in sync with the sound and image. Like the dramatic hum when it is about to get bad. Is this just in the trailer?? Guess we will find out.
<MOVING OUTSIDE - SNIPER ENCOUNTER>
Sniper rifle when fired seemed to be right next to you when it was fired. Would have been more close-to-real if the shot was fired then split second later, the soldier was hit. Even the Nano-second delay would help. I know, sniper is right across the courtyard, but there is still travel. MG fire sounded awesome and close-to-real. Very cool with the depth of sound with the weapon fire as the primary character walks away (dragging the downed soldier) and then back in action and firing his own weapon. DID I just hear the PLR?? Sure sounded like the ones from #MOH J… When the action is over, the soldiers give a sitrep. Now, I know from being around the military that it is frowned upon to swear over comms. but I understand it for cinematic purpose and dramatic effect. So I will let this slip on this one. I finally get to hear the magazine being changed and it sounded close-to-real. AWESOME whizzing sound from the RPG and impact of it. Very cool. Glass breakage and metal bending sounded good. FINALLY the sound of metal moving when the soldiers climbed over the rail with sheet metal on it. Good job on the detail. Who is screaming? Main character or another soldier?
<ROOFTOP>
Slamming through the door (assuming it is metal) sounded very good. Not too distracting. SEE this is what I mean, sniper fire is quieter, and then the shot hits next to the soldiers. Now I know the sniper is much further away than the other scene but I guess I need to be shot at more to make a better call on this one (No offense to my soldier brothers and sisters who ARE really getting shot at over there – BE SAFE). I loved the subtle sounds of the ammo and other gear movement when the soldier is crawling across the rooftop. Good attention to detail again on that. Great distance sound when the AT rocket is hit on the building.
<INTERIOR FOLLOWING WIRE>
Good job on the metal bending as the soldier crawls across it but why no mouse claw noise as it runs by??? Just kidding. Tremor noise and metal creaks were good too. Very dramatic. Somebody send me a pair of G.I. boots so I can go outside and run around and make that noise when the soldiers run and drop down… very strong and solid sounding. Gives a good feeling of strength on the soldier’s part. I do like that DICE didn’t over do the fighting sequence when it came to punches. I am SOOOO tired of the Hollywood SMACK, THWACK and THUD sounds they do.. punches in this trailer sound solid and good. Well, not for who is getting hit. When the soldier starts to leave the building, it was cool to hear the MG fire (muffled) and got clearer in sound as he reached his squad mates. Oh be still my heart boys… I am a sucker for the LMG and the sound was awesome on this one but what happened to that clever distinctive noise when you get close to empty??? Was that something that was only done in #MOH?? That was cool... bummed it wasn’t in this… maybe it will be put in the final release? (hint hint). Reload sounds were good and not to over powering. Again, good job on defeaning the player when something near them explodes or rings the ears. Little bird firing sounded like the MG’s on the Blackhawk in #BFBC2 which is not a big deal, just pointing it out and the casings falling from it sounded cool. Subtle sounds when soldier climbs into back of truck, small details but always important. Great cinematic effect with the building falling and the earthquake but what finally got my friends (the goose bumps and hairs) to jump up was the ending sound when the Battlefield 3 came across the screen.
Closing note:
Way to be smart about getting your gamers to WANT this game. I know I will be in line and will write my detailed sound reviews once I have completed the campaign and played a few hours of the MP on each map.
Thanks for taking the time to read my blog and I always appreciate the comments!
That is all for now, Raptor Claw 141 out.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Battlefield Bad Company 2 (Multi Player) - Sound Review
Little disclaimer…These reviews are my opinion on sound as a player and what engages me into a game and doesn't annoy me while playing a game. I will not be one who says "Come on, that doesn't sound like a real M16!!" I will be rating my sound review on close-to-real as possible. I will not rate anything on gameplay. I am just rating sound.
Rating is as follows: 1 through 10
1 Being BAD, what were you thinking, horrible sound.
10 Being the Best sound element ever!
Multiplayer for Battlefield Bad Company 2 sound review…
Opening statement:
When Battlefield Bad Company came out, I was excited to see a studio decide to make a Funny spin on FPS games. The SP (Single Player) mode was full of fun twists and turns with the characters being hilarious at best and keeping players engaged in a fully immersive experience with a video game. The downside is that it didn’t gain the popularity that I hoped it would as BFBC2 came out, the same characters became dark and serious. But ok, it was still a blast to play. Once the SP was complete, I had a handle on the weapons and character controls to jump into MP (Multi Player). After playing it since it came out, I can now speak to the sound engineering and design of this great game. Here is my personal take on the sound design and engineering for Battlefield Bad Company 2.
Music: I am not going to review music for MP. I only do that for SP (Single Player).
Ambient:
Environments: Wind noise, water noise and wildlife sound are top notch. Levels are great and tones are right on. Fire noise, brush and tree noise was awesome.
Walking/Running/Jumping: Walking is at a good level and quiet. Running has great sound and at a not so distracting level. Jumping is in the same boat as running. Traversing over the different terrain types kept with the “close-to-real” aspect I like but DICE likes to keep it as close to real as possible. Love the fact that the ammo noise wasn’t constant like some other FPS games out there. Not all gamers will like this but the ones who do will love this game.
Physical surroundings (Buildings, Tanks, etc.): Again, when interacting with buildings and other objects, the sounds are as close-to-real as possible based on the object you are interacting with. The developers went as far as destruction in the game and they didn’t overlook the sound that goes with it either. Right on!
Non-Playable Vehicles (Airplanes, etc.): When the fighters fly over you, they certainly grab your attention. This is important to note if you have lived right next to an Air Force base like I did for years. My morning wakeup call was the A-10’s flying over my house at 6:30 in the morning.
Comms. (Radio chatter): Aside from the close-to-real swearing, the Comm. side was great in that if you listened, it helped your gameplay. Seems like DICE gets this!!!!
Projectiles (Bullets, Rockets, etc.): I love holding a sniper rifle, hearing a rocket go whizzing past me and turn to see it actually did and kept its depth and distance sound with it.
Put your headsets on folks because I give Ambient a 10.
Dialog: Dialog played a very important part of MP. For new gamers, they may find this to be distracting but to seasoned players, they find this just another tool in their tactical toolbox. Listen carefully as the dialog helps you with your gameplay in #BFBC2. The whole “How does that feel bitch” comment a sniper made me laugh out loud.
Vehicles (Playable): One thing that excited me the most in #BFBC2 was the vehicle sounds. I have been around tanks, troop vehicles and the sort and let me tell you, DICE nailed it in this one down to the creaking metal while driving. The Blackhawks mini-guns are awesome sounding and certainly make you run for cover when you hear them. Jet skis and PBR’s made me feel like I was back at my uncles house driving around all day on the river. Perfect sound for the vehicles. Tanks make you feel like you are driving the simulators at OSUT. - Rating: 10
Equipment: Equipment doesn’t play a big part in #BFBC2 but the part it does play, as subtle as it is, is great. Equipment gets an 9.
Weapons: Weapons in #BFBC2 have strong and powerful sound. When you shoot a weapon in this game, you almost feel it… (Unless of course you have vibration turned off J) The sounds are as close-to-real as I have heard video game weapons. I am very happy to see a studio like DICE place the bar high when it comes to Video game weapon sound.
Explosions are right in line with weapons except for one thing… when an explosion occurs and you are close to it, you hear it too. Well kind of…. You get that ear blown out feeling and deafening sound which all adds up to the overall experience to this game.
As far as silence weapons, I am not a fan of them in this game either. Seems like everyone is grasping at straws to get the perfect sound for a silenced weapon. Make it sound cool, but not too quiet.
Pistols were done pretty well as they had noticeable echo when shot and sounded very close-to-real. Reloading and metal sounds were done very well.
They knock it out of the park with this one…the weapons sound different based on what area you are located while on a map. (i.e.: Indoor vs. Outdoor). If you are dumb enough to fire a weapon in a closed building (like I have) you will note the only thing missing is that deafening sound that comes after along with ringing ear drums. But, DICE did it well with indoor vs. outdoor firing situations in this game.
My favorite sounding weapon in this game by far is the 870MCS Shotgun. Damn it kicks!!
My least favorite sounding weapon is the M1 Garand. Seemed weak. (Except for the DISTINCTIVE reloading clip)
WEAPONS get a: 10
Overall Sound: DICE did a fabulous job with Battlefield Bad Company 2 MP. There is not much bad I can write about it from a sound perspective. I certainly cannot wait to see how #BF3 shapes up. Guess I will need to write a blog on the 12 minute trailer.
BATTLEFIELD BAD COMPANY 2 MP overall sound review: 10
That is all for now, Raptor Claw 141 out.
Rating is as follows: 1 through 10
1 Being BAD, what were you thinking, horrible sound.
10 Being the Best sound element ever!
Multiplayer for Battlefield Bad Company 2 sound review…
Opening statement:
When Battlefield Bad Company came out, I was excited to see a studio decide to make a Funny spin on FPS games. The SP (Single Player) mode was full of fun twists and turns with the characters being hilarious at best and keeping players engaged in a fully immersive experience with a video game. The downside is that it didn’t gain the popularity that I hoped it would as BFBC2 came out, the same characters became dark and serious. But ok, it was still a blast to play. Once the SP was complete, I had a handle on the weapons and character controls to jump into MP (Multi Player). After playing it since it came out, I can now speak to the sound engineering and design of this great game. Here is my personal take on the sound design and engineering for Battlefield Bad Company 2.
Music: I am not going to review music for MP. I only do that for SP (Single Player).
Ambient:
Environments: Wind noise, water noise and wildlife sound are top notch. Levels are great and tones are right on. Fire noise, brush and tree noise was awesome.
Walking/Running/Jumping: Walking is at a good level and quiet. Running has great sound and at a not so distracting level. Jumping is in the same boat as running. Traversing over the different terrain types kept with the “close-to-real” aspect I like but DICE likes to keep it as close to real as possible. Love the fact that the ammo noise wasn’t constant like some other FPS games out there. Not all gamers will like this but the ones who do will love this game.
Physical surroundings (Buildings, Tanks, etc.): Again, when interacting with buildings and other objects, the sounds are as close-to-real as possible based on the object you are interacting with. The developers went as far as destruction in the game and they didn’t overlook the sound that goes with it either. Right on!
Non-Playable Vehicles (Airplanes, etc.): When the fighters fly over you, they certainly grab your attention. This is important to note if you have lived right next to an Air Force base like I did for years. My morning wakeup call was the A-10’s flying over my house at 6:30 in the morning.
Comms. (Radio chatter): Aside from the close-to-real swearing, the Comm. side was great in that if you listened, it helped your gameplay. Seems like DICE gets this!!!!
Projectiles (Bullets, Rockets, etc.): I love holding a sniper rifle, hearing a rocket go whizzing past me and turn to see it actually did and kept its depth and distance sound with it.
Put your headsets on folks because I give Ambient a 10.
Dialog: Dialog played a very important part of MP. For new gamers, they may find this to be distracting but to seasoned players, they find this just another tool in their tactical toolbox. Listen carefully as the dialog helps you with your gameplay in #BFBC2. The whole “How does that feel bitch” comment a sniper made me laugh out loud.
Vehicles (Playable): One thing that excited me the most in #BFBC2 was the vehicle sounds. I have been around tanks, troop vehicles and the sort and let me tell you, DICE nailed it in this one down to the creaking metal while driving. The Blackhawks mini-guns are awesome sounding and certainly make you run for cover when you hear them. Jet skis and PBR’s made me feel like I was back at my uncles house driving around all day on the river. Perfect sound for the vehicles. Tanks make you feel like you are driving the simulators at OSUT. - Rating: 10
Equipment: Equipment doesn’t play a big part in #BFBC2 but the part it does play, as subtle as it is, is great. Equipment gets an 9.
Weapons: Weapons in #BFBC2 have strong and powerful sound. When you shoot a weapon in this game, you almost feel it… (Unless of course you have vibration turned off J) The sounds are as close-to-real as I have heard video game weapons. I am very happy to see a studio like DICE place the bar high when it comes to Video game weapon sound.
Explosions are right in line with weapons except for one thing… when an explosion occurs and you are close to it, you hear it too. Well kind of…. You get that ear blown out feeling and deafening sound which all adds up to the overall experience to this game.
As far as silence weapons, I am not a fan of them in this game either. Seems like everyone is grasping at straws to get the perfect sound for a silenced weapon. Make it sound cool, but not too quiet.
Pistols were done pretty well as they had noticeable echo when shot and sounded very close-to-real. Reloading and metal sounds were done very well.
They knock it out of the park with this one…the weapons sound different based on what area you are located while on a map. (i.e.: Indoor vs. Outdoor). If you are dumb enough to fire a weapon in a closed building (like I have) you will note the only thing missing is that deafening sound that comes after along with ringing ear drums. But, DICE did it well with indoor vs. outdoor firing situations in this game.
My favorite sounding weapon in this game by far is the 870MCS Shotgun. Damn it kicks!!
My least favorite sounding weapon is the M1 Garand. Seemed weak. (Except for the DISTINCTIVE reloading clip)
WEAPONS get a: 10
Overall Sound: DICE did a fabulous job with Battlefield Bad Company 2 MP. There is not much bad I can write about it from a sound perspective. I certainly cannot wait to see how #BF3 shapes up. Guess I will need to write a blog on the 12 minute trailer.
BATTLEFIELD BAD COMPANY 2 MP overall sound review: 10
That is all for now, Raptor Claw 141 out.
Call of Duty: Black Ops (Multi Player) - Sound Review
Little disclaimer…These reviews are my opinion on sound as a player and what engages me into a game and doesn't annoy me while playing a game. I will not be one who says "Come on, that doesn't sound like a real M16!!" I will be rating my sound review on close-to-real as possible. I will not rate anything on gameplay. I am just rating sound.
Rating is as follows: 1 through 10
1 Being BAD, what were you thinking, horrible sound.
10 Being the Best sound element ever!
Multiplayer for Call of Duty Black Ops sound review…
Opening statement:
My initial thoughts as I play all Call of Duty games is that they are very fast paced and fun to play but since I am sound guy, I like to hear great sound when I play these games. I will be writing my review on MP (Multiplayer) sound in general here shortly but here is one I just did on #CODBlackOps. I enjoy playing Black Ops with my friends as well as checking out the different sounds while by myself in a private match or system link. It always intrigued me on how the developers and sound engineers came up with the various sounds when creating this game. Here is my personal take on the sound design and engineering for #CODBlackOps.
Music: I am not going to review music for MP. I only do that for SP (Single Player).
Ambient: Let’s first talk about the walking/running/jumping in MP. It sounds so squishy and goofy. I feel like I am in a cartoon sometimes. I wonder how the foley artists and the developers sat down to design the sound for this. It is the one thing that annoys me the most when playing Black Ops MP. Also walking/Running/Jumping is just a bit too loud for my taste as well. Switching of weapons is not too bad. Not too loud and distracting. Ambient sound of ammo/gear while running is another item that is kind of annoying. Sounds like plastic sticks in my front pocket. I am just not fond of those sounds. Walking/Running on objects… it is ok just not great. The grunting noises that the characters make while climbing through windows or up walls were close-to-real and sounded pretty good. I give props to the developers to put this into the game but if you use Ninja Pro, you can still hear them. (My take on that is if you are going to make a perk absolutely silent, cut out the climbing noises as well). Ambient noises like wind, birds, snow, etc. was done very well. I did like the sounds of doors opening, sparks, buzzers, trains, etc. That seems like it had the most work put into it. Walking into “tanks” noise was cool, but why nothing else like walls or forklifts??? Makes no sense to me… feels like a trial run to see what people thought I guess. I know, you are thinking I am slamming #CODBlackOps but I am not. I was pleased with gameplay but the sound just lacked in some parts of MP. Compared to MW2, it doesn’t stack up. I guess I will need to play WaW first to see if it is a developer specific issue when it comes to sound. Aside from the character sounds (walking/running/etc) I give Ambient an 8.
Dialog: TOO much of it in MP. I like Ice Cube and all, but if I hear him yell “ENEMY HAS BRAVO” again, I am going to drink myself into hell. I think the dialog in MP was a little loud and overpowering. Keep it simple I say. Turn it down a bit and less talking and more action. Rating: 6
Vehicles (Playable): Since the only vehicles that are in #CODBlackOps are aircraft and a R.C. Car, I liked what they did with them when it comes to sound. They weren’t too loud and you could distinguish the sound of what vehicle was active no matter which team you were on and hoped that when you did hear the RC car roll up that it was your team mate’s car and not the other team’s. Good job on that one!! Rating: 7
Equipment: Equipment sound was done pretty good. Not too loud and has distinctive sounds when in the proximity of the equipment like Tac inserts, motion sensors and jammers. Again, good job on that one. Rating: 7
Weapons: By far my favorite sounding weapon in #CODBlackOps has to be the M60. It is a fun sound when you shoot this thing especially when you have 4 of your friends who all have them and you come walking around the corner to face the enemy. Not only does it drown out the silly sounding walking, but it intimidates the hell out of the opposing side when they hear you coming.
Explosions are done well. Not too loud and not to BOOMISH… just right for this type of FPS.
Not liking the silenced weapons. Again, sounds cheesy and “too silenced”.
Pistols were done pretty well as they had noticeable echo when shot.
It is nice to hear the weapons sound different based on what area you are located while on a map. (i.e.: Indoor vs. Outdoor) so good job on that!
So, let me break the primary weapons down generally for now:
Sub Machine Guns:
Overall good sound to them. Not too cheesy and have appealing sound that I like playing them all.
Assault Rifles:
Again, overall good sound to them all. I really like the FAL, that one sounds awesome as well as the AK-47
Shotguns:
The shotguns sounds were done nicely. Very distinctive sound between them all.
Light Machine Guns:
Is it me or does firing the Kiparis seem louder than firing the Stoner? Anyway, the LMG’s were good sounding but by far the one that stands out the most is the M60. It is just a beast!
Sniper Rifles:
Sniper rifles sound like crap. No other way to put it. I don’t like the sound of them at all.
Weapons gets a 7
Overall Sound: #CODBlackOps did a good job with the sound engineering except for Ninja as it appears to just lower the volume of game play and not raise the sound of enemies that much at all. Maybe it is the whole balance thing… Whatever… So… when it comes to sound design, I just feel like some parts were rushed into the game than others. Maybe that is the business side of it (to get it to market) but it just was a little weak. I think the sound is “cartoony” when it comes to the characters interactions with the elements and it is the only thing that drives me away from playing this game as much as I would love to... Ambient gets the top mark for this one though.
CALL OF DUTY BLACK OPS overall sound review: 7
That is all for now, Raptor Claw 141 out.
Rating is as follows: 1 through 10
1 Being BAD, what were you thinking, horrible sound.
10 Being the Best sound element ever!
Multiplayer for Call of Duty Black Ops sound review…
Opening statement:
My initial thoughts as I play all Call of Duty games is that they are very fast paced and fun to play but since I am sound guy, I like to hear great sound when I play these games. I will be writing my review on MP (Multiplayer) sound in general here shortly but here is one I just did on #CODBlackOps. I enjoy playing Black Ops with my friends as well as checking out the different sounds while by myself in a private match or system link. It always intrigued me on how the developers and sound engineers came up with the various sounds when creating this game. Here is my personal take on the sound design and engineering for #CODBlackOps.
Music: I am not going to review music for MP. I only do that for SP (Single Player).
Ambient: Let’s first talk about the walking/running/jumping in MP. It sounds so squishy and goofy. I feel like I am in a cartoon sometimes. I wonder how the foley artists and the developers sat down to design the sound for this. It is the one thing that annoys me the most when playing Black Ops MP. Also walking/Running/Jumping is just a bit too loud for my taste as well. Switching of weapons is not too bad. Not too loud and distracting. Ambient sound of ammo/gear while running is another item that is kind of annoying. Sounds like plastic sticks in my front pocket. I am just not fond of those sounds. Walking/Running on objects… it is ok just not great. The grunting noises that the characters make while climbing through windows or up walls were close-to-real and sounded pretty good. I give props to the developers to put this into the game but if you use Ninja Pro, you can still hear them. (My take on that is if you are going to make a perk absolutely silent, cut out the climbing noises as well). Ambient noises like wind, birds, snow, etc. was done very well. I did like the sounds of doors opening, sparks, buzzers, trains, etc. That seems like it had the most work put into it. Walking into “tanks” noise was cool, but why nothing else like walls or forklifts??? Makes no sense to me… feels like a trial run to see what people thought I guess. I know, you are thinking I am slamming #CODBlackOps but I am not. I was pleased with gameplay but the sound just lacked in some parts of MP. Compared to MW2, it doesn’t stack up. I guess I will need to play WaW first to see if it is a developer specific issue when it comes to sound. Aside from the character sounds (walking/running/etc) I give Ambient an 8.
Dialog: TOO much of it in MP. I like Ice Cube and all, but if I hear him yell “ENEMY HAS BRAVO” again, I am going to drink myself into hell. I think the dialog in MP was a little loud and overpowering. Keep it simple I say. Turn it down a bit and less talking and more action. Rating: 6
Vehicles (Playable): Since the only vehicles that are in #CODBlackOps are aircraft and a R.C. Car, I liked what they did with them when it comes to sound. They weren’t too loud and you could distinguish the sound of what vehicle was active no matter which team you were on and hoped that when you did hear the RC car roll up that it was your team mate’s car and not the other team’s. Good job on that one!! Rating: 7
Equipment: Equipment sound was done pretty good. Not too loud and has distinctive sounds when in the proximity of the equipment like Tac inserts, motion sensors and jammers. Again, good job on that one. Rating: 7
Weapons: By far my favorite sounding weapon in #CODBlackOps has to be the M60. It is a fun sound when you shoot this thing especially when you have 4 of your friends who all have them and you come walking around the corner to face the enemy. Not only does it drown out the silly sounding walking, but it intimidates the hell out of the opposing side when they hear you coming.
Explosions are done well. Not too loud and not to BOOMISH… just right for this type of FPS.
Not liking the silenced weapons. Again, sounds cheesy and “too silenced”.
Pistols were done pretty well as they had noticeable echo when shot.
It is nice to hear the weapons sound different based on what area you are located while on a map. (i.e.: Indoor vs. Outdoor) so good job on that!
So, let me break the primary weapons down generally for now:
Sub Machine Guns:
Overall good sound to them. Not too cheesy and have appealing sound that I like playing them all.
Assault Rifles:
Again, overall good sound to them all. I really like the FAL, that one sounds awesome as well as the AK-47
Shotguns:
The shotguns sounds were done nicely. Very distinctive sound between them all.
Light Machine Guns:
Is it me or does firing the Kiparis seem louder than firing the Stoner? Anyway, the LMG’s were good sounding but by far the one that stands out the most is the M60. It is just a beast!
Sniper Rifles:
Sniper rifles sound like crap. No other way to put it. I don’t like the sound of them at all.
Weapons gets a 7
Overall Sound: #CODBlackOps did a good job with the sound engineering except for Ninja as it appears to just lower the volume of game play and not raise the sound of enemies that much at all. Maybe it is the whole balance thing… Whatever… So… when it comes to sound design, I just feel like some parts were rushed into the game than others. Maybe that is the business side of it (to get it to market) but it just was a little weak. I think the sound is “cartoony” when it comes to the characters interactions with the elements and it is the only thing that drives me away from playing this game as much as I would love to... Ambient gets the top mark for this one though.
CALL OF DUTY BLACK OPS overall sound review: 7
That is all for now, Raptor Claw 141 out.
Medal Of Honor (SINGLE PLAYER) - Sound Review
Since this is the first sound review I am doing, I will do my best for this one... Again, this is my opinion on sound as a player and what engages me into a game and doesn't annoy me while playing a game. I will not be one who says "Come on, that doesn't sound like a real M16!!" I will be rating my sound review on close-to-real as possible.
Rating is as follows: 1 through 10
1 Being BAD, what were you thinking, horrible sound.
10 Being the Best sound element ever!
Ok, let's get Single Player out of the way first...
Music: Ramin Djawadi did an awesome job of getting the player into the setting and feeling of conflict through his soundtracks throughout the game. Specific levels that got me pumped up was during the "Gunfighters" mission where you fly an Apache helicopter and blow everything up to kingdom come. When the goosebumps rose and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, I knew that the music certainly did its job. This was also the case for the missions where the songs "Watch Your Corners" and "Final Extraction" were played. Music for this game (SP) gets a 9.
Ambient: The ambient in this game was rather quiet, but that is not a bad thing since the dialog is usually being done by Comms (more on that in the dialog portion) and ambient is, and should be, quieter. The overall sound design on the ambiance of the game was very good. Basic, close-to-real and at good volumes. Not overpowering at all. I am giving this one a 7.
Dialog: The character's dialog was done very well. Script was good but as with most video game story lines, not a lot of people will really follow this but since I am a film guy at heart, I like a good story. With that said, the story should be sold in a way that it doesn't seem like someone standing behind a mic just reading lines. They should put full emotion and feeling into the role which I feel they did a very good job on this one. As far as the sound, the developers were very clever in ways to give depth and distance to the dialog. For instance, when you are talking to your squad mates and they are far away, it clearly sounds like radio chatter, but as soon as your squad mate comes closer to your proximity, you can not only hear the radio chatter, but you can also hear their voice as well. That we really cool. Distance is always an issue for me in games. What I mean by this is if someone in the game is speaking and they are at a distance, there should be noticeable echo and cover noise like ambient, etc. This should also follow the surround sound functions if I am looking directly at them or away from them. (left ear, right ear sounds). All in all, the dialog was done very well in this game and the developers did a great job with the dialog sound. Giving dialog an 8 rating.
Vehicles: This one is pretty easy as you will either screw up vehicle sound or you get it right. It goes along with the surround sound as well so if you are driving in a vehicle, the sounds that occur in the vehicle and outside the vehicle should be apparent and you hear them clearly. I don't expect developers to put a lot of effort into this unless of course the game is heavily dependant on vehicles interactions. For MOH, vehicle sound was done very well and the authenticity of the sounds were pretty dead on. The only thing I wish I could have noticed was the creaking noises that vehicles make when driving over non-flat surfaces. (I will play the first mission again when the radio is off to see if I can hear it. As far as air vehicles, I rate them to what I have heard in film/movies as that is what we can all relate to. But overall, thumbs up on this one. Rating of 7.
Weapons: I have shot many weapons in my life and I will tell you right now that real life weapons and video game weapons WILL ALWAYS SOUND DIFFERENT!!! Video game weapons need to "sound" realistic and keep the player engaged with that strong, cool CHUGGA CHUGGA sound that a game weapon will make when shooting. So I will give my sound review on a close-to-real sound that I can. In Medal of Honor, the developers again were very clever in that when you are firing a weapon and it gets close to empty, there is a distinct sound that is made to let you know you are close to the end of your magazine/belt. That is nice once you get used to it so you don't have to look down at your ammo count and keep your eyes on the bad guy at all times and reload at the right moment unless of course you are firing a LMG and then you are screwed either way. hahaha... ok.. since I am doing overall sound, I will not go into each weapons on this discussion but I will think about doing blogs on each weapon for a game later. Overall, Medal of Honor did a great job with weapon sound. Thumbs up guys! Weapons get a 9!
Overall Sound: Medal of Honor developers (Danger Close/DICE) did a phenomenal job in taking the time to produce high quality sound for both the speaker users and headset users. The music was right in line with each mission and kept me engaged and produced the proper feeling for conflict and or excitement that I would get watching a really good war movie. The dialog, ambient, vehicles and weapons also got high marks as they all worked well with each other and were very close to realistic as possible for a FPS that aims to be as real as possible. It is just too bad that the game didn't do as well as I thought it would. It is unfortunate that the gaming industry is so tough on games these days because this game overall did extremely well and as far as my sound review goes for this title, Great job!!! Overall Sound rating gets a 9!
MEDAL OF HONOR overall review: 9
That is all for now, Raptor Claw 141 out.
Rating is as follows: 1 through 10
1 Being BAD, what were you thinking, horrible sound.
10 Being the Best sound element ever!
Ok, let's get Single Player out of the way first...
Music: Ramin Djawadi did an awesome job of getting the player into the setting and feeling of conflict through his soundtracks throughout the game. Specific levels that got me pumped up was during the "Gunfighters" mission where you fly an Apache helicopter and blow everything up to kingdom come. When the goosebumps rose and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, I knew that the music certainly did its job. This was also the case for the missions where the songs "Watch Your Corners" and "Final Extraction" were played. Music for this game (SP) gets a 9.
Ambient: The ambient in this game was rather quiet, but that is not a bad thing since the dialog is usually being done by Comms (more on that in the dialog portion) and ambient is, and should be, quieter. The overall sound design on the ambiance of the game was very good. Basic, close-to-real and at good volumes. Not overpowering at all. I am giving this one a 7.
Dialog: The character's dialog was done very well. Script was good but as with most video game story lines, not a lot of people will really follow this but since I am a film guy at heart, I like a good story. With that said, the story should be sold in a way that it doesn't seem like someone standing behind a mic just reading lines. They should put full emotion and feeling into the role which I feel they did a very good job on this one. As far as the sound, the developers were very clever in ways to give depth and distance to the dialog. For instance, when you are talking to your squad mates and they are far away, it clearly sounds like radio chatter, but as soon as your squad mate comes closer to your proximity, you can not only hear the radio chatter, but you can also hear their voice as well. That we really cool. Distance is always an issue for me in games. What I mean by this is if someone in the game is speaking and they are at a distance, there should be noticeable echo and cover noise like ambient, etc. This should also follow the surround sound functions if I am looking directly at them or away from them. (left ear, right ear sounds). All in all, the dialog was done very well in this game and the developers did a great job with the dialog sound. Giving dialog an 8 rating.
Vehicles: This one is pretty easy as you will either screw up vehicle sound or you get it right. It goes along with the surround sound as well so if you are driving in a vehicle, the sounds that occur in the vehicle and outside the vehicle should be apparent and you hear them clearly. I don't expect developers to put a lot of effort into this unless of course the game is heavily dependant on vehicles interactions. For MOH, vehicle sound was done very well and the authenticity of the sounds were pretty dead on. The only thing I wish I could have noticed was the creaking noises that vehicles make when driving over non-flat surfaces. (I will play the first mission again when the radio is off to see if I can hear it. As far as air vehicles, I rate them to what I have heard in film/movies as that is what we can all relate to. But overall, thumbs up on this one. Rating of 7.
Weapons: I have shot many weapons in my life and I will tell you right now that real life weapons and video game weapons WILL ALWAYS SOUND DIFFERENT!!! Video game weapons need to "sound" realistic and keep the player engaged with that strong, cool CHUGGA CHUGGA sound that a game weapon will make when shooting. So I will give my sound review on a close-to-real sound that I can. In Medal of Honor, the developers again were very clever in that when you are firing a weapon and it gets close to empty, there is a distinct sound that is made to let you know you are close to the end of your magazine/belt. That is nice once you get used to it so you don't have to look down at your ammo count and keep your eyes on the bad guy at all times and reload at the right moment unless of course you are firing a LMG and then you are screwed either way. hahaha... ok.. since I am doing overall sound, I will not go into each weapons on this discussion but I will think about doing blogs on each weapon for a game later. Overall, Medal of Honor did a great job with weapon sound. Thumbs up guys! Weapons get a 9!
Overall Sound: Medal of Honor developers (Danger Close/DICE) did a phenomenal job in taking the time to produce high quality sound for both the speaker users and headset users. The music was right in line with each mission and kept me engaged and produced the proper feeling for conflict and or excitement that I would get watching a really good war movie. The dialog, ambient, vehicles and weapons also got high marks as they all worked well with each other and were very close to realistic as possible for a FPS that aims to be as real as possible. It is just too bad that the game didn't do as well as I thought it would. It is unfortunate that the gaming industry is so tough on games these days because this game overall did extremely well and as far as my sound review goes for this title, Great job!!! Overall Sound rating gets a 9!
MEDAL OF HONOR overall review: 9
That is all for now, Raptor Claw 141 out.
Monday, May 23, 2011
My oh my... which game should I start with first?
So, here is how I will do this... I will break up the games into three categories:
- SOLO (Single Player Campaign) Sound Design
- MP Sound Environment (Ambient, interaction, depth of sound, etc.)
- MP Sound Physical (Like weapons, vehicles, etc.)
Then, I will give my pros and cons on the game sound overall.
As this is a work in progress, I will always go back and update my blogs to reflect any new ideas on possible sound items that I come across, but I promise you I will never edit my original entries to keep it true to my original thoughts.
Thanks!
Raptor Claw out...
On the Air! - Welcome to my blog.
Ok, I figured I have been gaming for a long time, I have been a sound guy for a long time (D.J., Sound Engineer and Audio and visual effects guru) and I have been telling my friends my thoughts on video game sound so they convinced my to blog on my thoughts and opinions of the video games I play. So, here goes... REMEMBER, these are my personal opinions and feelings towards game sound and give you some insight on the process it takes to create game sound. I love FPS (First Person Shooters) but I also love other game types as well. I will also give you my thoughts on the various gaming headsets out there too.
I know how the gaming community is so please be respectful in your comments and I will take the time to respond to them all. I love feedback and others' thoughts on things too.
Thanks for taking the time to read my thoughts and hope to see you online sometime!!
As far as my blog customization goes, give it time I will certainly make it cool.
Raptor Claw 141 out...
Xbox GT: Raptor Claw 141
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/raptorclaw141
I know how the gaming community is so please be respectful in your comments and I will take the time to respond to them all. I love feedback and others' thoughts on things too.
Thanks for taking the time to read my thoughts and hope to see you online sometime!!
As far as my blog customization goes, give it time I will certainly make it cool.
Raptor Claw 141 out...
Xbox GT: Raptor Claw 141
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/raptorclaw141
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