E3 Live
Raptor Claw 141 Out.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Thursday, June 2, 2011
DIRT 2 (Single 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 be rating my sound review on close-to-real as possible. I will not rate anything on gameplay like graphics or mechanics. 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!
Ok, let's review the sound for the game Dirt 2 (I am rating it on the demo)
Music: Music choices for a game in this genre needs to be exciting and energetic, and the Codies didn’t fail there. The second this game starts up, you want to race! The only downside is that I couldn’t turn on music while I drive, but then again, I wouldn’t hear the awesome detail of the vehicle. The rock and techno mix choices were good. Music gets an 8.
Ambient: When I was a photographer at race tracks, both dirt and tarmac, I am always listening to what is going on around me. So, Codies did a great job with the ambients in this game all the way down to when you are in the Trailer. Looking around, the sounds STAY where they are supposed to. Great surround engineering guys! It flows extremely well when you “go outside”. Hey look! It is a wacky wavy inflatable tube man!!! Haha.. Once outside, you don’t hear too much going on except for the music in the background. And what is up with the dude in the foot locker? Onto the environment when racing. I am going to pick the West Coast Choppers Baja Champ Truck. Wind, dirt, water, bushes, fireworks and other ambient was done extremely well. Nice attention to detail guys!! Ambient gets a 9.
Dialog: The voice overs were done very well. I know the real racers provided their voice talent but the excitement wasn’t there but if you have met them, and I have, their voices are dead on. Track voices and intros were also done pretty well. Albeit basic, the voice overs gets an 8 rating.
Vehicles: Since this game is a racing game, this is where most of my focus will be. Now, if you have had the privilege to stand near a Champ Truck, you will know this is the same type of review I will give with weapons in FPS genres. Those trucks are freekin loud!!! BUT, with that said, they hit the nail on the head with these. The truck actualy sounds like a champ truck so the design and engineering that went into replicating the sound went a long way. Even down to the Chevy horn. Good job! While racing, the creaking sounds, metal bangs, superchargers/nitrous, truck on truck crashes, acceleration sounds, gear change and especially the dirt/gravel hitting the wheel wells all were DEAD ON!! Don’t believe me, go watch the movie “Dust to Glory” and hear for yourself. AWESOME Job on this one! Rating: Big time 10!!!
Overall Sound: The Codies put it all on the table designing and engineering the sound for this fun game. It made me want more, so time to go buy this game. I can’t wait to see what they think of next for Dirt 3.Overall Sound rating gets a 9!
DIRT 2 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 review the sound for the game Dirt 2 (I am rating it on the demo)
Music: Music choices for a game in this genre needs to be exciting and energetic, and the Codies didn’t fail there. The second this game starts up, you want to race! The only downside is that I couldn’t turn on music while I drive, but then again, I wouldn’t hear the awesome detail of the vehicle. The rock and techno mix choices were good. Music gets an 8.
Ambient: When I was a photographer at race tracks, both dirt and tarmac, I am always listening to what is going on around me. So, Codies did a great job with the ambients in this game all the way down to when you are in the Trailer. Looking around, the sounds STAY where they are supposed to. Great surround engineering guys! It flows extremely well when you “go outside”. Hey look! It is a wacky wavy inflatable tube man!!! Haha.. Once outside, you don’t hear too much going on except for the music in the background. And what is up with the dude in the foot locker? Onto the environment when racing. I am going to pick the West Coast Choppers Baja Champ Truck. Wind, dirt, water, bushes, fireworks and other ambient was done extremely well. Nice attention to detail guys!! Ambient gets a 9.
Dialog: The voice overs were done very well. I know the real racers provided their voice talent but the excitement wasn’t there but if you have met them, and I have, their voices are dead on. Track voices and intros were also done pretty well. Albeit basic, the voice overs gets an 8 rating.
Vehicles: Since this game is a racing game, this is where most of my focus will be. Now, if you have had the privilege to stand near a Champ Truck, you will know this is the same type of review I will give with weapons in FPS genres. Those trucks are freekin loud!!! BUT, with that said, they hit the nail on the head with these. The truck actualy sounds like a champ truck so the design and engineering that went into replicating the sound went a long way. Even down to the Chevy horn. Good job! While racing, the creaking sounds, metal bangs, superchargers/nitrous, truck on truck crashes, acceleration sounds, gear change and especially the dirt/gravel hitting the wheel wells all were DEAD ON!! Don’t believe me, go watch the movie “Dust to Glory” and hear for yourself. AWESOME Job on this one! Rating: Big time 10!!!
Overall Sound: The Codies put it all on the table designing and engineering the sound for this fun game. It made me want more, so time to go buy this game. I can’t wait to see what they think of next for Dirt 3.Overall Sound rating gets a 9!
DIRT 2 overall review: 9
That is all for now, Raptor Claw 141 out.
My Ten favorite video game trailers... so far.
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.
So, I figured I would do my ten favorite game trailers to date. I worked in Hollywood for 5 years on movie trailers as a freelancer so hopefully, you will all agree or KILL me based on these. Bottom line, I picked these for not just the gameplay aspect, but doing what trailers/previews are supposed to do.. SELL THE GAME!!! So I will give some input on why I picked these. Enjoy!
CALL OF JUAREZ: THE CARTEL:
To start it off, let’s talk about “Call of Juarez: The Cartel” – This latest version of CoJ looks to be a hit. Takes place today and is based on some rogue cops out to stop the Cartel. Check out the video and then my review on the technical aspects of the trailer.
So when “Beat the Devil’s Tattoo” by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club starts up in its instrumental form, I am instantly feeling a mellow type trailer. But the intro of voice-over sets the tone well and the trailer starts with what appears to be the lead character walking into frame. He has on a bullet proof vest on and I knew we moved to the new west and no longer in the old west. The trailer did its job in setting the scene character wise. Placement of key sound effects was great. Not overpowering and hit on the best moments for the best parts of the trailer. The trailer was fun to watch and got me interested in the game. Hope to see more videos on gameplay. This trailer certainly makes me want to play the game.
BATTLEFIELD BAD COMPANY:
On to a funny one. Battlefield Bad Company took a new spin on the FPS genre that I really enjoyed and I find I play to this day. The characters comedy kept me engaged throughout the entire game and made it very enjoyable to play. Shame though that didn’t follow over to the sequel. Here is the trailer:
Now, the use of gameplay footage for the entire trailer was perfect. The cinematic start with the voice-over got you peaked and even more so when the comedy came out. The action mixing in with a great music choice: “Runnin’ Wild” by Airbourne was a perfect fit for this trailer and game! Great way to sell a video game. I can tell you it was because of this trailer I bought the game hands down.
GHOST RECON FUTURE SOLDIER:
This trailer was done in full cinematic fashion as a live action. I have nothing with live action of course, but for video games, it is a tough sell sometimes. But, this trailer was done extremely well and it made me want more.
The mix of sound with visual effects was key in selling the aspect of the game. It obviously showed you what gameplay may have in terms of weaponry and special abilities via live action but not gameplay. This trailer reminded me a lot of the movie of “Behind Enemy Lines” which I loved. I certainly will be in line to get this game. Links to the behind the scenes and gameplay footage here:
CRYSIS 2:
I was a huge Crysis fan on the PC. When I heard that they were moving to the console, I was excited and couldn’t wait to see the trailer.
I love strong voice-overs for trailers. Especially with gameplay footage. It is one of my favorite ways to watch trailers about games. Crysis 2’s “Be the Weapon” trailer sure didn’t fail. The trailer starts off with mellow and dark tones, seeing New York in shambles certainly sets the tone. Then it starts to climax with louder music as the voice-over explains each part of the suit and ends up in an exciting and exhilarating ride to what the game is about. Good job Crytek!
CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE 2:
I completely geeked out when this trailer hit the waves.
The build up style with the mix of music, gameplay, sound and Game reviews was awesome. Then to hit it off by dissolving between gameplay footage as Eminem’s song starts to play really kicked butt. Is it me or does Military comms in game trailers just give you goosebumps? Anyway, InfinityWard did an awesome job making a trailer that everyone will and did get excited about. Great piece of work!
DUKE NUKEM FOREVER:
The Duke is back and he is pissed off!! Check it out:
Duke Nukem is a welcome sight to the FPS world. Mix of comedy, sex, action and sound, you just want this game right now! Again, I love the cinematic opening with dramatic dissolves and voice-overs. Makes for a great build up…Then, when you hear good ole Duke say “Damnit, why do they always take the hot ones” I busted up laughing and couldn’t wait for more. The trailer transitions into a rock themed and comedic spin on this game and this will be another I will wait in line for. Hail to the King baby!!
CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS – “There’s a soldier in all of us”
Well, I got to hand it to the marketing geniuses that Treyarch employs because this video alone, sold me on the game. It shows absolutely no gameplay, it is all live action. But it sold it for me. Nuff said:
Good job Treyarch, you always do a good job on trailers! Go Jimmy Kimmel you freekin noober!!!
BATTLEFIELD 3 “MY LIFE”:
DICE always sticks to gameplay footage when creating their trailers and that is a good thing. I am a fan of live action but if you want to see what you are going to play, then make a trailer with the gameplay in it.
This trailer of many (good thing) starts off slow, showing you reviews and game play, then transitions into a gritty world of what the soldiers endure. This fast action paced ending is nothing but cool. This trailer evokes that emotion of being pissed off and you wanting to join the fight. In other words, Join it by getting this game!
MEDAL OF HONOR:
Medal of Honor came out with really great trailers for this game. They were very specific on how they wanted to seel this game. They wanted you to walk in the boots of the soliders fighting the fight on Terrorism. Watch:
Danger Close and DICE took a leap of faith on reviving the MOH franchise. This first go around did very well. I was a MOH fan and couldn’t wait to play the game after watching these trailers. Again, sticking to gameplay footage for their trailers was a smart move. Great job as always guys. Made me buy the game.
And last but certainly not least.. this is the one trailer that I have as an audio version and is part of my playlist… unfortunately, it is usually playing when I am driving. Wonder if that is when I am getting the speeding tickets??
Enjoy…
NEED FOR SPEED HOT PURSUIT (2010):
NFS raised the bar when they also revived the franchise. Criterion games did a phenomenal job making this trailer. I was extremely excited and couldn’t wait to play it. I still love playing this when I am not killing virtual bad guys. Music choice and cinematic impact using gameplay was freekin awesome!!!
And with that, I am done… If you want me to review a specific game trailer, let me know. I will give a full second by second review and give my rating on how the trailer was created. Thanks again for my followers on Twitter and for all who read my blogs.
Some music from the trailers above:
Call Of Juarez: The Cartel:
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - “Beat the Devil’s Tattoo”
Battlefield Bad Company:
Airbourne - “Runnin’ Wild”
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2:
Eminem & Nate Dogg – “Till I Collapse”
Need For Speed hot Pursuit:
Marilyn Manson – “Tainted Love”
30 Seconds To Mars - "Edge Of The Earth"
That is all for now, Raptor Claw 141 out.
So, I figured I would do my ten favorite game trailers to date. I worked in Hollywood for 5 years on movie trailers as a freelancer so hopefully, you will all agree or KILL me based on these. Bottom line, I picked these for not just the gameplay aspect, but doing what trailers/previews are supposed to do.. SELL THE GAME!!! So I will give some input on why I picked these. Enjoy!
CALL OF JUAREZ: THE CARTEL:
To start it off, let’s talk about “Call of Juarez: The Cartel” – This latest version of CoJ looks to be a hit. Takes place today and is based on some rogue cops out to stop the Cartel. Check out the video and then my review on the technical aspects of the trailer.
So when “Beat the Devil’s Tattoo” by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club starts up in its instrumental form, I am instantly feeling a mellow type trailer. But the intro of voice-over sets the tone well and the trailer starts with what appears to be the lead character walking into frame. He has on a bullet proof vest on and I knew we moved to the new west and no longer in the old west. The trailer did its job in setting the scene character wise. Placement of key sound effects was great. Not overpowering and hit on the best moments for the best parts of the trailer. The trailer was fun to watch and got me interested in the game. Hope to see more videos on gameplay. This trailer certainly makes me want to play the game.
BATTLEFIELD BAD COMPANY:
On to a funny one. Battlefield Bad Company took a new spin on the FPS genre that I really enjoyed and I find I play to this day. The characters comedy kept me engaged throughout the entire game and made it very enjoyable to play. Shame though that didn’t follow over to the sequel. Here is the trailer:
Now, the use of gameplay footage for the entire trailer was perfect. The cinematic start with the voice-over got you peaked and even more so when the comedy came out. The action mixing in with a great music choice: “Runnin’ Wild” by Airbourne was a perfect fit for this trailer and game! Great way to sell a video game. I can tell you it was because of this trailer I bought the game hands down.
GHOST RECON FUTURE SOLDIER:
This trailer was done in full cinematic fashion as a live action. I have nothing with live action of course, but for video games, it is a tough sell sometimes. But, this trailer was done extremely well and it made me want more.
The mix of sound with visual effects was key in selling the aspect of the game. It obviously showed you what gameplay may have in terms of weaponry and special abilities via live action but not gameplay. This trailer reminded me a lot of the movie of “Behind Enemy Lines” which I loved. I certainly will be in line to get this game. Links to the behind the scenes and gameplay footage here:
CRYSIS 2:
I was a huge Crysis fan on the PC. When I heard that they were moving to the console, I was excited and couldn’t wait to see the trailer.
I love strong voice-overs for trailers. Especially with gameplay footage. It is one of my favorite ways to watch trailers about games. Crysis 2’s “Be the Weapon” trailer sure didn’t fail. The trailer starts off with mellow and dark tones, seeing New York in shambles certainly sets the tone. Then it starts to climax with louder music as the voice-over explains each part of the suit and ends up in an exciting and exhilarating ride to what the game is about. Good job Crytek!
CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE 2:
I completely geeked out when this trailer hit the waves.
The build up style with the mix of music, gameplay, sound and Game reviews was awesome. Then to hit it off by dissolving between gameplay footage as Eminem’s song starts to play really kicked butt. Is it me or does Military comms in game trailers just give you goosebumps? Anyway, InfinityWard did an awesome job making a trailer that everyone will and did get excited about. Great piece of work!
DUKE NUKEM FOREVER:
The Duke is back and he is pissed off!! Check it out:
Duke Nukem is a welcome sight to the FPS world. Mix of comedy, sex, action and sound, you just want this game right now! Again, I love the cinematic opening with dramatic dissolves and voice-overs. Makes for a great build up…Then, when you hear good ole Duke say “Damnit, why do they always take the hot ones” I busted up laughing and couldn’t wait for more. The trailer transitions into a rock themed and comedic spin on this game and this will be another I will wait in line for. Hail to the King baby!!
CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS – “There’s a soldier in all of us”
Well, I got to hand it to the marketing geniuses that Treyarch employs because this video alone, sold me on the game. It shows absolutely no gameplay, it is all live action. But it sold it for me. Nuff said:
Good job Treyarch, you always do a good job on trailers! Go Jimmy Kimmel you freekin noober!!!
BATTLEFIELD 3 “MY LIFE”:
DICE always sticks to gameplay footage when creating their trailers and that is a good thing. I am a fan of live action but if you want to see what you are going to play, then make a trailer with the gameplay in it.
This trailer of many (good thing) starts off slow, showing you reviews and game play, then transitions into a gritty world of what the soldiers endure. This fast action paced ending is nothing but cool. This trailer evokes that emotion of being pissed off and you wanting to join the fight. In other words, Join it by getting this game!
MEDAL OF HONOR:
Medal of Honor came out with really great trailers for this game. They were very specific on how they wanted to seel this game. They wanted you to walk in the boots of the soliders fighting the fight on Terrorism. Watch:
Danger Close and DICE took a leap of faith on reviving the MOH franchise. This first go around did very well. I was a MOH fan and couldn’t wait to play the game after watching these trailers. Again, sticking to gameplay footage for their trailers was a smart move. Great job as always guys. Made me buy the game.
And last but certainly not least.. this is the one trailer that I have as an audio version and is part of my playlist… unfortunately, it is usually playing when I am driving. Wonder if that is when I am getting the speeding tickets??
Enjoy…
NEED FOR SPEED HOT PURSUIT (2010):
NFS raised the bar when they also revived the franchise. Criterion games did a phenomenal job making this trailer. I was extremely excited and couldn’t wait to play it. I still love playing this when I am not killing virtual bad guys. Music choice and cinematic impact using gameplay was freekin awesome!!!
And with that, I am done… If you want me to review a specific game trailer, let me know. I will give a full second by second review and give my rating on how the trailer was created. Thanks again for my followers on Twitter and for all who read my blogs.
Some music from the trailers above:
Call Of Juarez: The Cartel:
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - “Beat the Devil’s Tattoo”
Battlefield Bad Company:
Airbourne - “Runnin’ Wild”
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2:
Eminem & Nate Dogg – “Till I Collapse”
Need For Speed hot Pursuit:
Marilyn Manson – “Tainted Love”
30 Seconds To Mars - "Edge Of The Earth"
That is all for now, Raptor Claw 141 out.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Call of Duty: Black Ops (Single 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!
Ok, let's review the sound for the Single Player of Call of Duty: Black Ops
This trailer does kick butt though..
Music: Treyarch stuck with what they knew for a lot of things in the making of this game. That was the same for the music as well. Sean Murray has produced great scores over the past number of years. His work can be heard in the “True Crime” video game series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (hmm small world with SMG) and of course, Call of Duty: World at War. He did a great job composing the pieces for the SP portion of this game. His music keeps you engaged and does a good job evoking the proper feeling during the missions. I am sure it was difficult based on the period this game spans across. Music for this game (SP) gets an 8.5!!!
Get the soundtrack from iTunes – Call of Duty: Black Ops on iTunes or from Amazon – Call of Duty: Black Ops Soundtrack on Amazon
Ambient: Treyarch did a decent job with the ambient in the SP part of the game. Sparks, snowy terrains, sirens, ambient gun fire, burning fire, glass breaking and jets flying over all sounded good and pretty close-to-real. I still have an issue with the walking/running/jumping though. See my MP review on that one so I don’ t repeat myself. They also did a good job with the interview room sounding like a hospital room. My favorite ambient sound had to be the Cuban bar music. Don’t know why, but it stuck with me. Ambient gets an 7.5 for SP.
Dialog: Why oh why Ice Cube did you have to go overboard with your dialog in this game?? It sounded almost comical. Anyway, dialog was a little rough in the SP portion of the game as the main character started off pretty normal in the beginning when he was getting interrogated then when he was about to bust in on Castro, there was a hint of an accent I couldn’t make out. It sounded goofy. Woods, well I can’t help but keep thinking “Tropic Thunder” when I see him and hear him. Don’t know why, I just do. His character was a little out there but for a Black Ops operator, but you kind of have to be. All in all, the dialog was a bit rough around the edges but it did sell a good story of the SP portion of the game. Since I am commenting on the sound design of the game and not the story line, I will leave it at that. My biggest complaint on the dialog is the characters voices seem to be right next to you speaking when they are clearly a good distance away? In other words, no distance to the voice, no noticeable echo no depth. Treyarch could have done better on this one. Don’t believe me? The best voice dialog in this game was certainly Ed Harris and Gary Oldman did a great job as well and Reznov. Good choice with them guys! Check my other reviews on other games. Giving dialog an 6 rating.
Vehicles: The vehicles in the SP had great sound levels and was close-to-real as possible. Planes, cars, trucks and other vehicles fit in perfect with other elements of the game. They weren’t too overpowering and by far, probably had the best sound in the game. Vehicles gets an 8 as well.
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. Weapons falls in the same rating as with the MP review I did. Weapons gets a 7.
Overall Sound: I hope Treyarch starts making the sound design a higher level priority than what it seemed to be in this game. I was a little disappointed in that it could have been done better. Sound really helps sell a story no matter what. You never go into a Summer Blockbuster hit and expect to hear “okay” sound. You expect to feel and hear the sound to where you feel like you are part of the movie. I just didn’t feel that way with this game. I expect the virtual beating for this but as always this is my opinion and they could take some notes from some other studios on how they design and engineer their sound. Overall Sound rating gets a 7.5
CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS SP overall review: 7.5
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 review the sound for the Single Player of Call of Duty: Black Ops
This trailer does kick butt though..
Music: Treyarch stuck with what they knew for a lot of things in the making of this game. That was the same for the music as well. Sean Murray has produced great scores over the past number of years. His work can be heard in the “True Crime” video game series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (hmm small world with SMG) and of course, Call of Duty: World at War. He did a great job composing the pieces for the SP portion of this game. His music keeps you engaged and does a good job evoking the proper feeling during the missions. I am sure it was difficult based on the period this game spans across. Music for this game (SP) gets an 8.5!!!
Get the soundtrack from iTunes – Call of Duty: Black Ops on iTunes or from Amazon – Call of Duty: Black Ops Soundtrack on Amazon
Ambient: Treyarch did a decent job with the ambient in the SP part of the game. Sparks, snowy terrains, sirens, ambient gun fire, burning fire, glass breaking and jets flying over all sounded good and pretty close-to-real. I still have an issue with the walking/running/jumping though. See my MP review on that one so I don’ t repeat myself. They also did a good job with the interview room sounding like a hospital room. My favorite ambient sound had to be the Cuban bar music. Don’t know why, but it stuck with me. Ambient gets an 7.5 for SP.
Dialog: Why oh why Ice Cube did you have to go overboard with your dialog in this game?? It sounded almost comical. Anyway, dialog was a little rough in the SP portion of the game as the main character started off pretty normal in the beginning when he was getting interrogated then when he was about to bust in on Castro, there was a hint of an accent I couldn’t make out. It sounded goofy. Woods, well I can’t help but keep thinking “Tropic Thunder” when I see him and hear him. Don’t know why, I just do. His character was a little out there but for a Black Ops operator, but you kind of have to be. All in all, the dialog was a bit rough around the edges but it did sell a good story of the SP portion of the game. Since I am commenting on the sound design of the game and not the story line, I will leave it at that. My biggest complaint on the dialog is the characters voices seem to be right next to you speaking when they are clearly a good distance away? In other words, no distance to the voice, no noticeable echo no depth. Treyarch could have done better on this one. Don’t believe me? The best voice dialog in this game was certainly Ed Harris and Gary Oldman did a great job as well and Reznov. Good choice with them guys! Check my other reviews on other games. Giving dialog an 6 rating.
Vehicles: The vehicles in the SP had great sound levels and was close-to-real as possible. Planes, cars, trucks and other vehicles fit in perfect with other elements of the game. They weren’t too overpowering and by far, probably had the best sound in the game. Vehicles gets an 8 as well.
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. Weapons falls in the same rating as with the MP review I did. Weapons gets a 7.
Overall Sound: I hope Treyarch starts making the sound design a higher level priority than what it seemed to be in this game. I was a little disappointed in that it could have been done better. Sound really helps sell a story no matter what. You never go into a Summer Blockbuster hit and expect to hear “okay” sound. You expect to feel and hear the sound to where you feel like you are part of the movie. I just didn’t feel that way with this game. I expect the virtual beating for this but as always this is my opinion and they could take some notes from some other studios on how they design and engineer their sound. Overall Sound rating gets a 7.5
CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS SP overall review: 7.5
That is all for now, Raptor Claw 141 out.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Single 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 game play. 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!
Ok, let's review the sound for the Single Player of Modern Warfare 2
Great video on the mix of sound with the soundtrack.
Music: What can I say about Hans Zimmer… He is the ultimate composer when he creates a score. Whether it is for film or HIS FIRST VIDEO GAME score!!!, he kicks butt. As the SP starts up, the credits with the dramatic music and voice-overs from the first Modern Warfare gets you excited to want to play this game. It was a nice “review” of where you left off with and what you are about to endure. The vocals with the percussion and strings gets right to the bone and you feel the Honor and Duty that you are about to feel as you play the first mission. – The music during this intro is cool and gets you pumped up. I could go on and on about the music throughout the entire game but let’s just say. WAY TO GO!! Music for this game (SP) gets a big time 10!!!
Get the soundtrack from iTunes – Modern Warfare 2 on iTunes or from Amazon – Modern Warfare 2 Soundtrack on Amazon
Ambient: The ambient in this game works extremely well with the soundtrack. Blowing sand, wind, water and other small sounds worked very very well with the SP campaign. Nothing was overpowering but sometimes distracting in small parts. Ambient gets an 8.
Dialog: This was a great part of the SP campaign. Voice over’s were done extremely well. General Shepherd’s voice was full of bass and drama. You certainly knew were you stood with his voice. Soap, Price and the others sounded great and full of suspense. Having named cast on to do the voice overs was awesome. Names like Barry Pepper, Keith David, Kevin McKidd and of course Billy Murray as Price. The one character I wish we could have heard more was Makarov. Roman Varshavsky’s voice was full of evil and with no remorse to his role in this game. It was exciting to hear it in the latest trailer of Modern Warfare 3. But the one unforgettable voice that did it for me was General Shepherd. When Shepherd’s voice kicks in, I was like… WOW.. GOOD Pick for a General’s voice. I still this day use the line to my friends and colleagues “Sure it matters who's got the biggest stick, but it matters a helluva lot more who's swinging it.” Great line! I was very pleased when I heard Lance Henriksen speaking in this game as he kills it! InfinityWard did a phenomenal job with the dialog in this game. Giving dialog a 10 rating.
Vehicles: The vehicles in the SP had great sound levels and was close-to-real as possible. Planes, cars, trucks and other vehicles fit in perfect with other elements of the game. Vehicles gets an 8 as well.
Weapons: (Detailed sound on weapons in later posts) 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 Modern Warfare 2, the weapons in the SP sounded great. The snap, bang and punch of each weapon fit well with the ambient and overall sound. They didn’t overpower the music and the dialog as well. My favorite weapon in the SP campaign has to be the Dragunov. Yes, it is a sniper rifle but any chance I could use it, I did. It sounds so cool and was missed very much in MP. Weapons gets a 9.
Overall Sound: InfinityWard obviously took the time to make sound an important part of this game. The mix was great and everything flowed well together. The music with the settings was a perfect fit (Right on Hans!!!) and the dramatic music with the game play certainly evokes the overall sound of war. Or, at least War to come… The best part of this game HAS to be the Soundtrack. I still listen to it every day as it is part of my mix on my music player. Overall Sound rating gets a 9!
MODERN WARFARE 2 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 review the sound for the Single Player of Modern Warfare 2
Great video on the mix of sound with the soundtrack.
Music: What can I say about Hans Zimmer… He is the ultimate composer when he creates a score. Whether it is for film or HIS FIRST VIDEO GAME score!!!, he kicks butt. As the SP starts up, the credits with the dramatic music and voice-overs from the first Modern Warfare gets you excited to want to play this game. It was a nice “review” of where you left off with and what you are about to endure. The vocals with the percussion and strings gets right to the bone and you feel the Honor and Duty that you are about to feel as you play the first mission. – The music during this intro is cool and gets you pumped up. I could go on and on about the music throughout the entire game but let’s just say. WAY TO GO!! Music for this game (SP) gets a big time 10!!!
Get the soundtrack from iTunes – Modern Warfare 2 on iTunes or from Amazon – Modern Warfare 2 Soundtrack on Amazon
Ambient: The ambient in this game works extremely well with the soundtrack. Blowing sand, wind, water and other small sounds worked very very well with the SP campaign. Nothing was overpowering but sometimes distracting in small parts. Ambient gets an 8.
Dialog: This was a great part of the SP campaign. Voice over’s were done extremely well. General Shepherd’s voice was full of bass and drama. You certainly knew were you stood with his voice. Soap, Price and the others sounded great and full of suspense. Having named cast on to do the voice overs was awesome. Names like Barry Pepper, Keith David, Kevin McKidd and of course Billy Murray as Price. The one character I wish we could have heard more was Makarov. Roman Varshavsky’s voice was full of evil and with no remorse to his role in this game. It was exciting to hear it in the latest trailer of Modern Warfare 3. But the one unforgettable voice that did it for me was General Shepherd. When Shepherd’s voice kicks in, I was like… WOW.. GOOD Pick for a General’s voice. I still this day use the line to my friends and colleagues “Sure it matters who's got the biggest stick, but it matters a helluva lot more who's swinging it.” Great line! I was very pleased when I heard Lance Henriksen speaking in this game as he kills it! InfinityWard did a phenomenal job with the dialog in this game. Giving dialog a 10 rating.
Vehicles: The vehicles in the SP had great sound levels and was close-to-real as possible. Planes, cars, trucks and other vehicles fit in perfect with other elements of the game. Vehicles gets an 8 as well.
Weapons: (Detailed sound on weapons in later posts) 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 Modern Warfare 2, the weapons in the SP sounded great. The snap, bang and punch of each weapon fit well with the ambient and overall sound. They didn’t overpower the music and the dialog as well. My favorite weapon in the SP campaign has to be the Dragunov. Yes, it is a sniper rifle but any chance I could use it, I did. It sounds so cool and was missed very much in MP. Weapons gets a 9.
Overall Sound: InfinityWard obviously took the time to make sound an important part of this game. The mix was great and everything flowed well together. The music with the settings was a perfect fit (Right on Hans!!!) and the dramatic music with the game play certainly evokes the overall sound of war. Or, at least War to come… The best part of this game HAS to be the Soundtrack. I still listen to it every day as it is part of my mix on my music player. Overall Sound rating gets a 9!
MODERN WARFARE 2 overall review: 9
That is all for now, Raptor Claw 141 out.
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