Video: Gears of War 2 sound choices: Meaty vs. Crunchy
Epic Games has put together a little video for Maxim about the audio in Gears of War 2. Snore-worthy, right? Nope. It's actually a fun little six-minute romp showcasing the work that goes into all the little sounds we'll hear in the game releasing Nov. 7.
An interesting factoid is that 85% of the audio in the game is new, according to Audio Director Mike Larson. There's also a brief interview with the game's composer, Steve Jablonsky, who did the music for Command & Conquer 3 and the Transformers movie. Check it out after the break.
An interesting factoid is that 85% of the audio in the game is new, according to Audio Director Mike Larson. There's also a brief interview with the game's composer, Steve Jablonsky, who did the music for Command & Conquer 3 and the Transformers movie. Check it out after the break.






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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
txc88 @ Sep 8th 2008 11:48AM
i like the new "sans head" locust model...classy.
josh @ Sep 8th 2008 11:49AM
85% new? nice, that annoyed the shit out of me in Rainbow Six 2, they could have at least gave the enemies different new phrases since you hear them all the time. I think I prefer crunchy, then meaty, like biting into an apple.
Obie @ Sep 8th 2008 11:50AM
Heh, cool video. It's really getting me hyped for this bloody testosterone fest.
"The Coletrain is never late baby!"
emirabal @ Sep 8th 2008 2:19PM
That was awesome, Cole train is never late, woooooo
Mr.ESC @ Sep 8th 2008 11:53AM
Stop teasing us already,Gimme gimme!
(Hey the guns really sound better)
SneezyPorcupine @ Sep 8th 2008 12:16PM
Wow. Considering that I watched that video and heard it using dinky laptop speakers, I have to say it has got me so amped for this game!!
Between Gears 2 for 360 and Resistance 2 for PS3, life is gonna be good this holiday season. Not to be trolling or anything, but I have a bad feeling my 360 is gonna get alot more use this holiday as well...*sigh* starting to feel guilty.
Regardless, does anyone know when the new PSN update comes out? Since the last one, my PS3 keeps freezing when I press the PSN button during a game... I gotta tell ya, I never saw that coming, you know, with always expecting the 360 to crap out on me again!
Lars @ Sep 8th 2008 5:02PM
I haven't heard of that problem. Maybe you've got some corrupted data on the drive or something? At any rate, I think there's going to be a FW update in the next couple weeks, for the new "HD audio" bluetooth headset. If that doesn't fix it, I'd call Sony... that PS button is pretty important.
Regarding the 360, it seems like the manufacturing problems have died out. If your unit was replaced, it should be G2G.
SneezyPorcupine @ Sep 8th 2008 9:30PM
@ Lars
Thanx for the reply! Yah I was kinda hoping the next update may fix it. See the thing is, it only happens if I play for an hour or more. If I do it when I first turn on the PS3, everything works fine. So im not sure what could be the problem...running out of memory and locking up maybe?
Well, if the next update doesn't fix it (since it over-writes the entire software) I guess I'm calling Sony. But from what I hear they aren't too quick on repairs...soooo I may end up leaving it until after the holidays so as to not miss out.
Spartacus @ Sep 8th 2008 12:20PM
Yeah, I always thought the Lancer in Gears 1 was a bit "tinny" sounding. I wanted a machine gun that sounded like it was a 50 cal.
Looks (and sounds) good. I'm really looking forward to this game. Too bad it comes out just a few weeks after Fable 2...
SneezyPorcupine @ Sep 8th 2008 12:33PM
Ahh dude, you are so right!
Thats why I think the 360 is gonna get way more use... Fable 2, Gears 2 and Fallout 3 (which I pray everyday is going to be like Oblivion simply because that game was EPIC) are gonna keep me busy enough.
As far as the PS3, the games I'm going to get for that are gonna be R2, 007: QoS (MAYBE; depending on whether the achievements for it are decent to grant a 360 purchase) and again, MAYBE Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.
I'm kind of bummed over the fact that people are saying Fable 2 is waaaay too short tho. However, if Fallout 3 is anywhere as fun and long as Oblivion, I may have to put the PS3 game purchases aside until I can actually sit and ply through the aforementioned games. God knows, once a game sits back on shelf, its very hard to pick it up again after a week or so...
SneezyPorcupine @ Sep 8th 2008 12:46PM
Yah, in the original Gears the lancer sounded way too weak. Especially considering the pistol had more oomph than the lancer.
But I guess that was the trade off, considering the pistol can take someone down with fewer shots than the lancer (so long as you can aim), it had to sound more powerful.
The sounds for other guns such as the Torque bow were DEAD ON however.
On a side note, I hope and pray that they fix not only the sounds of the boom-shot, but also its splash effects. You seriously would think that if an explosion that big happened at an enemy's feet, it would do more substantial damage...
Vcize @ Sep 8th 2008 2:15PM
Sneezy, did you ever play the game post-patch? Your complaints sound like they're from the original version of the game, prior to the 2nd patch (almost a year ago) where they significantly increased the damage of the lancer and the splash damage of the boomshot. And when I say significantly, I mean by a TON.
SneezyPorcupine @ Sep 8th 2008 9:23PM
@ Vcize:
Yes sir, have definitely played post patch. Was actually playing it last night.
They did increase the power of the lancer, but the pistol will still take you down quicker with shots to the head. Try it on a player who is idling.
As far as the boom-shot is concerned, I find that it definitely does have better splash than when the game originally shipped. However, it still doesn't seem realistic. Maybe its just me, but the boom-shot seems a little random to me. It doesn't behave in the same manner everytime, when it is shot. Sometimes, it does take the player down with just one shot (and I mean when they are actually taken down, and not blown apart by it). Other times, the enemy just keeps zipping by. Especially if someone else isn't shooting the same enemy.
But then again, I'm not the best with the boom-shot so my viewpoint on it is moot. Regardless, hopefully they have updated the audio on it. Needs more bass.
Ranus Studios @ Sep 8th 2008 12:35PM
I really dug Kevin Riepl. I do hope Steve there can live up to him.
Obie @ Sep 8th 2008 12:42PM
I do wonder why they replaced him, his score for the original was very good. In any case Steve Jablonsky is a very capable replacement.
SneezyPorcupine @ Sep 8th 2008 12:50PM
His replacement may have had something to do with that TERRIBLE rap song they put on the ending credits?
That alone is enough reason for getting rid of all those responsible. =)
emirabal @ Sep 8th 2008 2:21PM
This was an awesome video and brought a lot of insight into the music process as well as audio, amazing.
B @ Sep 8th 2008 2:24PM
Gears 2 looks GORGEOUS.
Colton @ Sep 8th 2008 3:40PM
"If you ask someone what a gatling gun sounds like each person has a different one... (Makes sounds)... It's just a fun exercise to try with your friends......... It's great at parties, Really"
Hahahaha! That was funny.
This game is gonna be freakin amazing!
Trev @ Sep 8th 2008 4:48PM
Gun sounds are pretty good. I hope they come with much more effective shots though. I'd rather fight smart enemies that don't take that many shots to kill than the bullet sponges from Gears 1.
Cono1234 @ Sep 8th 2008 5:00PM
This won't make me buy gears 2
Gears of war was way too overrated and this game looks exactly like it.
Red Leader @ Sep 8th 2008 5:04PM
My thoughts exactly.
Trev @ Sep 8th 2008 5:31PM
Gears 1 is incredibly overrated. I'm sure some fanboy will jump in and downvote all of us for saying so, but it was. It could have been really good, but it seemed like everything was one off from my really enjoying it. AI wasn't so great, enemies just soaked up fire, there were some really cheap deaths and the movement controls could be pretty clunky, especially with the limited view angle.
But, at the same time, if they made the enemies a little smarter and the guns kill them faster, and made it so it was easier to see around Marcus in close situations I would really enjoy Gears 2. Oh, and it would be great if a stray bullet didn't shut off my chainsaw when I'm standing in the enemy's pocket so they can casually punch me to death.
Solid Chief @ Sep 8th 2008 9:49PM
It was good for its coop gameplay. I hated the multiplayer...Pity they aren't doing too much for either (still supposedly 2 player coop and only increasing player count to 10)
eNrique @ Sep 8th 2008 7:38PM
Well, considering that gears 1 was a mediocre and overrated game (textures over and over again, 5 hour single player campaing, 8! online multiplayer, and like 3 different weapons) is a very nice improvement, i think gears 2 will deliver, looking like a real good game.
Meat Lover @ Sep 9th 2008 4:00PM
The fcuking game better damn have locust saying "MEAT!" when they score a kill or fcuk I won't buy it.