25 Greatest Musical Tracks From The Halo Series

15. The Long Run - Halo: Combat Evolved

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaNxcLvYjUc Even before the release of Halo 2, there has always been those trademark drum beats that sound similar to the likings of the African landscape. Halo: Combat Evolved started this tradition in some respects, but Halo 2 perfected it with its fit-in setting and personal drama. Halo: Combat Evolved merely used the drum beats as a way of capturing the intense, on-foot or vehicle-paced set piece moments. "The Long Run" is one of the game's finest tracks in this regard. It's only heard once in the game, about midway through, but used in perhaps the most action packed level, Assault On The Control Room. "The Long Run" is special in a couple ways. First, it registers just how much mayhem is going on in the game up to this point. At this stage, the humans and Covenant have drawn the lines in the sand after the humans crash-landed on Halo. Both factions are in a rat race to get to what is know as the Control Center, or Control Room. Whoever controls the Control Center controls Halo, and whoever controls Halo controls the fate of the universe. So while humanity is looking to stop the Covenant from beating them to the room, the Covenant are violently pushing their way through all defenses, looking to activate Halo and becomes gods. Thus, "The Long Run" symbolizes this not only with its title but with its persistent and speedy use of drums to highlight that head-to-head race. Secondly, it's part of a crucial moment in the game that was a crucial moment of my childhood. On the level Assault On The Control Room there comes a point where the player meets up with a handful of marines, and can choose to either use a Warthog (standard vehicle in the game) or the Scorpion tank (self-explanatory). When I was a kid playing this game I chose neither, instead wanting to traverse the entirety of the level on foot with the marines, pushing on through every enemy while keeping my marines alive. Then we reached an underground section inside a massive tunnel, then after some broken doors managed to pry themselves open "The Long Run" started playing, and everything fit perfectly. So the way I decided to play also went hand in hand with the overall struggle.