25 Greatest Musical Tracks From The Halo Series

11. Released - Halo 3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=lgAyHXF2OCc This next piece of Halo audio came dangerously close to being in the Top 10, but a particular track managed to edge it out to #11. Regardless, "Released" is beyond amazing to me. Halo 3's soundtrack is, as mentioned countless times, epic and emotional. At this point it's almost bordering on parody how ridiculous the idea is. But there comes a time when someone should look into the heart of Halo 3's soundtrack and ask "well how does it begin?" The answer is "Released", which will go down as one of Halo 3's defining pieces of audio. Back in 2007, when I counted down the days until Halo 3's release on September 25th, I was always asking "I wonder how it begins?" I constantly pondered just how Bungie would start off their finale, and picked apart of thought process just wondering the possibilities. Fast forward to release day, when I finally pick it up after waiting 3 long years, I boot it up to listen to a tantalizing narration from Cortana then to the grand opening where Chief wakes up in the company of other marines, surrounded by an open jungle with a canopy and active wilderness. Me back in 2007, playing Halo 3 for the first time: Yes, yes, yes. This is the opening. Yes. I've waited three years for this. Obviously having Halo 3 start off in a jungle was a great idea, as it was a modest throwback to the African landscape from Halo 2, but this time taking place inside an area that was ripe with potential. While the development of the level must have been a hurdle for Bungie to produce, it was a cakewalk for Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori artistically. The sound shown off in "Released" is exactly what I picture when venturing through a jungle that is in hostile territory. The spaced drums and brief but gorgeous choruses add a brilliant complexity to a brilliant start for Halo 3. It's almost a product of nature, actually; walking through dirt paths, up waterfalls, through open areas with mountains in the backdrop. All the while having enemies constantly on the prowl looking for something to hunt adds that feeling of bravery and being hunted down. It's a grand start to a truly epic video game, and the audio alone warrants enough respect on the level that it does exactly in the actual game: getting you involved with finishing the fight.