8 Amazing Soundtrack Moments In Video Games
6. One Final Effort - Halo 3
Rarely do First Person Shooters conclude with as satisfying a set-piece as the Warthog run in the closing moments of Halo 3’s campaign, and composer Martin O’Donnell knew exactly how to punctuate such a pulse-pounding sequence.
The ground is collapsing, Johnson has just been killed, and you have to escape the exploding Halo ring. Cue what can only be described as an epic escape sequence in the series’ hallmark vehicle.
Whilst there are three tracks that make up the entire Warthog sequence, it is One Final Effort which contains all of the major movements that make up the best bits of the Warthog Run. The songs are essential to creating the pure frenetic atmosphere throughout this sequence, building and building to layered, frantic chords that urge the player forward, and it is this momentum that makes for such an engaging experience.
One Final Effort is perhaps one of the most famous songs from the game, taking in the deep percussion, choral notes and energetic piano that have comprised the series’ iconic sounds. Whilst the choral singing of the menu theme might well be more familiar and easier to recall, it’s One Final Effort that takes the cake as the defining track for the conclusive part of the trilogy.