Search - Steve Jablonsky :: Gears of War 2 The Soundtrack

One of the Best Game Soundtracks ever put to disk!

Scott Kozlowski | Tennessee | 12/13/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As big a fan as I was of Gears of War and it's soundtrack, I was ill prepared for the end products that I received when I pre-ordered Gears of War 2 and its' soundtrack by Steve Jablonsky. Both sequels FAR exceed the originals in scope, immersion and the cinematic experience that they intend to deliver.



While Kevin Riepl had managed to create a seemless sonic experience from what could only be described as a jumbled mess of different musical genres, the team at Epic wanted to build on the success of the original game and soundtrack and make it a truly Epic experience.



Enter Steve Jablonsky.



Here, Jablonsky seemlessly brings together a classical cinematic soundtrack that incorporates much of what Riepl brought to the table in the first game and expands on it with a full chorus and orchestra recorded at the world famous Skywalker Ranch.



This soundtrack is full of some catchy themes, hauntingly menacing marches and action pieces, and emotionally draining melodies. There are few hold-overs here from the first game, most notable of which is the re-imagining of the Locust Theme in "March of the Horde," the haunting "Autumn of Mankind," and the signature COG "Echo". Beyond that, everything else here is original to the sequel and fully delivers on the "cinematic experience" promise.



The disc opens with "Return of the Omen," which sets the tone for the sonic experience on which you are about to embark, conveying a lonely sense of dread and isolation.



Where Omen leave off you jump right into the main theme of the game "Hope Runs Deep." This is the signature track of the disk, however I don't think this version of the Theme appears in the game at all, but rather seems to be an expansion or completion of a couple central themes that run through-out the game itself and the second to last track, "Finale", which DOES accompany the closing cinematic of the game.



Other notable tracks are "Expectations" which I believe accompanies much of the opening Hospital battle, "Armored Prayer" which backs the official opening cinematic of the game in which the remaining forces of the COG prepare to take the fight to the Locust Horde, "Derrick Chase" which accompanies the lumbering chase sequence of the opening chapter of the game that is really more exciting than it sounds and "With Sympathy" which accompanies the tragic reunion of Dominic Santiago and his long lost wife Maria.



From there you have a collection of action pieces "Hell Breaks Loose," "Bedlam," "Breakneck," and "Racing to Extinction" which are all short, looping tracks that back various battle sequences in the game. If there is one complaint I have about this soundtrack, it's that a LOT could have been done to expand upon the these themes as they did with "Hope Runs Deep." Instead you get a good number of tracks that only last about a minute or so since they were designed to loop behind various battle sequences and set pieces in the game. It would have been nice to have fully fleshed out themes that lasted longer.



My only other issue with the product is that they used the "gears" font on everything, even some of the small print on the front and back of the jewel case, so reading the track list from the back of the jewel case can be next to impossible.



Highly recommended for fans of the game and fans of Steve Jablonsky!"

A Harsh & Thundering Score In Full Jablonsky Style

Kaya Savas | North Hollywood, CA | 12/04/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I remember a time when composers started in video games as a way to get recognized and break into film composing. The line between films and video games in terms of story and cinematic quality is fading. Games are becoming more and more cinematic and one of the biggest evolving aspect of video games has been the score. Gone are the days of background underscore; now high profile Hollywood composers are doing some of their best work for video games. Such is the case with Steve Jablonsky whose video game credits include Command & Conquer 3, Transformers: The Game, and Sim City 3.



Jablonsky's work on Gears Of War 2 doesn't scratch new ground or do anything we haven't heard from him before, but it has the Jablonsky feel and structure which I love. I am a PS3 owner and hate XBOX 360 but I can admit Gears Of War is a good game and the score works perfectly for it. His theme for the game can be heard for the first time in the second track. It has a grandoise feel to it and he shows us two different variations of it. You have the epic more uplifting variation heard a lot in "Hope Runs Deep". In "Finale" the theme has a pessimistic tone that suggests "all hope is lost".



Jablonsky utilizes a choir to give the score a bigger scope, which is something people will recognize from Transformers. In fact, a lot of the score reminds me of Transformers. I picked out a few cues that sounded like The Island but clearly the team at Epic Games used Transformers as a reference when describing to him what they wanted. Armored Prayer is probably my favorite track on the CD. It's very Zimmeresque but has a Jablonsky rise and fall structure to it. Sounds a bit like Pearl Harbor which he did additional music on with Hans Zimmer so it makes sense.



Anyway, the release is great. Definitely a sound that works for the game. It lacks depth which definitely doesn't make it Jablonsky's best effort but it's an intense and epic listen. Harry Gregson-Williams' work on Metal Gear Solid 4 is still king of video game scores but Steve Jablonsky's work on Gears Of War 2 is a great effort from one of the better composers to come out from under Hans Zimmer."