Customer Reviews

Gears of War 2 The Soundtrack

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The soundtrack of Gears of War 2 is memorable, causing you to recount the endless confrontations with the Locust and the triumphs as well as the defeats as you battled it out in the campaign. However as you may have noticed the soundtrack is a complete new version compared to the original Gear's composed by Kevin Riepl. You listen to a polished soundtrack composed by Hollywood composer Steve Jablonsky (Transformers, The Island) and recorded with the Skywalker Symphonic Orchestra and Chorus at the world famous Skywalker Sound hitting the bull's eye time after time at making a soundtrack that adds to the player wanting to finnish the campaign multiple times.

It consists of all 27 tracks used throughout the campaign and will move you as you listen to them at certain times. Highly recommended if you loved the games and enjoy video game soundtracks, because this doesn't disappoint.

I first found out that s. jablonsky was doing the score for Gears of War 2 about a week before the game was released. I was like "whoa, he did the score for Transformers and The Island." I really enjoy music similar to jablonsky's style like "Hans Zimmer", and "Harry-Gregson Williams". When i played through the game the music was very moving, and acted as a character itself along the journey instead of just BGM. It really polished the whole feel of Gears of War 2 with its epic storyline, visuals, and action.

The whole album is great, but here are some of my favorites that stand out:

2- Hope Runs Deep
I just like it.

6- Armored Prayer
Good intro, then gets rolling with thunder. Makes you feel you can take on the locusts alone.

18- March of the Horde
A strong piece i like. Pretty much what the track title states.

21- With Sympathy
One of the more memorable moments of the game. When Dom is reunited with Maria. Almost makes you wanna cry. NOHOMO

Overall, this album is a must have for any jablonsky fan like myself. He does a great job by keeping the main theme from the first GoW and revamping it to epic status. Having played through the game, makes it even better so you can relive those moments through the music. Jablonsky has done it again. A+

Seriously brilliant!!! one of the greatest soundtracks for a video game. A soundtrack that would suit the greatest of movies.

The tracks are inspiring and seriously powering!

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!

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.

...or Soundtrack of War!!

"Hope Runs Deep" and "Armored Prayer" make me want to destroy invading Locusts!! I love Jablonsky's previous work on the Transformers trilogy, The Island, and Dragon Wars -also, recently Your Highness- is nothing short of radiant and amazing. I didn't realize Jablonsky was responsible for GoW2 and GoW3's soundtracks, but I'm blown away by the epic scores of both. The soundtracks make it feel as though I'm right there in the middle of the carnage. The emotions truly "run deep" as well as the "hope" that is suffocated, before it inspires. "Racing to Extinction" is a short piece, but it can be allegorical to life being short; it is a race against time. In GoW2, human life is in constant threat and desperation is winding down on the clock. This song would be synonymous with the last track, "Autumn of Mankind," in other words, "Fall" of mankind. Throughout the album, the listener is led through the labyrinths of hell, the battlefields, and can feel the sense of urgency to make real life changes to our world, where people are suffering, struggling to survive, and fighting for freedoms that are denied them. In Gears of War, are we fighting alien hordes to survive, or ourselves?

Thank you Steve Jablonsky!

If you like the music in gears of war like i did this is a soundtrack that is worth buying i got this and the GoW1 Soundtrack and they are both great CDs. If you are a fan of the franchise then this CD is for you!

Good music; one could almost call it classical in style! The struggles of humans against the Locust are clearly articulated through the music. Worth buying if you are a Gears fan!

Like the game, Gears of War 2 ST is fantastic. The scores are motivating and are played well and passionately. If you liked the game and are into looking at game soundtracks, look no further.

OK, I'm biased. I played on it, but it was so much fun (and I'm also a reformed gamer) that I bought a 360, and am really enjoying the game. The music is engaging, well executed, and has quite a bit of merit (i.e. not your average fluff). It's truly a movie score, applied to a game.