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Halo 2: Anniversary Original Soundtrack hits play on November 11
In a move that replicates Halo 2's soundtrack-supplemented launch in 2004, Halo 2: Anniversary Original Soundtrack will launch on November 11, right beside Halo 2: Anniversary's arrival in Halo: The Master Chief Collection. The album will be offered in CD, vinyl and digital formats, with the latter format already up for a $14.99 pre-order on iTunes. Anniversary Original Soundtrack isn't a copy-paste of the original album's track list – Xbox Wire notes that 343 Industries' Senior Audio Director Paul Lipson teamed up with Lennie Moore, Tom Salta, Brian Trifton, Brian Lee White and Skywalker Sound to "adapt and re-record the iconic Halo 2 score created by Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori." While there's no mention of Hoobastank making an encore appearance (probably you, just now) on Anniversary Original Soundtrack, new tracks from Steve Vai and Periphery's Misha Mansoor will also be included. Both the soundtrack and remake were preceded by the debut of Remaking the Legend - Halo 2: Anniversary, a documentary following Halo 2: Anniversary's creation, but Remaking the Legend will still be available on the Halo Channel on November 11. You know, just in case you wanted to surround yourself with three types of Halo 2-related media. [Image: Microsoft]
Bungie ordered to recoup Marty O'Donnell's founders' stock
A court-appointed arbitrator has ruled that Bungie must return the founders' stock it stripped from former Halo composer Marty O'Donnell following his contentious dismissal earlier this year, reports VentureBeat. As our readers are no doubt aware, founders' stock in Bungie is now quite valuable, following the lengthy string of successes the developer has had since it launched Halo on the original Xbox all those years ago. With the upcoming debut of the highly-anticipated, open-universe shooter Destiny, O'Donnell's stock is likely to grow even more valuable. Unfortunately for O'Donnell, despite this ruling, the legal red tape has yet to be cleared away. Bungie can still file an appeal against the arbitration and until a final order is issued O'Donnell isn't in the clear. This ruling marks the second time an official has sided with O'Donnell in the recent past. About a month ago, O'Donnell was awarded a little over $95,000 that a court ruled was owed the composer as unpaid wages and overtime compensation. [Image: Bungie]
Paul McCartney assists with Destiny's soundtrack
Destiny will have another prestigous feather in its cap when it launches on September 9th: ex-Beatles musician Paul McCartney as one of the composers. McCartney joined the project in 2010, joining Composer Marty O'Donnell in creating the score for the game. He claimed to be intrigued by the challenge of writing music for this type of game and met with O'Donnell at London's Abbey Road Studios to work on it. In fact, the theme song for Destiny is a Paul McCartney original and will be released as a single following the game's launch. The title of the theme song has not been revealed, but its theme is about "hope."
Report: Former Bungie composer O'Donnell settles case
Former Bungie composer Marty O'Donnell's "without cause" termination from the company has concluded with a settlement between the Halo and Destiny tunesmith and Bungie studio head Harold Ryan, reports VentureBeat. The settlement will net O'Donnell a little over $95,000 in unpaid work, vacation time and damages. His work can still be found in Destiny.
Joystiq Weekly: NPD sales data, Trials: Fusion review, A Realm Reborn tips and more
Welcome to Joystiq Weekly, a "too long; didn't read" of each week's biggest stories, reviews and original content. Each category's top story is introduced with a reactionary gif, because moving pictures aren't just for The Daily Prophet. It seems like there are two brands of Trials riders - those who try the series and bail, seeing it for the inevitable, rage-induced heart attack it is, and those that persevere and conquer every track. We're not sure where we fit just yet - some of Trials Fusion's stages give us flashbacks to Super Meat Boy, and our patience is finite. Still, the triumph in each small victory reminds us that we can get the best of gravity, that we can guide motorbikes over ridiculous terrain with the best of them ... until we reach the next stage and the cycle of emotions renews. We've got plenty of resources for anyone that needs a sanity break from Fusion, though! You can brush up on this month's NPD data, read our verdict on Atlus' baby-making RPG, Conception 2: Children of the Seven Stars, or gain some insight on what's next for GaymerX's future. All that and more is laid out in tidy little bulletpoints for you after the break!
Destiny parts ways with composer, growing 'close to shipping'
Destiny Composer Marty O'Donnell was either fired or peacefully left Bungie last week, depending on whether you take his or the studio's testimony on the event. In either case, the fact remains that O'Donnell is no longer part of the studio. Bungie Chief Operating Officer Pete Parsons refused to comment on the specifics of the decision but said that the game is still on track for release. He said that O'Donnell's contributions will remain part of the soundtrack, which is also being worked on by a few others. "We have a fantastic team. We're pretty close to shipping. There's a lot of polish left to do, lots of tweaking and tuning, but a lot is already complete," Parsons said to Eurogamer. Bungie claims that the studio and O'Donnell parted as "friends" while the composer tweeted yesterday that he was "terminated without cause."
Halo composer Martin O'Donnell's music remains in Destiny after Bungie departure
After the surprise announcement that longtime Bungie composer Martin O'Donnell had been terminated, Joystiq confirmed with the studio's COO Pete Parsons that O'Donnell's music remains in Destiny. We were on hand at Bungie for a preview event, where Parsons told us, "Even the music you heard yesterday was from Marty and Mike Salvatori and C. Paul Johnson. All of their music is in." O'Donnell has collaborated with Michael Salvatori on the Halo series soundtrack for years, and more recently with Bungie sound designer and composer C. Paul Johnson. Earlier this week, O'Donnell tweeted that Bungie's board of directors fired him "without cause" on April 11. Bungie community manager David Dague responded, saying O'Donnell and the studio parted "as friends," and wished him luck "in all his future endeavors." Later on the same day, Parsons addressed O'Donnell's departure, saying, "At Bungie, we don't take that kind of thing lightly. We don't make decisions lightly. We're a team that's committed to making an amazing game, set in an amazing universe." [Image: Activision]
Halo, Destiny composer O'Donnell says he was fired 'without cause' [Update: Bungie COO Pete Parsons responds]
Halo series and Destiny composer Martin 'Marty' O'Donnell is no longer working for Bungie, and he claims the studio's directors fired him "without cause" last Friday, April 11. O'Donnell tweeted the news this morning, and shortly after Bungie responded on its blog. Community Manager David Dague said the studio and O'Donnell parted ways "as friends." "For more than a decade, Marty O'Donnell filled our worlds with unforgettable sounds and soundtracks, and left an indelible mark on our fans," wrote Dague. "Today, as friends, we say goodbye. We know that wherever his journey takes him, he will always have a bright and hopeful future. We wish him luck in all his future endeavors." We've reached out to Bungie for further details. O'Donnell's departure is certainly a surprise given his stock with Halo and Bungie fans, especially with Destiny rapidly approaching its release date of September 9. The veteran composer had collaborated with former Beatle Paul McCartney on a "musical prequel" to Destiny, titled Music of the Spheres. It has yet to be released. Update: Speaking to a group of journalists at a studio event (keep your eyes on Joystiq for Destiny preview coverage soon), Bungie COO Pete Parsons made the following statement. "I'm sure many of you have heard the news about Marty O'Donnell. At Bungie, we don't take that kind of thing lightly. We don't make decisions lightly. We're a team that's committed to making an amazing game, set in an amazing universe." He added, "At this time, we won't be commenting any further on it." [Image: @PaulMcCartney]
Halo, Destiny composer Martin O'Donnell fired by Bungie (update)
After composing some of the most memorable songs in gaming for Bungie games including most of the Halo series, Myth and Oni, Martin O'Donnell tweeted tonight that he has been terminated "without cause" by Bungie's board of directors. It's not entirely common for a game soundtrack to get the album release treatment, but that's just what happened for the Halo games and many gamers have been looking forward to O'Donnell's work on the upcoming game Destiny. There's still no word on why the separation happened, although if he's still interested in working on Halo, one would think it's time for 343 Industries to make a phone call. A statement on Bungie.net confirms the move, although it claims "Today, as friends, we say goodbye." The timing and feeling reported by the two sides appear to be at odds, and while we wait for more details we'll remember better days with Marty's recent work on the Destiny trailer as well as theme songs for Halo 1, 2 and 3. Update 4/17: While we haven't heard more about the reasons for the change, Joystiq reports Bungie COO told the media at a Destiny preview even that "We don't make decisions lightly." Bungie also confirmed that O'Donnell's music will remain in the upcoming game, but has not commented further. Today O'Donnell tweeted again, dropping a link to his new website and offering to email updates on the "next big thing." For now, it's announcing O'Donnell will be at Video Games Live concerts in Seattle and Los Angeles, but we'll have to stay tuned to see what happens after that.
Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary soundtrack getting full orchestral treatment
San Francisco-based Pyramind Studios is producing a re-orchestrated soundtrack for Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary. 343 Industries, Microsoft, and Pyramind announced that the project is headed up by Microsoft Senior Audio Director Kristofor Mellroth, and Pyramind Studios COO/Audio Director Paul Lipson, and employs both the Skywalker Symphony Orchestra and San Francisco-based vocal group Chanticleer. Bryan Dale is handling the soundtrack's hot, hot licks. Marty O'Donnell loyalists take note: "We are striving to create the ultimate love letter to Halo fans, and celebrate Marty O'Donnell's and Michael Salvatori's original vision with grace and style," Mellroth points out. Like Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, the re-recorded soundtrack will drop on November 15.
New logo, trademark lend credence to Bungie 'Destiny' project
Doing the detective work of any good fansite, HBO.org has turned up more evidence of the rumored "Destiny" MMOFPS in development at Bungie Studios / Bungie Aerospace / whatever Bungie wants to call itself. The site discovered that a company named "Podophobia Entertainment," formed by Bungie head Harold Ryan and music composer Marty O'Donnell, had registered a trademark for "Destiny" with the image seen above. The filing is classified under "Computer game software; Computer game software downloadable from a global computer network; Video game software; Virtual reality game software." "Destiny" is just the latest in a series of filings by the Halo dev studio, most recently incorporating "Bungie Aerospace" and trademarking "Crimson" for use with "Computer game software downloadable from a global computer network; Computer game software for use on mobile and cellular phones; Downloadable computer game software via a global computer network and wireless devices." As you might expect, Bungie has remained quiet on the filings and has yet to respond to our requests for comment.
Video Games Live trying New Orleans concert for PBS again
Video Games Live plans to record a show on April 1 (no joke) in New Orleans to be aired on PBS stations in July. As this is going on the tee-vees, special guests and spectacle are planned. Ralph Baer will play Pong against an audience member on stage, with the symphony providing the sound. Guests for the post-show "meet and greet" include Tommy Tallarico (Earthworm Jim/Advent Rising), Jack Wall (Myst/Mass Effect), Marty O'Donnell (Halo), Russell Brower (Blizzard), Gerard Marino (God of War), Christopher Tin (Civilization IV) and more. VGL Executive Producer Tommy Tallarico tells Joystiq that the previous attempt to record the show in February fell through due to licensing and approval issues. Tickets for the show are available from Ticketmaster. Hopefully, the second attempt goes smoother.
Season finale of 1 vs. 100 this Friday has Jimmy Fallon, Bungie
Microsoft already announced earlier this week that Halo luminaries Frank O'Connor and Marty O'Donnell would be stopping by for the season finale of 1 vs. 100, but now Major Nelson has revealed that Jimmy Fallon will be appearing as well. It's not too much of a stretch to see the Late Night host appearing on the game, as games have certainly been no stranger on his talk show (or its commercials). This season's final episode of 1 vs. 100 will begin on Xbox Live this Friday at 10:00pm ET/7:00 pm PT.
VGA 2009: Bungie's Marty O'Donnell talks moody soundtracks
This past Saturday brought us the Spike TV Video Game Awards and – before experiencing the litany of world exclusives that awaited us inside – we spent some time outside cruising the red carpet and talking (briefly!) to many of the game developers and talent. We squeezed them for information as fast as we could while simultaneously wishing them holiday cheer and good tidings. Yes, it was as awkward as it sounds. HHere's what we learned from Bungie's Halo-matic composer, Marty O'Donnell. Why was the music such a departure for Halo 3: ODST? It was just a completely different story with different characters, it was a small scale, it took place in a lonely city where it was raining. It was a detective sort of story where one lone ODST was looking for his buddies. From the very beginning Joe Staten, the writer, wanted to create an atmosphere that felt very film noir, very detective story. I'm the main composer, but my partner Mike Salvatore in Chicago and a couple of other guys in Seattle, Stan Laparte and C. Paul Johnson contributed stuff. I tried to keep all of the themes in that noir, jazz, dark area. There's a few times where we're in the rooftops or doing some high-action regular old Halo stuff in vehicles and we went back to that big, bombastic, epic stuff, but I always wanted to bring it back to that noir feel. Were there any musical references to classic Halo during those moments? I didn't do any actual thematic callbacks. I still wanted to do .... well, number one was no monks. But I still thought the big orchestral epic sound had a place. With some other stuff, you know. Piano, guitar, etc. It's like three hours of music, and you can't narrow yourself down to a small palette, you have to really be as expansive as possible. So now you're working on Reach? Yes, we're premiering the first look at the opening section of Reach. It's right out of the game. I'm really excited about it. It has a really different feel.
Video: When Halo 3 met Fallout 3
The charming video which you'll find just below the break is an expert blending of Halo 3 and Fallout 3 and it holds within it two very basic truths. One: It's fine for Fallout, but Halo probably wouldn't be better if it stopped every 10 seconds to let you select which body part to aim for.The second truth? Apologies to Marty O'Donnell, but Halo would be much, much better if set to the melodious vocal stylings of Roy Brown. Sorry if that's hard for you to hear.[Via X3F]
