Cantus Firmi
The dream of dynamic music is a flowing, responsive score that matches the player’s every move. Will better technology make it a reality—or is something else getting in the way?
The small team that was developing Halo 3: ODST had arrived at one central image to encapsulate our game: a futuristic soldier in black armor, standing in the rain in a dark and deserted city. Marty O’Donnell, the audio director and composer for the Halo series, saw the image as subdued, almost introspective. It wasn’t the kind of feeling one would normally associate with a fast-paced, run-and-gun shooter. But that’s what made it so arresting. ODST was a chance to do something different.
