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| Gears of War 2 The Soundtrack | 
| List Price: $15.98
Buy New: $10.34
You Save: $5.64 (35%)
Buy New/Used from $10.34
Avg. Customer Rating:  (based on 6 reviews)
Sales Rank: 2059
Category: Music
Publisher: Sumthing Else
Studio: Sumthing Else
Manufacturer: Sumthing Else
Label: Sumthing Else
Format: Soundtrack
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 2053
UPC: 669311205322
EAN: 0669311205322
ASIN: B001HMFCGM
Release Date: November 25, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
| • | Return Of The Omen | | • | Hope Runs Deep | | • | Green As Grass | | • | Expectations | | • | Finally, A Lead | | • | Armored Prayer | | • | Hold Them Off | | • | Derrick Chase | | • | Building Thunder | | • | Hell Breaks Loose | | • | Bedlam | | • | Breakneck | | • | Landown | | • | Racing To Extinction | | • | If They Can Ride Em | | • | Hollow | | • | Unexpected Changes | | • | March Of The Horde | | • | Highway | | • | Denizens Of The Deep | | • | With Sympathy | | • | Insurmountable Odds | | • | Bump In The Night | | • | Frenzy | | • | Outpost | | • | Finale | | • | Autumn Of Mankind |
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Album Description
Gears of War 2 The Soundtrack features a new original music score composed by Hollywood composer Steve Jablonsky (Transformers, The Island, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and recorded with the Skywalker Symphonic Orchestra and Chorus at the world famous Skywalker Sound.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
 Monotnous January 7, 2009
This compilation lacks of variety and does not contain the Devotchka work "How it ends"!
 One of the Best Game Soundtracks ever put to disk! December 13, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
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 bought a 360 for this game, and for the music. December 8, 2008
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.
A Harsh & Thundering Score In Full Jablonsky Style December 4, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
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.
A Masterpiece. November 29, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
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+
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