News and Press from 2002

December 18, 2002
New sound effects from forthcoming "The Recordist SFX Library" added: Beoing 757 Jet pass by during landing, Rocket away, Ice cracking, Rock falls, Thunder special effects, Matchbook flame burst, Vault door slam and a Trolley pass by. [More] * Added 12/2002

December 10, 2002
New Metroid Prime audio reviews added. A sampling:

Gamers.com: "The new Metroid stands with the very best of modern games in almost every important respect. Well, except sound and graphics, where Prime surpasses them all." [More]

Tech TV: "Metroid Prime is an aural delight." [More]

November 25, 2002
Metroid Prime Reviews are coming in.

IGN.com: "Fantastically designed sound effects compliment the mood with Dolby Pro Logic II support. It should come as no surprise that Metroid Prime is home to the best sound design yet on GameCube." [More]

Gamespot.com: "There's no speech whatsoever, but a large variety of sound effects accompany all the various weapons, creatures, and environments that you'll see. Some of the creatures sound really menacing, and the weapons shriek with the sort of intensity you'd hope for." [More]

October 1, 2002
Metroid Prime sound design work is done! I traveled to Retro Studios in Austin Texas to assist in final sound effects design with Audio Director Clark Wen.

Metroid Prime: Take aim at adventure gaming and sci-fi shoot-'em-up thrills as bounty hunter Samus Aran rockets her way to Nintendo GameCube and planet Tallon IV. The venerable Metroid series starring Samus exploded onto the scene in 1986, and two sequels later, fans still haven't gotten enough. Doing justice to the original, the developers at Retro Studios charge full-speed ahead with a brand-new ballistic adventure that comes heavily armed with high-caliber gameplay, including first-person adventuring as seen through Samus's combat, scan and other high-tech visors. Loaded with classic weapons from the previous Metroid games and an arsenal of all-new weapons, Metroid Prime is an adrenaline-charged alien-blasting adventure that's worth setting your sights on.

September 1, 2002
Completed weapon and various other sound effects for Unreal Tournament 2003. Unreal Tournament 2003 is a lightning-fast, no-holds-barred sport of the future, where warriors face off like the Gladiators of ancient Rome to determine the ultimate combatant. Super human reflexes, awesome weapons and the skill to use them effectively are what separate the good from the bad, the living from the dead, the victor from vanquished.

July 1, 2002
Latest Game audio reviews

Gamespy.com (Neverwinter Nights)
"Sound, however, is the typical superlative BioWare production. Jeremy Soule has come up with yet another outstanding score. The voice acting is also among the best in the business. The overall sound design parallels the single-player game in that it's more of the excellent stuff BioWare consistently churns out."
From: http://www.gamespy.com/reviews/june02/neverwinter/

Gamescore.com (Dungeon Siege)
"Throughout the game you will experience superb sound effects, everything from the clanging and whooshing of your weapon through the air to doors slamming shut and creaking open have been recorded and sound authentic and realistic. The voice acting when do talk to some of the friendlier folk is well done and the accents add diversity and can be fun to listen to. The music is again great and sets the almost continually combat ready mood of the game. Sound: 10 / 10"
From: http://www.gamescore.com/dungeonsiege.html

PC Gamer Magazine, June 2002 (in print) (Dungeon Siege)
"Wherever you wander, you'll bask in absolutely superb sound, especially when EAX is enabled via a Sound Blaser Live! or Audigy card. Final verdict: amazing sound." [Web Site]

May 1, 2002
Sound Ideas "The General 6000 Extension III" released:
The Series 6000 Extension III offers an extensive variety of contemporary sounds - full CDs of all terrain vehicles, automobiles and guns, plus spectacular selections of weapons, battles, horror, crashes, smashes, crowds, doors, explosions, hits, vehicles, swishes, whooshes ... and a whole lot more. Again, The Recordist contributed many of the new sound effects in this collection.

April 10, 2002
The Frank Bry Interview on XGR Radio

Frank Bry is the Sound Designer for most of the Total Annihilation titles, Dungeon Siege, and the upcoming Unreal Technology game from Epic (we all know it's called Unreal Warfare but not officially, right?). Check out the interview.

I had a chance to sit down with Frank for a chat - here are some of the topics we covered:

How he got started doing sound effects
Past titles he has worked on
Dungeon Siege
Different genres including a small bit on upcoming Unreal game
Much, much more

April 2, 2002
Gamers Depot Dungeon Siege Review
The in-game audio sound effects and music also play a part in helping to shape the atmosphere and are done very nicely. Creative Labs’ Environmental Audio Extensions are used to great detail and will especially reward gamers on a 4.1 surround system. Caverns and dungeons have an uncanny realistic echo to them, whereas outdoor areas have a more open sound. Without question, the sound engineers did a great job by creating some of the best sound effects to be heard in any game to date. Full Review

March 29, 2002
Creative Labs EAX Q&A on Dungeon Siege
Microsoft's Dungeon Siege site has posted a question and answer session between Gas Powered Games and Creative Labs. The Q&A covers Creative's EAX technology and how it was implemented in Dungeon Siege. Information regarding the creation of sounds, music, and moods are also included.

Creative: There are many distinctive and unique sounds in Dungeon Siege, how did you source the samples for the game?

Gas Powered Games: We contracted with Frank Bry of Creative Sound Design. Using source material from CD Libraries and custom sounds that he has recorded and designed over the years, Frank created the Sound Effects. A majority of the creature voice sounds were created from scratch using human and animal sources.

Sounds like spells, backgrounds and monster dies were layered and manipulated in Digidesign Pro-Tools 24/Mix and an Emulator IIIx Digital Sampling Keyboard (E-mu Systems, Owned by Creative). Up to 24 individual tracks/sounds were used to create the complex and larger than life monsters, underground ambiences, and machinery.

March 1, 2002
Kirkland, Washington - Audio production is complete on Dungeon Siege. Here are some reports from the press who received the Limited Content Preview...

"To compliment the awesome art, the team has put together some incredible sound effects and music. You'll hear tiny creatures skittering across stone dungeon floors, and while walking through the forest you'll hear the leaves rustle with movement through the underbrush." From: Gamespy.com

"Audio effects look to be good as well. My speakers don't do the game justice, as there are many different sounds they weren't capable of transmitting optimally. Enemy noises, in game music - all were excellent and not too overpowering." From: Gamezilla.com

"As with everything else with Dungeon Siege, the sound is shaping up to be great. There was nothing that I heard that feels out of place. All the sound effects, music, and character interactions really provide the appropriate atmosphere for the game." From: Gameraiders.com

Check the Downloads section for any available sound effects from these news items.