The Halo series is a huge part of the current gaming culture. While you may find gamers who haven’t touched it, you would be hard-pressed to find one who hadn’t even heard of it. As the game that single-handedly established Microsoft in the gaming world, Halo was very important in directing current trends and exposing tactics of certain companies. Halo’s past is riddled with cheap (though unsurprising) tactics, disappointment and endless delays. It also harbors monsterous release numbers and one of the strongest fan-followings of any game.

When the first Halo title was announced back in the summer of ‘99, the game was set for release for both Windows and Mac OS. The game was an immediate hit amongst journalists who had had a chance to preview game earlier in the year at E3. Halo was seen as the title to bring gaming to the Mac in a way that it had not seen previously. It was only a year later, though, that the hopes of this killer Mac title were destroyed when Microsoft announced that it had purchased Bungie Studios (developers of the Halo series) and would make the game a Microsoft exclusive. As if this wasn’t enough of a blow, the game would no longer be initially released on PC, but on Microsoft’s new game console, the Xbox. This transfer of platform severly changed the development of Halo and when Bungie rewrote the engine, it changed from a 3rd Person title to a First Person Shooter. While the end product was considered inferior to the game displayed that first year, it still found success and aclaim as a console title. The control scheme and many of the methods of gameplay used in the Xbox version of Halo became mainstay parts of console FPS titles for years to come.

I give the history of the original title for a reason. Halo has one of the more interesting pasts for a game series and it shows in the games themselves. While original title felt almost incomplete on Xbox and the second felt stunted, both titles, for as flawed as they were, hold a special place in many gamers hearts. That place could be one of absolute love or utter hate, but no matter what it is, Halo is known to everyone. It is with this and on the back of the biggest game release in history (Halo 2) that Halo 3 will make its appearance.

While we’re on the subject of the current gen, however, I would like to say that the Red Ring of Death is by far the most gut-wrenching thing I’ve experienced in a long time. Much like the Blue Screen of Death (go Microsoft and your colored indicators of death!), it makes my stomach churn. However, unlike the BSOD, seeing that RROD brings along with it the knowledge that it will be a few weeks before I can enjoy another 360 game. I’m glad that Microsoft has increased their warranties on all the systems, but it’s still annoying to only be able to use your system for a few months before death is imminent. I guess that’s the price you pay for enjoying anything by Microsoft, though.

Today is the letter F. Obviously, Final Fantasy would be included in this list but it seems almost a bit unfair to post music from a series that is already so widely known and block out some other, just as deserving titles. So for the sake of fairness to my collection and your interests, there will be no Final Fantasy posted.

Update: Since you can now hear the song live, there is no real need to put the genre.

Guido – Outskirts of Time Chrono Trigger The Brink of Time

Satoshi Ise – Theme of GOUKI remix Capcom vs. SNK 2 Millionaire Fighting 2001 Original Soundtrack

Michiru Yamane – Prologue Castlevania Original Soundtrack

Hirokazu Tanaka, Ryoji Yoshitomi, Kazumi Totaka – Monkeys Mario Paint Original Soundtrack The soundtrack to Mario Paint is strange to say the least, but it fits with a very strange game. This song has an upbeat, jazzy feel to it and is really quite enjoyable for being an old SNES song. It doesn’t change that much throughout the song, so don’t expect an epic build-up. It’s just a simple little song that will make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Yasunori Mitsuda – To Far Away Times Chrono Trigger Original Sound Version Listening to this song gives me the same feeling of accomplishment that I got when I first beat Chrono Trigger. Luckly, for those of you who haven’t played the game, the song is still an excellent example of using the limited musical capabilities of the SNES to it’s full potential. Like many songs from the early years, it relies on a strong, catchy melody with a couple of backing instruments and other sounds.

Alph Lyla – Guile Super Mega Drive Fan Vol.2 It’s hard to listen to this song without wanting to pick up a controller and play Street Fighter again. The music for the Street Fighter has always been entrancing, and this track from Street Fighter II Dash Plus (a.k.a. Street Fighter II: Champion Edition) is no exception. This Mega Drive verison starts strong and keeps going until the end, the way a Guile theme song should.

Shiro Hamaguchi/Shinko Ogata – Fisherman’s Horizon Final Fantasy VIII: Piano Collections Already a beautiful track from the original soundtrack, the piano rendition is wonderful. The soft, whimsical tone puts you at ease quickly. It captures of feeling of relaxing on a dock with a fishing pole and the warmth of the sun very well.

Masashi Hamauzu/Aki Kuroda – Traveling Company Final Fantasy X: Piano Collections Like Fisherman’s Horizon, this song is a soft, atmospheric track. However, instead of intending to capture of feel of fishing, its purpose is to create a peaceful enviornment inside a shop. A simple task, but Traveling Company exceeds in all categories.

Reiko Nomura – Tina Final Fantasy VI: Piano Collections This piece is nothing short of a classic. From the last Nintendo Final Fantasy until Crystal Chronicles, the music in VI was phenomenal, and this theme was no exception. It has a very epic feel to it. Though some of it is lost in the translation to solo piano, it still holds up as a wonderfully performed and composed piece.

Shiro Hamaguchi/Seiji Honda – One Winged Angel FINAL FANTASY VII: Piano Collections Another classic Final Fantasy track, this piano rendition does a great job of keeping the dark tone. The piece never lets up, and unfolds like any great epic song would. For those of you who have heard the original, you can almost hear the choir chanting “Se-phi-roth” in the background as the hammers of the piano slam against the strings with a great intensity.

All tracks originally composed by Nobuo Uematsu except “Traveling Company”, which was composed by Masashi Hamauzu.