November 11, 2006 - We've come a long way from the intermittent bleeps and bloops that sounded off from our tinny internal PC speakers. Now, if a game doesn't come with realistic atmospheric music and sound effects, top-notch voice acting, and a score composed by John Williams (or some other similarly gifted if less-familiar classical composer), we're just liable to throw our hands up and say, "What's the point then? I might as well lie down and die."

Well, okay; no one is ever really that serious about game audio (at least no one we know personally). But the idea is that the audio in today's games has gone far past the simple tunes thrown together by programmers and moved into an arena previously only occupied by movies and television. Video games have slowly achieved the capacity to provide a qualitative and wholly immersive experience to the user, an achievement in large part due to the ability of music and sound effects to draw gamers in.

Highlighting the best in gaming audio, we picked out three notable PC titles that we thought sounded remarkable when they played through Bose's Companion� 5 speakers. Here are our three picks:



The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle Earth II
The translation of J.R.R. Tolkien's epic from novel to movie to video game seemed quite destined in that the drama that takes place in this tale of good versus evil fits quite well into the relatively new mediums of film and gaming. Peter Jackson's celluloid rendition of the novel held up particularly well thanks to a sweeping soundtrack and impressive sound design, both of which were also presented wonderfully in Electronic Arts' RTS version of the trilogy. The game, which features heart-rending cheers and fearsome battle cries from the cast of heroes and villains, faithfully reproduced the same thrills brought on by the movies. The addition of cast member Hugo Weaving's narration to the mix only served to cap off an impressive extension to the franchise.

So THAT'S what it sounds like when Uruk-Hai cry.

Company of Heroes
Admittedly, we've had it up to here with RTS games based on WWII. We were more than willing to make an exception, however, for the absolutely impressive appearance of THQ's Company of Heroes onto the scene. The sound in this game is undeniably immersive. Despite being among a handful of games that have garnered comparison with the blockbuster film Saving Private Ryan, CoH's use of loud, booming explosions, gunfire, and troop feedback adds another layer of realism to the battlefield and places this game in a genre all its own. Not only is this title exceptional in its recreation of modern warfare, but it's a damn fine real-time strategy game to boot.

Shrapnel is only funny until someone gets turned into a eunuch.

F.E.A.R.
An entire nation of gamers made sure to have extra packs of underwear handy when they first came across this action-heavy FPS thriller, which was largely lauded as one of the best shooters to ever hit store shelves in ages. F.E.A.R. successfully made an entirely new generation of gamers jump in their seats by generating exceptionally nerve-wracking mood underneath well-balanced core game play. Strange noises echoing down halls, mysterious whispers floating in midair, and foreboding orchestral music all came together to craft a brilliantly effective piece of interactive entertainment the likes of which have yet to be replicated.

F.E.A.R.: Keeping the world safe from creepy ghost children.