Awe Struck /* Dead Space 2 */

My favorite cut scene in any game is at the end of Dead Space 2 when the Marker is activated. It's chilling and disturbing. It sticks in your mind for days. You watch it over and over. At first you say, "Shit...that's fucking awesome!" Then you sit there staring at your television, transfixed by the light and wind and flames. The sounds of horns, angelic voices, and the cycling of a colossal artifact is unholy and mesmerizing. If the situation was real and I had made it that far, which is extremely doubtful, I'm not sure I wouldn't have just given up then and there, too stunned to continue on.

This video must be played loud on good speakers to get the full effect. Even better, you should play the game yourself if you haven't yet, since it is great, no one sticks around to watch the Marker for long enough, and this is a major spoiler.

They really did an incredible job creating a creepy atmosphere of sounds. Here's a glimpse of the sound design process with Audio Director Andrew Boyd and Composer Jason Graves.

So, I wrote this in July, a while after finishing the game. Then I got distracted, never edited the rough draft, and forgot to press the "publish" button.