> I'm not sure where the score falls in the listened-to-this line, and while it was early it was definitely not my first. I think this is my first big break with your opinion with this series. I adore this one (again, huge nostalgia bias check) and can hum several of its tracks off memory. I'd describe those same tracks and rhythmic and grooving, excellent study/writing music. It possibly could have stood to use more franchise themes, but its occasional and enjoyable use of the 'Gregorian' theme roots it in the franchise effectively enough. To this day, I usually pop it on when snow starts falling (the opening on Harvest provides a beautifully lonely, desolate atmosphere). And 'Insignificantia' still remains a deeply emotional musical symbol of melancholic finality and propulsion (occupying a similar emotional niche to Undertale's self-titled main theme track). It probably rates low-ish compared to other Halo scores for me if I had to actually rank them, but nostalgia, man.

I didn’t play the game, so that probably explains my nostalgia-free take.

I know I wrote a review for Soundtrack Geek back in the day without hearing the bonus tracks. I’d venture I probably arrived at a similar rating, albeit via caustic, immature nerd rage.

You can imagine my amusement to find out to learn that the Soundtrack Geek URL (which was used for a South Asian sex toy site a few years ago) is now a Malaysian gambling webpage.

> Side note, years later I checked out Rippy's work for the Ensemble 'Age of...' games, and the music was *very* familiar in style. With that hindsight, it can be safely said that Halo Wars was a case of a composer fitting the assignment into existing mannerisms, and that was likely the assignment.

Rippy admitted as much in a blog post - https://www.stephenrippy.com/halo-wars-blog.html

> ~~My fave is next!!!~~

I gave it *** when it came out. How times change…