Gaming Soundbites You Can't Forget

Thanks to GameSpot for their 'GameSpotting' editorial discussing game audio soundbites you can't get out of your head. The author recalls: "Just as the sound of a bell ringing made Pavlov's dogs start watering at the mouth in anticipation of their next meal, it was the sound of Street Fighter II that made me want to play." Apart from the article's classic example, "Ryu and Ken's shouts of 'Hadoken!'", what unique game audio captures your imagination every time you hear it?

Comments

All I can say...

[Only in the dark]

Flawless Victory.

Now if it just saying it for me, instead as my friend kicks my ass for the thirteen time in a row.

Dark Castle

[Elwood P Dowd]

On my dad's mac plus. I was too young to have good enough hand-eye coordination. My mom was pretty good at it, though, and the sounds were what really got my attention.

All the grunts the main character would make. The dizzy noise that happened when you fell down. The "nya-nya-nya-nya" from the imps. The vulture squaks.

Rad, rad game. Very fluid. Originally released in 1986 by Silicon Beach Software. More fluid, imho, than Prince of Persia. Of course... I was six.

I think Silicon Beach eventually merged with Aldus, and sold the rights to a company called Delta Tau software, that then released a color version.

Sinistar

[Sierran]

Sinistar.

"I *LIVE!*" ...guaranteed to make my fourteen-y/o self start sweating bullets at the machine. Followed by "I *HUNGER!*" a few seconds later as he came for you.

The awful, dying wrrrrrraaaaaaaarrrrrrrwwwww of your icon sinking down the funnel in Tempest.

On a more prosaic note, the continuous chika-chika-chika-chika of the frantic buying spree at the beginning of every round of Counter-Strike.

Ah, here we go

[Jerf]

L-loo-l-look at you, Hacker. A pa-pa-pa-pathetic creature of meat and bone, panting and sweating as you ru-run through my corridors. How can you challenge a perfect, immortal machineeeenneeee-[electronic sounds]?

Re:Ah, here we go

[KozmoStevnNaut]

Oh, yeah... That soundbite still gives me the creeps :D

Another really distinctive sound is the "thunk" sound from the Diablo games. Hell... just about any sound from any Blizzard game, actually. And the sounds from Doom! Especially the Cyber-Demon's footstep sound... Everytime you heard it, you knew you were in deep shit. The "M-M-M-M-MONSTER KILL" announcer from Unreal Tournament was kinda memorable, too. And the Super Mario games! The "red-and-white mushroom sound" and the "down the tube"-sounds are stuck in my memory forever.

Not sound per se, but the music from Terminal Velocity was really good too, and there were a few really good sound effects too.

I guess that just about every game I have ever played has left some significant bit of its sounds in my head. That would explain quite a bit, actually ;)

Re:Affiliation

[simoniker]

If there were another 349034385 big gaming sites, then we'll post stuff from those, but as GameSpot, GameSpy, and IGN are the only 3 majors nowadays, and tie up a lot of the exclusives, it's pretty much inevitable that quite a few posts are going to feature them. :) But where do I apply for 'kicks'? Sounds enticing.

Re:That damned laugh.

[shadowcabbit]

Screw that. Lavos's scream made me wet my pants the first time I heard it.

Oh, and J-E-N-O-V-A (the music) still sends chills down my spine.

NBA Jam

[incubusnb]

my most memorable sound clip would have to be from the Arcade NBA Jam: "He's on FIRE!!!" it became a catch phrase and temporary phenomenon at my school when that game was popular