Top Five Game Sounds #1

So what's number one? Well, for me, it's a sound that gives me goosebumps, while at the same time giving me the confidence to sneak up on big, burly guys, silently take them down and dump them in a rubbish bin where the body will never be found...

Game: Splinter Cell

Sound created by: Night vision goggles
Sound: Whirrr...

I'm a big fan of the Splinter Cell series (particularly the night vision goggles), so was particularly upset to read the following blurb on the soon-to-be-released Splinter Cell: Conviction -

'Sam Fisher can no longer rely on his trusted bag of tools and iconic goggles. He's gone beyond being a double agent. Now he's a fully fledged fugitive without the intel of 3rd Echelon or the support of his friends. Those custom gadgets can't be found at your local hardware store.'

Excuse me? Does this mean there won't be night vision goggles? I don't think I could bear it. And anyway, while 'those custom gadgets' might be tricky to find at your local hardware store, somebody should tell Sam Fisher that you can get a fully functional pair of goggles as part of the prestige edition of Call of Duty: MW2.

Top Five Game Sounds #2

Time for an old-skool entry in the top five. Because frankly - who doesn't love Sonic? Well, possibly not Dr Robotnik and people that work at Nintendo. Anyway, second place in this countdown of top game sound effects, goes to...

Game: Sonic the Hedgehog
Sound created by: Collecting gold rings
Sound:  Kerching!

I spent around 80% of my childhood collecting those sparkly gold rings. The other 20% was spent forming an intense hatred of rock, paper, scissors, courtesy of Alex Kidd. I particularly enjoyed collecting rings in a loop the loop (see above) or in the snakey high-speed tunnels.

Losing rings was hearbreaking, especially when followed by death. Very similar to the feeling of losing studs in any of the Lego games. GET THE BLUE ONE! Sorry, where was I? The sound of gold rings being collected by a blue hedgehog, that's right. A truly iconic gaming sound... but not the number one. Think you can guess what it is? Add a comment below...

Top Five Game Sounds #3

Okay, so this one isn't from a specific game, but I couldn't let the top five go by without giving a special mention to a sound that's made me happy on so many occasions...

Game: Everything
Sound created by: The glorious xbox
Sound: Blip!

I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm a total achievement hunter. Recently, while playing 1 vs 100, I intentionally got three consecutive answers wrong just to get an achievement. Admittedly, it's likely I would have achieved this feat without trying particularly hard, but I was keen to hear the ping! as soon as possible. I'm a total sell-out when it comes to the ping.

I can have a really unproductive day, but as soon as I hear that sound I can't help but feel like I really... achieved something. 

Top Five Game Sounds #4

In at number 4, is a sound that comes from a series of games with a bit of a sports theme. Whenever I play one of these games (although not the latest one), for the next few days I find myself walking down the street wanting to press Y+direction whenever I see a low wall/park bench/picket fence...

Game: Tony Hawk series
Sound created by: Skateboard on hard surface
Sound: Griiiiiind

Final 3 coming soon...

Top Five Game Sounds #5

Game soundtracks get a fair bit of attention. Not as much attention as female samurais in bikinis, granted, but they get their fair share of the limelight. The humble sound effect, on the other hand, rarely gets a mention. Which is why I've decided to dedicate some of my blogging space to my top five game sounds - sounds that have stuck in my head for days, sounds that freak me out and iconic sounds that remind me how great gaming is. Here's number 5...

Game: Gears of War
Sound created by: The Ticker
Sound: More of a click, click, click, than a tick, tick, tick.

Whenever I hear that click, click, click, my anxiety levels go through the roof. In fact, just the thought of the sound of the click, click, click, makes me freak out substantially. Which is weird, because I actually find tickers quite cute. Right before they run at me with a ticking bomb.

So, what would you have in your top five game sounds? Feel free to comment... I'll be posting the rest of the countdown over the next few days...