Information Review

Sumthing Else Music Works Announces Release of the Halo 3: ODST Original Soundtrack
2-CD set features epic music score by award-winning composers Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori.

September 14, 2009 - New York - Sumthing Else Music Works, through its licensing relationship with Microsoft Game Studios, proudly presents Halo 3: ODST Original Soundtrack featuring the original musical score from the highly anticipated video game Halo 3: ODST composed by Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori. The 2-disc set will be released on September 22nd to retail outlets through Sumthing Else Music Works, and will be available for digital download on Sumthing Digital and iTunes.

Developed exclusively for Xbox 360 by acclaimed developer Bungie, Halo 3: ODST is a new game in the Halo saga that lets players experience events leading up to the epic story told in Halo 3 through the eyes of an ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Trooper), as they search for clues leading to the whereabouts of their scattered squad and the motivations behind the Covenant's invasion of New Mombasa. The release adds a new dimension to an all-encompassing universe that gamers around the world have known and loved for close to eight years.

"I'm happy to be able to share all new compositions and recordings created for Halo 3: ODST," said composer Martin O'Donnell. "The music reflects the new mood, new heroes, and new story of the game. I worked with the Northwest Sinfonia for the orchestral recordings and also added some nice alto sax solos and some new guitar solos. The piano sneaks back in again a few times too, but I can't seem to help that."

The Halo franchise is an award-winning collection of properties that have grown into a global entertainment phenomenon. Beginning with the original Halo: Combat Evolved for Xbox in 2001, the rich fiction of the franchise has since inspired a series of blockbuster Xbox and Xbox 360 video games, New York Times best-selling novels, comic books, action figures, apparel and more. Published by Microsoft Game Studios, the Halo franchise of games is exclusive to the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system and the games are optimized for the Xbox LIVE online entertainment network. To date, more than 27 million copies of Halo games have been sold worldwide, driving more than 2 billion hours of gameplay by people connected to Xbox LIVE. In February 2009, the Halo franchise expanded into the real-time strategy genre with "Halo Wars," which went on to become the best selling RTS game on any current generation console.

For more information on Halo 3: ODST, please visit www.xbox.com/halo. For more information on Bungie Studios please visit Bungie.net.

For more information on Sumthing Else Music Works and its complete catalog of video game soundtracks, please visit www.sumthing.com and www.sumthingdigital.com.

About Sumthing Else Music Works, Inc.
Since its creation in the late 1990's by the world-renowned song writer, musician and record producer, Nile Rodgers, Sumthing Else Music Works has become the acknowledged industry leader in licensing and distributing video game soundtracks. Possessing full in-house services worldwide, from retail marketing and sales through physical and digital distribution, Sumthing is partnered with the world's leading video game developers and publishers including BioWare, Bungie Studios, Capcom, Crytek, Eidos Interactive, Epic Games, Gearbox Software, Microsoft, Mistwalker, Rare, SEGA, Silicon Knights, Sony Computer Entertainment and Ubisoft. Their catalogue of titles includes the best selling video game soundtrack of all time, Halo 2: Volume One, as well as award-winning titles including: Resident Evil 5, Street Fighter IV, Halo Wars, Halo Trilogy, Gears of War 2, Fable II, Too Human, Brothers In Arms, Crysis, Advent Rising, Fable, Gears of War, Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2 Volume Two, Halo 3, Hitman: Blood Money, Hitman: Contracts, Jade Empire, Kameo: Elements of Power, Mass Effect, Red Steel, Unreal Tournament III, Freedom Fighters and many others.

Halo 3 ODST (Originally titled Halo 3: Recon ) is a first-person shooter video game, published by Microsoft Game Studios, with a release date of September 22. Millions of franchise fans out there will get a chance to dig into ODST, which may surprise some since it's not exactly the Halo you've been playing all these years. ODSTs: Follow the story of the legendary ODSTs or Orbital Drop Shock Troopers as they drop into the ruined city of New Mombasa, looking for clues behind the Covenant's catastrophic attack on the city.

The new campaign chapter predates the events that unfold in "Halo 3" and gives players a new perspective through the eyes of a new hero in the "Halo" universe. New multiplayer maps ensure that the award winning Xbox Live experience of Halo 3 continues to thrive.

The "Halo 3: ODST" campaign is an intriguing side story that takes place during the terrifying events leading up to the Master Chief's return to New Mombasa in "Halo 3." Experience the fate of Earth from the brand-new perspective of a special forces ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Trooper), adding a unique outlook and new gameplay elements to the events that unfold in the trilogy's finale. While the feel of this new chapter will greatly resemble that of previous "Halo" experiences, "Halo 3: ODST" will require players to employ more elements of stealth and cunning than ever before.

A new hero: Prepare to drop. Known for their courage, valor and, at times, insanity, ODSTs are among the fiercest UNSC soldiers, priding themselves on being the first unit deployed into hostile situations. While not as large or supernaturally gifted as their Spartan comrades, these "Hell Jumpers" more than compensate with their ferocious attitudes and unwavering nerve.

No "Halo" experience would be complete without groundbreaking multiplayer content,* and "Halo 3: ODST" gives fans more of what they love. With exclusive new maps and full Forge options, players will find more multiplayer content than ever before with "Halo 3: ODST."

Players will continue to enjoy all the great "Halo 3" technological innovations, including Saved Films, screenshots, Campaign Scoring and four-player co-op. All of the new multiplayer maps fully support the Forge editor, offering endless gameplay customization possibilities for fans.