Question Of The Month Reader Responses: Issue #234

by Jeff Marchiafava on Sep 07, 2012 at 06:05 AM

A few months ago (issue 232) we asked readers what their favorite video game sound effect is. Nostalgia ruled the roost, with many respondents calling out sounds from 8-bit classics as their all-time favorites. Here are some responses.

The Legacy Of Zelda:

My favorite sound effect has got to be the "puzzle solved" jingle from the Legend of Zelda series, because it’s the most iconic sound effect in any video game. Plus, when you hear it, you know you've just gotten that much closer to shoving the Master Sword through Ganondorf's face.

Samuel Harden
Isn't it obvious? The Legend of Zelda item get sound is the best (albeit almost spammy) sound in gaming. "Da na na naaaaa!" You got the best sound ever.

David Batula
The best gaming sound effect has to be the sound of collecting rupees is Zelda. Why? Because, it’s Zelda! Oh, and I like money…

Chris Famularo
The sound of collecting rupees in The Legend of Zelda. It brings back a sense of nostalgia unlike any other sound in my childhood. I hear it and it instantly triggers my memories of saving up 250 rupees to get the blue ring...back when saving actually was a word in my vocabulary.

Josh Montgomery
My favorite video game sound is probably the noise of the companion fairies you get in the Zelda universe. Their iconic "Hey!" is so familiar that it is now my sound effect when I receive new text messages.

Jim Gannon

Mario Mash-up:

I'd have to say the coin-collection sound from Mario. It's high-pitched, consistent, and addicting. Come to think of it, don't casinos use that same sound in their slot machines? Yeah, I don't think that was an accident.

Jeremy LaBove
Mine would have to be the "bing" whenever you got a coin in mario.

Nicholas Karrick
My favorite video game sound effect is and will always be the1-up chime from the Super Mario Series. I like it so much that I set it as my text tone on my iPhone.

Rodney Ford
My favorite is the warp pipe sound in Super Mario Bros. My wife even agreed to play it at my funeral as I enter the ground.

James Gaspar

More Minecraft:

The sound in Minecraft when you get a block. It just feels great to have one more block in your inventory.

Esteban Castro
My favorite video game sound effect is the popping sound in Minecraft when you pick something up.

Ben Ellis
My favorite sound effect is definitely the hissing sound Creepers make in Minecraft. No matter how often I play, I am always scared when I hear it. That sound signals mass destruction and death.

Cole Guttormsson
Steve's "oof" sound when he gets hurt.

Jonathan T.

Metal Gear Sound Effect:

Without a doubt, my favorite video game sound effect is the codec from Metal Gear Solid for an incoming message. It's now my ringtone for text messages and everyone instantly recognizes it. "Is that the codec from MGS?! Why yes. Yes it is."

Daniel
My favorite sound would have to be the alert noise from Metal Gear Solid, only because I heard it on someone's phone at Walmart and immediately flipped around to see where it was.

David Shoemaker
My favorite video game sound effect is the sound that chimes in once you've alerted a hostile of your presence in the Metal Gear Solid series, followed by the exclamation mark over their heads. It's like the sound of all your fears; when you hear it, you had better hope you can find a suitable hiding spot or can take out the enemies before they reach your location.

Madison Hyatt

Things That Go Bump In The Night:

My favorite sound effect is in Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2; whenever someone yells "Tank!" I do a complete 180 and run away.

Jamie Lee
I would have to go with the alarm-like "Monster Chase" noise from Amnesia: The Dark Descent. If you have played the game, you know that every time you hear this it means a disfigured monster would come shambling out of the darkness at you. The "Monster Chase" sound effect always did its job, which was to raise my heart rate.

Fletcher Suvia
The squids in the Mollusk Launcher in Saints Row: The Third! Even though it is one of my least favorite weapons to use, I still carry it around to hear those creepy little voices.

Frank Bolda

The Sound Of Violence:

That high-pitched squeal of exploding grunts from the first Halo.

Adam Martin
My favorite video game sound effect would probably be the annoncer in Mortal Kombat, when he says "Fatality." He has a deep voice that gets any person hyped up for a blood-gushing ending.

Timothy Monroe
My favorite sound effect in video games is the bolt of a sniper rifle sliding forward to chamber a round, because it signifies another bullet ready to send an unsuspecting enemies soul down to hell with a nice clean head shot. Well, as clean as brains spraying out of a skull can be.

Michael Bauby
I absolutely love the sound of that final punch in Batman: Arkham City. It makes me feel good about myself, because I know my thumbs have the ability to knock someone out (at least in the virtual world)!

Rachael Rayas
The best sound effect of all goes to Doom 2’s Super Shotgun. Hearing the gun blast and reload...no other gun makes you feel more manly. Just a "BOOM, shish shish, BOOM!"

Isaac Petrie

It's The Little Things:

For me, it has to be the Silent Hill opening map sound. That sound alone tells me what my friends are playing at the moment. It's unmistakable.

Rony
The sound of a running horse in the Assassin Creed games. They sound just like the Magical Coconuts from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Chad Lee
Favorite sound effect: That little "ching" coin sound when you find a treasure in Uncharted. It gives you a tingle of accomplishment and that "just one more" feeling, especially on those harder to find treasures.

Ken Sloane
The comical slapping effect in Rayman Origins. Honestly, I think it is hilarious.

Greg Arleth
My favorite video game sound has got to be the all of the sounds of Dream World in Tak 2: The Staff of Dreams. The rest of the game never lived up to the farting noises made by the ground in those levels.

Alex Ferlan