@MartyTheElder I am very sorry to hear that. @Bungie lost a very valuable asset. I wish you the best of luck in the future. :(

— UnrealCh13f (@UnrealCh13f) April 16, 2014

...of course, <140 characters are never good enough for this type of communication.

I was about 11 years old when I was originally exposed to Halo (2002, if anyone was curious). And after that original playthrough, it wasn't the campaign levels or the multiplayer that kept me going, it was the music of Marty O' Donnell (plus Michael Salvatori) that wanted me to play more.

The way the music seamlessly went along with the game, from the calm and silent mood when you are making long strolls around "Assault on the Control Room", to that scary and mysterious music from "The Flood", to adding that sense of rush and feeling when Master Chief runs through the Pillar of Autumn for the last time in "The Maw". That's what kept me wanting to replay the game so much.

Outside of the game room, I would occasionally go online and find more interesting Halo-related music. From the fan-made MIDIs of the music to going to HBO to watch/listen to the "Siege of Madrigal" Easter Egg Walkthrough, nothing was left untouched. I originally became addicted to Halo, not because of the gameplay, but because of the music. Besides, I barely got to play H:CE MP at all.

Halo 2 left me listening to both volumes of the OST for hours on end, and my first listen through Halo 3's OST not only gave me chills down my spine, but also made me tear up a little. Both ODST and Reach took your music in a different direction, and yet, it was just as addicting as the previous soundtracks.

Then comes Destiny. When I initially heard the excepts of the soundtrack from E3 and Video Games Live's Comic-Con, I knew in my mind that he was going to do great things for Destiny. Add to the fact that he worked with Paul McCartney during the game's production, it seemed that he was an unstoppable force.

Then come April 15th, 2014. The day the world finds out that Marty's employment at Bungie was terminated without cause. The world became shocked. Tears were shed, pitchforks were raised, and questions about what was happening internally were asked.

We may never know the reason for the termination. One thing I know for sure though, is that where ever Marty lands in the future, he will deliver.

So with that, I say thank you, O' Donnell, for providing many great audio experiences through my time playing video games thus far. I cannot wait to find out what is next in store.