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[joanot]

REmake
Bioshock
Bloodborne
Silent Hill 2

 

[Crayolan]

Majora's Mask does an amazing job of creating an atmosphere of dread and depression. It never lets you forget why you're in a hurry to save the world.

 

[Freeman76]

Witcher 3 is one of the most atmospheric games ive played

 

[Nestunt]

Bioshock

This and Bloodborne are the ones that had the biggest effect on me

 

[Retroid]

I thought the atmosphere in the world of Grim Fandango was particularly good, especially Year 2.

 

[ChasingComets]

Atmospheric doesn't always have to be all about mystery and the occult.

Metal Gear Solid 3 really captured the 60s spy thriller tone like nothing has ever done.

 

[ScriptedReality]

Hyper Light Drifter.

 

[Syxx]

Because it hasn't been said yet. The Suffering

 

[Brophy]

Out of Hell

For me it manages to make and hold a consistent atmosphere of urban dread, which is being trapped in isolation in a zombie infected slum of a town that is slowly rotting away.
To this day i've yet to see another other zombie game that has surpassed it

The music by Justin Lassen really makes the game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qr5s4vfYSrY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3shyOuuddwE&index=5&list=PLA8DBEBA1C44B0D87
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RQN99HFVgg&list=PLA8DBEBA1C44B0D87&index=6
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldclMCkTMyQ&index=23&list=PLA8DBEBA1C44B0D87
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5Mk_Rr5EiI&list=PLA8DBEBA1C44B0D87&index=17

 

[bathsalts]

another STALKER thread, cheeky breeki.

 

[Mephala]

Shenmue also had great atmosphere.

 

[Spiritwalker]

I think FFXII has a pretty strong atmosphere as well, now that I think about it. That's one of the reasons I loved it so much.

 

[User 479360]

Alien Isolation

Good choice

 

[Hibiki Kurosawa]

Silent Hill games, Limbo, Half-Life 2, many others I'm blanking on.

Usually stuff with a dark oppressive atmosphere resonates with me and I think a lot of people, really.

Amazing sound design is key.

 

[Fancy Clown]

Atmosphere is usually synonymous with opressive (not that I dont love me some opressive or lonely places), so I'll go with Uncharted 2. Beautiful locations that really make you feel like you're discovering something on a journey with ya favorite mass murderer

 

[Horp]

Dark Souls. Demon Souls kind of loses a bit of atmosphere with all the warping and Bloodborne is too tryhard with its theme.

Also in some parts, HL2.

 

[Lux R7]

Diablo, Diablo 2, Dark Souls, REmake (this one is nearly perfect in that regard).

 

[DOBERMAN INC]

The Blackwell series.

 

[Acquiescence]

Shenmue 1+2
Broken Sword 1+2
L.A. Noire
Silent Hill 2
Grim Fandango
Heavy Rain
Fear Effect
ICO
The Longest Journey and Dreamfall
The PS1 Final Fantasy games (those pre-rendered environments and godly Uematsu scores are dripping with atmosphere)
Puppeteer
Rain

 

[EagleEyes]

ODST for me.

 

[Ulysses 31]

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl, Silent Hill 2 and 3.

 

[BaraSailey]

Silent Hill 2 and BioShock have already been said, but those were the first two that came to mind for me.

I also feel the Fatal Frame series does a great job creating a very unsettling atmosphere, especially the second game.

 

[Dr. Black Jack]

Deadly Premonition. Intentional or not, the presentation of the town and its citizens makes you feel weird and unnerved before the horror movie shit starts kicking in.

Spoiler

You get a sense that something otherwordly/not right is fucking with reality itself, which makes the twist that much more impactful.

 

[Matt Attack]

Soul Hackers completely nails this 90's cyberpunk atmosphere. It's really cool.

 

[Aceshighhhh]

The Witcher (1)

 

[TheJoRu]

The Zelda-series in general, but most of all Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess. The atmosphere in dungeons is something special; for some reason I especially enjoy dungeons where there are brief moments you go outside again (like the Spirit Temple in OoT for example). I think it's the contrast between the bright, often open spaces outside and then going into these really dense and dark caves. That feels more powerful to me than games where the mood remains mostly the same throughout.

It's also why I really enjoy the opening in Bioshock. Just the experience of swimming in this open ocean before descending down into Rapture. Really powerful shifts in atmosphere.

 

[brandonh83]

Silent Hill and Silent Hill 2 are still the undisputed heavyweight champs IMO

Oh and Bloodborne. So those three.

 

[Menome]

For shame, not a single mention of any game in the Myst series. The combination of world design, music and ambient sounds made the locations feel distinct from each other and alive.

 

[jackissocool]

Atmosphere always seems to mean "dark". So here:

And Gravity Rush

 

[MoosiferX]

Already mentioned but System Shock 2 has the best atmosphere of any game I've ever played.

 

[SJRB]

Bloodborne/Dark Souls aside, my vote goes to Arkham Asylum.

It's dark, claustrophobic and quite creepy, but you're Batman so you have to move forward.

 

[Pankratous]

Damn I can't believe it took until Post #27 for Dead Space. Probably one of the most atmospheric games of all time. Especially helped by the sound design.

 

[Weltall Zero]

Katamari Damacy
Chu Lip
Noby Noby Boy
Frog Factions
Cho Aniki
Goat Simulator
Seaman
Wario Ware

... oh, you said strOngest...

 

[Hugstable]

Damon's Souls
Shadow of the Collosus
REmake
Deus Ex 1 (at least for me haha)
Half Life 2
FEAR
System Shock 2
Metroid Prime Trilogy
The Evil Within
Resident Evil 4

 

[JaseC]

Portal 2 grabbed me in a way that few games did before and, well, frankly, no game has since. I completed the game in what may as well have been a single several-hour sitting. The screenshots I've managed to find from back then don't exactly paint the most interesting story, but anyway:

"How far does the overgrowth extend?", I wondered.

"What, exactly, do the scratchings mean?", I pondered.

"Just what is behind this almost comically giant door?", I contemplated to such an extent that I hopped out of bed and continued playing until the end.

I don't expect a Portal 2 sequel, but please, Based Barnett, give us F-STOP.

 

[Flunkie]

FEAR and STALKER

basically just use caps lock and your game will have great atmosphere

 

[Shifty]

Metroid Prime, no question. That game was so far ahead of its time.

FEAR and STALKER

basically just use caps lock and your game will have great atmosphere

Oh, right. METROID PRIME.

 

[Theosmeo]

Majoras mask
Deus Ex and Deus Ex: HR
Metroid Prime(Echoes especially)


But mostly SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI 3: NOCTURNE

It's unexplainably atmosphereic

 

[rawrhanfoo]

good call on the fall completely forgot about that game. haven't seen remember me mentioned yet. people always say it was a mediocre game but i loved the art, story and gameplay.

 

[vio]

It`s S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

 

[MasterMenace]

Bloodborne and Metro Last Light. Really surprising not a lot are mentioning MLL.

 

[Brophy]

My second worthy mentions are Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days

Incredibly ugly in every respect, and a rare potrayal in gaming of playing as unpleasent gung ho criminals that depicts a reality, Unlike games like GTA that paints them as likeable people when in reality you wouldn't want to be around them.

Also Wind Waker and Rez for the opposite.

 

[-Pyromaniac-]

Bloodborne!

 

[MikeDown]

Remember Me and Mass Effect come to mind

 

[PerezDeCorcho]

Halo.

The music takes it to another level. Such distinct sound design all around...

 

[Chronospherics]

I think when people think of atmosphere games like Bloodborn, Souls, Silent Hill, Alien Isolation etc. always come to mind. These games use subtle nuances to create a bleak atmosphere that's rather fitting to the experience they offer, however I think oft neglected in these types of threads are games that create a resoundingly positive or upbeat atmosphere.

Mario Kart 8 has a a brilliant orchestrated soundtrack that really captivates the atmosphere of the game. I think this is true of most of Nintendo's games though, like Smash and MK and when accompanied by the games visuals they set a rather remarkable tone for the game.

Here's toad harbours soundtrack

Toad Harbour

Rayman Legends also does a remarkable job, probably the best of this type of game, crafting a unique atmosphere with a striking artstyle and soundtrack that transitions swiftly between an atmosphere that's cheerful and optimistic, to bleak and desolate.

Here's an example of this

Rayman Origins Abyssal Glouglou

Rayman Origins Whistle Glouhou

 

[Strootman]

 

[soheil]

This

 

[-Horizon-]

Metroid prime trilogy

 

[YesManKablaam]

I am right this second watching the end credits of Nier having completed it for the first time.

Nothing has created such a sense of melancholy in me. Absolute devastating in places, just wandering around Nier's village prior to the final encounter with its delicate piano melody was enough to deeply upset me. Oh sure the gameplay is a little janky but I absolutely cannot fault its atmosphere. Utterly entrancing.