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Games with the Strongest 'Atmosphere'

I see Shenmue love, and gotta couple that with the Yakuza games, for me. I booted up 4 for the first time this year yesterday and got totally sucked back into Kamurocho. Gotta wrap that up before I get to 5, which I finally went in on.

kamurocho_screen_05.jpg
 
I know most people take the term 'atmosphere' and instantly think of games that create a dark, oppressive, or lonely atmosphere, but there are are plenty of more light or 'happy' games that are great at delivering on a different kind of atmosphere. Games like Kirby's Epic Yarn or Yoshi's Wooly World are masters of this, with music, visuals and a sense of pace that really bring you into the whimsical, light-hearted game world.

I think most recently Ratchet and Clank is great at establishing a kooky, slapstick a Science-fiction world. From the creatures to the voice performances and animations, to the weird and wacky weapons, the humor and silly tone is pervasive throughout all aspects of the game.
 
Parasite Eve. The 1997 New York City setting was done amazingly well, and really gave the game a sense of atmosphere.
 
Having just finished Firewatch, I'd say that game oozes atmosphere. Also, SOMA. Being alone at the bottom of the ocean never felt so tangible.
 
Lord of Ostia said:
I know most people take the term 'atmosphere' and instantly think of games that create a dark, oppressive, or lonely atmosphere, but there are are plenty of more light or 'happy' games that are great at delivering on a different kind of atmosphere.
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It probably didn't help that I started the thread with Diablo.
 
Bioshock
Metroid Prime
Resident Evil
The Last of Us
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Most of the Final Fantasy games

And let's not forget
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
castlevania-symphony-of-the-night-1.jpg
 
Altho I just started playing it, I think Panzer Dragoon Saga easily ranks up there. Everything in terms of the presentation just harmonizes together, which is especially impressive considering the technical limitations of its host platform and the era it comes from.

Super Mario Galaxy is also up there I feel. Very grandoise, cohesive visual design and structure. And of course REMake for those mentioned that already. I'd also throw in Bloodborne, Symphony of the Night, Journey, Dreams (it's not out yet though), System Shock 2, Little Big Adventure 2, Super Metroid, Shenmue, Silent Hill 2, and MGS3.

Among others...
 
Fou-Lu said:
This will probably be an obvious one, (I am listening to the original Diablo soundtrack right now, can you blame me?) but I think that Diablo is one of the most atmospheric games of all time. Between the overbearing darkness, the acute sense of claustrophobia, the music, the villagers of the eternally dark village, the grotesque enemies you face, and the lack of feeling 'gamey', everything works perfectly together to make Tristram and the dungeon come to life in your senses. I've played other atmospheric games since, but nothing quite like Diablo.
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380 hours in the world of Witcher III and i find this as one of the most atmospheric games I've played. There's wind everywhere and everything's fluttering, from the trees to a table cloth in the inside of a house. So good this game, can't get enough of it!
 
Red Dead Redemption
Max Payne 2
World of Warcraft

WoW is pretty cool in that it has a variety of moods depending on the zone. They do clever small things with the visuals, like the rain in STV or the constant darkness in Duskwood, that go a long way and each zone has its own music that 99% of the time fits perfectly.
 
Shenmue 1, without a doubt. You will actually feel like you live in 80s small town Japan.


And Shenmue 2, you will feel like you are in an unfamiliar place with culture shock and get lost a lot and be wary of people arond you...


Grim Fandango. The land of the dead is a very lively place.

The Longest Journey (first game) As its name implies, this game takes you on a very atmospheric journey with many locations, history, culture, and wonder.
 
Dying Light has great atmosphere, especially at night time. The music is pretty great along with the environmental sounds which tie everything together.
I'll also add in ZombiU.

I know it's not out yet, but I am pretty sure No Man's Sky is gonna have fantastic atmosphere.
 
Bioshock. Never finished the game, atmosphere of the game is scary as hell with splicers jumping out of the darkness lol. Scariest game I've played
 
For me, Bloodborne is by far the most atmospheric game I've ever played.

Ico and Shadow of the Colossus also deserve a mention. God, I hope they get ported to PS4.
 
I thought the first Unreal had a lot of atmosphere. I loved the combination of high tech stuff with more medieval stuff like castles, temples and old villages. I would love a sequel with the same atmosphere as that game.
 
Several of the Metroid games are really thick with atmosphere. The first, Super Metroid and Metroid Prime in particular. They have a great "rhythm" in the atmosphere, alternating between alien and often scary environments and calm, safe areas.

REmake's atmosphere is also very, very strong. Never has walking through empty rooms been so frightening.

But my favourite atmospheric games are the 3D Zelda games. Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask in particular, especially in the towns. There's something about the sound design in relation to the colours and characters in the towns that really affects me, and puts me in a strange mood.
 
truth411 said:
Killzone 2!!!
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"My people... Sons and Daughters of Helghan. This much I vow: The history of these days will be written in blood. By crushing the armies of our enemy, by seizing the weapons they thought to turn against us! we were fighting for our very existence. But if there are those who would deny us peace; refuse us our rightful place in the universe, then we will unleash such terrible vengeance that generations yet unborn will cry out in anguish!"

The opening speech by Visari really helped with that atmosphere and its always stuck with md.
 
Even though I think it's the worst Shin Megami Tensei game not counting 9, Giten, w/e, the atmosphere in Shin Megami Tensei IV is amazing.
 
Witcher 3.

Took a while, but the first time I rode into the first main hub zone, with thunderstorms causing tons of wind and rain to hit the forests on the trail, trees whistling and creaking and the smoke from a town in the distance. It was the first game that had me completely immersed in the atmosphere of the world.
 
Life is Strange might be one of the best for me. Music, town, ppl... everything. It made me feel like i was there many times.
 
SpotAnime said:
Wipeout XL

aJsiKg9.jpg
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I'll second this. I know it as Wipeout 2097, for the year the game is set in.

For a racing game there's a distinctly dark tone throughout it despite all the vibrant neon lights and colours also present, in a similar way to Blade Runner actually. The games intro FMV does a great job of setting the time period and atmosphere.
 
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