Atmosphere and YOU

[bigfatcarp93]

A number of questions here:

Firstly, name atmospheres in games that you've absolutely loved; those perfect combinations of visual styles, music, lighting, etc. that have created worlds that have absolutely soaked you in.

And further, what does the atmosphere of a game mean to you? How important is it for you to enjoy the game?

For me, personally, the atmosphere can be one of the most important parts of a game. A nice feel to the world, absorbing me into it, can cause me to forgive a lot from a game.

 

[stroopwafel]

For me games with perfect atmosphere would be Silent Hill 2, Resident Evil remake, Resident Evil 4, Deus Ex Human Revolution, Demon's/Dark Souls. Games with atmosphere definitely make for more memorable experiences. It's usually a combination of story, visual presentation and music/sound effects. Something that really draws you into the world. Few games can do that right.

 

[dyre]

Atmosphere is super important, yeah. It can make an otherwise mediocre game excellent (imo STALKER is an example of this. Without atmosphere that game is merely average).

Some random games I can think of that do it well: STALKER series, Bioshock Infinite, Dark Souls, Fallout 1, 2, and 3 (not NV imo), the Thief series (also that new game with the assassin did it pretty well too. Its name escapes me though. You know, the one in the plague-ridden city), Metro 2033 and Last Light

 

[King Aragorn]

I have to disagree with Dyre about Thief/Dishonored being just ''average'' games without atmosphere. Thief really changed the stealth genre around and Dishonored was a great homage to that with a great degree of choice.
But I totally agree on Fallout 3. When you think about it, the game isn't really a good stealth game, it isn't really a good shooter and it's RPG elements can just easily be exploited. But man that atmosphere totally makes it.

Also Deus Ex has amazing atmosphere. Just everything ticks all the right boxes.

 

[Uhura]

For me atmosphere is one of the most important things in a game. I can forgive poor gameplay and weird plot twists as long as the atmosphere works for me. The combat system in the Deadly Premonition is awful, but it doesn't really bother me because I love the Twin Peaks-y vibe of the game. Another good example of this is Fahrenheit/Indigo Prophecy. During the latter half of the game the plot goes completely off the rails and the gameplay gets increasingly more tedious but the atmosphere keeps me hooked. I love the snowfall scenes in that game.

In the first two Mass Effect games, the atmosphere on the Normandy is also great.

 

[the_great_cessation]

I think just about every game that I love is largely because of it's atmosphere - Shadow of the Colossus, Beyond Good and Evil, The Last of Us, Oddworld, Jet Force Gemini, L.A. Noire, Bioshock Infinite, Dishonored, Heavy Rain, Psychonauts, Brutal Legend, Arkham Asylum and The Legend of Zelda series in general being some of the best examples of this.
I think that, generally speaking, atmosphere is the most important part of a game and it is what ultimately decides the level of enjoyment someone has with a game as it's essentially how well that game pulled you in to it's world and lore. I've noticed that when people talk about atmosphere in games, discussion generally gravitates towards games with dark, moody atmospheres. However, some of the most atmospheric games I've ever played have a light-hearted or campy feel to their world which can make it all the more charming and inviting.

 

[Extra-Ordinary]

The Metroid Prime Trilogy, especially Echoes.

As for as important it is, I don't know, I can take it or leave it. If the game has a good atmosphere, it enhances the experience immensely but if it's not that deep or just plainly not there at all, eh, whatever.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

For perfect atmospheres I have to go with Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. The mellow piano tunes during snowfall, the strident music during the chases, I can't imagine a better score for the game. And for once I experienced loneliness in an SH game. There're 3 or 4 characters you run into now and then but the way they don't quite fit into the plot gives them a nightmarish vibe (unlike SH2 where it's clear from the get-go that a few people have been summoned to SH for a distinct purpose).

I also think atmosphere in Shattered Memories is the best thing the game has going on. There's no combat, no survival and no actual horror (like I said the "scares" are secluded to the scripted chase sequences) and yet there's something so charming about the game's presentation. It feels like I'm really in Silent Hill and not in a linear series of halls and rooms.

 

[Exhuminator]

Games I've played that had truly incredible atmosphere:

Thief: The Dark Project
System Shock 1 & 2
Deus Ex
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
Fallout series.
Ico & Shadow Of The Colossus
Metal Gear Solid 3
Vagrant Story

The game I've played that had the MOST incredible atmosphere:

King's Field: The Ancient City

what does the atmosphere of a game mean to you?

It's the difference between merely playing a game or actually experiencing a game.

How important is it for you to enjoy the game?

Depends on the type of game. For example, atmosphere is extremely important in a horror game, perhaps not so much in an RTS.

 

[FalloutJack]

This is always hard for me, choosing stuff, but I'm gonna go with my choice for classic survival horror: Extermination.

The voice-acting? Terrible. It's a survival horror game of the early PS2 era. However, if you're playing such a game for its dialogue, you're just asking for disappointment across the board. You can just ignore the melodramatic B-plot going on and focus on...this.

You are being flown to the Antarctic to investigate the loss of contact with an important scientific research center therein. Upon gaining entrance to the facility, you find that the place is a mess. Broken equipment, power losses, fire, and then something else... It looks like some kind of parasite. Well, you're armed. Easily taken care of. Investigation continues, and you start to uncover that a study of these things has been going on, and that while they are infectious, there are treatments FOR that infection. Good thing too, because a little while later, your partner and and old war buddy gets a bunch of these things latched onto him and every cell in his body undergoes a sudden and freakish mutation.

The facility has an infestation of strange parasites who infect people and generally deliver to you the threat of same, and to become a monster like your friend did just now. If you let it go too long, you become one of them. The whole facility is getting overrun by creatures formed by the infection of people, animals, and just generally the scenery. As you progress through the game, the monsters and the state of the facility itself gets worse, to the point where WALLS ARE FUCKING EATING PEOPLE! Yeah, apparently the walls grabbed people and grew basically through them molecularly.

Your main humanoid aggressors don't just get steadily worse, they can become SUDDENLY worse if they come in contact with water, because the infection is strengthed by heat and water. So, it walks over a puddle and gets bigger, maybe several times. It gets to the point where you are surrounded by flesh, probably worried about changing into a monster, and dreading the sound of another parasite dropping to the floor. The music lends a fair amount of creepiness as well, so while it is old now, the game IS good.