Games where the rain just made you go..."Huh."

[Evonisia]

I'm going to continue the trend of naming really, really obvious ones and say Silent Hill: Downpour. Not just because I like how Murphy's hair seems to instantly soak, but because it is probably the best attempt by the developers to incorporate story with gameplay. I won't elaborate on that, it would be too drawn out as I try to connect the dots.

It's awfully quiet as well, so just walking about only to have a monster leap out of the fog, soaking wet, was one of the few moments of the game which gave me the chills.

 

[jamail77]

Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Lots of other games I like do the 'rain lands on camera' effect, but this one is probably the 'heaviest' and most oppressive feeling rainfall I've seen. That's probably why it was restricted to atmosphere-making for all of two spots in the game, the second being the final dungeon and accompanied by thunder effects when you're inside. You can easily imagine how hard its coming down while you're in there.

I completely forgot about that. The rain was done well in that game though it was more the overall atmosphere of those times in the game than just the rain itself that I remember nostalgically.

 

[Signa]

One rain effect that still impresses me is the one from Link to the Past. Sure, by today's standards, it's pretty weak, but for the time on a 16MHZ console, it looked pretty good. What sold me on it was the rain sounds in the castle. It was so far ahead of its time for making me feel like I was playing on a rainy night.

 

[an annoyed writer]

Splinter Cell Conviction and Gears of War 2 come to mind for me. Not only do they both have some nice rainfall effects, but they also have something that really wowed me the first time I saw them: the animated rain textures on windows and walls, which really helped set the tone.

 

[Hero of Lime]

Metroid Prime, when you first arrive on Tallon IV. I remember being so amazed seeing the raindrops fall on Samus's visor. It really makes you feel like you are in a powersuit in a rainstorm. I remember being slightly disappointed in the Halo games for not having the rain fall on the visor like in Metroid Prime.

Animal Crossing is another good one. It made the whole city feel completely different. NPCs would have umbrellas, certain fish were more common(like the Coelacanth for example) and you would hear the thunder and rain when you were inside of building. It made for a very cozy feeling, it was almost magical when it was raining in real life at the same time as te game.

Wind Waker is another good one. Random rain storms on the ocean were always cool. The art style allowed for the rain to visibly fall off of Link which looks neat I suppose.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

I remember the first time a rainstorm came by while I was roaming the forests of Cyrodiil. Oblivion may have some pretty terrible NPC animations, but it's environments can be really stunning at times. When a storm hits, and it's night time, and the wind is blowing the tops of the trees back and forth in front of the clouds, and the sound of the rain patters on my ears... It's a sublime experience. In a way, it's even better than a real storm, because you can stand in the middle of it without getting wet and cold.

Skyrim is the same for me, especially properly modded.

Spoiler: Screenshot!

Back when I was playing WoW, I also loved how the rain looked in some zones, and how the sound combined with the music, especially Grizzly Hills and the Valley of the Four Winds. I was going to do a video with the rainy skies in the Valley... but I ended up cancelling my subscription before I ever got around to it.

 

[Snotnarok]

Saints Row 2 had (with good speakers and a sub) a convincing thunderstorm sound, it rumbled my room like it was actually storming outside. I don't think the visuals matched but it was really neat.

Great rain in game, Metroid Prime, the rain bouncing off her arm cannon and really pulling you in. Gears of War with that one rain level, the water streaming over surfaces and pouring from leaky pipes while it was raining in pitch black darkness. Mass Effect 3's multiplayer rain, looks super good and even has a visual/in game effect on shields.

 

[Something Amyss]

Sleeping Dogs has without a doubt the best rain effects I've ever seen in a video game. Every time it rains in that game, it makes the entire city look absolutely gorgeous.

Oh God yes. I love a good rain in a video game, and this is one of the best I can name.

 

[Brennan]

Resident Evil 4. The part after you fight the giant salamander boss, where you wake up in the middle of the night in the cabin on the far side of the lake. Walking around outside, you could just feel the sopping cold, smell the wet dirt and leaves. With headphones on, it was like being right there in Leon's shoes: cold, wet, aching, gritty, and exhausted, and it was AWESOME.

 

[ShinyCharizard]

Gears of War with that one rain level, the water streaming over surfaces and pouring from leaky pipes while it was raining in pitch black darkness.

Ah yes. Act 3 of the first Gears of War. How did I forgot that. Absolutely fantastic rain effect. It was my first real 'Wow!" moment of the new consoles.

 

[Someone Depressing]

Pomemon Sapphire. Really, the biggest problem I have with that game is the lack of a day/night cycle. But yep, that rain was certainly something.

But yeah, when I was playing Sleeping Dogs for the first time, it starting raining. I'm pretty sure I just stared at the rain for at least a minute. As.. meh as that game was, it had great art direction, and amazing aesthetic.

Heavy Rain also had some great art direction. And the game's namesake is simply gorgeous.

 

[Anachronism]

Jedi Outcast is the only one that comes to mind, to be honest.

It was a really cool effect, though. There was a level towards the end of the game in a swamp, where it rained the whole level. As the drops hit your lightsabre, they would create a brief flash of light as they evaporated. It was a really nice touch.

 

[DudeistBelieve]

Well just recently, MassEffect3 I noticed the rain effects....

...that weren't very good. Stand outside a shelter and it will appear like it's raining INSIDE the shelter. Enter the shelter, the rain stops completely.

 

[Piorn]

I like the rain in minecraft, primarily because you can sit inside and watch the rain outside.
Compare that to skyrim where the snow has no collision detection and just breezes through everything.

 

[Snotnarok]

Gears of War with that one rain level, the water streaming over surfaces and pouring from leaky pipes while it was raining in pitch black darkness.

Ah yes. Act 3 of the first Gears of War. How did I forgot that. Absolutely fantastic rain effect. It was my first real 'Wow!" moment of the new consoles.

Yeah that was really something else, it was my second game on the system so mind was blown. Even when inside you got glimpses of the downpour, or just heard it.

I've always enjoyed those kinds of scenes for some reason, maybe since it's like Aliens intro or something.

Another game with crazy rain: Left 4 Dead 2: Hard Rain, hoooly crap that gets intense

 

[Twenty501]

Nostalgia time! The original Ico, while not overly impressive with its rain effects, did have a subtle one that stands out. Near the end of the game (the only time it actually rains, setting the mood perfectly) you find yourself running across a giant pipe, the spray effect on its surface was, for the time, very impressive, as was the dripping effect on its underside.

MGS2 deserves an honorable mention, even if the tanker chapter felt like a tech demo at times (and lets face it, if you bought ZoE, it was). MGS3 also has a nice subtle effect in the swamp area early game, where the longer you hang around the more the rain forms a mist over the swamp, which I remember being pretty impressed by.