Your greatest example of atmosphere.

[Jory]

We don't go to Ravenholm

 

[inpachi]

Atmosphere as in i feel like im there? I honestly dont remember.. But a game i have played recently is the Blaz Blue 2 you know the one that was recently released in japan on the Arcade? Well there is a workable version for PCs that is 100% illegal! That was on a torrent for 5 hours then disappeared off the face of the earth! AND TO THIS DAY I CAN NOT FIND IT AGAIN! Thank god i got it then and there! THE BACKGROUNDS IN BLAZ BLUE CONTENIUM SHIFT ARE AMAZING! There all 2d and show just how beautiful sprites and some well loved backgrounds can make a game look beautiful!

 

[Zani]

Being stuck underground with mutants and without night vision in STALKER, scariest video game moment ever, I actually had to take a break to complete it.

 

[Simalacrum]

Green house gases. Yeah, that certainly thickens the atmosphere! hurr hurr hurr.

Fallout 3 and Half Life 2 series comes to mind. Both of those certainly made me either feel like I was a desperate wasteland survivor (at least in the first few levels...) or sincerely care about the characters (A certain moment involving the near-death of a certain character comes to mind...), respectively

 

[oppp7]

Team Fortress 2. I've actually had times when I've played it for a while then checked behind me for spies when I went to the bathroom.

 

[Eponet]

Before people stopped going there, it was the Sigil multiplayer server of Neverwinter Nights. Regardless though, there are enough good single player modules that immerse me far more effectively than most newer things (Sanctum of the Archmage, Tale of a Mage, Kale's Rangers etc.), and I even play through them often now, so it's not just nostalgia.

Though best individual schene would have to go to the NWN 2 module "Asylum: A corpse, a bet" for it's amazing starting area. I was really able to get a feel for the sober mood of my character. Then full blown madness hit and everything got a little ridiculous.

The Dark Waters series also conveyed an amazing atmosphere.

 

[MercurySteam]

1st playthrough of Bioshock and also Dead Space has a creepy atmosphere every time (at least when there is an atmosphere )

I'm hoping Bioshock 2's atmosphere will be awesome like the 1st.

 

[Pink_Pirate]

vampire the masquerade bloodlines.... when you play that game you are in the world of darkness, no doubt about it

 

[AWAR]

Scrathces-It has only four momements where scary stuff happen yet you are constantly pissing your pant because of the grim atmosphere!

Penumbra-Its like your worst nightmare! Complete darkness distant weird noises.You almost think you are completely alone-you arent though :O

 

[Voodoo_Person]

Silent hill in general, that place freaks me out no matter what games its on

 

[tkioz]

Well, the very first AvP game back in the dark ages of gaming, I was playing the single player game, scanning my rifle and flash light around the darkened base... and I realised I was actually tense and worried, the game sucked me in that much.

 

[Jaime_Wolf]

Bioshock was great for an entire game, but for a particular moment I'd actually say GTA4. The audio and visuals were PERFECT and I will probably never forget slowing cruising through what was clearly intended to be Harlem at night with great jazz playing on the car stereo.

 

[reg42]

Condemned: Criminal Origins was AWESOME with that. It's one of the only truely terrifying games I've ever played.
Bioshock was also pretty damn good. Rapture felt authentic.

 

[Sun Flash]

I'm going to be an arse and say the Ozone layer.

But game wise probably Silent Hill 2, on account of my many changes of underwear (I was about eight at the time: that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it)

 

[Hunter.Wolf]

Thief: The Dark Project and Thief 2: The Metal Age. Hell, the entire Thief series including Thief 3: Deadly Shadows.

You know a game is immersive when it manages to pull you in and have you jumping at every slight background sound and noise despite looking like complete and utter shit. The original Thief games *never* really looked good, and now they look positively hideous visually. And yet they remain two of the most atmospheric games I've ever played. Don't believe me? Try em yourself. The Haunted Cathedral in Thief 1 is legendary for it's amazing horror vibe, and Thief 2 had missions like none you'd ever done before. And then in Deadly Shadows there's the infamous 'Shalebridge Cradle', so creepy and immersive PC gamer dedicated a five page article towards examining it and its contents. (You can read it online as well in pdf format, although only do so if you've played the level in question!)

I was going to mention my experience with Thief as one of the most atmospheric games i ever played when i saw your comment ... i totally agree with you.

I think it was due to the game establishing a world that while it has fantasy elements it is very consistent and believable ... not to mention depending on stealth mechanics makes you open your eyes and ears to every glimpse of movement or sound ... it also had a nice sense of freedom regarding how you approach your missions and the way the game rewards exploration.

My fav part of Thief was the underground city (the one with tombs and lots of lava)... i spent days searching it and totally got lost and immmersed like never before ... it was really unforgettable.

***spoiler**** specially that i found the item i was looking for by complete chance when i lost my nerves after looking for it for days and started running around hitting walls with my sword randomly .. only to fall by mistake into a hole in the ground that was hidden behind a column .. which happens to have the item i have been searching for ... what were the chances of this happening !!! ***spoiler end**** ... sigh .. it was a very unique experience indeed.

--------------------------------------

Now Demon's Souls is giving my the same exact feeling ... this time because that game is very punishing for carelessness you have to keep your eyes, ears and fingers ready for anything ... that makes the game totally absorb the player with all his/her senses ... it is indeed a very atmospheric and gripping experience .. and it rewards exploration too like Thief did.

Both "Thief: the dark project" and "Demon's Souls" are my picks for the greatest unmatched atmosphere.

 

[Teh Flembo]

AVP2

"Oh fuck, oh fuck, the motion sensors going off but there's nothing there, oh shit, oh fuck, OH FUCK ALIENS SHIT... No, that was just a burst pipe, and I just emptied a clip of ammo at it. Moving on, oh fuck, oh crap, OH MY GOD ALIENS!!

*death*

Fun!

This. I can't even say how much this, I don't think I've been enthralled by a game the same way since.

Doom3 had it's moments, especially early on (or maybe it was more that I was sleep deprived and played it with no lights well into the night, regardless it made me jump). As much as I hated the game, the atmosphere in bioshock was brilliant until you got the first plasmid, the plane crash and descent into rapture was brilliant. As much as everyone else hated it, I was pulled in by farcry 2 for a good 30 hours (more than 3 times the length of time I played half life 2) and while I never got close to finishing the game, I most certainly got my monies worth and was taken in by the atmosphere (I didn't backtrack often enough for the checkpoints to bother me as much as they seemed to everyone else).

I feel I should also mention silent hill, however I was very young when I played it and haven't touched it since (whereas I've played AVP2 again recently). At the time it blew my mind.

I too would have to say condemned, that game genuinly scared me with its atmosphere.

 

[BENZOOKA]

Interesting. I'd say that such games for me are:
Dragon Age: Origins, Fallout 3 and Counter-Strike: Source.

 

[brucelee13245]

metroid prime - exploring the ruins, snow area etc etc.

also the new AVP demo does it pretty good.

I personally think that the new avp game does the marines perspective very effectively ( paranoid as shit.)

 

[clutch-monkey]

metroid prime - exploring the ruins, snow area etc etc.

also the new AVP demo does it pretty good.

I personally think that the new avp game does the marines perspective very effectively ( paranoid as shit.)

i definitely agree, and it's not just the dark level - imo it's the audio that so effectively puts you on edge, the way screams and gunfire echo down the corridors. then the motion sensor starts.. brilliant!
i have to keep remembering to check the ceiling, and having aliens sprint at you across the walls flickering in and out of your spotlight.. AAAAGH! *fires wildly*