Your picks for best sound design in a game?

kinger8938 · 3 Dec 2019 at 11:57

What game stands out as having truly great sound? Obviously anything by DICE like Battlefield is up there. Looking to test out a 5.1 set up.

Bozzler · 3 Dec 2019 at 12:13

Alien Isolation is up there for me, minimal but highly effective; for mood, setting and atmosphere. Some tense moments where you can see little, but hear every little noise.

Bubo · 3 Dec 2019 at 12:52

Elite Dangerous. A system honk would be a good test for a sound setup, kind of like the effect on you when you first de-gaussed an old CRT monitor. The sound design in general though is the best of any game I have played.

Nevakonaza · 3 Dec 2019 at 13:04

Battlefield - Bad Company 2

The explosions & guns sound in that game are crazy,especially when you have a good sound card and headphones.

Yaayuh! · 3 Dec 2019 at 13:33

Prey had great sound IMO.

kinger8938 · 3 Dec 2019 at 14:11

Rossi~ said:
Prey had great sound IMO.

Is this as in the recent reboot? I agree there.

Never played the original though!

bazzabear · 3 Dec 2019 at 14:18

The original Stalker game had the most resounding shot noise for the sniper rifles. I think the rest of the sound was impressive too, but that still stands out in my memory years later.

Ravenger · 3 Dec 2019 at 14:23

Thief 1 & 2. Sound is what makes that game. One of the first games to make use of positional audio.

Terminator Resistance nails the future war sound and the T2 soundtrack

Yaayuh! · 3 Dec 2019 at 14:23

kinger8938 said:
Is this as in the recent reboot? I agree there.

Never played the original though!

Not the old Prey, the new "System Shock" Prey

https://store.steampowered.com/app/480490/Prey/

Gimpymoo · 3 Dec 2019 at 14:27

"Sound design" in games nowadays is nowhere near as exciting as before hardware accelerated sound was nerfed by Microsoft.

Sad, soo sad

Anyone who played Battlefield 2 with realtime rendered audio will understand where I am coming from.

strumpusplunket · 3 Dec 2019 at 14:35

Hellblade stirkes me as a game where the sound plays a crucial role in the gameworld and is also really done extremely well.

A shame I got frustrated with the slow struggle with some of the gameplay elements, as the atmosphere in that game is terrific and the sound design has a big part to play in that.

Gray2233 · 3 Dec 2019 at 14:39

Ravenger said:
Thief 1 & 2. Sound is what makes that game. One of the first games to make use of positional audio.

Definitely in agreement, first games that really blew me away with their audio.

Thief: 2 is still one of my favourite games to this day.

GilesGuthrie · 3 Dec 2019 at 14:42

Bubo said:
Elite Dangerous. A system honk would be a good test for a sound setup, kind of like the effect on you when you first de-gaussed an old CRT monitor. The sound design in general though is the best of any game I have played.

There is so much detail to the sound in Elite Dangerous. From all the chatter when you're in a station, through the individual ship drives (which make the ships identifiable from audio-only) through to the explosion when you're core mining. Such a sonically-rich game.

Radox-0 · 3 Dec 2019 at 14:54

Gears of War 5, Assasin creed Odyssey / Origins, Mass Effect Andromeda (if you have EA origins, game is free atm as everyone is seemingly getting EA basic access free)

Battlefield is superb of course given constant mayhem from all sides.

almoststew1990 · 3 Dec 2019 at 14:54

Red Dead 2 has been stand out for me, with the various wildlife noises and Environmental interactions.

Before that, GTA IV was very impressive too! I loved turning the volume up and soaking in the City noises. You're engine ticking as it cooled down, rubbish bins, the El...

Dano · 3 Dec 2019 at 18:14

Bubo said:
Elite Dangerous. A system honk would be a good test for a sound setup, kind of like the effect on you when you first de-gaussed an old CRT monitor. The sound design in general though is the best of any game I have played.

This, it's just got such a huge amount of detail to it, even the planets have sounds pulled direct from Nasa or something and that system honk is epic when you have the volume turned up, it's a pity they changed the high wake jump sound from beta though, that was nice and heavy before.

kinger8938 · 3 Dec 2019 at 18:29

Dano said:
This, it's just got such a huge amount of detail to it, even the planets have sounds pulled direct from Nasa or something and that system honk is epic when you have the volume turned up, it's a pity they changed the high wake jump sound from beta though, that was nice and heavy before.

I just wish I understood the game

have tried a few times! May dip back in to hear it though

lokiss · 3 Dec 2019 at 18:38

strumpusplunket said:
Hellblade stirkes me as a game where the sound plays a crucial role in the gameworld and is also really done extremely well.

I was going to say Senua. Trust me, it's on another level when your isolated in VR.

Teaf · 3 Dec 2019 at 18:55

If I had to pick a few, they've already been mentioned

which would be BFBC2, Hellblade, and Alien Isolation.

Other than those, probably Dead Space 1.

Dano · 3 Dec 2019 at 20:06

kinger8938 said:
I just wish I understood the game have tried a few times! May dip back in to hear it though

What do you mean by understand it? The point of it or just the game mechanics? Plenty of help to be had by the community