"If only you could see what I've seen with your eyes"

[cohen205]

Post of the year!

[spagmasterswift]

I've gone through the ages of the Earth on a wireframe rail

Mmmmmmmm

[Dogg Thang]

I had a job moving crates.

Oh, the things I've seen.

[babs]

I've looked for sailors in back-street pubs

[Geoff D]

'I have conquered worlds...'

If we're talking atmosphere, then I have to give it to the Metroid series - the feeling of isolation & decay, history, culture & devastation are beautifully captured by an organically realised world. As you stalk corridors, or happen across artifacts there's a palpable feeling that each one has a story attached; that they were once living & breathing & are now imbued with a history & resonance that you're intruding on.

The Chozo lore in Metroid Prime worked superbly - as you cross a land that's been savaged, bearing only the scars & ghosts of its former inhabitants, you feel more & more like the 'lone wolf' that Samus sees herself as, & as you tool up, you become the 'hunter' that the Chozo mention. It all feels very natural.

[dvdmike]

At work we are on a shop link radio system and have 2 radio's for security.
I always get a smile from a guy at work when the radio crackles and makes that Half Life 2 beep the Combine make, as he knows it sends a chill down the back of my spine
such was the effect the game world had on me its now part of my life and always will be

[MonkeyWrench]

Feckin' hell Concept....you were the little kidin those old PSX adverts who "conquered worlds" were you?

*EDIT*

Dammit Geoff D beat me too it, by hours. That's what going on the piss in the afternoon does to you.

[Champloo]

I guess I have to say Shadow of the Colossus, we can't mention ICO and leave it out. It shares the same sense of desolation as ICO, it really is just you and Agro against the gigantic Colossi. And the battles, they really do seem like something out of a movie, the scale of some of the Colossi is incredible - nothing beats the feeling you get when you see the size of the final boss. And even though there's very few cutscenes to tell the story, when they do come, they really are fantastic, the final cutscene was one of the best i've seen in any game.

(Spoiler Warning)

->Open Spoiler<-

I don't think i've ever been more sad to see a character 'die' than Agro's fall before the final boss, honestly, and i've never been happier to see a character return

(Spoiler Warning)

[EvilBoris]

Skies of Arcadia just sapped me right into its world, I so want to live there.

Shenmue, for 3 days I lived in Yokosuka.

Oblivion'[s world was just mind bogglingly huge, not once did I go upto a door to find it was just a flat texture, I could explore anywhere I liked and do whatever I liked.
Steal, kill , raise the dead or just pick the flowers next to a babbling brook.

Metal Gear Solid 3, the whole story was amazing, when the music started as the credits rolled I almost had a tear in my eye. It was as emotional as any film I've watched and I often forget that It wasn't a film when I look back on it.

[Wools]

Great thread.

I've seen entire sunrises take place thousands of feet up into the air above the clouds, I've seen cities infested to the horizon with zombies, I've seen beautiful twilight skies shine over the edges of an abandoned lake, I've rode on the back of a giant flying eagle across the ruins of an old city, I've jumped off a gigantic windmill into the beautiful pond of a lonely, desolate castle, I've gone through the ages of the Earth on a wireframe rail, I've been placed in a mysterious European city where everyone is controlled and hounded, I've rolled up the entire world into the shape of an enormous ball, I've run through twisted gravity-defying corridors inside a forest temple, I've jumped through portals into rooms at death-defying angles.

So when I have people say to me that videogaming has no value, they're doing so from a position which has only experienced a fraction of what I've have.

It's good to see pasion in gaming alive and well.

[TheForce]

@Concept, great post there m8 !

I loved the atmosphere in the obvious games like; ResidentEvil, Resi 4 anf ICO.

I also loved, Metriod:Prime and Echoes they really gave me a feeling I was out there all alone in that isolated monster infected world... great stuff !

and I have a feeling LostPlanet could be amazingly atmospheric

[Emir]

Killer7 has an atmosphere that keeps you at arms length from truth, reality, sanity and safety at all time. A blank canvas from which many disturbing characters emerge, all offering you clues to help orientate your mind.

^^^I'm where this fella's at!!1 (^_^)


I'll also go for a bit of teh Biohazard and Silent Hill.

[Anpanman]

Mine may be a bit strange but it's also one Concept mentioned - Jet Set Radio on the DC.
From the moment I opened the package from Tronix and put it in the DC and then when the green and yellow loading screen appeared in its full screen 60hz lovliness to being blown away by the attract sequence and the music I was living in that world.

I remember work the next day and feeling totally different from the previous day when I first experienced this gem from Smilebit, I wanted to share this with my co-workers but of course they wouldn't understand.

I was into the music, the tags - absolutely everything about the game. I noticed how much like real Japanese streets the levels where even down to the type of paving stones used.

Every time we return to Japan I always wonder what the kids 'do' in their life that is similar to what I imagine the game characters would if they were real - apart from the game releated elements like spray painting of course, indeed some of the kids there in a fashion sense have clothing similar to characters in the game.

Most of my thoughts I imagine are tinged somewhat with rose-tintedness but for me JSR was a very immersive game.

[NekoFever]

Since it's my answer to everything, here's another plug for Shenmue. I can't remember a game where I've been more immersed in the world.

World of Warcraft deserves a mention as well. It's such a massive, beautiful, and coherent world, and everything has a story and mythology behind it. It's an amazing sight the first time you enter a capital city when you thought that the previous settlements were impressive and it turns out that they're like little camps in comparison.

Also another vote for wanting to live in the world of Skies of Arcadia. I loved the towns in that game.

[w?stling]

Genji has an absolutely great atmosphere, mostly because of the excellent music.