Hi there. I've recently started analyzing the audio aspects of video games a lot more than before and am always looking for some games that offer a remarkable or even unique audio experience, be it the SFX or the soundtrack. Currently I'm taking a closer look at older games (such as those offered on GOG).

Anyhow, I was wondering if some of you guys have some personal favourites that you consider masterpieces in terms of audio (no matter how old or new). But for fun's sake I'd also be grateful for examples of ridiculously bad audio. :D

Oddworld has such incredible use of sound that a blind gamer is able to experience it.

I don't know about any GOG games that give a remarkable audio experience, but recently there's Battlefield 3. The audio team really worked wonders on that.

Well the Thief games are definitely among those that give a unique audio experience. You can almost feel your ears straining when you play them, and all the sounds seem super sharp and loud.

The Silent Hill games have had some pretty effective (scary) audio. Here's an interesting little article about the composer, Akira Yamaoka, explaining how he uses sound to create anxiety:

http://gdc.gamespot.com/story/6253430/silent-hill-composer-tunes-into-perfect-sound

Already knew the game but didn't know the story about the blind guy who beat it. I should probably look into the game once again (and on that occasion tell a friend of mine who's doing research on games for people with disabilities - particularly blind people - lately). Thanks! True, I've already heard and read a lot about BF3's audio. I haven't played the game yet but I know the stories about the tanks making use of several dozens of audio channels for their movement only. Will check it out once I upgrade my PC. Right, almost forgot those. Played Thief 1 and 3 years ago and I still remember how amazed I was by the audio in Thief 1 when I first played it (although normally I didn't pay that much attention to the quality of SFX back then). Will take a closer look at these ones on the next occasion. Thanks.

Silent Hill, good one. Love the series. Thanks to Yamaoka it's one of the few franchises where even regular players instantly notice how great the audio is (just a couple of days ago I met a girl who wants to become a gamedesigner - when I asked her what her favourite game is audio-wise she instantly answered Silent Hill :)). I've watched a lot of making of material on this and I've gotta say that the interviews with Yamaoka are something that makes the topic of game audio appear interesting even to non-gamers (even my dad, who barely played anything in his live, was intrigued by the interviews). Thanks for the link to the article, haven't read it yet.

Btw: An interesting discovery I made lately in a GOG game was in Unreal Gold. I was amazed to see that already in this game the pistol makes clicking noises when the mag is almost empty - a feature that became a standard about a decade later. It's really incredible to see that already back then some audio (or maybe game) designer came up with such clever ideas to directly improve the game design.

Bastion. Best soundtrack in years.

This is cool as fuck.



And yes... Silent Hill

Divine Divinity and Divinity 2 both have really really excellent soundtracks by Kirill Pokrovsky. They're even available for free in mp3 format from his website. Oh, and both the soundtrack for Quake 1 (Nine Inch Nails) and Quake 2 (Sonic Mayhem) are quite good as well. I don't know of any really awesome sound effects, though. You occasionally will hear a theremin playing for "spooky" ambiance but I've never really been floored by any particular sound effects.

Times of Lore with it's 'randomly generated' solo. ;)

The best audio work I've ever heard in a game was in Machinarium.It's really hard to describe what was so good about it, except to say that every single effect was perfectly fit to what was going on, and was a joy to listen to in and of itself. Actually, I'd probably pick that game for best soundtrack, too. For many of the same reasons.
Not a GOG title (yet), though.

Mark Morgan deserves a place in this thread.

The Legend of Zelda - Ocarina of Time

I'm surprised Homeworld hasn't been mentioned. Both the music and the audio in the game are top notch. Added incredibly to the experience--it wouldn't be the game it is without it, IMO.