Which game has the strangest "atmosphere"

[Adrian M]

There are games out there which have a mixture of factors that ultimately come together to project a form of atmosphere. While I'm not looking for anything truly bizarre (like that disgusting homoerotic Choniki game), I do want people to think a bit before posting.

 

So, which game gets the nod for strangest overall atmosphere from me? Well, the choice was tough as many of the classic Capcom and Taito games from the late 80's and early 90's all feature surreal settings and very unsettling audio. But ultimately, I'd have to go with the classic Capcom action game, STRIDER.

 

Everything about this game is odd and deserving of explanation. From the setting (futuristic cold war Russia), to the graphics (the lonely, desolate Siberian snowscapes in level 2 are a good example), the character designs (from the wolves to the metallic ape), to the truly disturbing sound effects (the warcry shouting that the government officials makes as they leap and form that sickle carrying worm), narration and music. The music in particular is the huge factor that sets the atmosphere for the game...each track is bizarre and features a weird assortment of tones and instruments to form tracks that are unique from all others games.

 

Put all these things together and you have a game that presents the player with a hugely unique atmosphere.

 

The other game I was going to nominate would be Capcom's Forgotten Worlds...it too has that strange premise, backgrounds (destroyed cities, a Tibetian countryside, and even an Egyptian tomb) as well as similarly weird audio).

 

Discuss.

[Raijin Z]

MDK

[liquid_sky]

Strider really is in a league of its own. Crimson Sea is very odd as well.. but nowhere near the CCCP worm of doom

[Adrian M]

Strider really is in a league of its own. Crimson Sea is very odd as well.. but nowhere near the CCCP worm of doom  

 

Yeah. To this day, I've yet to find a game that truly matches Strider in the atmosphere department. The fact that there's no real cohesive backstory to the game makes it all the more mysterious and strange. But I still love it, but I'll never forgive Capcom for the ridiculously changed NES iteration of this classic.

 

Crimson Sea has been on my list of titles to check out though.

[SteveW]

Shadow of the Beast on the Amiga. Weird, creepy music and bizarre Roger Dean style graphics made it atmospheric as hell.

[Adrian M]

Shadow of the Beast on the Amiga. Weird, creepy music and bizarre Roger Dean style graphics made it atmospheric as hell.

 

Yes! That's a perfect example!

Exactly the sort of references I was looking for when creating this thread.

[SteveW]

Actually, almost everything made by Psygnosis from that time period was pretty good. They always had great music, and hired professional graphics artists to make their graphics look incredible.

 

Psygnosis is gone now, isn't it?

[MegaManFan]

I love the personality and atmosphere of Wonder Boy III (SMS) and Rocket Knight Adventure (Genesis). Both have lots of little touches that will make you laugh and smile, great background music, and stylistic animated graphics. The former involves you going through a lot of different animal transitions on your way to the final boss (you'll be a dino, a mouse, and a lion among others) and the latter you play as a heroic possum wearing knight's armor and using a rocket pack. Seriously! You even hang upside down from trees when you rocket up into the branches.

[Clock]

I remember a C64 game called Cauldron II which was quite atmospheric.

 

Of course its much easier on a modern console with the likes of Silent Hill, Fatal Frame (aka Project Zero), The Thing, Steel Battalion, Halo and the first level of Medal of Honour Frontline.

 

Some sports titles staged in a stadia can also produce a genuine atmosphere such as the FIFA titles from EA

[The Eidolon]

Out of This Worls had a pretty creepy atmosphere, and was well done.

 

Dungeon Master was very immersive, and could make me jump if

I ran into a party of enemies unexpectedly. Especially thas giant

scorpion!

 

Forgotton worlds is a great game, and an old favorite. The part in the

Egyptian section where the preserved organs start falling from the

ceiling and attacking is quite creepy. (though I take the other branch)

 

Splatterhouse is a nice little arcade platform game with a horror theme.

I found it mesmerizing as a kid. I like the bit where you reach your

beloved and instead of rescuing her she gets posessed and turns into

a giant clawed horror.

 

Strider was another old favorite. I have heard the Cyrilic text in the

first level indicates it is the Kazakhstan SSR. Form there he evidently

heads northeast into 2) Siberia and hijacks a ship to take him up to

the battleship Ballog over 3) China. Then somehow he makes it

over to the 4) Amazon and leaves earth for 5) The Third Moon. I

think the label for the 5th level was in runic...

 

--The Eidolon

[Happy_Dude]

Another vote for Another world (out of this world)

I loved the feeling of not knowing WTF was going on at first. Your thrown in at the deep end (literaly )

and it's sink or swim// The sound is suitably weird.

Did I mention the visuals There need to be more games that look like this (ie: Flashback, which is itself a little unsettling)

 

Another World is my favorite game of all time simply because nothing else compares to it's strange atnmosphere.

I love swinging in the cage until it breaks, firing through the force feilds, running from the

underground flood of water, shooting the guard in the mirror and most of all looking through

the prison window at the landscape.

 

I better stop ranting or i'll go on forever

[chrisbid]

as lame as the NES version of strider was (Nintendo had a thing against arcade ports back then), whats worse was Strider Returns on Genesis.

 

oh, and if you can find a copy, Strider 2 on Playstation is pretty good, and it includes Strider 1 on a bonus disc

[liveinabin]

Captain Blood for the 16-bit computers was really weirdly atmospheric. A french space game where you talk to the aliens using this bizzarre symbolic system. The Jean Michel Jarre intro track just completed the feel.

[Dones]

Yeah.  To this day, I've yet to find a game that truly matches Strider in the atmosphere department.  The fact that there's no real cohesive backstory to the game makes it all the more mysterious and strange.  But I still love it, but I'll never forgive Capcom for the ridiculously changed NES iteration of this classic.    

 

That game fell into the trend of NES games that were totally different from their arcade counterparts. Maybe Capcom thought they could repeat the success they had with Bionic Commando.

[+kisrael]

Another vote for Another world (out of this world)

I'll third that.

 

The technique used is very interesting....rotoscoped polygons, but 2D polygons, not the (now-)usual 3D polygons.

 

It's an interesting question, I can't think of many other great canidates.

 

A really immsersive game can be more evocative:

Sometimes flying/cockpit games have great atmosphere: Wing Commander's "WW2" future, "Crimson Skies" alternate history, Rogue Squadron taps into Star Wars' universe...

[holy_fluck]

as lame as the NES version of strider was (Nintendo had a thing against arcade ports back then), whats worse was Strider Returns on Genesis.  

 

oh, and if you can find a copy, Strider 2 on Playstation is pretty good, and it includes Strider 1 on a bonus disc

 

I liked Strider on the NES. It was the first version of Strider I played. I had many hours of fun with that game. It had good graphics and music for being a NES game. But I do agree with you that Strider Returns sucked big time

[DeV0]

System shock 2, this is a strange title from beginning to end. I dont know how to explain it but it is just strange, sought of sterile and hostile.

[Adrian M]

System shock 2, this is a strange title from beginning to end. I dont know how to explain it but it is just strange, sought of sterile and hostile.

 

Another excellent choice!

[bergbros2]

I love System Shock's atmosphere. It is one of the scariest games ever made and one of the best. I put in a vote for a game for the PC called Bad Mojo where you play an icky cockroach. That is one of the wierdest atmospheres of all time.

[ElephantStyle]

I gotta add Myst to the list.

 

Hey, that rhymes

[Zaxxon]

PO'ed

 

 

Ever see the last level where you're flying around in outer space(?) shooting at a giant toilet.

[Justin42]

Weird Dreams on the ST/Amiga always was great; granted you're having nightmares (so I don't know how that fits into this thread) but-- flying fish? soccer balls with teeth?

 

Great game, even if I sucked at it.

[shep]

Strangest-Animal Crossing and Pikmin