Lately I find myself flicking the sound off, or to a barely audible volume, when playing my Xbox 360 at night. This isn't a personal choice; I do it so not to wake everyone up. At least when I play PC games I can slap on my trusty BOSE headphones, but having to play games without sound is like the difference between soda and water. The latter is functional, but just not the same. As I look back on the parts of my life I’ve spent gaming (which is basically all of it), I realize that I’ve taken for granted the vibrant, charming, chilling, delightful, and every-adjective-imaginable sounds of games that I’ve enjoyed. And I’m willing to say that plenty of other gamers have too. Between gameplay and graphics, who has time to care about sound? It's just there, and except for rare cases like Rock Band and Guitar Hero where sound plays an obvious role, I think sound is under-appreciated as a significant element of gaming.
I could finish this blog post right here, but just so I don’t sound all mealy-mouthed and cynical I've compiled a list of the five best sounding games I’ve ever played. The criteria are sound effects, music and voice acting, in no particular order. I should also mention that I’m by no means a sound expert of any sort, nor do I claim to be. I’m just another gamer. So without further ado:
#5: Mass Effect
Admittedly, the game’s sound effects are dwarfed in comparison with such captivating music and precise voice acting, though they're still great. The gun shots are satisfying, albeit repetitive. There's not a whole lot of ambiance considering most of the locations are rather barren, but the cool interface noises are always a treat. Still, the important thing is that Mass Effect’s distinguished soundtrack won’t be forgotten anytime soon.
#4: The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay
What? A movie-based game that has original, quality sound? Yes. Butcher Bay didn’t quite get the attention it truly deserved, perhaps because of that glaring "movie license" title it carried (even though the actual game isn't completely derived from its movie cousin). Nonetheless, those of us who gambled our time and money got quite the serendipity from Butcher Bay, as not only does it tote fine graphics and tight gameplay but some spectacular sounds. Riddick, being the cold and brutal guy that he is, can pull off some delightfully nasty sounding punches, neck-breaks, and attacks with various melee weapons. Clomping through prison halls in a mech-walker is a feast for the ears. The guns sound somewhat weak, but still emit a futuristic oomph. And despite the occasional cheesiness of his character, the voice acting for Riddick is uncompromisingly dark.
The post-gen sequel, Assault on Dark Athena, adopts the same level of audio quality as Butcher Bay, though isn’t as impressive because it’s basically the same sounding game released four years later. Therefore, it’s Butcher Bay that really deserves the praise.
#3: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Oblivion sort of polarized fans of the Elder Scrolls series upon its release. Some claimed that it didn’t live up to the fantasy atmosphere and dense exploration that Morrowind had. But regardless, I think it’s agreeable that Oblivion is an all around aural gem. You’re exposed to a melting pot of sounds from the bleak beginning in a prison cell and all the way through the hefty amount of story missions and side quests. Every single object makes a distinct noise when you interact with it, whether that interaction be picking it up, punching it, or doing whatever your whim desires.
And apart from the wooden facial expressions of the NPCs, the game’s voice acting is done well. “I came across a mudcrab the other day” used to be a fixture in my repertoire of conversation starters. No fooling.
(Actually, yeah, I made part that up.)
#2: Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Garnering an abundance of critical acclaim, MGS2 saw itself as the greatest stealth-action game on the market in 2001. As far as sound goes, MGS2 takes the simplicity of the past and sophistication of its current time to create an audio experience that most games still don’t even approach. Every byte of sound in the game rings like it should be there.
I think it’s the only game where hammy, exaggerated voice acting works well, while still keeping the general tone serious. Like a Tarantino film, the stylish over-the-top-ness propels the quality forward instead of holding it back. Honestly, it’s best if you just listen to the game yourself. To hear how clean and precise the sound is, minimize the video and listen to the sound in the background. This seems sort of pointless, but doing this allows you to clearly imagine everything that’s going on in the game just by its audio.
Metal Gear is a resonant franchise, but it’s in its purest, most candid sounding form in MGS2. This is shown perfectly in the main theme, which I think is at its best in MGS2 in comparison to other installments. The game’s tremendous sound may not roar above the superb storyline and slick gameplay, but it whispers. And in a game where espionage is the key feature, that’s more effective than “hey, listen to me, I’m the sound and I’m awesome.”
#1: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
For all the adjectives I’ve used to describe sound so far, I think all of them can be attached to OoT at one point or another. This has a lot to do with the circumstance of its various settings. The background music makes the shadow temple spooky, the water temple mystic, and the fire temple precarious. The greatest emotion from the music is perhaps the staunch heroism felt while coasting through Hyrule on your pony. The battle against Ganondorf is like a jab in the ribs, ensconcing you in a flurry of sound. If I ever had to turn the volume off while playing OoT I probably wouldn’t play it at all out of respect for the experience. The sound, even with the absence of voice acting, is that awe-inspiring.
Fun fact: they say the nose is a direct channel to the brain, so scents usually trigger our most vivid memories. However, as a ‘90s kid, I become overwhelmed by the greatest nostalgia when I hear the tweets and coos from Link’s ocarina. Not only is OoT a stalwart example of how video game sound has evolved from its 8-bit brethren, but it also introduced the innovative ocarina mini-game. Even in the face of interactive music experiences available today, there’s still something charming about playing the ocarina with an N64 controller. And hearing it too.
Although your nostalgic feelings for OoT may not be as strong as mine, the stand-alone sounds of Link’s quest to save the tri-force are the lasting sparks that make our emotions toward the game so malleable. For this reason and many others, I have a feeling that OoT will continue to reverberate through the progressing world of video games for a long, long time.
And now we arrive at that part of the list where I tack on those proverbial honourable mentions. Here are a few other games that didn’t quite make the top five:
Goldeneye 007. Probably the first shooter to get the sound of gun shots right.
Super Mario 64. Some of the time I can barely discern what the sounds are supposed to represent (what the heck does that voice say before you enter a level? “Das pickle”?) But SM64’s sound is exceptionally charming as a whole.
Grand Theft Auto IV. Having the greatest licensed soundtrack in any game is no small feat.
Resident Evil 4. It took quite a while for the Resident Evil series to finally tweak its sound to an appropriate level, and it finally did so in RE4. Superb voice acting from all the cast and, behind it all, a crawlingly scary soundtrack.
Duck Hunt. I just had to add this game for that one sound that comes after shooting the duck.
I’m sure that many of my selections can be argued, and you may be angered not to see your favourite sounding sensations on the list. If you want to flame me for it, that’s cool, but if you want to post your own top five best sounding games in the comments, that’s cool too. But hopefully you can acknowledge that, bar a few exceptions, excellent games harness much of their excellence from one feature: sound.
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