Weather
Concept »
Variable and dynamic simulation of weather conditions can be used to add variety, atmosphere (a rainy day in an RPG) and/or challenge (rain on the racetrack in a driving game) to a game.
The best ever rain?!
Project Gotham Racing 4, Oblivion, Grand Theft Auto IV all top my list.
I think I'd even put the lighthouse mission from Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory and Act 3 of Gears of War on this list, too.
"I thought the GTA4 storm was pretty amazing actually."Yeah, those storms are amazing. Oblivion's were quite nice too, but while the sky looked really nice, the rest all seemed a bit flat on the screen, IIRC.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Clear Sky has amazing weather effects. They the best I've ever seen, if I can find a video I'll post it.
"get2sammyb said:It's the sound that does for me in Oblivion. You can actually hear the raindrops pelting the foliage in the area. Really brilliant sound design, though I think the thunder in Morrowind was a bit more, well, thunderous."I thought the GTA4 storm was pretty amazing actually."Yeah, those storms are amazing. Oblivion's were quite nice too, but while the sky looked really nice, the rest all seemed a bit flat on the screen, IIRC."
I had a pretty cool rain moment in GTA4. I was playing in HD and it was at night and there was lightning and it was just so awesome.
"I had a pretty cool rain moment in GTA4. I was playing in HD and it was at night and there was lightning and it was just so awesome."I <3 Grand Theft Auto IV. I don't even care about the negativity it gets on these forums. And the reason you listed is one of the very reasons I love -- I get totally, utterly immersed in it.
"HandsomeDead said:Yes. That was one thing I remember really liking about that. One time I was doing something by a lake and the sound of it splashing was great. Like you mention about GTA IV, it's little things like that which really hekp build a nice level of immersion and atmosphere."get2sammyb said:It's the sound that does for me in Oblivion. You can actually hear the raindrops pelting the foliage in the area. Really brilliant sound design, though I think the thunder in Morrowind was a bit more, well, thunderous. ""I thought the GTA4 storm was pretty amazing actually."Yeah, those storms are amazing. Oblivion's were quite nice too, but while the sky looked really nice, the rest all seemed a bit flat on the screen, IIRC."
"I love the rain effects in PGR4....You are winner.
The weather FX in this game have to be seen to be believed!"
I've always liked the PGR series, and the amped-up weather effects really help the games, I think. Nice variation.
It's funny that people go on and on about how amazing Crysis looks, forgetting all about the PGR series. PGR = Photorealistic Game Roar.
Sir_Ragnarok said:
"HandsomeDead said:"get2sammyb said:It's the sound that does for me in Oblivion. You can actually hear the raindrops pelting the foliage in the area. Really brilliant sound design, though I think the thunder in Morrowind was a bit more, well, thunderous. ""I thought the GTA4 storm was pretty amazing actually."Yeah, those storms are amazing. Oblivion's were quite nice too, but while the sky looked really nice, the rest all seemed a bit flat on the screen, IIRC."
I think on both the visual and audio side, Oblivion nailed the weather effects, simply because of the upgraded engine. But I do think that Morrowind's weather was much more atmospheric. As Sir_Rag. said, the thunder was a bit more thunderous. When there was a sandstorm, you had to get the fuck inside because there was no way you were going to get from point A to point B. Blizzards in Solstheim? Nope, snow day kids! Monsoons in the south? GTFO!
Oblivion is a beautiful game, and better in my opinion, but Morrowind managed to capture what it meant to have a real hell-raising storm on your hands. Although, that may just be because of Vvardenfel's inclement whether, whereas Cyrodiil is a more peaceful (weather-wise) province. That may sound like an excuse, but Bethesda jumps through every hoop when it comes to immersion and story telling.
"Don't you find it ironic how the game with one of the best rain effects is called S.T.A.L.K.E.R **Clear Sky**?"
Haha
Red Dead Redemption is the best by far. The thunder trumps any other game out there. It still doesn't hold a candle to the actual Texas storms, but they definitely tried. I hope creeks fill up and tornadoes spawn in the next one.
There's also Stalker. Having a gunfight outside in complete darkness with ONLY the muzzle flashes and lightning making your enemies visible is an incredible experience. Especially when a pack of Boars comes roaming through the battlefield, with only their eyes glowing between flashes.
@Mmmslash said:
" ...How about the rain in Heavy Rain? "Too obvious.
Even if it's a somewhat easy pick, I'd go with Heavy Rain. I really felt the mood that accompanies rain while I played that game.
Oh, and I'm one of those people who loves it when it rains. I actually feel rejuvenated when it starts raining, and Heavy Rain was the only game I've played that captured that.
I really liked the rain in Heavy Rain as well, even just when it comes up to the logo being rained on it looks fantastic. Red Dead Redemption looks amazing too when it comes to rain effects, especially how the sky looks when it rains. Also Red Dead holds a special place because i was doing that mission where the drunk tries to sell his woman to you, so you buy her and she goes off to a covenant, and then you find out he came back and took her away. I was at the part where you learn he killed her and it was during a downpour. So the dual started up and i had rain just dripping down the other characters and as i shot the guy lightning flashed and thunder boomed. It was just...a perfect moment in that game.
I'm absolute in love with the effect that Stalker: CoP's rain has on how you play the game. The darkness makes everything so eerie that I often just hoof it to the nearest settlement to get some sleep until it goes away. As far as sound goes, I'm still impressed by how incredible the sound is in Oblivion when you walk outside and it's absolutely pouring.
That being said, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory is my favorite purely because I still remember how low my jaw dropped when I saw what the rain would do to the characters. It's the first game I remember that made me really believe something was wet.
Please Log In to post.
This edit will also create new pages on Giant Bomb for:
Beware, you are proposing to add brand new pages to the wiki along with your edits. Make sure this is what you intended. This will likely increase the time it takes for your changes to go live.Comment and Save
Until you earn 1000 points all your submissions need to be vetted by other Giant Bomb users. This process takes no more than a few hours and we'll send you an email once approved.
Log in to comment