Best games WITHOUT music but with great AMBIENT sound?

[mr.vince]

Unreal, yes.

Apart from that... Mindwalker...!

[freehand]

War Head still sends shivers down my spine check it out if you have not listened to it before sends me kinda crazy with haunting sound and combined with memories.

It does become a little musical down the line but awesome.

[dex]

Got to try Mindwalker and War Head now. I always wanted to play War Head but I just don't really know what to do in the game. Got any hints for a newcomder maybe?

[Megalomaniac]

Alien Breed has to be the poster child for this. It's always the game I point to when people insist that action games need in-game music for atmosphere. Team 17 often concentrated on this, to great effect.

I'm glad someone's mentioned The Settlers - sadly you get very little sound with less than 2Mb, but when I play it now I go for the ambient sound over the music, really adds even more character to the little guys.

Sensible Soccer's sampled crowd chants add a lot to the game, especially compared to the minimal sound in Kick Off 2. Goal! improves in this area, as it did in most of the non-gameplay areas where Sensi bettered KO2.

[Amiga1992]

Surprised no one mentioned yet Walker, this is a game where in-game music would have ruined the experience.
I love all the little sounds especially the gun noise, always loved the detail that the gun has a "winding down" sound whenever you stop firing.
The comms voices, the robot stomping, Lemmings-like screams from the soldiers you maim... it's just very on point!

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[sokolovic]

I would'nt speaks about footy games (or sports games in general) because it would be awkward to have music there. Not even modern games have one.
But every games already quoted are good representative or games with great ambient sounds (Alien Breed Tower Assault, Cannon Fodder and indeed Walker for instance).
I'll add maybe Populous or Odyssey (this last one being very overlooked because of its late release... Not even a proper WHDload fix with gamepad support...).

[Predseda]

Sensible Soccer.

[DisasterIncarna]

not exactly varied but i liked the creepy ambient sound/noises on Hired Guns.

[kremiso]

the ambient sounds in Powermonger were also pretty good

[saimon69]

Mission Impossible II had good ambient sounds while the rest was not that good imo
[and if you want a good music refer to the Thrust cracktro not to the game tune]
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[A500]

Wayne Gretzky Hockey has great ice rink sounds, right down to the Zamboni circling around the ice

Millennium 2.2 and the sequel Deuteros have nice ambient background noises.

[Megalomaniac]

Sports games don't benefit from music, but they can certainly benefit from good use of ambient sound, which is where Sensible shines for me - the sounds for kicking, the whistle, a bouncing ball and woodwork contact are good enough as it is, but the crowd chants add so much to the feeling of being there.

Walker and Hired Guns need extra memory above 1Mb for the enhanced sound I think?

[lordofchaos]

Originally Posted by Amiga1992

Surprised no one mentioned yet Walker, this is a game where in-game music would have ruined the experience.
I love all the little sounds especially the gun noise, always loved the detail that the gun has a "winding down" sound whenever you stop firing.
The comms voices, the robot stomping, Lemmings-like screams from the soldiers you maim... it's just very on point!

[ Show youtube player ]

Yeah good shout. Amazing atmosphere in this game, you get these small quiet moments between the action and then it's crazy time!

I'll mention gods again, sound design very cool and clever, and adds greatly to the overall vibe of the game.

[Master484]

Dragonstone from Core Design has great ambient sounds, and the volume of them changes depending on how close you are to the sound source.

Also Crystal Dragon is worth mentioning, the footsteps of the guards, dripping water, mice making peeping sounds, really high quality sound effects for everything and great athmosphere. Especially the sound of the stone doors opening and closing in the distance sounds exactly as you would imagine it to sound in real life.

And Another World of course, a good example that music during gameplay isn't always necessary, even in an action game. And Prince of Persia too.

[kriz]

Dune 2

[saimon69]

Darkmere is another one with great ambient sounds: the rain on the roof of the homes when you are indoor on the first stage in example

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[Amiga1992]

Originally Posted by Master484

And Another World of course, a good example that music during gameplay isn't always necessary, even in an action game.

You'd think that, but then you play the Apple IIGS version and your opinion would probably change:
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Weirdly enough this was the first version I played and then I was so disappointed when I played the Amiga version and it had absolutely no music.

[gimbal]

Depends on what you're looking for in the game I guess. The music turns it into something more cinematic. Games like Another World and Silent Hill 2 really made me appreciate the power of silence. It pulls you into the game.

[kremiso]

iirc Killing game show was also good if played with sfx instead of music

Targhan also had some atmosphere
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personally i like a lot when the games have a wind sfx effect

[Megalomaniac]

Personally, I always wanted a game to make me feel like I was there, as a key part of the unfolding action - not to feel like I was watching acting in it for TV or the cinema. Maybe that's why ambient sound made a nice difference for me - weather effects to match the onscreen action, gun recoils, crowd noises, staff working away in the background etc.