What is the most immersive game you have played?
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I have started this survey/discussion to find out in other peoples opinions what is the most immersive they have played. Your answers will grant me alot of insight so that I can study what makes these games so immersive. After 2 weeks I will use the information gathered to write a report on Immmersion which I will distribute for free. Please keep this civil and polite.
Battlefield 2. What I was being immersed in, of course, was a video game, rather than an alternate universe or a compelling character. All the same, I loves me some BF2, and the feeling I got from being a useful member of that team, without being bound by levels or gear or other grindable attributes, was second to none. Here's hoping BF3 keeps the spirit alive.
HALO CE believe it or not. the character was truely anonymous at that point so you could put yourself in his suit. plus the game had amazing pace that helped maintain immersion. it is an excellent example of how to use music to sustain pace,
Sanitarium, if I had to pick just one. But I could name a dozen adventure games and RPGs I felt very immersed while playing.
I haven't played all the games out there, but I remember the original STALKER really drawing me in (or at least it would have if it wasn't crashing all the time, but I guess that's beside the point). Also Morrowind. I'll attribute this to the ambiance of the worlds rather than any particular gameplay elements. I think I could get drawn into a game that had no objective but to walk around in a breezy grass meadow, with the sound of a nearby forest's trees rustling in the wind. Just the feel of being in a place is really important to me, it allows me to revisit a place in nature that's kind of lost in modern life.
Also I tend to think that immersion kind of depends on the state of the player as much as the game itself too. I remember back in my younger days I would play Asheron's Call for a long time, it totally gripped me for a couple years of my youth. I think that has something to do with the age I was at the time and the fact that it was the first really persistent open world game that I played. I think if I picked it up again now I might not be as impressed anymore, but it had a magical quality at the time.
Also I tend to think that immersion kind of depends on the state of the player as much as the game itself too. I remember back in my younger days I would play Asheron's Call for a long time, it totally gripped me for a couple years of my youth. I think that has something to do with the age I was at the time and the fact that it was the first really persistent open world game that I played. I think if I picked it up again now I might not be as impressed anymore, but it had a magical quality at the time.
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PrestoChung- I have never had the chance to play daggerfall but I would one day like to. I know very little about the game because it is so old, I will check out GOG.com to see if its there somewhere.
Iron Chef Carnage- Battlefield 2 was one of my favorite multiplayer experiences of all time but I would not say it is highly immersive. But it is really a game where you have to create your own immersive by getting a good team together that take the game seriously, not some trollling noobs that ruin the game for everyone (of which I encountered alot of in my time of playing BF2)
Warman45- I remember getting the first Halo on PC for my birthday when I was 11 and playing it all day, loving every second of it. I still love that game to this day and it easily surpasses the many sequels and spin offs. The game was extremely immersive because of the superb atmosphere, interesting levels, the unforgettable soundtrack and a well written story.
Sunandshadow- I have not played Sanitarium put I have heard good things about it. If it is as immersive as you say it is then I might just have to buy it on GOG.com to check it out for myself.
Karwosts- The STALKER games are very immersive, they are actually in my opinion, the most immersive games I've ever played. The Elder Scrolls games are all very immersive and atmospheric but somehow I think that Oblivion edges ahead of Morrowind. Even though Morrowind in fact a better RPG, Oblivion is a better game. Oblivion took over my life for months, it was really a very immersive game, even though not the most original.
Iron Chef Carnage- Battlefield 2 was one of my favorite multiplayer experiences of all time but I would not say it is highly immersive. But it is really a game where you have to create your own immersive by getting a good team together that take the game seriously, not some trollling noobs that ruin the game for everyone (of which I encountered alot of in my time of playing BF2)
Warman45- I remember getting the first Halo on PC for my birthday when I was 11 and playing it all day, loving every second of it. I still love that game to this day and it easily surpasses the many sequels and spin offs. The game was extremely immersive because of the superb atmosphere, interesting levels, the unforgettable soundtrack and a well written story.
Sunandshadow- I have not played Sanitarium put I have heard good things about it. If it is as immersive as you say it is then I might just have to buy it on GOG.com to check it out for myself.
Karwosts- The STALKER games are very immersive, they are actually in my opinion, the most immersive games I've ever played. The Elder Scrolls games are all very immersive and atmospheric but somehow I think that Oblivion edges ahead of Morrowind. Even though Morrowind in fact a better RPG, Oblivion is a better game. Oblivion took over my life for months, it was really a very immersive game, even though not the most original.
I found System Shock 2 incredibly immersive, in spite of playing it when it was already somewhat dated and I'd played games with much more realistic graphics. I think a big part of the effect was from the audio work in the game, which to my recollection only included the noises of the star ship around you, your own actions, and the sounds of any nearby creatures or machines, i.e. no soundtrack. The game also did a reasonably clever job of hiding "loading screens", putting you in airlocks or elevators when these were necessary.
I found System Shock 2 incredibly immersive, in spite of playing it when it was already somewhat dated and I'd played games with much more realistic graphics. I think a big part of the effect was from the audio work in the game, which to my recollection only included the noises of the star ship around you, your own actions, and the sounds of any nearby creatures or machines, i.e. no soundtrack. The game also did a reasonably clever job of hiding "loading screens", putting you in airlocks or elevators when these were necessary.
Audio can definitely contribute a lot to immersiveness. I remember when I played the game Tender Loving Care, even though the video wasn't very good quality the audio impressed the hell out of me with the way it blended the actors' voices into the ambient sounds, each room had it's own sound, and some of the sounds changed to fit the plot progression.
Sunandshadow- I have not played Sanitarium put I have heard good things about it. If it is as immersive as you say it is then I might just have to buy it on GOG.com to check it out for myself.
Sanitarium (and TLC also) are a bit darker than my usual choice of game. Like a horror movie, they are best viewed in an otherwise dark room with headphones or good speakers. I think adventure games in general tend to have good immersion, but the reason Sanitarium stands out above the rest is that it has NPCs to interact with, unlike most adventure games. Probably because NPC animation and voice acting are expensive to create, but also because several adventure games used video if real actors which could not be converted well to interactivity. The only other two adventure games which spring to my mind as making good use of NPCs - The Longest Journey and Woodruff and the Schnibble of Azimuth - were also in the top tier of adventure games. The Leisure Suit Larry games might also go in this category.
HALO CE believe it or not. the character was truely anonymous at that point so you could put yourself in his suit. plus the game had amazing pace that helped maintain immersion. it is an excellent example of how to use music to sustain pace,
What exactly is 'CE'?
I would rate HALO quite high too though I never had the stamina to play through a whole campaign I know I started campaigns on the first two or 3 games.
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