One of the few games where I thought storms were an actual danger.
The way those storms rolled in and turned peace into pure chaos. Driving around avoiding thunderstrikes. Going on foot meant having to dodge pieces of debris or getting yeeted to some unknown part of the map. Actually required to take shelter somewhere. Storms felt actually like it really added something to the game beyond just a different skybox and rain. That was good shit.
For atmosphere, I was floored by Kingdom Come: Deliverance’s storms. They really did a good job of capturing the deep rumble of an approaching storm out on the plains.
BOTW/TOTK is pretty memorable because it has a mechanical effect. Climbing becomes harder due to wet surfaces being slippery, and lightning can strike things killing them, damaging things and setting fires.
This is one of the two that jump to mind. Red Dead Redemption 2 had beautiful, atmospheric storms that were a sight to behold at a distance. Breath of the Wild brought the lightning up close and personal.
There’s nothing quite like deciding to take a fight in a thunderstorm while the only gear you have left is metal, or carefully sneaking up on an enemy only to have a bolt of nature’s electric fury crash down two meters behind you and shake the ground you’re standing on. Especially in surround sound.
Came here to mention just that. Base Stalker has some nice storms, but the mods built into Gamma make those absolutely terrifying. I think I genuinely fear the weather more than any mutated monster in the Zone.
A Link to the Past was the first thing to come to mind. Of course many games since have done storms much better, but that one had the biggest impact on me personally. The jump from 8 to 16 bits was a hell of a thing!
Reminds me of when the Super Mario All-Stars version of Super Mario Bros 3 added thunder and lightning to the background of the Koopa airships. It may have been the coolest upgrade to the whole vibe of that game.
I’ve always liked the storm in the Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC from Mass Effect 2. It takes place on a ship chasing the sunset on a planet with a really slow rotation, and there’s a massive storm at the terminator. It looks amazing.
This was my first thought on reading the thread 🙈 I’m so glad I knocked that out when I was like 11, no way my mid-30s ass is staying focused enough for a challenge like that now.
I hate to admit doing it multiple times, including in my 30s, haha. But it’s a long and tedious achievement. The trick to doing it at our age is a good podcast to keep the mind busy!
How about the one at the end of Zelda: Ocarina of Time?
Having effects that shatter the framerate is, of course, a very undesirable thing for gamers. But something about it in the context of a sudden final boss fight against Ganon, placing his large figure against the thundering background, made him much more imposing in a way that might not really even be represented when playing the game in 4K on an emulator.
I was talking to a friend the other day and trying to convey how good that fight looks. In some ways it’s kind of cliché (the narrative flips on the “lightning” switch for effect), but it’s so well-done that it doesn’t matter. If you let yourself get swept up in the story, it’s so damn tense and emotional. And the music, oh my god…
Off-topic, but I finally beat TotK the other day and the experience was utterly transcendent. I’m still blown away. They seriously made up for the deflated final fight in BotW, and then some.
I only played through the second one but the thing that got me was just how ambitious it was. It ruined many other games for me as I was left thinking “Where’s the rest of the game?”.
Most recent time I was awestruck by a thunderstorm in a game? Forza Horizon 5. One of the early missions involved heading out in the jungle during a massive thunderstorm and it was just legendary. Visuals, audio, everything.
My vote has to go to the super storms in Horizon Forbidden West. They’re pretty incredible as they pass over. It’s just a shame they’re so rare and stop after a certain point in the game.
Death Stranding for me. Especially at the beginning of the game when you encounter your first storm, and you clear it. That feeling of relief is truly spectacular.
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Witcher 3 and Skyrim are pretty good. RDR2 is great, particularly because you can see it coming.
Though they’re a mix of sandstorm/thunderstorm (like in the movie), the Mad Max game from Avalanche.
One of the few games where I thought storms were an actual danger.
The way those storms rolled in and turned peace into pure chaos. Driving around avoiding thunderstrikes. Going on foot meant having to dodge pieces of debris or getting yeeted to some unknown part of the map. Actually required to take shelter somewhere. Storms felt actually like it really added something to the game beyond just a different skybox and rain. That was good shit.
For atmosphere, I was floored by Kingdom Come: Deliverance’s storms. They really did a good job of capturing the deep rumble of an approaching storm out on the plains.
BOTW/TOTK is pretty memorable because it has a mechanical effect. Climbing becomes harder due to wet surfaces being slippery, and lightning can strike things killing them, damaging things and setting fires.
This is one of the two that jump to mind. Red Dead Redemption 2 had beautiful, atmospheric storms that were a sight to behold at a distance. Breath of the Wild brought the lightning up close and personal.
There’s nothing quite like deciding to take a fight in a thunderstorm while the only gear you have left is metal, or carefully sneaking up on an enemy only to have a bolt of nature’s electric fury crash down two meters behind you and shake the ground you’re standing on. Especially in surround sound.
I loved the storms in BOTW. The rainy atmosphere and the mechanical effects were really well done.
In a similar vein, Majora’s Mask has a fantastic thunderstorm on day 2 of the cycle.
Stalker ~ Stalker gamma but those storms are a little more than a thunderstorm…
Alone at a fire or surrounded by allies, those storms still make me anxious. Like I’m in the child’s nightmare version of a storm
Blowout soon, fellow Stalker.
Came here to mention just that. Base Stalker has some nice storms, but the mods built into Gamma make those absolutely terrifying. I think I genuinely fear the weather more than any mutated monster in the Zone.
A Link to the Past was the first thing to come to mind. Of course many games since have done storms much better, but that one had the biggest impact on me personally. The jump from 8 to 16 bits was a hell of a thing!
Reminds me of when the Super Mario All-Stars version of Super Mario Bros 3 added thunder and lightning to the background of the Koopa airships. It may have been the coolest upgrade to the whole vibe of that game.
Whenever it rains, I still hum that tune. Gives a certain mood to it all.
I’ve always liked the storm in the Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC from Mass Effect 2. It takes place on a ship chasing the sunset on a planet with a really slow rotation, and there’s a massive storm at the terminator. It looks amazing.
https://youtu.be/pOaioqq8J6o?t=3377&si=h09hTh8mmTbDb-bo
I’m going to give you an evil answer and say Final Fantasy X. Are you ready to dodge 200 lightning bolts?
I’d forgotten that awful bit until you mentioned it. :( iirc my brother got that on my file and I got the chocobo balloons on his.
This was my first thought on reading the thread 🙈 I’m so glad I knocked that out when I was like 11, no way my mid-30s ass is staying focused enough for a challenge like that now.
I hate to admit doing it multiple times, including in my 30s, haha. But it’s a long and tedious achievement. The trick to doing it at our age is a good podcast to keep the mind busy!
How about the one at the end of Zelda: Ocarina of Time?
Having effects that shatter the framerate is, of course, a very undesirable thing for gamers. But something about it in the context of a sudden final boss fight against Ganon, placing his large figure against the thundering background, made him much more imposing in a way that might not really even be represented when playing the game in 4K on an emulator.
The ganon fights from Wind Waker and Skyward Sword are similarly cinematic!
Ganon has a thing for theatrics
I was talking to a friend the other day and trying to convey how good that fight looks. In some ways it’s kind of cliché (the narrative flips on the “lightning” switch for effect), but it’s so well-done that it doesn’t matter. If you let yourself get swept up in the story, it’s so damn tense and emotional. And the music, oh my god…
Off-topic, but I finally beat TotK the other day and the experience was utterly transcendent. I’m still blown away. They seriously made up for the deflated final fight in BotW, and then some.
Uru and Mabinogi has surprisingly good audio with theirs.
The opening act of Little Big Adventure 2 gets my vote.
There was something magical about Little Big Adventures.
I only played through the second one but the thing that got me was just how ambitious it was. It ruined many other games for me as I was left thinking “Where’s the rest of the game?”.
Minecraft, it’s just relaxes me every time it storms.
Most recent time I was awestruck by a thunderstorm in a game? Forza Horizon 5. One of the early missions involved heading out in the jungle during a massive thunderstorm and it was just legendary. Visuals, audio, everything.
My vote has to go to the super storms in Horizon Forbidden West. They’re pretty incredible as they pass over. It’s just a shame they’re so rare and stop after a certain point in the game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgpNLp-CAAA
I’m pretty sure the lead on clouds is the industry leader on cloud rendering. He has some great gdc talks and paper write-ups of his work.
Death Stranding for me. Especially at the beginning of the game when you encounter your first storm, and you clear it. That feeling of relief is truly spectacular.