Game of the Year 2004 Awards: Best Sound
Myrthos, 2005-02-21

The last couple of weeks you could vote for the best RPGs and MMORPGs that have been released in 2004. Not us but you the player decide who receives the RPGDot 2004 Awards in the various categories. We thank all those who entered their votes and helped us in making it possible to select the best games of 2004.

Best Sound and Music in an RPG
The sound and music in a game can make a big difference. When not done correctly sound and music in games tend to get annoying, yet when done properly it adds to the gameplay experience while playing and can draw you deeper into the game.

The winner: Vampire - Bloodlines
Vampire: Bloodlines successfully combined judicious use of a moody original soundtrack with licensed tracks from the likes of Tiamat, Ministry and Die My Darling to help establish the gloomy atmosphere and bring several Goth-inspired locations to life. Directional sound played an important role in putting the player in the moment - the excellent Ocean House Hotel level is a perfect example. These were sure to be factors that influenced our readers in their selection but the quality of the voiceovers, which are certainly among the best ever found in a game, sealed the victory.

(Dhruin)

Runner Up: Neverwinter Nightst - HoU
The third instalment of the Neverwinter Nights saga, Hordes of the Underdark, revived what had become a creaking monolith. With new tiles, new monsters, and better still, new levels and Prestige classes, this third expansion breathed new life into this venerable franchise for both players and mod builders.

While still using the old engine, Bioware managed to add a new vibrancy to the game, with new locations that perfectly captured the malevolent atmosphere of the Drow infested Underdark. New, haunting music tracks further enhanced the overall ambience. By far the best story and characterisation of all three campaigns.

1The music and sounds for the expansion, while not revolutionary, were far more than adequate. Voices were extremely well done, ambient sounds added to, rather than distracted from the general gameplay, while the music conjured up the appropriate atmosphere every step of the way.

(Corwin)

Second Runner Up: Thief Deadly Shadows
Sound is one of the most important factors in setting a game's atmosphere. In this regard, the music and sound effects of "Thief: Deadly Shadows" achieve exactly the desired effect. Without being campy or obtrusive, the soundscape of T:DS recreates the creepy ambience of the predecessors; what's more, it makes the paranoid setting of the 'Cradle' more than believable. Voice acting is on a par with that of the first two Thief games as well. All in all, music and sound of "Thief: Deadly Shadows" combine well to draw us into Garrett's world of shadows... too bad those were the last days of the world as we knew it...

(Jaz)

The Numbers
To make it complete we now give you the top 10 as voted by our visitors:

And 17% of the voters didn't have a clue about what to select.

The team members list shows something different:

List of the awards
Awards on RPGDot:
Best graphics
Best Sound and Music
Biggest Surprise
Biggest Disappointment
Most Anticipated
Dream Game
Best Console RPG
Best Non-RPG
Best RPG

Awards on MMORPGDot:
Best graphics
Best Sound and Music
Biggest Surprise
Biggest Disappointment
Most Anticipated
Dream Game
Best Expansion MMORPG
Best MMORPG

Note that percentages are rounded to the nearest number.