RPGDot 2003 Awards: Best Atmosphere in an RPG
RPGDot Team, 2004-01-09

The last couple of weeks you could vote for the best RPGs and MMORPGs that have been released in 2003. Not us but you the player decide who receives the RPGDot 2003 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 2003.

Best Atmosphere in an RPG
Every good game has an atmosphere in which the player feels comfortable and in which the player almost can feel that he or she is part of the experience. A game can have stunning graphics or awesome sound, but without a decent atmosphere it won't last very long. And here are the games which are known to give this experience.

The winner: Gothic 2
The howling of a wolf will surely send shudders down your spine... after all, you're alone in the woods, unarmed - and you know that wolves always hunt in packs...

The unique atmosphere which was at the core of what made the first game in the Gothic series so memorable has been brilliantly ported to its second part. Baroque forests, spooky caves, realistic animal behavior, day-and-night cycles, weather effects and haunting sounds combine with unique NPCs and a clever news system to create an immersive and quite unforgettable gaming atmosphere.

(Jaz)

Runner Up: Star Wars - Knights of the Old Republic
Creating a believable Star Wars atmosphere is probably KotOR's biggest strength. Technical details such as great graphics and sound obviously play their roles but it's the scope and attention to detail that will immerse players in an authentic Star Wars universe. Whether it's the rounded obelisk-like buildings in Taris, the glaring desert sun burning over Tatooine, stunning lightsaber battles or the menacing rumble of a Hutt laugh, Bioware has captured the Star Wars feel.

(Dhruin)

Second Runner Up: Morrowind - Bloodmoon
Morrowind: Bloodmoon managed to pull you into the game with new options like playing a werewolf or helping to build a city. The latter helped to diminish the sometimes static feeling of the game. Why our readers liked the atmosphere in this second expansion isn't just the new quests and gaming options, though: Sound and new weather effects, tough fights and a beautiful landscape with some surprises were important to them, too.

(Rendelius)

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

And 8,5 % of those who participated were unable to select one of the games.

We, the RPGDot team also voted to create our own top 5:

There is not much difference between those two lists (with the exception of Enclave). Although in our list Gothic 2 wins big time.

Note that percentages are rounded to the nearest number.

Overview of all awards on RPGDot
 Best Sound
 Best Graphics
 Best Atmosphere
 Biggest Surprise
 Biggest Disappointment
 Most Anticipated
 Dream Game
 Best RPG/RPG-Strategy Expansion
 Best Non-RPG
 Best RPG-Strategy
 Best RPG

Overview of all awards on MMORPGDot
 Best Sound
 Best Graphics
 Best Atmosphere
 Biggest Surprise
 Biggest Disappointment
 Most Anticipated
 Best Expansion
 Best MMORPG