Best Sound Effects

It's now more important than ever that games feature a wide variety of diverse, realistic sound effects and that game designers take advantage of the unique properties of audio in their games. Modern game hardware is capable of producing sounds as realistic as those in any movie, though the best games not only sound realistic, but also integrate their sound design directly into the play experience. The following finalists in the Best Sound Effects category are the games that used their aural components to the greatest effect, both in enhancing their realism and in augmenting their gameplay.

Call of Duty 2
	Developer: Infinity Ward Platforms: PC, Xbox 360 ESRB: Teen Check Prices You truly feel the chaos and intensity of the battlefield in Call of Duty 2, which features highly authentic gunfire and explosions, as well as near-constant chatter between allied and axis forces.
Condemned: Criminal Origins
	Developer: Monolith Productions Platform: Xbox 360 ESRB: Mature Check Prices This creepy first-person action game is brought to life largely through its ear-piercing audio, which enhances every close-quarters life-or-death struggle with Condemned's assortment of deranged lunatics.
Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie
	Developer: Ubisoft Montpellier Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, Xbox, PlayStation 2, GameCube ESRB: Teen Check Prices It might as well be you hunting for Kong in this highly atmospheric action game. The first-person sequences feature incredibly detailed and varied sound effects, making you feel stranded on that primitive island.
Project Gotham Racing 3
	Developer: Bizarre Creations Platform: Xbox 360 ESRB: Everyone 10+ Check Prices More than 80 different high-performance automobiles are brought to life thanks to the meticulously crafted audio in Project Gotham Racing 3, helping make it the dream game for virtually any racing fan.
Resident Evil 4
	Developer: Capcom Platforms: GameCube, PlayStation 2 ESRB: Mature Check Prices Resident Evil 4's incredible good looks are matched by its outstanding audio, which makes every otherworldly monster and every weapon in the game seem that much more believable.

And the winner is... Condemned: Criminal Origins

Platform: Xbox 360
ESRB: Mature

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The bone-crushing sound effects of Condemned are as thrilling as they are haunting. While this year offered many fantastic-sounding games, Condemned took sound effects in gaming to a whole new level by featuring some sickeningly real noises to go with all its savage weapons, ranging from two-by-fours to sledgehammers. Even the simple sound of glass breaking is enough to make you flinch here. We had to wonder how exactly the makers of this game managed to make the sound of guys getting hit in the face with pipes sound so real, but regardless, we'll long remember Condemned as the best-sounding game of 2005.

Next: Best Graphics, Technical