Sound design is more than just being loud and obnoxious. Great voice acting, believable sound effects for the game’s era and environment, detailed sounds, varied sounds, and great use of them all in general. It’s very hard to have excellent sound effects and design without feeling canned and repetitive.
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Rise of the Tomb Raider is not just an ambitious open world, it knows it is. A huge open world requires excellent sound design and Tomb Raider has it in spades. With realistic sounds of wild life, wind, rocks falling, and even down to varied footsteps, Rise of the Tomb Raider has a rich sound experience that is just as important as the rest of the game.
Runner-Ups
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
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Forza Motorsport 6
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Destiny: The Taken King
