What modern games are still good silently?

[goatdan]

So, I just got a GameCube for my bedroom so that when my wife falls asleep and I'm still wide awake, I can play games at night. I have to play the games that I want silently though so that I don't wake her up.

Does anyone have any suggestions of games that are good to play with the volume completely off? I most want to hear GameCube games, but wouldn't mind hearing Xbox / PS2 also, as I might eventually end up with one of those too. Games should have subtitles for the storyline, or not really have any story.

So far, I've been playing Skies of Arcadia and the MegaMan Collection. Both are not bad without sound, but MegaMan really loses a lot without the cool old school music.

[Raccoon Lad]

Get some headphones!

Problem solved.

[goatdan]

Get some headphones!

Problem solved.

Not when the system is on the other side of the room and the reason I wanted it was so I could play it wirelessly!

:)

[Immutable]

Does anyone have any suggestions of games that are good to play with the volume completely off?

I know one game that should be played with the sound off... Journey Escape (Atari 2600).

[Daria]

Get some headphones!

Problem solved.

Not when the system is on the other side of the room and the reason I wanted it was so I could play it wirelessly!

:)

What about wireless headphones?

[WanganRunner]

Get some headphones!

Problem solved.

Not when the system is on the other side of the room and the reason I wanted it was so I could play it wirelessly!

:)

Get wireless headphones then.

Anything is better than playing with no sound.

[The-Bavis]

They make wireless headphones, too.

As far as GC recommendations, the Super Monkeyballs won't lose much without the sound. Ikaruga? It has good sound, but doesn't really improve gamebplay.

[dan2357]

Off the top of my head I would recomend...
Animal Crossing, all text in game is printed on screen and a good time killer, your wife will probably wake up before you relize how long you have been playing.
Mario Golf, fun game if golf is you thing.
Pikmin & Pikmin2 both great games also subtitled. (I think)
Super Monkey ball 1&2, fun games TRU has 2pack for $30
sport titles.? Beach Spikers is great, tony hawk series.....
Puzzle games.. Zoo Cube fun game Although I usually end up yealling and cursing at it so maybe not.
And of course Zeda Collection, old school zelda what else do you need?

[suckerpunch5]

Man, Zelda The WindWaker is a great game to play with no sound, because there is no in-game dialouge. It is all text based. That, and it is an awesome game.

If you like Real Time Strategies, Army Men RTS would be a great candidate, and it has the side benefit of being super cheap! It is a pretty fun game, methinks.

There isn't a lot of important dialouge in either of the Metroid Prime games either, come to think of it. The story is mainly driven through text that you find. These are two really cool games.

[DigitalSpace]

If you like racing games, give 4x4 Evo 2 a try - you're not missing out on anything special if you have it on mute (unless you have a thing for repetitive techno).

[shvnsth]

aren't the analog sticks on the wavebird kind of loud? so are the shoulder buttons. but i would jsut get some wireless headphones.

these are the best for under $50 : http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0009PXEEU/qid=1118877590/br=1-5/ref=br_lf_e_5//103-1202198-7598238?v=glance&s=electronics&n=509316

or you could just game in another room. i think the light from the tv and the noise of the controller would kinda annoy me if i were sleeping.

[Garry Silljo]

Pool Paradise doesnt need sound.... doesnt really have much sound anyway. Just be careful that part of the title wasnt covered by a sticker in the store. I'm sick of my wife joking asking where "Poo Paradise" is. The sticker was removed, the memory lives on.

[Garry Silljo]

Double post... oops

[Necromutant]

or you could just game in another room. i think the light from the tv and the noise of the controller would kinda annoy me if i were sleeping.

Yea... I think I would be annoyed! Why not just play in the other room and then go to bed when you are done? :D

But if you have to do it go with wireless headphones as already suggested.

[boatofcar]

I actually enjoyed playing Animal Crossing with no sound....of course I liked Harvest moon at night too, so that's probably why :) (there is no in-game music or sfx other than your footsteps at night in Harvest Moon).

[petewhitley]

Dragon's Lair 3D. I don't believe Dirk the Daring speaks at all. You'll only miss his repertoire of grunts. It's a damn fun underrated game to boot. Damn fun. Damn damn damn fun. I'm going to throw it in ...

[SirDrexl]

Does anyone have any suggestions of games that are good to play with the volume completely off? I most want to hear GameCube games, but wouldn't mind hearing Xbox / PS2 also, as I might eventually end up with one of those too.

First you say you want to know about games to play with no volume, then you say "I want to hear.."? So which is it? :)

I think a better list might be games that are NOT good to play with the volume off. Sound helps you get feedback that can subtly help you in the game, but just about anything can be played without it-even games with voices will often have a subtitle option. Maybe the only ones I can think of that I absolutely would not want to play without sound are the FPS with surround sound like Halo or Doom 3, where hearing what's behind you and off to the sides helps you in the game and really adds to the atmosphere. I also wouldn't want to play the Star Wars games without sound, as the music and sound effects are just too cool, but it's not as if I would be at a disadvantage if I couldn't hear them.

Maybe you should stick to easier games, as you may need the audio feedback for the more difficult ones. Also, yelling "SHIT!!!" or some other profanity (as I have done many times) on a frustrating part would not be appreciated by your wife. :)

I do think that it would help to have a rumble-capable controller, as the feedback you get can be similar to what you get with sound. That's provided the rumble itself isn't too loud.

[gepeto]

ikaruga is not bad

[Yago]

Any Madden Football game is a MUST without sound. Madden's commentary is enough to drive anyone looney. Fun games though...

[goatdan]

Okay, just for a little more explanation...

My wife likes me being in the same room when she goes to sleep. She is a notoriously light sleeper, and when she wakes up if I'm not there she usually gets worried. The whole idea of sticking a GameCube in our room was because I'm a night owl, and often can't fall asleep until midnight-ish, while she falls asleep at 10ish. So, I have two hours every night where I can game, and if I'm there I'm also keeping her happy.

I don't want to get wireless headphones because when I am hearing sound, I really like _hearing_ the sound, so I would want really nice headphones, and I don't want to pay for them.

I've got a rather sizable GC collection, and I figured this would be something other people ran into as a thought. Basically, I want to play games and still understand them and their storylines while not having to play with the volume on. Games that are subtitled are a great thing, because even if their music is great it is possible to play without and still get the story.

So, there ya have it :)

[shvnsth]

i bet those sennheiser will sound better than any audio setup you have. it takes a $10,000 speaker system to sound as good as $400 headphones, and even then, the $10,000 system will sound like shit in the wrong room. i would go with some headphones, and play any game, instead of just silent ones.

[josekortez]

Puyo Pop Fever is one that I play without sound just because I hate the English voices, but since it is a puzzle game you won't miss out on much.

[Ed Oscuro]

What about wireless headphones?
Have you ever used wireless headphones? Argh, what a headache. Not terribly heavy, but you've got to tune them in and make sure they get recharged (plus the cups on mine, some Philips brand I think, were really tight and badly shaped, flat across with no actual foam; the band across the top was really flimsy too).

There might be a good pair out there, but to get one that doesn't suck terribly would probably be a bit more investment than the situation calls for :P

[Lord_Magus]

For the GameCube, I'd recommend Ikaruga... It focuses more on gameplay than anything else, although you will be missing out on some awesome music at parts ;)

For other consoles, a game that is actually better with the sound off is Burnout 3 (PS2\XBOX) :/

[Sothy]

Probably anything with rap music.

[Ed Oscuro]

Probably anything with rap music.
Wow, that narrows the selection by quite a bit!

Also, I have a great time listening to rap with friends :) Not my preferred music, but not my least favorite category.

[Ackman]

okay R&B and I'm not talking lionel ritchie, btm, stevie I'm talking like 90% of R&B from 1990 to present day.....

Cypress Hill is alright though

[legov8]

The Mario Party Series would be good. They only use sound for the music and back ground noises.