One of the first games that regularly pops into my mind when talking about sound is
Quake. I've always found its sound effects outstanding: from the weapons, to the monsters, to the ambient (the portals), they're gritty, powerful, extremely effective and memorable.
Another game series that attains top score in my book in terms of sound is
Thief, especially the first two instalments. Both eerie and realistic, not only the effects are crucial in setting the atmosphere, they also play a very important role in gameplay.
Doom, of course, sports some wonderful effects that have made history (doors, lifts, monsters... I especially dig the Cacodemon's gurgling death sound :) )
I have to mention Valve games as well: both the
Half-Life and
Portal series feature original and iconic sound fx, that have achieved
meme status.
Why not talk about older computers... on the Amiga, I've always stood in admiration of the effects in a couple of Bitmap Brothers games:
Gods and
Speedball 2 ("ice cream..."). And on the C64, I'd like to mention
Strangeloop,
Paradroid,
Nebulus (aka Tower Toppler), the classic
takeoff sequence from
Raid Over Moscow... and the famous
scream from
Impossible Mission, of course!
thegreyshadow: Not necessarily soundtracks; but as for sound design, it's hard not to include the F.E.A.R. game series. Fantasting sound ambiance.
I'm playing Extraction Point right now... it's hard not to agree.