I Also hate when people refuse that the ability to add to the the ambiance of a game adds a great deal to a game. It's not just the great artwork, or the great gameplay but also the ability to pull them together into look that naturally fits together.
That can be done with good lighting. You dont need post processing to do that. Look at an offline rendering software. You can create fantastic images there without a single post pro effect. The same counts for real-time 3d sceneries.
You have to find a good choice of ambient color / light and local lights (dynamic or static). This works everywhere and does not need a magical kit, just some color theory, practice and trial and error.
