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First Person Shooter Thread -

Himuro

Member
Recently, on a random lark, I got into a genre I never really got into before: the first person shooter. I mean, I played games like Half Life 2, Modern Warfare 2, but mostly thought "meh" of the genre overall. Somehow, where I am in life, I've really fallen in love with the games and it's rekindling a love for gaming that I've long lost.

Despite the claims that the genre is in the toilet, there's a lot of variety and creativity to be found within it if you ignore the AAA fps.

Games like Split Gate which mix things like Portal and Halo into a unique package:



Or boomer shooters, a return to the fast-paced shooters of the 90's in the traditions of Doom, Quake, and Duke 3d.

Selaco is one boomer shooter coming out. It had a demo released recently and it looks fucking awesome.



One thing that the genre benefits from is:

It's popular. Unlike other multiplayer genres even "dead" games are viable. Black Ops III is years old and has a current 7 day peak of 12k players on at once on steam. Other multiplayer genres, like fighting games, are lucky to get that for years old games that aren't current. You'll get a lobby with 20 people at most, with varying pings, and most of whom are AFK. FPS players are spoiled as fuck and they don't even know it.

Because it's so popular there's so many creative outlets to portray it with their own audiences.

You've got the narrative focused romps like Bioshock, multiplayer focused games like Team Fortress, franchises that operate on a balance of the two like Halo. Want something realistic with high stakes? There's Stalker. Want to sneak? Thief. Wanna shotgun demons? Doom. Even better is how some games transpose with the first person perspective. So you get with a myriad of hybrids. Want puzzles? Portal. Want role playing? Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines. Want loot? Borderlands. Want to have no life? There's Rust. There's so many options and something for everyone and I've fallen head over heels for that diversity. In a time when other genres have contracted their diversity (3d fighting games are on life support, 3d platformers don't exist besides Mario, rpgs that aren't action rpgs are increasingly rare to fine), FPS just keeps churning out creativity without a beat. Even when the AAA games are flops you always have alternatives. That's a winner.

First Person Shooter might be among the most underrated genres because although it's so common, it's among the most shat upon because of its ubiquity and because of that, people look down upon or flat out, in my case, ignore many first person shooters.

Bless this genre. It fucking rocks.
 
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Is this a recommendation thread? If so count me in!

I think some players do themselves little favours by trying to play every god damn game. It's frankly nuts to me that some people have played every Call of duty or Assassin's creed jesus no wonder your sick of a genre!

Maybe just play the good ones and you will appreciate it more!

The doom games have definitely been the stand out in recent years. I think eternal is the best FPS ever!

I think resident evil 7 and village need to be brought up more in fps debate. They have a completely different pace and feel and the shooting feels really satisfying in them.
 

Himuro

Member
I've been going through a list of games as I experience first person shooters, so far mostly on console.

What started this was Halo: Combat Evolved. I surprisingly loved it. I originally played it when it came out on Xbox but being a weeb and not having grown up with the genre, I wasn't too impressed. I played a couple of levels with my neighbor and went back to pretending it didn't exist. The first FPS I ever bought was Half Life 2 for the original Xbox. Even after that I never bothered with Halo. I had some interest when Halo 3 came out but because I wasn't too god with the genre I didn't bother. I'm glad I eventually got around to it because Halo CE was fantastic despite whatever flaws it had (mostly the levels of the second half of the game from The Library on and the simplistic story). After beating it (original disc, on 360 hardware), the love and interest in FPS games has really lit up. I've been playing Doom 64 on my Switch and also Halo 2 (more on that one later).

Here's a basic list of games I plan on playing. Some of these I've played, but I will replay with my fresh eyes and appreciation for the genre:

* - denotes currently playing

- Doom (og), Doom 2, Doom 3
- Doom 64 *
- Doom 2016, Doom Eternal
- Wolfenstein 3d
- Wolfenstein: The New Order, Wolfenstein: Youngblood
- Marathon 1, 2, and Infinite
- Blake Stone
- Unreal, Heretic
- Turok
- Blood
- Rise of the Triad
- Descent.
- Quake 1, 2, 3, 4
- Halo: CE
- Halo 2

- Halo 3, ODST, Reach, 4, 5, Infinite
- COD1- Blops 3
- Duke Nukem 3D
- Sin
- Daikatana
- Half Life, Half Life Blue Shift, Half Life 2
- No One Lives Forever 1 and 2
- Perfect Dark
- 007: Goldeneye
- Bioshock 1, 2, Infinite
- System Shock 1 and 2
- Mirror's Edge, Mirror's Edge 2
- Timesplitters 1 and 2
- Counter Strike
- CSGO
- Ion Fury
- Fear
- Dusk
- Soma
- Stalker
- Metro series
- Battlefield 4
- Battlefield 1 (I LOVED this games single player and was intimidated af by the multi)
- Overwatch
- Titanfall 1 and 2
- Resident Evil VII and VIII
- Prey
- Dishonored
- Amnesia
- Farcry 2 and 3

Feel free to suggest anything so I can add it to the list.

Due to the nature of a lot of these titles I think it's time to fully transition to being a PC gamer. :)
 
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Selaco and Trepang are inspired by shooters from the mid-2000s, especially FEAR. I'm glad we're in nostalgia territory for that era. I miss those hard shadows, biomechanical designs and everything looking like plastic. It was a great time for shooters.
 
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I've been going through a list of games as I experience first person shooters, so far mostly on console.

What started this was Halo: Combat Evolved. I surprisingly loved it. I originally played it when it came out on Xbox but being a weeb and not having grown up with the genre, I wasn't too impressed. I played a couple of levels with my neighbor and went back to pretending it didn't exist. The first FPS I ever bought was Half Life 2 for the original Xbox. Even after that I never bothered with Halo. I had some interest when Halo 3 came out but because I wasn't too god with the genre I didn't bother. I'm glad I eventually got around to it because Halo CE was fantastic despite whatever flaws it had (mostly the levels of the second half of the game from The Library on and the simplistic story). After beating it (original disc, on 360 hardware), the love and interest in FPS games has really lit up. I've been playing Doom 64 on my Switch and also Halo 2 (more on that one later).

Here's a basic list of games I plan on playing. Some of these I've played, but I will replay with my fresh eyes and appreciation for the genre:

* - denotes currently playing

- Doom (og), Doom 2, Doom 3
- Doom 64 *
- Doom 2016, Doom Eternal
- Wolfenstein 3d
- Wolfenstein: The New Order, Wolfenstein: Youngblood
- Marathon 1, 2, and Infinite
- Quake 1, 2, 3, 4
- Halo: CE
- Halo 2 *
- Halo 3, ODST, Reach, 4, 5, Infinite
- COD1- Blops 3
- Duke Nukem 3D
- Sin
- Daikatana
- Half Life, Half Life Blue Shift, Half Life 2
- No One Lives Forever 1 and 2
- Perfect Dark
- 007: Goldeneye
- Bioshock 1, 2, Infinite
- System Shock 1 and 2
- Mirror's Edge, Mirror's Edge 2
- Timesplitters 1 and 2
- Counter Strike
- CSGO
- Ion Fury
- Fear
- Dusk
- Soma
- Stalker
- Metro series
- Battlefield 4
- Battlefield 1 (I LOVED this games single player and was intimidated af by the multi)
- Overwatch

Feel free to suggest anything so I can add it to the list.

Due to the nature of a lot of these titles I think it's time to fully transition to being a PC gamer. :)
Dishonored 1,2 and Prey feel completely different to most of the stuff on your list.

Titanfall 2.

And to repeat myself above resident evil 7 and village
 

Himuro

Member
So I'm currently playing Halo 2 and I think it may be the best FPS I've ever played.

This game is utterly ahead of its time. I refuse to believe it came out in 2004. When I first put it in, from the graphics to the presentation, it felt like an Xbox 360 game.

It takes everything from the first game and just dumps steroids into it.

The amount of lore and the sheer quality of the storytelling. I'm awestruck. The way they took something as generic and featureless as The Covenant and turned them into an actual faction with pathos, different interests, hierarchies, and character is extraordinary. Every FPS I've ever played always makes the enemy into a featureless big bad. By giving the game two main characters of different factions it gives the Halo universe a rich tapestry to play with.

I am a massive fan of games that tell a story of different factions like Suikoden III, which came out in 2002/2003, which is a jrpg that allows you to pick between various factions, some of whom are enemies. So you might play as a hero one chapter whose best friend gets killed by the "enemy". Any other game would make her come across like a faceless monster. But then you get to play as her and see her side of things and how it impacts her. I've always loved stories with multiple characters telling one whole story that shows that life isn't black and white so color me shocked when Halo 2 not only does this but does it better than Suikoden III and other games I've seen used before it. Not only that but it does it so seamlessly while making you sympathetic to both. And the way the contrasts Chief with the Arbiter and the culture of humanity versus the culture of the Covenant is *chef kiss*. Fuck yes! I can't think of a single fps that humanizes its enemies like this. COD, System Shock, Bioshock;etc. all make their enemies into ultra evil people worth killing. Halo is a completely different category it seems.

The presentation is out of this world. Not only the graphics but the overall art design is utterly timeless. I'm salivating just thinking of a big budget Halo film with this art design. The second Halo world with the pillars of light everywhere is *stunning* in the visual department. The Brutes with their red samurai like helmets. The Prophets with their fur and ET like necks. The animation of high jacking a Ghost in mid-flight! The animation when you pick up a plasma sword. It's all so good! Then there's music. Fuck yes!









Look at this art and design. Game is fucking incredible. I cannot believe this is an OG Xbox game. I've been playing with the original disc on Xbox 360 and even now it's jaw dropping, and plays in HD on my TV. What was Bungie even on back then? This is 2004. Wow.

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I haven't even touched on the gameplay. It's so good. I can take just one element of the gameplay: shields. Unlike other fps games I feel like Halo benefits from having no health packs. I think the health packs in Halo CE are actually a negative while playing 2 because you're so reliant on it. If you're playing on legendary and you're down to 1 hp and you have no health pack you're fucked. I feel like shields make the game more fair and unlike, say, a game like Call of Duty which has regen health for whatever reason, the regen health in Halo makes sense within its world. The shields necessitates an in out, in out offense-defense game loop that is utterly fun even on single player. Other games with regen health don't know how to take advantage of the mechanic and it's clear it was deliberately designed for Halo because despite regen enemies still come after you. In other games they just stand there as you heal but Halo 2? They're aggressive and want you dead. So when it's time to heal up you have to play offensive WHILE getting defensive a lot of the time by getting better positioning or having a better weapon rollout. It's fucking genius!

I'm not even done yet nor have I even touched multiplayer yet and this is easily the best FPS I've ever played. I can only imagine 3! For years I heard hate aimed at Halo 2. I'm actually let down by a lot of hate I heard aimed at it. I also feel let down by a lot of what Halo was presented as. People acted like it was this mindless franchise. Turns out it's a revelation and I'm disappointed in myself for never having given it a proper chance before now. Halo 2 is a classic, top to bottom. I see all this appreciation for CE but Halo 2's campaign makes CE's look like it was made by interns.

What an incredibly forward thinking, revolutionary game. I think it's better than Half Life 2.

Dishonored 1,2 and Prey feel completely different to most of the stuff on your list.

Titanfall 2.

And to repeat myself above resident evil 7 and village
Thanks! RE7 and 8 were already on my play list anyways and I was saving them for when I get my Series X.
 
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Bragr

Banned
I've been going through a list of games as I experience first person shooters, so far mostly on console.

What started this was Halo: Combat Evolved. I surprisingly loved it. I originally played it when it came out on Xbox but being a weeb and not having grown up with the genre, I wasn't too impressed. I played a couple of levels with my neighbor and went back to pretending it didn't exist. The first FPS I ever bought was Half Life 2 for the original Xbox. Even after that I never bothered with Halo. I had some interest when Halo 3 came out but because I wasn't too god with the genre I didn't bother. I'm glad I eventually got around to it because Halo CE was fantastic despite whatever flaws it had (mostly the levels of the second half of the game from The Library on and the simplistic story). After beating it (original disc, on 360 hardware), the love and interest in FPS games has really lit up. I've been playing Doom 64 on my Switch and also Halo 2 (more on that one later).

Here's a basic list of games I plan on playing. Some of these I've played, but I will replay with my fresh eyes and appreciation for the genre:

* - denotes currently playing

- Doom (og), Doom 2, Doom 3
- Doom 64 *
- Doom 2016, Doom Eternal
- Wolfenstein 3d
- Wolfenstein: The New Order, Wolfenstein: Youngblood
- Marathon 1, 2, and Infinite
- Quake 1, 2, 3, 4
- Halo: CE
- Halo 2 *
- Halo 3, ODST, Reach, 4, 5, Infinite
- COD1- Blops 3
- Duke Nukem 3D
- Sin
- Daikatana
- Half Life, Half Life Blue Shift, Half Life 2
- No One Lives Forever 1 and 2
- Perfect Dark
- 007: Goldeneye
- Bioshock 1, 2, Infinite
- System Shock 1 and 2
- Mirror's Edge, Mirror's Edge 2
- Timesplitters 1 and 2
- Counter Strike
- CSGO
- Ion Fury
- Fear
- Dusk
- Soma
- Stalker
- Metro series
- Battlefield 4
- Battlefield 1 (I LOVED this games single player and was intimidated af by the multi)
- Overwatch
- Titanfall 1 and 2
- Resident Evil VII and VIII
- Prey
- Dishonored
- Amnesia

Feel free to suggest anything so I can add it to the list.

Due to the nature of a lot of these titles I think it's time to fully transition to being a PC gamer. :)
Is your goal to play all the biggest games from the FPS genre? if so, I probably would remove some of these, are some aren't FPS per se.

Out of the big ones from the 90s, you are missing Blake Stone, Unreal, Heretic, Turok, Blood, Rise of the Triad, and Descent.

Also, if you wanna play the first "modern" FPS out of historical considerations, play Catacombs 3D, it's a bad game, but it's the first real FPS, not Wolfenstein 3D. It's just so bad that people don't want to admit it.
 
Most FPSs give me motion sickness that's why I never got into the genre.

Only ones I could play without problems were Quake, GoldenEye, CounterStrike (although Half-Life makes me throw up after a few minutes), FarCry and Unreal II. Loved them all.
 

Himuro

Member
Is your goal to play all the biggest games from the FPS genre? if so, I probably would remove some of these, are some aren't FPS per se.

Out of the big ones from the 90s, you are missing Blake Stone, Unreal, Heretic, Turok, Blood, Rise of the Triad, and Descent.

Also, if you wanna play the first "modern" FPS out of historical considerations, play Catacombs 3D, it's a bad game, but it's the first real FPS, not Wolfenstein 3D. It's just so bad that people don't want to admit it.
Thanks. Some are there for historical appreciation.

What about Shadow Warrior?
 
I guess be careful about burning out lol!!

If you can get your hands on a ps3 the killzone and resistance series are solid if not ground breaking. The best 2 are killzone 2 and resistance 3

Oh jesus fucking Bulletstorm that game fucking rocks!!!!

I am not a fan but the far cry series for better or worse has undoubtedly been influential especially 3. For historical context it might be worth playing. There big games though so maybe save them for the end. Core gamers seem to like the earlier ones more far cry 1 and 2 and crysis. I ve not played them through can't comment.
 
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Himuro

Member
I guess be careful about burning out lol!!

If you can get your hands on a ps3 the killzone and resistance series are solid if not ground breaking. The best 2 are killzone 2 and resistance 3

Oh jesus fucking Bulletstorm that game fucking rocks!!!!

I am not a fan but the far cry series for better or worse has undoubtedly been influential especially 3. For historical context it might be worth playing. There big games though so maybe save them for the end. Core gamers seem to like the earlier ones more far cry 1 and 2 and crysis. I ve not played them through can't comment.

I'm definitely mixing it up to avoid burnout lol. Lots of Nintendo and things like Skate, Sonic Colors, THPS, and indie stuff I've missed like Bloodstained and Hollow Knight. Thankfully, fps games aren't too long!
 
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Bragr

Banned
Thanks. Some are there for historical appreciation.

What about Shadow Warrior?
Well, there are a lot of games like Shadow Warrior around, solid games but not something I would pursue. You could say the same thing about games like Star Wars Dark Forces, Red Faction, Soldier of Fortune, or Terminator Rampage, FPS games that did leave a mark and were good at the time, but I wouldn't call them essential, even though some would argue Soldier of Fortune and Red Faction might be. You got a big fucking list going on here, so I would only focus on the key games unless you wanna play until you are 80.

When it comes to the 90s, the list of games gets massive, I see the guy above mention Far Cry, Resistance, Bulletstorm, and Killzone, you also have Black, Borderlands, Crysis, Team Fortress 2, Destiny, Rainbow Six (the vegas games are great), Left 4 Dead, Battlefield: Bad Company 1 & 2, Superhot, Valorant, Rouge Company, Apex Legends, ARMA, SWAT 4 and many many more. It gets overwhelming.
 
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Himuro

Member
Well, there are a lot of games like Shadow Warrior around, solid games but not something I would pursue. You could say the same thing about games like Star Wars Dark Forces, Red Faction, Soldier of Fortune, or Terminator Rampage, FPS games that did leave a mark and were good at the time, but I wouldn't call them essential, even though some would argue Soldier of Fortune and Red Faction might be. You got a big fucking list going on here, so I would only focus on the key games unless you wanna play until you are 80.

When it comes to the 90s, the list of games gets massive, I see the guy above mention Far Cry, Resistance, Bulletstorm, and Killzone, you also have Black, Borderlands, Crysis, Team Fortress 2, Destiny, Rainbow Six (the vegas games are great), Left 4 Dead, Battlefield: Bad Company 1 & 2, Superhot, Valorant, Rouge Company, Apex Legends, ARMA, SWAT 4 and many many more. It gets overwhelming.

Yeah, I'm cutting it down some. I have experience with the Borderlands games for instance and I don't like them. Though I admit Tina's game looks effing great.
 

Himuro

Member

Just like how I'm shocked Halo 2 is an OG Xbox game, I'm shocked this is a 360 game. What was Bungie on back then? What a talented studio. Shame they don't appear to be the same Bungie they used to be. Destiny doesn't look too interesting.
 

R6Rider

Gold Member
More people need to play Singularity.

I love Mirror's Edge, but they aren't shooters, despite the first having some gunplay in it. In fact a lot of the titles you listed aren't first person shooters, just many with shooting elements.

Should add more Rainbow Six games to your list and maybe some Battlefront games (new and old).
 
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EverydayBeast

thinks Halo Infinite is a new graphical benchmark
The multiplayer is about doing just enough to pass the test, being a necessary component of Call of Duty for years it kinda feels like Vanguard's multiplayer was left off the hook, and uninspired.
 

Apocryphon

Member
Just like how I'm shocked Halo 2 is an OG Xbox game, I'm shocked this is a 360 game. What was Bungie on back then? What a talented studio. Shame they don't appear to be the same Bungie they used to be. Destiny doesn't look too interesting.
It was genuinely gorgeous when it launched. Reach is better looking in a technical sense but it isn't as good a game as the first 3. ODST holds a special place in my heart though. That games atmosphere is wonderful.

Speaking of underrated gems, I'm actually replaying Call of Duty Advanced Warfare. Infinite gets all the praise but I think Advanced Warfare holds up really well on the new consoles and PS4 Pro. Game is ridiculously well put together in terms of visuals and animation. It's Call of Duty and a long way from CoD2, but I don't think it received the attention it deserved and it laid the ground for Infinite.

 

Havoc2049

Member
The original Unreal is a classic.


The original Rainbow Six was a great realistic tactical FPS.


Return to Castle Wolfenstein is the best game in the Wolfenstein series.:


My hidden gem FPS is Code of Honor: The French Foreign Legion:
 
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TintoConCasera

I bought a sex doll, but I keep it inflated 100% of the time and use it like a regular wife
Can't wait for Amid Evil's DLC and System Shock's remake.

Lots of other cool FPSs out there, but I'm waiting for them to exit early access. My most wanted ones are Prodeus and ULTRAKILL.
 

Himuro

Member
Haven't played Half Life 2 since 2012 according to Steam and now that I've fallen in love with the genre I installed it and gave it a whirl and I have to say that it doesn't feel the best as a shooter. For the record, HL2 Xbox was the first fps I ever bought. The controls aren't butter smooth. The AI just sits there shooting at you. Great game but definitely not a great shooter.

Great adventure.

Bad shooting.

The shooting doesn't feel good in the slightest and encounter design leaves to be desired. Maybe I need to turn it up to hard. No wonder I didn't fall in love with the genre before Halo.

Definitely confirms Halo 2 is way beyond Half Life 2 which was my first impression.
 
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Himuro

Member
Last night was the most fun night of games I've had in years. Played some Halo 3, then CE multiplayer, and finished the evening with Doom 1. I'm really glad to like and actually be excited for games again.

No nitpicking, no complaining, just gaming and smiles. 😁
 

Apocryphon

Member
Last night was the most fun night of games I've had in years. Played some Halo 3, then CE multiplayer, and finished the evening with Doom 1. I'm really glad to like and actually be excited for games again.

No nitpicking, no complaining, just gaming and smiles. 😁
Are you playing Halo 3 on Heroic? I'm currently running though the game again on Steam Deck. It's still all kinds of fantastic.
 
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Himuro

Member
Are you playing Halo 3 on Heroic? I'm currently running though the game again on Steam Deck. It's still all kinds of fantastic.
I start Halo games on normal but I will go through it on heroic. Glad you're having fun!
 
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