Yet, few were prepared for just how engaging TF 2 would be and how its growth would change the video game industry forever. Actually, many people at the time expected it to be a very good game. It wouldn’t be entirely accurate to say that nobody thought Team Fortress 2 was going to be a success. It certainly doesn’t hurt that it also improves the surprisingly tight action mechanics that helped make its predecessor such a sleeper hit. Just when you think you’ve seen the most shocking thing this game will do, it finds a way to up the ante time and time again. Wolfenstein 2 is the greatest tribute to excess this side of a cocaine party on ‘80s Wall Street. I think the best compliment you can pay Wolfenstein 2 is to say that Wolfenstein: The New Order exceeded nearly every expectation possible and not even that game could prepare us for the places this sequel would go. I’d say I miss this Ubisoft, but honestly, this was a bold and brilliant experiment even for that studio’s glory days.
It’s an oppressive game that forces you to think on your feet in ways that few other FPS, open-world, or survival games have ever equaled.
Far Cry 2Īs the Far Cry series (and the FPS genre) continues to “evolve,” it’s easier than ever to appreciate Far Cry 2 and how so many of the things that this game was initially criticized for now feel like a breath of fresh air.įar Cry 2 is a hostile game that is constantly trying to kill your through disease, often uncontrollable fires, a lack of resources, aggressive enemies, and a lingering bleakness that only grows more powerful as you begin to understand its story and world. From its base campaign to its incredible DLC, this is still one of the best FPS adventures you can share with friends. Not everyone was a fan of this game’s humor, but that desire to go this far over the top is arguably the reason why Borderlands 2 so confidently combined the best aspects of co-op games, looter RPGs, and first-person shooters. DUSKĢ018’s DUSK may be a tribute to several genre classics that came before it, but the way that this game so perfectly recreates the feeling of playing those games rather than how so many of them actually play today strangely elevates it above many of those FPS pioneers. Taking a moment to survey the situation is the key to victory, but only speed will save you in this impossibly stylish and devilishly difficult game.ĭefinitely play Superhot in VR if you ever get the chance to do so, but there’s no bad way to play one of the most creative and engaging FPS games ever made as well as one of gaming’s most potent shots of pure adrenaline. This unique shooter is built around the ability to slow down time by standing still. Superhot is one part puzzle game, one part FPS, and one part cinematic gunfight simulator. However, special consideration was given to games that did both well. Single-player only and multiplayer only FPS games were not necessairly faulted for lacking either mode.How “fun” an FPS game is ultimately determined whether it was selected and how it was ranked among the rest, but innovation, historical significance, and longevity were all used as prominent “X-factors” to determine rankings.The more a game emphasized shooting/combat as a core part of the experience, the more likely it was to be considered part of the genre.
An FPS must obviously have a first-person perspective and shooting, but when in doubt, we looked closely at the “shooter” part of the equation. Defining a first-person shooter can be tricky.Many offer something different, but the one thing that most share is the feeling you get just from hearing their names.īefore we dive into the list, here are a few notes about the criteria used to make these selections. The best first-person shooters ever may have inspired each other, but each ultimately brings something special to the table that helps it stand out among some considerable competition. Those are the games we’re here to celebrate today. The history of the genre is written by developers who used a certain point of view and a gun or two as the basis for a variety of experiences that continue to surprise us even after we told ourselves that we’ve seen it all. There’s no one element that makes FPS games so brilliant, and that is, ironically enough, exactly what makes them brilliant. Game genres go in and out of fashion all the time, but for nearly 30 years, first-person shooters have been one of the industry’s most reliable sources for blockbuster experiences that often help dictate the future of the medium.