First Person Shooters: The Thread

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Foggle:

Very interesting review on F.E.A.R. 3, Foggle. It sucks to see that its a let-down compared to the first 2 games, but I still want to play it. Going by your review, though, I'll probably wait until it comes down in price to $10-$15 before I buy it (much like what I did for Halo 3: ODST). The gameplay looks fun so I should at least get my money's worth for that price, but its a shame that so little effort was put into making this game actually feel like a true F.E.A.R. game. I mean, I had low expectations for the game as it is, and for what its worth the game seems to be better than how I expected it to turn out (to be honest I half expected a train-wreck), so I'm sure its definitely worth playing either through a rental or through a much lower price, but overall I'm disappointed that this series didn't get the proper third game conclusion that it deserved.

The first F.E.A.R. is hands down the best FPS game that I have ever played, personally. The 2nd game isn't quite as great as the first game but I still completely disagree with all of the people who find it to be a lackluster game. Its EASILY one of the best FPS games that I have played from this generation (though, to be perfectly honest, I think that Halo: Reach may now be my personal favorite; but it doesn't make F.E.A.R. 2 any less awesome in my eyes). I also didn't mind that it wasn't really scary because to me neither was the first game. It instead succeeded in having a very immersible and occasionally creepy atmosphere, which is good enough for me.

Oh, and as for Battlefield 3 it honestly looks like the only war-themed game this generation that I would really love to play. Unfortunately I can tell that shit needs a damn fine PC to run it at even decent quality, so unfortunately this is yet another great game that I won't get to play.

As far as FPSs go, though, I've recently gotten interested in id Softaware's upcoming game, Rage. Why? The fucking AI, that's why. For the longest time I just ignored the game because it looked like a generic shooter (and for what its worth on the outset it does), but when I saw some demos of it and realized what id was going for, I was really impressed by how much emphasis they were putting on the enemy AI and how the game seems to be more about strategically fighting your way out of touch situations (much like F.E.A.R., Halo, and Half-Life games), as opposed to just mowing through enemies like in your standard movie FPS game. I'm certainly going to keep my eye out for this game.

Desensitized:

I'm really glad that the Goldeneye remake is getting an HD port. I was always interested in playing it and was kind of bummed out that it was only a Wii exclusive (since I still don't have that console). But, I am really excited to see that its now coming to a platform that I have, and I'm truly eager to play through it.

[Foggle]

I'm always quick to point out that F.E.A.R. 2 is still a great game despite not quite stacking up to the original. Many PC elitists complain about "consolization," which is certainly a valid point when referring to the terrible HUD (which was fixed in Reborn, I might add), but aside from that, it's definitely a brilliant game all around and people are way too hard on it. Not as good as the first, but it really had a lot to live up to.

I actually recommend that you pick up F.E.A.R. Files now that the "canon" storyline has gone to shit. Extraction Point is far better than F.3.A.R. and may even be on par with Project Origin as long as you ignore a certain scene that makes absolutely no sense and contains TERRIBLE voice acting (you'll know what I'm talking about when you see it). While it does kind of ruin Alma's character, it's certainly a far better outcome for her than what exists in the newest edition. Perseus Mandate is quite mediocre overall, but you'll probably still have some fun with it since the core gameplay is classic F.E.A.R. It's also the only game in the series that could actually be considered "scary," which helps elevate it a bit.

If you ever get a computer capable of running F.E.A.R., I implore you to check out this mod (and the same goes for anyone else reading this post). It is, in a word, brilliant. There's no story outside of "Paxton Fettel is back after Reborn; go kill him again" and the English grammar is hilarious due to the only developer being Russian, but everything about the actual gameplay is pure class. This guy is a mapping god; the levels have crazy branching paths and open areas that really give the AI a chance to fuck you up (I got flanked many times in one interval alone). Better still, the stages are all quite lengthy and contain no mid-level load-times as far I can tell. There are even a couple of scripted events and scare scenes that he made himself, along with an incredibly badass moment where you enter a huge parking lot only to find ATC troops having a large-scale firefight with a group of Replicas. This is preceded by an elaborate (and completely optional) journey to a secret area featuring a radio playing humorously unfitting music, a health booster, and a Repeating Cannon that ends up being quite useful in the following battle. Despite only having 3 intervals as of right now, it's the best F.E.A.R. experience I've had since the original game and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone and everyone.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Damn! Did one guy make that all by himself? If so, then that's one dedicated fan. I mean, it sounds like they should have hired him to design F.E.A.R. 3 rather than just relying on the regular guys at Day 1 studios.

[Foggle]

Yeah, it's just one guy as far as I can tell. I've played some damn good single-player mods before, but this is by far the best and it's one of the few made by a single person. There's no new voice acting, so what story there is is told through stitched-together pieces of dialogue from the first game and expansion packs. It works better than you'd think, honestly. It even includes some lines I've never heard before, which may have been locked away in the game files.

[gunswordfist]

Some footage of the HD version of GoldenEye.

Note that every single glimpse of combat in that video could have been approached differently (Yes, even that vent part). That's why it's IMO, such a great FPS.

Eurocom needs to make more Bond games.

Thank God there will be a 360 version

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I've never played a Deus Ex game before but Human Revolution looks really good. Its been getting good review scores and while I'm sure the console versions probably aren't as good as the PC version, they seem to run just fine and aren't really getting any special lower scores separate from the PC version, so its safe to assume that I can play it on the XBOX360 and it will still be a good game.

I probably won't be able to afford a full-priced game but I'll see if I can take some of the money I earned this summer out of my savings to buy it if its really worth the $60 price-tag (it'll be the first full-priced game that I have bought in years, if that's the case).

The only thing that turns me off about the game is that I hear that the AI are real pushovers until about the last quarter of the game or so in which the enemies become tougher and maneuver around much more. I personally love very tactical AI in any shooters that I play, so its a bit of a disappointment if they are too easy to kill, but the game still looks really good, overall.

[Foggle]

I played the leaked beta build on Give Me Deus Ex difficulty (Hard mode), and the AI was decently intelligent. The enemies aren't as smart as F.E.A.R.'s Replicas or Halo's Elites, but they're still pretty good at using tactics; flanking you, taking cover, etc. Also, you die pretty goddamn fast on that mode (3 or 4 hits and you're gone), so it really requires you to do a lot of thinking before charging in (and helps promote stealth gameplay, which is my favorite part of the game anyway ).

I'm installing the full version right now. The Augmented Edition box is really nice. If the entire game is as consistent as the beta was (I'll let you know), this will definitely be both my personal GOTY and one of the best games I've ever played.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Crysis is now out on consoles, for $19.99, meaning I could actually play it. Since I'm sure someone here has already played through the game, how would you say it compares to other shooters (or its sequel which I also have not played) currently flooding the market?

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I only played a tiny bit of it a couple of years back on my friend's powerhouse of a computer (at the time, anyways), so I can't really give it any proper judgements. It seemed kind of interesting, but didn't seem all that amazing for all of the hype it got (the graphics looked great, yeah, but I'm not impressed by great graphics alone). Well, to its credit I think that the AI were pretty above average compared to other games in the genre and I always love stuff like that in FPS games (and in this regard the sequel is the complete opposite with nearly brain-dead AI). It also has big open evironments and lots of room for strategy especially with how your suit gives you various different abilities, so I'd say its certainly an entertaining shooter from the hour or so that I played of it. If its only $20 and you have the cash to spare, I can't imagine it would be a bad purchase, but you should probably get the opinion of someone who has played the game in full since, like I said, I only got to play a small portion of it.

Also I obviously can't speak for how well the game holds up in terms of being ported to weaker powered consoles than the hardware that it was built to run on.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I was watching Giant Bomb's Quick Look of the game and it really does look quite interesting. I never really kept up with the game, but I wasn't aware it seemed to have so many tactical options in it.

If I get and extra $20, I might give it a go.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

If the console versions get good enough reviews, then I may end up getting it for Christmas. As for my upcoming Birthday, I'm mainly looking to get Arkham City. Any other money that I might get I'll end up saving up towards getting a Nintendo DSi.

[Foggle]

Crysis is okay. The first half is absolutely awesome, but the second half really sucks. It's fun, but outside of the first few levels, it's more of a tech demo than anything.

If you're looking for a cheap FPS, I'd recommend getting either of the Serious Sam HD games. Both are fun as hell.

[talonmalon333]

My favorite.

As for Crysis... I don't know anything about the game except the graphics are insanely good, and that you can get a frog to fly away.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Goldeneye is a good FPS and a good N64 game along with Rare's other famous FPS, Perfect Dark. However, to be honest I never got too big on either of those games, myself. It doesn't even have to do with whether they have aged well or not (as I still find DOOM to be one of the best FPS games that I have ever played despite how dated its gameplay is for most people), but rather both games just felt more OK to me than great. Don't get me wrong, I had tons of fun playing Goldeneye's multiplayer with friends and the campagin mode was pretty solid, but I always merely saw it as being a good title, not a great one. Of course I'm in the minority on that one, anyways.

So far, my favorite FPS so far has been F.E.A.R., ever since Foggle got me to start playing it. Admittedly its not a very original game nor did it really revolutionize the genre like other FPS titles can claim, but that is irrelivant to me. In terms of being refined and just downright fun to play, I think its the best experience that I've had so far, and thanks to its amazing AI (which are still among the best of the best in gaming, today), it pretty much ensures that the game never plays out exactly the same way, since the AI aren't all just completely scripted like in other games and actually use varrying tactics on you. It makes a huge difference because what could have just become an average run 'n gun game becomes a very tactical shooter that forces you to strategize and play smart rather than just mindlessly shoot things up. Of course, I don't mind that other type of gameplay either, like how its used in DOOM, but overall I just prefer the more tactical sort of gameplay that this game offers.

[Spark Of Spirit]

If you like DOOM like I do, then you should really give DOOM II a try. I love DOOM, but DOOM II really took everything to another level that I didn't think it could go to. Also, you know me, but Perfect Dark is still one of my favorites in the genre.

My top 10 would probably be (in no order)

Perfect Dark
DOOM II
Halo
Timesplitters: Future Perfect
Duke Nukem 3D
Left 4 Dead 2
GoldenEye Wii
DOOM
Timesplitters 2
F.E.A.R. (this is going to be my Halloween game this year so I can finally beat it)

Honorable mentions to Battlefield 1943 (I love the chaos and craziness that can occur), both BioShocks, Borderlands, and the first few Medal Of Honor games. I still need to play Deus Ex, System Shock 1 and 2, and a few other PC classics, but I look forward to eventually playing them.

Oh yeah, and Foggle, I got both Serious Sam encounters on XBLA when they were on sale. I haven't touched 2 yet, but 1 was pretty intense.