First Person Shooters: The Thread

[Spark Of Spirit]

I'd like to point out that modern FPS design isn't inherently bad. F.E.A.R., Half-Life, and Bungie-era Halo took the fundamentals of classic shooters and then melded them in with updated mechanics.

Not to dismiss your point (because it is ostensibly correct), but the original F.E.A.R. is 12 years old, Half-Life 2: Episode 2 is a decade old, and Bungie-era Halo ended 7 years ago. They're not exactly modern anymore and much of what made them good was shed over the years since.

Thankfully as sales of COD drop, more companies appear to be moving away from it and in the DOOM direction of giving the player more than a hallway with moving targets to play with.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I should have better clarified, when I said modern shooters I wasn't really meaning to say current shooters. I meant modern in the sense of the shifting design philosophies between classic Id games like Wolfenstein 3D and DOOM to the more narrative and scripted focus of FPS design that started with Half-Life, despite being nearly 20 years old. Essentially, the genre followed in the direction of Half-Life ever since it came out.

That in and of itself is not a problem, since as I said, Half-Life, despite being the birth of the modern style of FPS (once again, I know it's old, but the genre did not significantly evolve past the formula that Half-Life set up since then) still had its roots in classic FPS design, but many future games ended up taking the wrong lessons from it and that's what caused so much bland content to come out of the genre for nearly two decades.

Obviously there are exceptions like TimeSplitters, Deus Ex, and various others, but my point being that the modern formula became streamlined into that of the "cinematic shooter" rather than the design philosophy that Half-Life originally set up.

Some of the better recent games in the genre seem to give players the cinematic aesthetic that they like while really taking the best elements of both pre and post Half-Life formula and FPS design to create a much more mechanically interesting game than your standard CoD clone.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I'm not sure if anyone has played Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold, but it's basically like a pulp sci-fi shooter in the Wolfenstein 3D engine. I just finished up all six episodes of the original game, and it definitely feels like the halfway point between Wolfenstein 3D and DOOM (which it is, since it came out one week before the original DOOM) and it's a lot of fun.

It's way better than Wolfenstein 3D, as the episodes actually get better as they go, and never rely on bad enemy placements for challenge. I recommend it if you like old shooters.

Another one I'm playing is Rise of the Triad which is just plain nutty. It's pretty tough and the levels are long. It's also really good.

[Foggle]

I've played Blake Stone! Not extensively, but I like it. Gotta get around to finishing it sometime.

Wolf3D has three great episodes: 1, 3, and 5. Spear of Destiny is okay, but the last few levels are frustrating. Episodes 2, 4, and 6 are just terrible.

Rise of the Triad is awesome.

[Rynnec]

New game from the devs of Painkiller.

Painkiller is awesome, so I have high hopes for this.

[gunswordfist]

HOLY SHIT, AND BULLETSTORM?!

[Spark Of Spirit]

How have I never played Blood: One Unit Whole Blood before?

Great weapons, excellent level and sound design, and plenty of cool enemy types and secrets. It's like everything great about DOOM and Duke Nukem 3D rolled into one game.

This game should be far better known than it is.

[gunswordfist]

I should probably continue playing that.

[Sergioni]

I should restock on Leanbean here and probably continue playing that.

Which game is that, Rynnec? I loved Painkiller! I'd love to give another game from those devs a go.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Some FPS games I've been delving into since Blood (which is incredible):

Rise of the Triad: Fun, fast paced shooter, but the bosses are pretty aggravating cheese. Big levels and the shooting is fun. Not quite a classic, but very good.

Blake Stone: Both of these games are like the step between Wolfenstein and DOOM, and feel like it. The first game can get overly repetitive, but the second is shorter with tighter levels. Again, not quite classics, but definitely fun ones.

Shadow Warrior: Classic Complete: Enemies attack too quickly (almost hitscan) and the first few levels are plain, but it gets better and better as it goes. It's the weakest of the three top Build Engine games (Duke Nukem 3D and Blood are the other two) but not by that much. The slow start is the only thing that holds it back.

Star Wars Dark Forces 1 and 2: I am over this franchise, but I always wanted to play these so I did. The first game is DOOM-like and the second is more adventure-like, but they are both top notch shooters. Really shows the link between DOOM and where the genre would go by Half-Life.

Shogo: Fun mecha anime shooter. The only issues are the seemingly random damage output from the enemies and the weightless shooting. The level design and art style really works, though. But it's not one of Monolith's best.

Strife: Possibly the most overlooked FPS ever made. Part fantasy/science fiction RPG with upgrades and story progression as well as shooting that is as good as the best in the genre. If you haven't played this yet I give it my highest recommendation.

Quake: The Offering: id Software hits it out of the park again. Some of the best levels, weapons, and enemies ever in a shooter. It's definitely up there with the DOOM games, and it is a crime that it has never gotten a proper sequel (other games took the title but nothing in the game) even this many years later. But it's close to perfect. Play this game.

So it's been a fun time. The genre definitely has its share of classics. After 'm done with the Quake expansions I'll probably go back to DOOM for awhile. After that, who knows. There are no shortage of options.

[Foggle]

Blood really is incredible. It might be my favorite FPS of all time. Make sure to also check out Heretic and Hexen if you haven't, as well as Jedi Outcast.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Found a great video on the history of the F.E.A.R. franchise: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgvzW0dXfOM&t=2136s

It does a great job of giving a retrospective on the production history of this franchise, explaining why the first was such a masterpiece and why this series at it's best left such a long-lasting legacy, as well as going over what the developers missed about the first one's success that lead to a decline in quality. It's a shame, because I still maintain that the original F.E.A.R. is a masterclass in horror action gaming. I genuinely would put it in the same league as titles like Resident Evil 4 and Bloodborne. However, the series just couldn't even come close to those same heights after that point, which is a real shame given how much potential it had, IMO.

[Foggle]

F.E.A.R. with Extraction Point is probably still my favorite FPS of all time. The enemy AI and weapon feedback remain some of the best in the industry to this day, the latter only being outdone by the modern id titles (Doom 4, New Order, Rage 2), and the former... I can't think of anything, honestly. Playing it just feels right in a way few games do. I would give anything for Monolith to have another shot at the franchise, or a leaked copy of the early Project Origin build from the reveal footage.