What, in everyone's opinions, are some truly great FPS's? What makes a FPS great? Is it the weapon selection, the enemies, the flow of combat, the setting, or something else?
Truly Great FPS's
- Thread starter Hunde Des Krieg
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Half Life 2, Halo 1-3, Killzone 2, F.E.A.R. 2, Call of Duty 4, Resistance 2. To me, something just needs to be fun and engaging. All of those are fun as hell.Hunde Des Krieg said:
Well one of my favourite FPS's is Breakdown for Xbox. It's really unconventional, I mean you hardly even use guns in the game and the story, the setting, and Alex AH! It's fantastic and definitely worth getting over the bad camera control and steep difficulty 
try it!
try it!This isn't so much my benefit as for everybodies, I've played all of those, I mostly bring it up because everybody always puts down Halo as being mediocre, and if they think that, then what do they think is great?Eipok Kruden said:
I've gotta say Max Payne and Bioshock. Not for one particular reason, but both of the games were just so well done. Kinda atmospheric, like it draws you into the game world, especially Max Payne with the film noir cutscenes.
To me, the best FPS makes you feel like you are part of something bigger and not just killing everything that moves as you walk down a hallway. This is probably best shown in the Call of Duty games where all around you things are happening and you are in no means in control of the situation.
The other key is if the FPS incorporates story INTO the play of the game that progresses in real time. Half Life is the king at this. I may get flamed for this one, but Jurassic Park Trespasser did an excellent job at allowing you to progress across an island over the course of 1 day. It is morning when you start, and the sun is setting as you make the last frantic dash to escape at the end.
The other key is if the FPS incorporates story INTO the play of the game that progresses in real time. Half Life is the king at this. I may get flamed for this one, but Jurassic Park Trespasser did an excellent job at allowing you to progress across an island over the course of 1 day. It is morning when you start, and the sun is setting as you make the last frantic dash to escape at the end.
I think Killzone 2 does that a LOT better than the COD series. Play through COD4, then play through the Killzone 2 demo (and eventually the game when it comes out).CirrusEpix said:
I think what makes a good FPS varies. There are lots of elements that add to a game to make it good. But mostly for me, it needs to add a sense of uniqueness and experimenting with the formula. Also, to realize that all I want to do is kill anything I see.
As far as my favorites, I would say Half Life 2 and Portal are both up there. Quake 3 and Doom 3 both brought something fun to my experience. I would say Battlefield 2 for the PC was a good FPS for varying the multiplayer scenario for me and Battlefield 2 for the Xbox, while one of the more frustrating games I have ever played, was great because it not gave me the sense that my character did not matter, but by using the unit jumping option, it made whoever was player controlled irrelevant. You are a nameless, faceless soldier. Always. You were expendable and the player would just come back to life instantaneously as another nameless, faceless soldier. It was a different experience controlling a nobody in a story without one hero. I would also add the Time Splitters series, particularly Future Perfect, for its sense of humor and for its offline multiplayer content that was a lot of fun. It is kind of sad that I have to mark an FPS as good because it allows me to set up a game with up to 14 AIs just incase I can't/don't want to get online. I don't know why bots in multiplayer have entirely disappeared, but can we please bring them back?
As far as my favorites, I would say Half Life 2 and Portal are both up there. Quake 3 and Doom 3 both brought something fun to my experience. I would say Battlefield 2 for the PC was a good FPS for varying the multiplayer scenario for me and Battlefield 2 for the Xbox, while one of the more frustrating games I have ever played, was great because it not gave me the sense that my character did not matter, but by using the unit jumping option, it made whoever was player controlled irrelevant. You are a nameless, faceless soldier. Always. You were expendable and the player would just come back to life instantaneously as another nameless, faceless soldier. It was a different experience controlling a nobody in a story without one hero. I would also add the Time Splitters series, particularly Future Perfect, for its sense of humor and for its offline multiplayer content that was a lot of fun. It is kind of sad that I have to mark an FPS as good because it allows me to set up a game with up to 14 AIs just incase I can't/don't want to get online. I don't know why bots in multiplayer have entirely disappeared, but can we please bring them back?
Fatal Frame 2 played in the first person mode, because your "gun" is the most awesome camera of all time.
And ghost villagers are trying to burn you alive.
And you kill them with the aforementioned camera!
And ghost villagers are trying to burn you alive.
And you kill them with the aforementioned camera!
I still think they should retry trespasser, it was so promising, just poorly executed.CirrusEpix said:
Can I also throw No One Lives Forever in for humor? It may seem strange to do in a FPS, but rather than gunning people down, I hid and listened to what they said first.
That game had so many firsts, and it is so forgotten. First to have regenerating health and a non-traditional health bar. (heart shaped tat on boob) Limited weapon capacity. Interactive environment and physics, and some really tough AI.Hunde Des Krieg said:
Doom 2, Quake 1-3, Painkiller, Deus Ex, System Shock 2, Unreal Tournament 99/2004. As I see it, FPSes only really succeed when they can either engage the player at either an impulsive or cerebral level to the greatest extent possible. So often modern FPSes try to do both at once, and really succeed at neither. Dumbing down FPSes for console players hasn't helped, to boot.
I'm glad somebody mentioned System Shock 2! I've seen too many FPS discussions where this game is overlooked time and time again, and it's a damn shame.karpiel said:
Personally, I'd love to see this game get a graphics overhaul, similar to AVP2 or Freespace, as it would be the shiznit. I'd also want to see a System Shock 3, if my persistent cynicism didn't tell me it would be shite...
I'll say Metroid Prime, Left 4 Dead and Perfect Dark.
These are the only FPS games that have managed to keep my attention for any notable period of time, and are all extremely awesome.
Edit: Although of course I love Metroid Prime for reasons separate from how "well" it does FPS.
These are the only FPS games that have managed to keep my attention for any notable period of time, and are all extremely awesome.
Edit: Although of course I love Metroid Prime for reasons separate from how "well" it does FPS.
I am going to go with Bioshock, Deus Ex, Crysis and System Shock 2. It's the weapons, and the stroyline and just the depth of character in these games. Love it!
There are various things to consider when it comes to great FPS's. Obviously not everyone will agree, but here are some things I think people should consider;
1)Breakthrough Gameplay or Features
I think games in this area are usually "firsts". Wolfenstein, Doom are great examples, but you could also consider things differently. Goldeneye did wonders bringing this genre to consoles and many people first multiplayer FPS sessions started in a room with three guys and a whole lot of Bond. Also, a game like Halo did the same thing, it brought FPS LAN parties to the living room. How many folks sat with their TV's playing FPS's online before Halo 2? Not many.
2)Perfection or Improvement of Gameplay Feature
Many games have successfully built strongly on what has come before. Whether it be a balancing of weapons, multiplayer modes, level design or story telling. Quake 3 and Unreal I think delivered the perfect online multiplayer FPS experience. They weren't the first but they did things well enough for millions of folks to be hooked.
3)Single Player or Multiplayer
Some games pushed the boundaries of single player experiences, System Shock 2, Half Life, etc. Such games turned on their head what people expected of a dumb shooter. Other games delivered unparalleled multiplayer experiences on their platforms, no console game at the time could match Halo 2'S dominance, and some games have people running back every other week like Team Fortress 2.
4)Lastability
Some games can remain fun years after they come out and have a following available that almost anyone can join up and play whenever they want. Look at Counter Strike, from the day it came out up until right now, you would never have a problem finding a game to play, and many still do.
5)Fun
Who cares what a game plays like, as long as you have fun. I'm sure almost every game out there has been enjoyed. Some folks have different tastes. Some titles fade while others remain. If you had fun, you can't have that taken away from you. Whether you are enjoying Quake 2 on the PC or playing GoldenEye 2 on the Gamecube, you are still having fun.
1)Breakthrough Gameplay or Features
I think games in this area are usually "firsts". Wolfenstein, Doom are great examples, but you could also consider things differently. Goldeneye did wonders bringing this genre to consoles and many people first multiplayer FPS sessions started in a room with three guys and a whole lot of Bond. Also, a game like Halo did the same thing, it brought FPS LAN parties to the living room. How many folks sat with their TV's playing FPS's online before Halo 2? Not many.
2)Perfection or Improvement of Gameplay Feature
Many games have successfully built strongly on what has come before. Whether it be a balancing of weapons, multiplayer modes, level design or story telling. Quake 3 and Unreal I think delivered the perfect online multiplayer FPS experience. They weren't the first but they did things well enough for millions of folks to be hooked.
3)Single Player or Multiplayer
Some games pushed the boundaries of single player experiences, System Shock 2, Half Life, etc. Such games turned on their head what people expected of a dumb shooter. Other games delivered unparalleled multiplayer experiences on their platforms, no console game at the time could match Halo 2'S dominance, and some games have people running back every other week like Team Fortress 2.
4)Lastability
Some games can remain fun years after they come out and have a following available that almost anyone can join up and play whenever they want. Look at Counter Strike, from the day it came out up until right now, you would never have a problem finding a game to play, and many still do.
5)Fun
Who cares what a game plays like, as long as you have fun. I'm sure almost every game out there has been enjoyed. Some folks have different tastes. Some titles fade while others remain. If you had fun, you can't have that taken away from you. Whether you are enjoying Quake 2 on the PC or playing GoldenEye 2 on the Gamecube, you are still having fun.