Entertainment
10 Greatest FPS Games of the Last 25 Years
Let’s face it, first-person shooters are a dime a dozen nowadays. They’re made en masse, collectively plastered all over digital storefronts, and many of them lack any real substance or meaningful impact. There are hundreds of FPS games out there, mainly because, as far as games go, they’re easy to make and don’t require a whole lot of innovation. Sure, some of them try to do things differently, and some of them have a bit more to them, but for the most part, it’s considered a lazy genre.
This isn’t always the case, though. The FPS genre wouldn’t be nearly so popular if it weren’t for the huge collection of titles that made it what it is today. Beginning back in the 1990s, the FPS genre has come a long way. In the last quarter century or so, some have come out that have completely shattered all expectations, and have done better than anyone ever expected them to. These are the best FPS games of the last 25 years.
10
‘Superhot’ (2016)
Superhot is an independent FPS game with one heck of a gimmick: time only moves when you do. What this means is, if you’re standing still, all the enemies will, too, and their bullets will hover in the air. Once you move, time resumes its normal progression. Players will absolutely need this tool because it only takes one shot to die, meaning it’s not just a first-person shooter — it’s a puzzle game on top of that. Every move must be carefully thought out before it is executed.
It might not be the prettiest game to look at — in fact, there isn’t much of anything to look at. It’s incredibly minimalistic, featuring blank, featureless white walls, humanoid-shaped enemies with no discernible features, and rough impressions of objects rather than meticulously detailed models. But truth be told, it doesn’t need any of these things. Graphics schmaphics. The core element here is the gameplay, which is so simple, yet insanely entertaining. There are no other shooters like this one out there, which is why it became quite a trending topic at the time of its release.
9
‘Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas 2’ (2008)
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 is the last single-player experience to come out in the Rainbow Six franchise, which is based on the Tom Clancy novel of the same name. It was also the most recent game to come out before the primarily multiplayer Siege, which remains an extremely popular game and a competitive e-sport. Something about the Vegas subseries just hit different, though. For one, it was the first installment to include a third-person cover system, meaning you had a dedicated button to take cover and change the view to third-person, allowing you to assess your environment more and take safer shots.
The game’s story is set during a massive terrorist attack on Las Vegas, with the international counter-terrorism unit Rainbow sent to stop it. Players take on the role of Bishop, a team leader, and can play either alone or with friends in co-op. They’ll also be able to control a team of two other operators, Michael and Jung, via a series of commands. Players can order their team to breach doorways in various ways, move to a specific location, shoot at a specific enemy, disarm bombs, throw grenades, or even ascend or descend a wall by rappelling. There may be only seven missions, but they’re all fairly long, and the game is not only fun but also fairly challenging, encouraging players to think tactically rather than resorting to the typical run-and-gun that many shooters favour.
8
‘F.E.A.R.’ (2005)
F.E.A.R. was pretty revolutionary for its time, as it was one of the first games to seamlessly blend a first-person shooter and a horror game all into one coherent experience. The player takes on the role of an operator for F.E.A.R., which stands for “First Encounter Assault Recon.” The main goal of this government organization is to locate and neutralize any paranormal or unexplained threats that may threaten the public. In this instance, it’s the vengeful ghost of a little girl named Alma.
However, the experience also includes actual gunfights between rogue soldiers. The game can switch from fast-paced action to creeping, slow-paced horror in the blink of an eye. Make no mistake, either; this game was lauded for being genuinely scary. Alma became an iconic character in the horror gaming community, and the game went on to spawn a few sequels, though the original remains the strongest entry. There really isn’t another shooter out there that had the ambiance of this game, which is why it’s still remembered fondly by many.
7
‘Titanfall 2’ (2016)
The first Titanfall game was a multiplayer-only experience and felt more like an experiment. Players controlled a soldier in a world of the future, where space travel has become normalized. These soldiers are highly trained and capable of freerunning and using parkour, making combat a very three-dimensional experience. However, that wasn’t where the game truly stood out. Players could also, at certain times, summon their customized titan, a giant mech that they could embark and disembark from at will.
The first game was solid, but lacked any substance beyond the multiplayer. Titanfall 2 turned everything that made the first game fun and added so much more to it. For one, it had a campaign that was surprisingly awesome. Not only were players able to use their mechs in single-player missions, but they also had unique abilities like time travel, which crafted a surprisingly complex narrative. Titanfall 2 is brilliant in all the right ways, yet it is highly underrated.
6
‘Far Cry 3’ (2011)
Far Cry 3 is widely considered to be where the franchise peaked. The games have always been about survival against criminal gangs or warlords, a theme that the third one follows. This time, it takes players to the fictional Rook Islands, which are located somewhere in Southeast Asia. During a skydiving trip, Jason Brody, his brother, and his friends accidentally land off-course, becoming captured by a band of pirates led by Vaas Montenegro. Escaping the pirates, Jason now has to rescue his friends, using a variety of weapons and skills to do so.
Where this game really shines is in its narrative. Actor Michael Mando serves as both the voice and likeness of Vaas Montenegro, who is one of the finest villains ever created in a video game. He’s often been described as a psychopath, and he seems perfectly aware of this comparison; in fact, he actually seems to embrace it. His speeches about the definition of insanity, combined with his random outbursts of anger, make him extremely fun. He’s kind of creepy, but so deliciously evil that it’s hard not to love him. Even without Vaas, though, this game would still be pretty good. The open world of the Rook Islands is beautiful; there are tons of interesting characters, fun weapons to use, and some great places to explore. Far Cry is still going on, but it’s unlikely they’ll ever be able to top its third entry.
5
‘Borderlands 2’ (2012)
Borderlands 2, like its predecessor, allows players to take on one of four different roles. They can play as Zer0, an assassin; Maya, a magical gunslinger called a Siren; Salvador, a short but beefy guy able to dual-wield any two weapons; or Axton, a classic commando. Like the first installment, the game takes place on the planet Pandora, where a lot of treasure hunters flock to in search of a mythical hoard of goodies known as The Vault.
Borderlands 2 is another FPS game with one phenomenal villain, this time in the form of Handsome Jack. Like Far Cry 3, the game is open world, lets players drive vehicles, and has a lot of RPG elements. However, where Borderlands 2 really shines is in its weapons. There are billions, literally billions, of possible weapons to pick up. Sure, a lot of them look the same, but their attributes are randomly generated, so no experience of the game is going to be the same every time. It’s loud, crazy, explosive, and hilarious, and it’s fantastic.
4
‘Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’ (2009)
The Call of Duty franchise isn’t exactly high art. It hasn’t been known for producing thought-provoking pieces of fiction, and has been criticized for churning out a new game every year that is basically the same every time. However you feel about it, the original Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 definitely deserves a spot on this list. It doesn’t do anything too remarkable with itself, and its gameplay is pretty much the same as the rest of the series. Sure, they added a new co-op challenge mode called Spec Ops, but that’s about it.
Still, it’s one of the few Call of Duty games where the campaign is praised for being just as good as the multiplayer. The storyline follows a Russian invasion of the United States, with players taking on the role of a US Army Ranger caught in the middle of it. Players also take on the role of a special forces operator working behind enemy lines to bring the leader of the Russian invaders to justice. Believe it or not, there are some surprisingly emotional moments in this game. Besides that, though, the cinematic scale is excellent, the visuals are crisp and way ahead of their time, and the multiplayer included a lot of maps that remain fan favourites. It’s simple, but it works.
3
‘Half-Life 2’ (2004)
Half-Life is a franchise synonymous with incompletion, as the story never got a proper conclusion, even 20 years later. Half-Life 2 wasn’t exactly the last installment in the series, but it was the best. The thing about Half-Life is that they’re not just about running and gunning; they also involve solving environmental puzzles, platforming, and exploring, along with the action. It’s also a series with really good physics, to the point that it kind of feels like it’s trying to show off how good its engine can be.
Anyway, the series is about Gordon Freeman, an engineer with the company Black Mesa, who must fight off an alien invasion using a variety of weapons at his disposal. It looks kind of outdated by today’s standards, but the game remains a pretty active entity. Thanks to an extensive community, numerous mods have been made of the game that eventually became their own stand-alone titles. There’s so much that this game did for the medium that it would be impossible to list it all here. Of course, it’s entertaining, but it’s revolutionary to boot.
2
‘BioShock’ (2007)
BioShock had a couple of different influences. Mainly, it was inspired by the System Shock series of FPS games, but it also took inspiration from Ayn Rand‘s novel, Atlas Shrugged. Though this is a linear FPS game, it does feature some RPG elements. The story follows Jack, a man of the 1960s who survives a mysterious plane crash over the ocean. Seeking solace, he arrives at a lighthouse, which lets him descend into the underwater city of Rapture.
Rapture was formerly a utopia, intentionally cut off from the rest of society. Unfortunately, a genetic material harvested from sea slugs known as ADAM causes an epidemic of addiction, which was only made worse when a revolution occurred in the city, turning it into a desolate wasteland. Mindless survivors still wander the ruins, and remnants of a thriving society survive. In this game, players don’t just shoot guns; they cast spells, too, through the use of special “plasmids.” It’s a little bit of fantasy, a little bit of steampunk, and a little bit of sci-fi, with a narrative that is utterly unparalleled. Almost everyone knows its iconic plot twist by now, which continues to floor players all across the world. This game is, by all accounts, perfect.
1
‘Halo 3’ (2007)
Halo is one of the most genre-defining first-person shooter franchises in history, beginning back in 2001. While the first two games were incredible, the third one has got to be the best. A lot of new things were introduced here. The game introduced Forge mode, a sandbox mode where players could design and modify their maps based on existing ones, with a surprising level of customization. It also added a lot of new weapons and vehicles to play around with.
While the story did conclude the first arc of the Halo universe, we know now that it wasn’t really the end, because the franchise is still on. Like the previous game, the story is basically about Master Chief, a genetically modified super soldier called a Spartan, as he fights a war with the Covenant, an alien coalition intent on destroying humanity in the 26th Century. Halo 3 is another game that is pretty simple in every way, yet it still has a lot of unique quirks to it. The game remains popular even to this day, and is a legendary Xbox 360 title with an impressive legacy, which is why it’s arguably the greatest FPS game of the last quarter century.
- Release Date
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2022 – 2024
- Network
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Paramount+
- Showrunner
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Kyle Killen
- Directors
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Jonathan Liebesman, Craig Zisk, Dennie Gordon, Roel Reiné, Debs Paterson
- Writers
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Justine Juel Gillmer
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