Summary
For the longest time,the FPS genregot the rep for being one of the most brainless video game genres out there. There’s nothing wrong with running and gunning through a horde of demons, but there’s lots more to this genre than just that. Because of their relatively simple formula, FPS games have had to frequently innovate to stay fresh.
Some of the most intelligently designed games out there are in first person, and a surprisingly high number of them are shooters—and extremely fun ones, at that. So, players who are intoDoom:The Dark Agesbut want more, there’s no better time to check out some ofthe most original FPS games on the market.
Titanfall 2is as action-packed as it gets, but players shouldn’t be fooled into thinking it doesn’t feature one of the best and most dynamic campaigns ever made. Though relatively short compared to most FPS campaigns,Titanfall 2applies the same rules later popularized by Hazelight’s Joseph Fares: tryingnew things with every level.
That’s right, playing as a regular soldier or as a big robot isn’t the only gameplay variation players will find here. Every single level will introduce new and increasingly more interesting game mechanics until the very end of the campaign. Anyone looking for an FPS that will leave a lasting impression after just a few hours of playing should look no further thanTitanfall 2.Here’s hoping the elusiveTitanfall 3materializes one day.
ThoughHalf-Life 2is already well-known for upping the ante on its already very smart predecessor, it’d be unfair to ignore the game that best balances (oftentimes literally) gunplay and puzzle action in the genre’s history. The addition not just of physics but of the Gravity Gun, a genius invention that pushed the boundaries of what everyone thought the limits of FPS games were, remains one of the best design decisions in the history of gaming.
ThoughHalf-Life 2no longer looks as graphically impressive as it did upon release, it remains as much of a blast to play and, let’s be honest, it still looks pretty damn great.
The originalRed Factionmight have been the first FPS to literally break the mold of what an FPS could be. This game, where players embody a martian miner amid a revolution, introduced something the devs called “Geomod,” an appropriately revolutionary mechanic that allowed players to dig holes through walls, whether to go around closed doors, or just for the sake of fun.
Understandably, this doesn’t sound all that fascinating in a post-Minecraftworld, but it felt earth-shattering back in the early ’00s. The later entries in the series sadly ditched most of what made the original special, including the first-person perspective, but—terribleRed Faction 2aside—they remain great fun in their own way.
Most people who aren’t Gabe Newell, who citesJurassic Park: Trespasseras a huge influence on the physics-based gameplay ofHalf-Life 2,might not know how huge a deal this game was. It was one of the first games to feature actual physics, an aiming system not seen in any other shooter, a lack of HUD information in favor of diagetic health display for added immersion, and a huge open world filled with dinosaurs that players would have to deal with.
Sadly, great ideas don’t automatically turn into a great game, andTrespasserended up more as a lesson than as a great experience. However, as far asJurassic Parkshooters go, this one is a standout.
From its inception until February 2016, the FPS genre belonged to players who were fast on their feet and quick on their trigger.Superhotchanged that completely. Instead of having to move all the time,Superhotgives players all the time they need to think their way into winning a shootout, so long as they don’t move while doing their thinking.
Unlike most games, which players put on pause when they don’t want to play,Superhotautomatically goes on pause when players aren’t moving, giving them that time to plot their actions.Superhotonly tries to kill the player when they attempt to fight it off, thus creating one of the most interesting FPS titles ever made.
GroundhogDay-style stories—a time-loop narrative where one character has to repeat the same day of their life again and again until they break the cycle—aren’t new to movies, nor games, really. Still,Deathloopwas the first time it was attempted in a big FPS, and it sure did work out. On top of featuring a lot of awesome newDishonored-inspired mechanics that grant the main character various abilities which greatly enhance the fun factor, players will also be playing a game unlike anything else.
ThoughDeathloophas a plot that players can follow with as much linearity as they choose, it is the best FPS at inspiring players to attempt to take out their designated targets in whatever way they please. The result will always be fun—no matter how many times players have to die and redo everything before the end credits roll.
An alien invasion will never not be scary, but it’s even scarier when the aliens are already hiding among people, and nobody knows it. 2017’sPreyinvites players to go on a prop hunt match on an AAA scale, using their wits and the game’s unique arsenal to find the alien threat and neutralize it.
In addition to its original premise,Preyexcels at having players brainstorm how to use their items to create physical pathways to navigate through the levels of the Talos 1 space station, blending Arkane’s knack for immersive-sim design with FPS-style action. Here’s hoping asequel will one day materialize.
Plot twist:Prey, the original that has nothing to do with the stellar game of the same name from 2017, is even better. On top of doing the gunplay part as well as any big-name FPS, the originalPreywas absolutely fearless when it came to experimentation. InPrey,players see the main character abducted into an alien spaceship, and it does a masterful job at making everything feel as alien as it should. Walking on walls and ceilings, becoming small in a huge area, and making use of Portals beforePortalwas even a thing, it’s all just a normal day inPrey.
Though it never snowballed in terms of popularity the way many of its contemporaries did,Preyremains one of the most original and interesting shooters ever made. There was even a sequel announced(with an absolutely stellar gameplay demo),but alas, it was canceled in 2014.
InCruelty Squad, the player is put in the shoes of an assassin, butHitmanthis is not. Though simple in the mechanical sense,Cruelty Squadfeatures fantastic mechanics. Take its reload, which requires players to pull back their mouse as if they’re really emptying the gun—a tremendous adrenaline-heightening feature to deal with during firefights—and that’s just the beginning of it.
Cruelty Squadalso has players investing in its in-game stock market, which looks nothing like its real-world counterpart, but, in the end, is no more absurd than what inspired it. The elephant in the room should not be ignored, though. Visually,Cruelty Squadis one of the most unique games on this list—maybe to the point of feeling off-putting for some—but players should really give thisone-of-a-kind game a chance.
