I love a “bad” game that aims for the stars but hits the sea instead. During the 2000s and early 2010s, the FPS genre was booming, so every publisher and developer jumped on the Call of Duty bandwagon, though most failed to catch a ride. For each masterpiece, we got two terrible FPS games that have been utterly forgotten by time… However, a few of these failures are pretty darn entertaining in a B-movie type of way.
As the genre’s blueprint was codified by the late 2000s, most FPS games from this era control well, even if everything else falls short of expectations. Consequently, revisiting these “classics” can be fairly painless, as long as you manage to find a copy somewhere and don’t mind the occasional groan-worthy moments. Time to go dumpster diving!
When I say “bad,” I mean these games were eviscerated by critics and maybe even players at the time. I’m not saying these shooters are actually masterpieces, but I had fun with them.
Also, while some of these games had multiplayer, they are basically single-player-only nowadays.
Legendary Should Be A Legendary FPS Game
A Monster Movie On Steroids
I’ll take any opportunities to bring up Legendary, a game that sat in my Steam library for roughly a decade before I finally had nothing better to do. In 2008, Spark Unlimited became the kings of FPS trash with Turning Point: Fall of Liberty and Legendary, both of which received near-universal negativity. Although Turning Point has its moments, Legendary is the one that I would recommend seeking out, especially if you enjoy supernatural shooters that really aim big.
You open Pandora’s Box, unleashing mythological monsters all across the world; naturally, you pick up a gun and blast your way through one set piece after another. Legendary drops the ball in quite a few basic areas, including AI and gun feel, but its unapologetic over-the-top nature more than makes up for any shortcomings. The 5-hour campaign sees you take on werewolves, skyscraper-sized golems, griffins, and even a kraken, all presented with style and energy.
I never got to try Legendary‘s multiplayer, but the single-player is just relentless in the best possible way.
Judge Dredd: Dredd Vs. Death Is One For The Fans
Ever “Bad” Judge Dredd Is Judge Dredd
Despite being the perfect franchise for the genre, we have only gotten two Judge Dredd FPS games, and one of them is a light-gun shooter. That means only 2003’s Judge Dredd: Dredd Vs. Death qualifies, and it basically killed the franchise’s video game run since we haven’t gotten a new release in the last 23 years.
Look, I’m not going to pretend that Rebellion Developments crafted an underappreciated gem, nor would I recommend this game to those who cannot tell their Judge Dredds from their RoboCops. However, if you love the source material, Judge Dredd: Dredd Vs. Death does an admirable job of bringing to life Mega-City One and the Judge system, all the while embracing the comic’s campiness.
Simply existing in this universe manages to do most of the heavy lifting, and the campaign allows players to soak in the vibes during its first half. The story eventually devolves into standard hallway blasting, but even that is cool since you are the law (and have his iconic sidearm).
Click on the game with the higher OpenCritic rating.
You Are Empty Is An Incredibly Atmospheric Forgotten Shooter
An Alternate Reality FPS Game That Walked So The Likes Of Metro Could Run
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Image via 1C Company -
Image via Digital Spray Studio -
Image via Digital Spray Studio
Just to be clear, I don’t think any of these FPS games are “bad,” but I can see why they have that reputation.
You Are Empty deserved way better, and it is one of the more fascinating shooters of the mid-2000s. Developed by two Ukrainian studios, the game takes place in an alternate 1950s Soviet Union after a global experiment kills most of the population and mutates the rest into monsters. Drenched in appropriate architecture, You Are Empty‘s biggest strength is its willingness to let players soak in its eerie atmosphere, which holds up pretty well.
Gameplay-wise, You Are Empty plays like, well, a rough 2000s horror shooter. The AI isn’t great, and your character moves at a glacial pace that threatens to grate after a while. You never forget that you are playing a budget title that lacks the polish of Western releases of that era, but you also get to bask in the glory of creative and unsettling enemy designs that you also wouldn’t see in most big-name FPS games.
Darkest of Days Is Like Battlefield Mixed With Doctor Who
An FPS Game That Offers Scale And Absurdity
I’m starting to sense a pattern: Nearly all these FPS games execute million-dollar premises on a shoestring budget. Honestly, that’s something I like about them, as I’d rather play something that tries too much rather than tries too little.
Darkest of Days might be the weirdest FPS game of the Xbox 360 era, and that’s not a statement made lightly. A Civil War soldier becomes a time cop charged with preserving history, and he heads out to stop several historical moments from drifting off course. Initially, the campaign keeps things slightly “grounded,” but that eventually flies out the window as you begin to use a plasma rifle to blast through a 19th-century infantry.
Say what you want about its many problems, but Darkest of Days manages to deliver the right sense of scale for this story. Battlefields feature dozens of soldiers at a time when that wasn’t guaranteed, and the story cycles through an impressive array of diverse scenarios and eras. The gameplay doesn’t quite make the most of these elements, and it takes way too long to embrace the premise’s silliness, but it’s hard not to appreciate the effort.
Blue Estate Is Bad Taste, Good Shooting
A Rail Shooter That Proves We Need More Rail Shooters
Full disclosure, I was hesitant to include Blue Estate, as it might be the most obnoxious game I’ve ever played. Let’s just say that if you cannot stand toilet humor, then you will not be able to get through this rail shooter with the audio on.
The story follows a mob prince and hitman who go on rampages against a Jamaican-Korean underworld gang, and the latter’s presentation shoots good taste in the head. Frankly, I don’t really have anything good to say about the story or characters… but I love the arcade-style gunplay.
Rail shooters aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, and we don’t get many of them anymore. However, Blue Estate shows that the subgenre can still captivate from a gameplay perspective, and few things are as satisfying as pulling off perfect headshot combos followed by a glorious explosion. Split into only 7 chapters, the game ends way too quickly, but it’s basically 3 hours of nonstop mayhem and crisp gunplay.
