A good first-person shooter isn’t exactly that hard to find, but there are some special titles that manage to keep the momentum going from the very start. The industry has given rise to a handful of FPS titles that manage to make every moment engaging. That’s no easy task, and it’s my favorite thing about finding a great shooter.
When a game has the entire package, it just makes the experience far more rewarding. Platformers and FPS games are what I cut my teeth on as a kid. Now that I have over two decades of gaming behind me, I have seen my fair share of great FPS titles, and these games get everything right in the first five minutes.
Halo: Combat Evolved Is the Quintessential 21st-Century FPS
More Than Just Xbox’s Flagship Franchise
When Halo: Combat Evolved hit the scene, it didn’t just help introduce a new console to gamers with the Xbox. It set a brand-new standard for what to expect from shooters. Halo: Combat Evolved‘s gameplay perfected dual-analog controls, adding tactical elements by forcing players to rely on only two weapons, and encouraged aggressive combat with Master Chief’s regenerative health.
Beyond the gameplay, Halo: Combat Evolved ropes you in immediately with how it sets up Master Chief’s introduction. The Pillar of Autumn is attacked by the Covenant, forcing crew members to wake up the UNSC’s best Spartan. It’s a really clever way to introduce a main character and walk players through controls, and it leads to one of the best opening levels in the genre.
Playing through the rest of the game will make it obvious why the Halo franchise had such a chokehold on the industry throughout the 2000s. It demonstrated that FPS games can have a story and world that are just as compelling as the gameplay.
Titanfall 2 Shows That Short Campaigns Can Be Just as Fun
Short, But Never Boring
I have spent plenty of time with Titanfall 2‘s multiplayer, but the story is where it really shines. Titanfall 2‘s campaign is only around 5–6 hours long, but the short length shouldn’t scare you away. The tutorial is incredibly engaging and prepares players in a way that doesn’t feel like a run-of-the-mill tutorial where you’re just going through the motions. From the gameplay to the story, Titanfall 2 simply knocks it out of the park.
The game is always introducing fresh mechanics without the new information being daunting, and the buddy-cop vibes between protagonist Jack Cooper and Titan BT-7274 bring a deeper emotional layer to what could easily be a simple action fest. It’s a fast-paced sprint through amazing level designs that nail tricky mechanics like wall running and grappling.
Also, the short campaign actually works in the game’s favor. Titanfall 2‘s story doesn’t overstay its welcome, making everything feel tight-knit and satisfying. It can be easy for some games to feel bloated with extra content for the sake of length, but Titanfall 2 proves that games with short campaigns aren’t always a bad thing.
What’s That Weapon?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)
Singularity Shows a Different Side to Raven Software
Call of Duty Who?
Raven Software has made plenty of games that weren’t part of the Call of Duty franchise, and Singularity was the developer’s last project before becoming such a big part of Activision’s military shooter. Part horror, part action, Singularity‘s main shtick is how it plays around with time.
One of the most important tools in a player’s arsenal is the Time Manipulation Device. With this device at your disposal, players can age or rejuvenate certain objects around them, and enemies can even be manipulated to the point where they wither away. Singularity isn’t just one of the most underrated FPS games. It’s a great take on time travel.
Time travel isn’t easy to nail, but Singularity using the concept as a main gameplay mechanic works incredibly well. Jumping between 1950s Russia and the modern day offers plenty of level diversity, and a time-travel story centered around a giant conspiracy is simply too cool to ignore.
BioShock Is the Blueprint for Building a Great Atmosphere
No Gods or Kings, Only Man
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Image via 2K Games -
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When it comes to an FPS with a great atmosphere, BioShock might be the winner on this list. The game takes place in a failed underwater city called Rapture that was intended to be a Libertarian utopia. Things didn’t go according to plan, though, and Rapture quickly fell into chaos.
Seeing Rapture for the first time is one of the best video game intros of all time, and it perfectly sets the tone for the rest of the game. BioShock’s gameplay combines FPS gunplay with elemental powers, which encourages experimentation. Such inventive combat mixed with a tense but beautiful atmosphere is why BioShock is still talked about today.
Its two sequels are also great options, but playing the original BioShock for the first time was a special experience. Recapturing the feeling of such a strong opening sequence is hard to replicate, and the rest of the game has just as many mind-blowing moments.
Half-Life 2 Is Still an Environmental Storytelling Masterclass Over 20 Years Later
Thanks to Gravity Gun, Everything Is a Weapon
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Image via Valve -
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Image via Valve
There is a good reason why so many other gamers foam at the mouth at the thought of a Half-Life 3 reveal. Half-Life 2 was just as influential as Halo: Combat Evolved was, but it’s for a completely different reason. Developer Valve sidestepped standard cutscenes and instead included scripted moments that seamlessly blended with the first-person perspective.
Beyond that, Half-Life 2 also featured fantastic environmental storytelling that turned levels into more than just interesting set pieces. The environment is both a storytelling device and a gameplay playground, thanks to the Gravity Gun. It turns one weapon into many, and it revolutionized how FPS games go about in-game physics.
It’s hard to say if we will ever see Gordon Freeman again, but there are plenty still holding out hope for Half-Life 3. If Valve ever reveals a new chapter, it’s going to be wild to see how the developer plans to one-up a game as influential as Half-Life 2.
Call of Juarez: Gunslinger
It’s Not First-Person Red Dead Redemption
Those who are looking for a game like Red Dead Redemption might be attracted to Call of Juarez: Gunslinger‘s western setting, but that’s where the similarities end. That’s a good thing, though. Red Dead Redemption is undoubtedly great, but Call of Juarez: Gunslinger is a much more fun-loving western story that embraces short, action-packed chapters.
Silas Greaves is the game’s main protagonist, and he’s a deeply unreliable narrator who also happens to be a bounty hunter. As Silas shares his story with saloon patrons, he often has to correct himself, which is reflected in the game’s environments and story moments.
It’s an FPS with a fantastic sense of humor, and the combat is just as fun as Silas’ world-altering rewrites. The guns are punchy, stylish kills are incentivized, and there’s a mechanic that slows down time, which makes playing as Silas feel like you’re a legit sharp-shooting outlaw.
Doom (2016) Is a High-Octane Gun Fight Through Hell
Putting the Pedal to the Metal
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Image via id Software -
Image via id Software -
Image via id Software
Not every great FPS game has to be a groundbreaking change to the genre.
Sometimes the most powerful move is to refine and modernize what made a classic franchise such a hit. Doom did just that in 2016 with an FPS game that hits the gas pedal at the very beginning and doesn’t slow down. There is no such thing as defense in Doom, as the game fully encourages going as hard as possible.
Features like Glory Kills and no reloading keep that momentum going, and it’s simply a blast. Doom‘s aggressive pacing and combat are amplified by Mick Gordon’s wild metal-fueled soundtrack. There is a bit of story going on in Doom, but the main focus is the gameplay, and it nails every second.
Wolfenstein: The New Order Blends Brutal Combat With Meaningful Storytelling
Alternate History Done Right
Wolfenstein: The New Order boasts the same action-fueled combat that Doom does, but it also balances it incredibly well with a deep character-driven story set in a bleak alternate 1960s where Nazis have control. It’s dark, gritty, and bloody, and it marked a great new start for the series.
The beginning of the game makes it abundantly clear that Wolfenstein: The New Order‘s story is going to be a dark FPS experience. Players are tasked with making a difficult decision early in the game, and depending on the choice, certain aspects of the story change. It’s a moment that really drives home just how dark this world is.
Wolfenstein: The New Order is one of the best alternate history games around, and its ability to wrap such a meaningful story into an action-packed gun-fest is impressive. It’s a hard blend to balance, but Wolfenstein: The New Order sticks the landing.
Deathloop Is a Heart-Pounding FPS Puzzle
Arkane’s Time Loop Gem
Arkane has a lot of great games under its belt, and Deathloop is a time-bending FPS that some may have overlooked. Assassin Colt Vahn is an assassin stuck in a time loop on a mysterious island called Blackreef, and in order to escape, he has to kill eight targets known as Visionaries before midnight.
Magical abilities and retro-inspired gunfight combat give Deathloop a unique atmosphere, and it also features an interesting take on asymmetrical multiplayer. It’s just as much of a clever puzzle game as it is a strong FPS. What ultimately ties everything in Deathloop together is the fun cat-and-mouse relationship between Colt and the main antagonist, Julianna.
If 60s-inspired spy thriller vibes, inventive puzzles, and fun combat mechanics are your thing, then Deathloop is worth a look. Creative FPS games are always a fun surprise, and Deathloop was definitely that for me.
