FPS essentials

[Vlajdermen]

Here's the situation. I like first person shooters, I feel like I haven't played all the best ones, but it is impossible to find any online list that isn't cluttered with multiplayer-only games, mixed-genre shooters, and bioshock-style storyfaggotry. So my goal with this thread is to, through consulting the RPG Codex, assemble a definitive ''what to play'' list of first-person shooters. The rules are:

• No multiplayer-only shooters.
• No open world games, roguelikes, first-person RPGs like Deus Ex, or looter-shooters. Shooters with stealth elements are fine, as long as they don't overshadow the shooting.
• No suggestions based purely on story or atmosphere. It needs to be fun to play, though what means it uses to achieve that is irrelevant.

The following list is based on my experience alone. I will take suggestions and update it if persuaded.

The best of the best
DUSK
Serious Sam: The Second Encounter
The Build Engine Trio (Duke Nukem 3D, Shadow Warrior, Blood)
DOOM
Heretic
Wrath: Aeon of Ruin (judging by the demo)

Other greats
DOOM II + Plutonia
Amid Evil
Return to Castle Wolfenstein
Serious Sam: The First Encounter
Titanfall 2
SiN
Half-Life 1 + Opposing Force
You are Empty
Chex Quest trilogy

Good for what it is™
Call of Juarez: Gunslinger
Halo: Combat Evolved
Wolfenstein: The Old Blood
Painkiller
Resistance 3
Half-life 2

Haven't played, but I'm interested
Halo 3
Halo Reach
Timesplitters series
No one lives forever
Goldeneye 007

Suggested
Quake
Unreal
Rainbow Six
SWAT 4
F.E.A.R.
Singularity
Ion Maiden
Last Rites
Arthurian Legends
Psycho Circus: The Nightmare Child
Descent
Clive Barker's Jericho
EYE: Divine Cybermancy
Turok 1 and 2
Black
Darkwatch
Alien: Resurrection
Star Craft: Republic Commando

 

[Ol' Willy]

Where's Quake lol

 

[Marquis de Lirium]

Quake 1 and Unreal definitely deserve a place in the top category.

 

[Frank Capicoli]

Out of all the retro throwback shooters that have poured down upon us over the past few years I've gotten the most enjoyment out of Arthurian Legends so far.

 

[Lemming42]

In chronological order. I've bolded ones I consider to be the best of the best:
Doom
System Shock
Heretic
Descent
Duke Nukem 3D
Quake
Blood
Outlaws
Rainbow Six (all sequels optional, it's all the same shit)
Unreal
Half-Life
Soldier of Fortune
No One Lives Forever
Deus Ex (obviously can debate if this is an FPS or not)
Red Faction
Medal of Honor: Allied Assault
Call of Duty + United Offensive (the first one isn't bad, though the franchise would obviously go on to play a big part in killing the genre)
Far Cry
SWAT 4
F.E.A.R.
Mirror's Edge (if you count it as FPS)
Metro 2033
Singularity
Far Cry 3
Metro: Last Light
DUSK
Metro Exodus (i really like Metro)
Amid Evil
Ion Fury
Black Mesa

 

[oddech_wymarlych_swiatow]

The Build Engine Trio (Duke Nukem 3D, Shadow Warrior, Blood)

There is one forgotten geam that I always recommend for fans of Build games, not as good as these but definately way above Redneck Rampage. It was released the same year as Blood / SW, gained similar ratings (at least here in Poland, geam was European only) but quickly fell into obscurity.

Last Rites:



Level design is shit but it has one of the most satisfying guns and most beautiful 2D sprites death animation.

 

[Strig]

For all the problems I have with it (lack of variety, blowing the "best level load" prematurely) I really think Ion Fury deserves a spot on the list somewhere.

Out of all the retro throwback shooters that have poured down upon us over the past few years I've gotten the most enjoyment out of Arthurian Legends so far.

Arthurian Legends is a gem, haven't finished it yet but thus far it's a blast.

As a sidenote — I feel like the best shooters I played recently are actually Doom mods. Ashes 2063 is a masterpiece with amazing level design, gameplay and atmosphere, I really enjoyed Rekkr up until the third episode when it shat itself (at least for me). Haven't played the third episode yet, but up to that point Blade of Agony was almost perfect, even if it suffered from being a tad bloated.

 

[HansDampf]

Overload

 

[Humbaba]

Just play Blood because it's objectively the best boomer shooter.

 

[Morpheus Kitami]

The Lucasarts FPS titles, namely Outlaws and the Star Wars: Dark Forces/Jedi Knight games, are all pretty good. Some of them are heavier on story than others, but its all just inter-level cutscenes, so you can skip them without much effect on the gameplay. They're all games that lean towards the level design though.
SWAT 3 & 4 are the best realistic FPS titles. 3 is the weaker of the two, thanks to its ugly models and harsh focus on reporting your actions to your superior, but both are a lot of fun.
Delta Force is an arcadey military FPS before anyone really bothered moving into that territory. Lots of freedom in how you approach your objectives, thanks to an outdoor engine primarily used in flight and tank simulations.
Ion Fury is one of the big reasons there's this influx of retro-style FPS games. Incredible level design and an unusual selection of guns that put it right up there with the rest of the greats.

 

[Riskbreaker]

Undying is eminently fun to play although, yes, it is something that you'll often see recommended for its writing and atmosphere. It's like early 20th century weird fiction made playable.
But it's a great FPS, with some great weapons and an array of upgradeable spells.

Chasm: The Rift is like Quake 1 Lite, something that could have served to comfort someone displeased with Quake 2 being what it is. It repeats the mixture of themes from Quake and its expansions, it has very similar aesthetics, it looks rather nice actually. Maps have next to no variation in height tho, they're basically flat as far as playable space goes. It has entertaining, if janky and uneven, enemy dismemberments. You can say blow off both arms off the game's basic grunts and have them running after you, trying to bite you to death. Fun times.
The same dev's Vivisector and Cryostasis are very much worth playing too.

 

[Blutwurstritter]

A barely known gem from the nineties is Requiem: Avenging Angel. The Startrek : Elite Force games are also often forgotten although they are good shooters, especially if you like the feeling of Quake 2/3 Engine games of the late nineties. But F.E.A.R. is my all-time favorite when it comes to pure feeling of shooting things. Alien vs Predator 1 and 2 are also excellent.

 

[Gromlintroid]

Half Life or Black Mesa,
Sigil
Wolfenstein 2009
Singularity
Doom 3
F.E.A.R.
Betrayer
Duke Nukem 3D
Heretic
Prodeus

God, there's so many.

 

[fork]

Aliens versus Predator (1999)
Exhumed/Powerslave
Kiss: Psycho Circus - The Nightmare Child

 

[Riskbreaker]

Kiss: Psycho Circus - The Nightmare Child

Kiss is great alright. Again something that, when I'm reminded of it, I first think of its aesthetics and atmosphere, but the action was great.

 

[Rean]

- No One Lives Forever 1+2, best singleplayer FPS and contenders for top 10 best games of all time
- Painkiller
- Clive Barker's Jericho
- You Are Empty (surprisingly good hidden Slav gem)

 

[oddech_wymarlych_swiatow]

Kiss is great alright. Again something that, when I'm reminded of it, I first think of its aesthetics and atmosphere, but the action was great.

Gene Simon's Axe is propably best melee weapon in any fps, such underrated gem.

 

[Strig]

- Clive Barker's Jericho

Dude, no. Jericho is not even competent let alone good.

 

[octavius]

Outlaws.
IGI-2.

 

[Reality]

Descent and Descent II are actually really good. I think they are still first person shooters even though the later 6 degree of freedom games (Freespace, Colony Wars, Forsaken, etc) are definately more space/vehicle/flight hybrids rather than FPS hybrids. Definately worth playing on its own and not just "to see the experiement"

Other than that - Doom, Blood, Unreal Tournament, S.W.A.T. 4


Did really like Insurgency(2014) but playerbase was eaten by the (much worse) Insurgency: Sandstorm and no real point playing non multiplayer

 

[MadMaxHellfire]

i find your lack of republic commando disturbing.

 

[Echo Mirage]

No Marathon trilogy?

 

[Rean]

- Clive Barker's Jericho

Dude, no. Jericho is not even competent let alone good.

I liked it.

 

[Arbaces]

Unreal is awesome: Great music, great weapons (except the stinger fuck that POS), great levels, great enemies! It's the gold standard by which I judge all first person shooters.

That first Skaarj in Rrajigar Mines... First person shooters don't put you in pitch black environments like that anymore. They're too afraid little Johnny who tricked his mother into buying the game for him will shit his pants in terror and never buy a lootbox again. I think the last game like that was Doom 3 which was pretty good except the movement is a little slow and there are no wide open areas to contrast the tight hallways.

 

[Shackleton]

- Clive Barker's Jericho

Dude, no. Jericho is not even competent let alone good.

I liked it.

Fisting because I also remember really liking Jericho and wondering why on earth it had been so panned in the gaming press. Looking at it now, it's a title that appears to have been liked a lot more by the people that played it than the reviewers. (Small sample sizes but the user reviews on MC and on Google are a lot higher than the critic's scores.) Can't really remember much about it now, but it was about 14 bloody years ago I played it. I do remember finishing it and being sad it wasn't going to get a sequel though.