Games with the most immersive 1st person views.

[Brandon Yi]

Hey guys really appreciate the suggestions I'm definitely going to check out dark messiah and probably get metroid as well since I was a HUGE fan of the 2d versions from the SNES-->GBA.

Anyways, I have to agree with Skyrim and iHUD. I haven't tried the Joy of perspective mod yet, but have been following it since I heard about it. I was sort of waiting for the mod author to work out some of the reported bugs. Does it work pretty well now?

Also Red Orchestra! I sort of wish you could take more than 2 shots to die though... too hardcore for me

Also, in case anyone hadn't tried it yet, playing GTA IV with the fps mod is INSANE. Making a completely clean getaway in first person is SO rewarding, and my conscience SCREAMS at me now when I mow people over with my car/uzi. In fact, (and this is sort of strange) I am able to evade the cops in GTA IV better in first person than in third, most likely because by having the camera actually placed in the front seat, I can get a better feel of the grip on my tires and how to approach turns. IDK.

 

[00slash00]

Miasmata is the most immersive first person game I've played. No hud, not automatically updating map. The first time I was separated from a campfire at night in that game was probably the most tense I've ever felt in a game.

 

[Arnoxthe1]

Far Cry 2: It helped that the whole theme of the game (war-torn Africa) was actually somewhat realistic. Plus, switching to your map any time, the simple act of taking anything at all, the simple but brutal melee combat, weapon degradation, minimal HUD, realistic fire, emergency first-aid, and no leaving of the first person view for the whole game just helped it so much in that regard.

Bioshock: Although not as immersive, of course, as Far Cry 2, You really felt like you were playing your character. Not only that, reloading eve (full injection) any time, watching each plasmids idle animation, or even simply switching form gun to plasmid felt cool and immersive. Also, just like FC2, you never left first person.

 

[GundamSentinel]

It's an older one, Star Wars Republic Commando. This games has a nice way of doing things.

Details like the entire hud being part of your helmet and visor rather than just floating on screen.
The start of each mission has you in a ship en route to your objective and then fast roping to the ground.
Having to hold down A to arm bombs or hack doors while being fired at can be quite intense.
Blood splatters from melee kills and rain on screen.

If you like immersion and star wars and have the means to play it, then you can't go wrong.

Yeah, this was a great one. The screen wiping clear of smoke and alien gore was amazing. And your characters giving hand signals didn't look weird from first person. The other graphics weren't that amazing, but the first person view was great.

 

[AnthrSolidSnake]

The first F.E.A.R. was the first game I ever played with an actual first person body model, and I loved it. I couldn't believe more modern FPSs didn't use it. Crysis was also a great one for me. Something about looking around and then seeing your shadow just reminds me "Oh yeah, that's me, I'm this person, I'm there." The Far Cry games, particularly the last two, also have a nice sense of First Person Perspective without actually needing the presence of a first person model.

But yeah, if you haven't already, the FEAR games have a nice sense of first person immersion. The "hosptial" level in FEAR 2 when you're alone, I LOVED the atmosphere of that part, and the elementary school did it well too. Quiet, hardly any music, no partners...just the ever closing presence of Alma...it was very chilling. Not to forget that the combat was pretty good as well.

Also, there are some pretty good first person mods for Oblivion and Skyrim. Oblivion actually remains exactly the same as far as combat mechanics go, so I find that mod to be the better of the two. The Skyrim first person mod is still rather buggy and combat if a bit difficult as well.

There was also a first person mod for GTA 4 if you're not one of the people who hate that game. It's not perfect either, but I was surprised how well the game still played in first person.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Any first-person view that doesn't wave awkward legs in my face is immersive enough for me.

The idea behind first-person is that I am the character. So seeing legs beneath the camera feels like I'm standing on somebody's shoulders, or hanging in a chest pouch. Same with casting a shadow or having a voice... It just doesn't feel like it belongs to me, and actually disconnects me from the experience.

Hands I'm fine with though. Probably because my hands are performing actions on the controller, making it appropriate for those actions to show visual feedback by hands on screen. Or maybe I just like hands and hate feet. Which isn't too far from the truth.

 

[Azure23]

So this is an oldie but the Peter Jackson's King Kong game did a really good job of giving you gameplay info without any hud at all. If you hit the reload button when your gun was full your character would talk to himself like (in an unworried voice) "I've got plenty of ammo," or (frantically" "two bullets left!" I remember that game actually being really scary, mostly because I hate bugs but also because when you have one throwing spear and two raptors are coming at you, you know you're gonna have to pull off some badass shit or die. Seriously that game was the best movie adaptation game i've ever played, and I know that doesn't say much but it really is a pretty unique experience.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

Far Cry 2: It helped that the whole theme of the game (war-torn Africa) was actually somewhat realistic. Plus, switching to your map any time, the simple act of taking anything at all, the simple but brutal melee combat, weapon degradation, minimal HUD, realistic fire, emergency first-aid, and no leaving of the first person view for the whole game just helped it so much in that regard.

Bioshock: Although not as immersive, of course, as Far Cry 2, You really felt like you were playing your character. Not only that, reloading eve (full injection) any time, watching each plasmids idle animation, or even simply switching form gun to plasmid felt cool and immersive. Also, just like FC2, you never left first person.

Fuck, I was just about to drop these two titles in here. You are absolutely right. These two games have the best and most immersive first person gameplay.

Crysis doesn't leave the first person perspective for the entire game os I trhink that is cool.

Yes, but the protagonist has a name and a voice. It doesn't help the immersion, but it does help the narrative in this case. Which I think is really rare in first person shooters. Usually in an FPS I don't want to hear my character EVER. But Crysis doesn't work without a voiced protagonist IMO.

 

[SadisticFire]

I wonder. Is it at all possible to replicate the reflection inside a visor for a player that uses something like a Camera attached to their console? For example, a Webcam for PC, Playstation Eye, or Kinect. Hell, even for the Oculus Rift? I think it would be rather cool to see yourself reflected inside your own visor when playing a game like Destiny or some such when you create your own character.

I think the main issue there is if you have a reflection, you won't only have a reflection of your face, you have a reflection of your whole living room,(assuming you're on a console and kinect is under your T.V). But webcam I can definitely see being implemented. Okay I'm done being pessimist.
OT: The Fallout 3 and New Vegas were pretty immersive. The HUD seems to be intergrated into the game as the PipBoy adding UI somehow. I spent entire days(12 hours) straight playing that, and currently I'm doing it with Skyrim because my friend bought me it. I partially want to show him that he didn't waste his money, and I didn't waste a gift though. Hm.. Metroid definitely for said reasons in this thread already

 

[TheYellowCellPhone]

Metro 2033. I've never seen a game have so much minimal HUD and extra realism details and have it pulled off so well.

My particular favorite will always be how that game handles gas masks. Having to pull them on and take them off, checking your watch for how much time a filter lasts, swapping filters, breathing sounds, fogging on the glass, and broken glass on the mask.

 

[InfinityCubed]

I've heard Mirror's Edge has some of the best first person controls in ever, but I haven't played it.

Personally, though immersion is not very important for me in my enjoyment of a game. some of my favorite bits in skyrim were when it was acting up.

 

[DC1]

Not a huge thing, but I like how in Battlefield 3 when you are crawling on the ground you actually see your arms push you along as you hold your rifle in one hand. In other modern shooters like CoD or whatever, the gun just drops out of view and you move. The arm movement in BF3 gives a sense of physical effort.

 

[Smeggs]

Minecraft with moody lighting, visual field set to a level where it fish-eye's a bit, and the proper texture pack/mods

 

[Evonisia]

I really liked Mirror's Edge's first person view, despite the game's hideous flaws.

You even do a few cutscenes in first person, the best example probably being when you go up to your sister and give her a hug all before your (virtual) eyes.

 

[PoolCleaningRobot]

Someone's already said it but Crysis, specifically Crysis 2. I remember a part a where you fall out of a helicopter and you can see your shadow on the ground getting closer as you fall towards it. It really gave a sense of weight and perspective. The game had a lot of little additions like that that made you feel like you were in the suit like Alcatraz not being able to speak. Too bad the game's story was a clusterfuck but I still liked it

 

[Lygus]

No doubt - Arma series / Arma 3. The fact that you actually have a body and can rotate your head independently of the centered camera beats everything else. You also have many additional parameters that add to the experience - aiming deadzone, headbob, etc.

Awesome for a military simulator.

 

[Hero of Lime]

For me it is the Metroid Prime trilogy. With the hud system, visors, and the way the movement feels, it is very immersive. The sense of loneliness plays a role in this as you feel alone in a dangerous environment yet you have the suit to give you a sense of power and protection. In Metroid Prime 2, when you're in Dark Aether, going from light crystal to light beacon feels strangely engaging, as the atmosphere of Dark Aether will drain health away.

While I would not say the Halo franchise usually provides a sense of immersion, ODST did a good job, especially when you're the rookie wandering around the dark open streets at night. Probably because of the nighttime visor settings, and sense of loneliness like in a Metroid game.