Poll: Best FPS ever?

[Vigormortis]

It's a tough call. I'm not sure I can pick just one as "the best in my opinion". I can, however, pick a few "bests" in subsequent subcategories.

Brought the FPS genre into the lime light - Doom. Wolfenstein came before, but Doom really set the standard.

Redefined not only FPS gaming but redefined interactive gaming - Half-Life. Despite what your opinion is of it and it's ilk, this series set (and continues to set) the bar that many (if not most) other FPS developers strive for in terms of quality and narrative design.

Set the current standard of multiplayer FPS gaming - Counter-Strike & Quake III Arena. These two games defined what online and network shooters should be and how well refined they have to be to remain playable. All online shooters, to this day, owe a debt of gratitude to these two games for basically creating online FPS gaming.

Showed how to and set the bar for cross-genre shooters - Metroid Prime & Deus Ex. Like above, these two games really set the standard by which all adventure or RPG shooters should be judged. Games like Mass Effect and Bioshock (the former a 3rd person shooter, but still relevant) owe their very existence to games like Deus Ex and Metroid Prime. The attention to detail, intricate narrative design, and elaborate, emotive level design were concepts truly refined and almost perfected in MP and DE.

 

[Raykuza]

I'm gonna say Portal.

 

[UnderCoverGuest]

GoldenEye 007 has had the most lasting effect on me. Nostalgia to the max. Duke Nukem also holds a place in my heart, as does Half-Life 2 which I was engrossed in from start to finish; yet, HL2 hasn't had much of a replay value for me as much as the other two.

Call of Duty 4 was my first induction into 'modern-online FPS'ing, and it also holds a place in my heart--however only CoD4 holds this place. The rest of the Call of Duty franchise is locked, barred, and sealed outside that sacred vault.

 

[TheDarklite]

Borderlands! You either loved it or hated it...

... Frankly, I loved it

 

[luckycharms8282]

I REALLY cannot believe cod 4: modern warfare isnt up there. well, that's where my vote goes

 

[Treeinthewoods]

Of games on your list it's a tie between Doom and Bioshock. My favorite FPS of all times is still the Halo series though, problem is I can't pick one over the other when it comes to 1-3 (ODST and Reach just weren't quite as awesome).

 

[construcdead]

System Shock 2. It was so scary back when it was new, yet I just had to keep playing.

 

[Nazulu]

From what I've played, either Metroid Prime or Half-Life 2. Gonna go with HL2 though since you got it there. The game play is really easy to adjust too and allows you to do a lot (especially with the gravity gun), the design is really interesting in some parts of the game (love the physics), and the sounds really gives it more immersion. Overall, it's a great exciting adventure.

 

[XT inc]

I was thinking over the list and its not really fair to pick one. They were all pivotal games of those years and generations. I mean a game I liked then might not hold as much water as something newer. The next game becomes the favorite, if it is improved or fixed.

 

[Ldude893]

Half Life 2. It's singlehanded proof that games can be masterpieces.

 

[thom_cat_]

Half-Life 2.
I hated Halo:CE with a passion. Copy pasted levels and really retarded AI. I did like the vehicles, but that was about it.
Bioshock is brilliant, the weaponry and world is deep, but I feel half-life's entire universe wins out over that. Also the level design in bioshock was quite vague in places.
Those early pre-2000 games don't have much appeal to me as they hadn't gotten design down, they just wanted to push out a title. You can really see what can be achieved when you compare HL1 to HL2.

 

[StormShaun]

Call Of duty 4, the last good one, rip CoD

and Battlefield series, the best kind of shooter!

 

[M4A1Sopmod]

Hell, I love COD4. It had its faults but it was an innovator in many ways.

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

 

[Chris646]

In response to the person who quoted me (because I'm stupid and forgot how to work the forums correctly) Pigs, creepers, cows, chickens, sheep, trees, etc. With a bow.

 

[JourneyThroughHell]

Modern Warfare 2 (2009).

I could see why that's not on the list. Public perception and all.

Not that I care - IW can do set pieces like no one else and in MW2, they went all-in. I loved it. Easy as that.

Have you ever played Deus Ex? Just genuinely curious here.

Yup.

I can see how people love it and all. But it's not my thing. Just like some people find Hitman too boring.

I still am looking forward to Human Revolution.

And, yes, I also have played Half-Life 2. In 2010. Wasn't impressed much.

 

[Sunrider]

I dunno, Quake never struck me as all that atmospheric, but as you said, opinions are opinions, and Quake certainly is a highly acclaimed title, so hey, yours is absolutely valid.

As for scopes: sorry for the misunderstanding, I meant singleplayer. In MP, I'm usually the shotgun kind of bloke, but I'm a total sucker for scopes in story campaigns. Plus, scoped rifles suck in so many multiplayer-focused FPS's because the maps are so freakin' small. However, in games like the first Ghost Recon, they're brilliant.

Oh, I see. Well, that changes a lot =)
I agree with that, stuff like that is pretty cool in SP. I prefer the jumpy / rocketlaunchy type of shooters, but there are some great SP campaigns in shooters nowadays too.

 

[drosalion]

Counter-Strike ...