What are your top 10 FPS of all time?

[HaWkE_N7]

My Top Ten FPSs
Counting just pure FPS, not FP games, (in no particular order) lets get my favourite CoD games out the way first.

1) CoD4: Modern Warfare
Pure brilliance, CoD4 is CoD at the top of it's game. Infinity Ward put out one of the best FPS ever with this game. Along with the great story, it had plenty of action and wtf moments but without them ever being too outlandish that they weren't believable. Unfortunately, its sequels didn't stick to this.

2) CoD: World at War
Treyarch's final WWII outing was great. It took us to areas that the CoD WWII hadn't ventured before with the American Pacific campaign. It had plenty of epic levels, especially on the Soviet campaign. Also it dared to step into darker territory which showed some of the more truer horrors of war instead of the more gung-ho attitude affixed to previous games. There was brilliant voice acting from both Gary Oldman & Kiefer Sutherland. But lets not forget its this game that introduced us to one of the best horde mode games that would become staple to Treyarch's CoDs, (Nazi) Zombies.

3) CoD: Black Ops
After Modern Warfare's OTT game came a step back to CoD of old. Black Ops blended perfectly, in my opinion, the fictional story CoD of the MW games with the original CoD games of being set in history. This blend created one of the best CoD campaigns ever, keeping the twists coming right till the end. I can't be the only one who never caught on until it was revealed that a certain character was never actually there. Everytime I play it now I can't believe I never noticed. Black Ops also gave the multiplayer a nice shot in the arm by changing things a bit and introducing the wager matches. It's a shame that MW3 came along a took all this new fresh multiplayer and substituted it for the same old multiplayer as before in MW2.

4) Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Just as good as the first game, it brought back everyones favourite gang of crazy soldiers for another outing of mayhem. Some say its not as funny as the first game. Maybe its not but DICE can be forgiven this as they give us the best Battlefield multiplayer on last gen consoles - back when the Frostbite engine actually lived up to its purpose by allowing us to blow everything up. Oh and lets not forget the great DLC of Vietnam levels.

5) Black
Black was one of the best FPS to come out on PS2/Xbox. Releasing at the end of those consoles cycles it was also an underrated title that didn't get the attention it deserved; people should really go back and play it. The destruction mechanics on it were awesome back in the day. If anything the whole look of the game was a sign of the great things to come from the next generation of consoles. I would've liked to have seen it remade for 360/PS3. It had an intriguing plot that ended on a brilliant cliffhanger. Such a shame that it's never had the follow up that it deserves. The closet we've got is the lame 'spiritual successor', Bodycount.

6) MoH: Airborne
The last great MoH game, Airborne opened the world up to you allowing you to land anywhere in on the map and approach objectives in the order you wanted. The game looked and sounded great and really did the whole aspect of fighting alongside comrades really well - even if occasionally the AI was dumb. It also gave a breath of fresh air to the WWII genre itself with the non-linear approach it took to the levels, by allowing you to play as a unit not really covered before and take part in campaigns that hadn't been featured in games before.
MoH should go back to something like this, it just didn't really fit the modern setting well. Perhaps try and find a fresh look at WW2 (probably hard though as its been done to death) or maybe Vietnam or Korea.

7) Brothers In Arms
Now I'm cheating a bit here as I'm counting all three. This series is not only a great FPS but one of the best WWII shooters out there - also one that fortunately still managed to remain strong and consistent in the face of the saturation of WWII in game. It contains the one Ace that the other FPS in lack, control of your squad (rather than it being left to the AI and you following them). The last game, Hell's Highway, (as with the other two) really got you involved in the lives of the soldiers and caring what happens to them. Whilst the Furious Four concept Gearbox was going with for the sequel looked good I'm glad they changed their minds as that just wasn't BIAs. I just wish Gearbox would hurry up and gives us the next game which should be (by following movements after Market Garden) set in the Ardennes, based around the Battle of the Bulge.

8) 007 Nightfire
Lost many hours to this game playing the multiplayer with friends, this was my Goldeneye (though likely nowhere near as good). Whilst it was the best FPS James Bond game it wasn't the best. That, in my opinion, falls to third person Everything Or Nothing. The plot was mostly good as were the levels, it's just towards the end that it started to go a bit awry.

9) Metro 2033
Awesome, atmospheric, tense FPS. Definitely underrated on its release. The game had a good plot and had you be more strategic about how you play the game by using ammo as currency. Also the choices you make depend on what ending you get. Hopefully with the re-release on XB1 & PS4 in the Redux pack it will get the attention it deserves.

10) Bulletstorm
Bulletstorm made a nice change to the usual FPS by being crazy, funny and having you kill your enemies in as outlandish a way as possible; there are some awesomely sweet execution moves you can pull off. A real shame that its not considered to have sold well enough to get the sequel that it deserves.

Honourable mentions:
Crysis; Call of Juarez series (except The Cartel); MoH: Frontline, Rising Sun & 2010 reboot; Battlefield 1943; Killzone; 007 Quantum of Solace, some don't like it, I thought it did a good job of turning the films into playable game and I had many hours of fun with friends on its multiplayer; Homefront; Star Wars: Republic Commando; Halo, only played Reach so far, not bothering with the Master Chief ones now till I get XB1, disappointed they haven't done Halo 2 for 360 as well; Perfect Dark, its a shame PDZ wasn't great; Frontlines: Fuel of War, RAGE; The Darkness; The World Is Not Enough.

 

[Skin]

1. Halo: Combat Evolved - it really is spectacular how this game not only still holds up today in many regards, but is outright still ahead in terms of design. From the sprawling large battle grounds, to the brilliantly well balanced and high skill capped multiplayer, to the popcorn flick action story that kept you interested in it, Halo:CE was a masterpiece. Halo 2 on the otherhand, was an utter abortion and the series never quite recovered and still lives on for some reason.

2. Half-Life. No, not Half-Life 2, never Half-Life 2. I recommend watching The Examined Life of Gaming's Half-Life 2 video to not only get some context into why this is such a good game, but why HL2 wasn't.

3. Swat 3. I sunk so many hours into this game. Loved having a bot only games completely filled with NPCs. A small house level with 30+ NPCs walking around, everyone shooting everyone. Also, paintball mode.

Uhhh, Timesplitters 2 I guess? Maybe the original Tribes? I don't know.

 

[gsilver]

All of these are either modern games to begin with, or old games that I have played recently and still feel confident giving them the nod.

1. Far Cry - When all is said and done, this is my favorite FPS. The scope of the levels, the combat, and the vehicles all make this a blast to play.

2. Descent - My biggest question is: Why hasn't this been done better, yet? This game is amazing with it's particular brand of 6-degree combat, but very few companies are willing to try something like this again. I replayed this one recently (in a modernized engine, of course) and feel confident giving it my #2 spot. The fully 3D movement in Descent's complex environments remain compelling to this day.

3. Strike Vector - Absolutely mind-blowing game... when there are people to play against. I love the movement, the pacing, the environments, and the combat. Duels vs enemies filled with harrowing escapes, strategic use of mines (and other items), weaving in and out of the environment, having a pursuer crash into the environment when they can't quite keep up with your superior movement capabilities, nitro boosts, stealth approaches, and more all contribute to my (thus far) game of the year for 2014. Thankfully, the devs say that bots are on the way, which should give me plenty of enemies to fight against in the years to come.

4. Hawken - This one is climbing up on my favorites. Fast-paced giant robots duke it out in a game that's far more about positioning and strategy than twitch reflexes.

5. Serious Sam: First & Second Encounter - Speaking of twitch reflexes... The sheer flood of enemies makes this game a blast.

6. Doom - The old classic. Still damn fine level design and atmosphere.

7. Far Cry 3 - IMO, this is the pinnacle of the modern FPS. I'll give Blood Dragon a nod here, too, since it tightens up the pacing significantly, but Far Cry 3 is still great in terms of both combat and exploration.

8. Borderlands 1/2 - The launch experience of Borderlands was one of the most fun gaming experiences that I've ever had. Borderlands 2 builds upon the original in many significant ways (oh, those exploding shotguns...) Fast-paced arcade FPS don't get much better than this. I'll pass on The Pre-Sequel, but I want to see what these guys do for their "Next Generation" game.

9. Battlefield: Bad COmpany 2 - Admittedly, Battlefield kind of lost me past this game, but Bad Company 2 represents what I like most about the Battlefield series. The destructible environments hugely contribute to the entertainment value of this game.

10. Metroid Prime - The least "Shooter" of anything on this list, but Metroid Prime does something truly special with its environments and exploration.


Dropped off of the list:
System Shock 2 - I once called this one of my favorite games of all time, but having replayed it recently, it doesn't quite hold up. Still a classic, but not something that I'm likely to go back and replay very often. In short, it's been done better by later games.

Magic Carpet 1&2 - It would probably still be up there if it went open-source (like Doom and Descent) to allow fans to modernize the engine, and still falls into the category of never having been done better. But since I can only play them in Dosbox, by now they're just janky as heck.