Hey all.
I know nothing about FPS’s. Haven’t played one since Halflife (which, I’ll admit, I rather liked). I’ve got a friend who’s rather into them, and I’m wondering which ones people like out there, and why they like them? What makes your favorite FPS better than the others?
Do you like single player or multiple player online? In many games now, the single player aspect is almost an afterthought or a tutorial for the multiplayer.
For online FPS I like Soldier of Fortune II. It’s an old engine but still looks good, and I enjoy the fast pace. I tried Raven Shield but I found that the gameplay was much too slow for me.
For single player FPS, Dues Ex II is coming out in a few weeks. I hope it’s as good as the first one.
Hrm. I’m not certain. I’m looking for games that are good ‘mission based’ games, not ones where it’s just run-around-shoot-at-everyone-else-who’s-playing.
I found the ‘Star Trek: Elite Force’ games surprisingly fun.
Medal of Honor and it’s expansion packs by EA Games are excellent for graphics, sound, etc. The difficulty level is adjustable and it’s definitely mission-oriented (basically follows the Allied progress in WWII). Call of Duty has just come out and it was designed by some of the same people who did MOH, but I don’t like it as well. The multiplayer online option for MOH is excellent and allows for team or objective gaming.
I really enjoyed NOLF 2. Very amusing game, in a blatantly Austin Powers sort of way.
I have to admit to falling into the ‘Story’ vs ‘Action’ Camp. I simply don’t have the time to hone my gameplay for online gunplay knowing that every other game I ever sign up for will be populated by hyper-caffeinated punks or hacking cheats.
If you haven’t played the Thief Games back before Half-Life find them and do so. Great story, great atmosphere and pretty much brilliant design. I await the newest incarnation of the Thief series with glee and trepidation. Almost ditto with The Upcoming Deus Ex, another story worthy of my time.
And now for my annual curse directed at Eidos for killing Looking Glass…“Damn you corporate scumbags! Damn you to Heck!”
I’d recommend Max Payne. No multi player, but it’s story based. The story isn’t brilliant (really, just a bunch of hard-boiled detective story cliches), but it generally fits the mood of the game. If you can grin at the cheese factor, and enjoy the action, it’s a pretty good game.
Also, maybe one of the newer Grand Theft Auto games. Other threads have covered them in detail, so let’s just say that if you’re looking for a mission-based shooter, they will fit the bill. GTA 3 had more than 100 missions, besides lots of things to do just for fun.
The Theif games are also super fun. Gotta agree with Ego on those.
I’m not really into action shooters, prefering stealthy type games.
If you like horror with a great storyline, get System Shock 2. A few years old, and should be easy to pick up cheap. The most difficult FPS I’ve played in my life, but it’s worth it. Same with the Thief series, although they’re easier to play.
Oh, and I second No One Lives Forever 2 (NOLF2). Great game with some decent AI and a fully developed story.
If you have a very fast computer, get Halo. It’s quite similar to Half Life, but with some vehicle interaction.
If you like millitary shooters with vehicals, but don’t want to play online (see 1942 for that), get Operation Flashpoint. There’s a pack with both expansion packs out, and it should be going cheap by now.
The Rainbow 6 series is also good, but with a very high and unforgiving learning curve. One shot kills a blessing and a curse.
If you want a solid, all-action-oriented FPS with shades of Half-Life, I’d recommend the game Chaser. It’s an interesting story, though very contrived and convoluted… although done so in a way to increase the gameplay. Similar to Total Recall. Lots of action, lots of gunfire, and the weapons are just fuggin’ badass.
Be warned, however: A lot of times, you get the feeling that the story doesn’t know where it’s going… and, frankly, I think they just made the whole thing up as you go along. It starts in a space station, then you join the Mafia, then you try to escape from the Mafia, then you sneak aboard a submarine, then suddenly you’re in Russia, then you’re in a Russian prison camp… ultimately, you wind up on Mars.
And the ending is the epitome of anti-climactic, though they have such an obvious, major setup for a sequel. Frankly, though the ending was a disappointment, and the story very muddy and sloppy, I found it incredibly fun to play.
I second Operation Flashpoint. It has a great mission editor so you can make all kinds of missions, from simple to complex. If you want to relax, you can make a mission where you can just drive all over the countryside in various vehicles or fly choppers around. Hard to get bored with a game like that.
If you’ve already got Half-Life, my current favorite is Natural Selection, a free mod that pits space marines (under a single commander) against hive-mind aliens in resource-based gameplay. I’ve been having some trouble with it on Steam, but YMMV. Get a microphone, you’ll want one after a few rounds.
Another vote for No One Lives Forever 2. It’s sometimes a little graphics-intensive for my machine, but in most cases if there are that many people shooting at me I did something very wrong and will be reloading soon anyway. Lots of humor that pokes fun at 60s spy show conventions, and a thrilling tricycle mime chase through New Delhi (don’t ask).
System Shock 2 is a very good game, with some of the best atmosphere I’ve ever experienced. If you’re worried about the age (and admittedly, the models are quite low-quality when compared to today’s offerings), a fan is working on recreating the enemy’ models to take advantage of new graphics capabilities. I’ll look for a link if somebody asks.
The Hitman series was fun for me. Plotting and devising a strict pace to make it through a level without being discovered or firing a single shot is hair-raising.
And after all this “plot and atmosphere” flagwaving I’ve been doing, I will stand up for Unreal Tournament 2003. No plot, pure twitch action. 2003 has better graphics than plain UT, but UT seems to take itself less seriously. I hear 2004 will be out somewhat soon, which will be 2003 with some changes plus vehicles.
I love the Max Payne games, but it should be pointed out they are not first person shooter games as requested by the OP. They are 3rd person shooters.
Geh. So hate resource management, although the rest of it kinda sounds cool!
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Okay, the last line of that just sold me! 
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Hrm. This brings up another question- When it comes to levels that are different, such as ‘no kill’ missions, or ‘timed’ missions, how do people feel? Fun? Worth the effort? Too frustrating?
Well, in Hitman (the game you were talking about here), there isn’t really a “no kill” mission, just “don’t kill anyone except your mark” missions. I find them fun and challenging.
The one mission type I object to in FPS games is the escort mission. “This guy can die with one shot. Haul his wimpy ass around the level. Oh, and he’ll behave unpredictably and tend to lag behind and run off in random directions.” GRAH, those suck. The TechTV show X-Play objects to escort missions so much they’ve designed a “no escort missions” logo. It looks like two men’s room symbols, one holding an umbrella over the other, with the international red circle-slash over it.
My personal fave is still Halo. I have played and loved Soldier of Fortune and Elite Force in the past. But Halo is just fantastic, perhaps a little too linear, but so much fun.
The Xbox version is very intuitive, easy to play, you are fighting the aliens not the controller, but what puts it over the top is the multiplayer options. I am not a network gamer, but to play against my 2 kids and wife in a slaughterfest free for all is great fun.
You could try Duke Nukem Forever. Oh, wait, Forever is the amount of time it will take to be released… Never mind.
The best by far is “Call of Duty” followed by the Medal of Honor series.
I have Halo for Xbox and love but don’t know how it is on PC. Loved Hitman 2 and Thief though I wouldn’t call them “Shooters.” NOLF2 is pretty good but I’d do the first two I mentioned first. By the time you’re done with them HL2 will be around.
Ghost Recon if you like slow thought out gameplay.
Serious Sam if you want just mindless shoot everything in the world. (I usually think these types of games are stupid but I liked Serious Sam. Fun is fun esp if it’s only like 10 bucks)
System Shock 2 has alot of atmosphere and enjoyable gameplay. If you look around online you can find a graphics pack update done by an amature that improves the graphics 1000%.
Surprised nobody has mentioned Return to Castle Wolfenstein. I thought they did a fantastic job on this one! Also the only game I know of with a flamethrower weapon. That rocks - I really enjoy setting people on fire and hearing them scream. 
I’m much more into single player than online stuff, although I dislike cut-scenes. I can’t understand why they are necessary. I don’t want to watch a movie - I want to play the game! This is why I love the original Half-Life. I hope the sequel is much the same.