The general notion for what a gamer expects to find in a first person shooter is right there in the name; lots of shooting done in the first person perspective. While the genre more or less sticks to its guns, some do attempt to spice up the formula by adding different platforming sections to break up the constant onslaught of action. Throughout history, games have had varying degrees of success, with theTurok series on N64in particular having clunky platforming sections.
The main issue with the whole concept is that demanding the player to perform precise jumps is somewhat disorienting when it isn’t always clear where the in-game character’s feet will land. Compare this to3D platformers likeSuper Mario 64, in which the perspective change allows the player to properly gauge factors like distance and depth, whereas in first person, that is a bit more challenging due to the more restricted viewpoint. However, a handful of first person shooters over the years have managed to buck this trend.
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Doom (2016) & Doom Eternal
AfterDoom 3was released in 2004, changing the original run and gun format of the originals for a more atmospheric horror experience, id Software went back to the drawing board in order to bringDoomback in a big way. After years of anticipation and theoriginal reboot ofDoombeing cancelled, the grand-daddy of the first person shooter came roaring back to life in 2016, reminding players that no other franchise better understood the concept of ripping and tearing through everything onscreen in a gleeful barrage of guts and glory.
BothDoom (2016)and its sequelDoom Eternalnot only perfect gunplay and relentless violence expected in a series with a name likeDoom, but id Software surprisingly delivered some solid platforming sections to break up all the madness. These sections are cleverly crafted and require some quick reflexes in order to pull off, but provide the same level of satisfaction as ripping a demon’s head in two. This balance of shooting and intense platforming can be seen being explored further in theAncient Gods DLC packsforDoom Eternal.
Ghostrunner
Taking this concept of constant momentum fromDoomabove,Ghostrunnerbuilds on what was established to craft a game that seems to center entirely around that idea. Ranking amongst otherunderrated video games of 2020,Ghostrunneris always pushing the player forward, with a series of dizzying leaps and bounds in order to navigate the many locations put forward.
The main weapon and form of combat arms the player with a devastating sword, designed to quickly slash enemies to pieces while still on the move. This gameplay style means that the game doesn’t let up for a moment, resulting in a fast paced rush that is also reflective ofGhostrunner’s short but sweet game length.
Dying Light
Zombies are bad news, as movies, comics and video games have demonstrated to us over the years. Alone, a zombie is a slow, shambling mess that can be easily dealt with but in a large crowd, the undead can quickly overwhelm and swarm a target. Serving as a contrast to the usual notion of facing these hordes head on as seen in theteam based combat ofLeft 4 Dead,Dying Lightinstead encourages the player to stay on the move and create distance from the legions of flesh eating monsters.
Environments inDying Lightare also extremely vertical, encouraging a fair amount of climbing on top of the great parkour mechanics used to swiftly dart through areas at breakneck speed. There are weapons to fight back of course, but the main appeal of this game is the freedom it brings to players to run, jump and escape the zombie apocalypse in any way possible.
Metroid Prime Trilogy
While technically more of a “first person adventure” rather than just a straight up shooter, theMetroid Primegames rebooted the seriesand featured enough shooting based action to qualify under that category of gaming. Alien adversaries are abundant throughout the many dazzling worlds in the franchise, but danger is ever present and requires gamers to be wary and attentive of surroundings at all times.
Perfectly translating theolder 2DMetroidgames into the 3D space,Metroid Primesimulates the look and feel of what wearing a heavy yet capable battle armor would be like while traversing bizarre alien locations. Jumps feel heavy yet precise, complimenting the platforming sections themselves that help engage the player in exploring environments, rather than being annoying roadblocks.
