Top 10 Best FPS Games

When id software was putting the finishing touches on Wolfenstein 3D back in 1992, the venerable developer stumbled upon a combination – of the first person and shooting – that would go down in history as one of the all-time greats. People absolutely adore them, and they’re easily the most popular genre in gaming today. In no particular order, here are our ten favourites:

DOOM

An entire generation of kids grew up desperately wanting a PC after seeing DOOM running for the first time. Keycards, mazes and newspapers going crazy over the pixellated violence – this might not have been the first FPS, but it’s the one that catapulted the genre into the mainstream. And it’s still good today.

Left 4 Dead 2

Left 4 Dead 2’s at its best when you’ve got three other mates playing alongside you – the four of you working together to shoot, hack and thwack unrelenting zombie hordes in an effort to escape a destroyed city. Tense, exciting and very, very rewarding, Left 4 Dead 2 is easily one of the best recent FPS games.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Modern Warfare 2 probably needs no introduction. It’s the epitome of the current generation of shooters; loud, explosive, fast and controversial. With a budget of millions, Modern Warfare 2 has production values to rival the flashiest of Hollywood blockbusters, and with an engrossing multiplayer component to boot.

Unreal Tournament

1999 was an important moment for shooters. Epic’s Unreal had proved a huge success a few years before, but this semi-sequel was designed entirely around online play. Released alongside rival id’s Quake III – also without a single-player campaign – the big question was whether or not online play alone would be enough to substantiate a full retail release. The answer was clearly yes.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2

If you’re looking for large-scale online warfare, you aren’t going to find better than Bad Company 2. Huge maps, brilliant vehicles, strong objective-based gameplay and a vibrant community ensure this is the current thinking man’s shooter.

Duke Nukem 3D

The first level of Duke Nukem 3D is one of gaming’s most memorable. There’s so much you can interact with, from the toilets to the mirror to the pool table. Famous for its outspoken silliness and slightly lewd content, Duke Nukem 3D is also backed up by incredible level design and, to this day, some of the best weapons ever seen.

BioShock

That twist! Incredible. Without any hint of hyperbole, BioShock’s environment – the destroyed underwater utopia of Rapture – is perhaps the best realised fantasy world ever created in gaming. Creepy, tense and atmospheric.

Deus Ex

The cult popularity of Deus Ex at the start of the 21st century helped redefine the FPS games that would come afterwards. It certainly wasn’t the first game to mix RPG-like levelling with shooting mechanics, but its successful implementation and excellent environments has made it many people’s choice of the best game of all time.

Halo: Reach

Alongside a robust and compelling multiplayer component, Halo: Reach features a grand campaign that, amongst other things, destroys an entire planet. The latest, and arguably the best, entry in the most popular sci-fi shooter series of all time, Halo: Reach somehow manages to live up to its lofty expectations.

Half-Life 2

Few developers are talented enough to seamlessly include both the terrifying Ravenholm with the dark alien sanctuary of the Citadel. Some games make incredible atmospheric levels, but Half-Life 2 feels like an entire world. Valve’s innovative features and level design might not be as revolutionary now as they were when the game was released to critical acclaim in 2004, but this is still one of the best FPS adventures money can buy.