You might think FPSs get worse from here. Well, that’s just it…there are MORE FPSs released in a given year now since they’ve become super popular, so there’s always the potential for shit…but I think you’ll find something interesting, especially with this year.

Blood 2 – The Chosen

In my opinion, this isn’t nearly as good as the original, but it’s still a fun romp with a little bit of dark comedy here and there. Plus, it doesn’t look half bad either.

Delta Force

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNf3_cy1cgI&feature=related

So, it kinda reminds me of Call of Duty, only it doesn’t look as fun, enjoyable, or well-polished. Eh, I’d probably give it a pass.

Gunmetal

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Dp2_txz7M8

…I don’t THINK it’s supposed to be that fast, but…well…I don’t know, it looks ALRIGHT, but not much more than that. Personally, I’d say Shogo is better and GOOD NEWS! Wiki didn’t forget about that one after all!

Redneck Rampage Rides Again

Well, the uploader claims it’s a sequel, but I’m pretty sure it’s just an expansion pack. Therefore, much like with Blake Stone, my original opinion still applies. It does look a little less barren, but the level design definitely needs more work.

Shogo – Mobile Armor Division

YES. Monolith? Check. Anime themed? Check. FPS on the ground AND in a giant fucking mech sorta like Armored Core or Mechwarrior but simpler? Motherfucking check! I’m convinced this is what inspired the mechs in F.E.A.R. 2, which were unnecessary, but totally awesome in this title. About my only complaint about this title is there’s so much going on it wrecks the original control interface and you have to futz with it for a while to get it to right where you need it to be.

Even still, it’s a very fun game with good cinematics, a good story, good graphics, and much more. Definitely worth checking out.

SiN

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXlvcnMM1EQ&feature=related

I can tell there was a lot of effort put into this one, but it just doesn’t come off as that impressive. I mean, I’m seeing a lot of new stuff like moving lightmaps and such, but other than the visceral aspects, voiceover work, and cinematics, it doesn’t seem that special. In other words, this is parallel to what I was talking about regarding modern FPSs, at least if this movie is any representation of this title.

It might be worth checking out, but just from this movie alone, I’d be willing to give it a pass.

South Park

Don’t get me wrong, I love South Park…but I hate this fucking game. It’s boring, generic, and just plain not fun. The most fun aspects of the game are the cutscenes and ironically, there aren’t enough of them to keep the game interesting. Multiplayer was okay, but only just that.

Spec Ops – Rangers Lead the Way

This is one of the only two screenshots I could find for this game and sadly any time I tried to reference it on youtube, it automatically popped up for Modern Warfare 2 levels for some reason. I did, however, find a brief description of it.

“Spec Ops is the first in a series of realistic, action-oriented, real-time 3D third-person games based on elite warfare units – with the emphasis on action and realism.”

If that’s the case, I’m going to guess it’s something like Rainbow Six, which I’ve grown to hate. I’ll probably produce a rant on it later, but for now, just keep that in mind.

Spec Ops – Ranger Team Bravo

…Multiplayer add-on. I don’t rightly see how that could be any fun whatsoever, given the original content, but hey, I’m just speaking outta my ass here. I didn’t try Splinter Cell’s multiplayer either, so I don’t know. I’m personally going to give it a pass, but I’m listing this all the same in case you’re interested.

Starsiege – Tribes

Now I could be wrong as I never played this one, but I believe this is similar to TF2 in that it’s multiplayer only. I’m not saying that because it’s bad. It actually looks pretty goddamn fun, just never played it myself. I would normally give it a shot, but there’s a good chance that since it’s older no one really plays it anymore.

Star Trek – The Next Generation – Klingon Honor Guard

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0FgT7ON9Xk

So this might shock you, but I never really got into Next Generation. Don’t get me wrong…I LOVED the original Star Trek series, but pretty much everything after that I just never gave a shit about. And I tried. That was the thing…I really, really tried. But it just bored the everloving shit out of me. Whew…anyway, with that disclaimer out of the way, this game actually looks pretty fun, but again, you’d probably have to know more about Next Generation in order to really get anything out of it other than it being basically Quake 2, but with a Star Trek theme to it.

Star Wars Jedi Knight – Mysteries of the Sith

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4-BSgsBMm8

So this kinda reminds me of a poor man’s Shadows of the Empire, which is especially sad because I don’t think that game made it to Wiki either. Looks fun, but again, if it’s pretty much like SotE, I’ll know pretty much what to expect. Not that that’s a bad thing…Shadows was a kickass title. Speaking of kickass titles that I was concerned about regarding Wiki…

Thief – The Dark Project

This is one of the most fun stealth games EVER. And yes, it’s TOUGH AS BALLS. This game is brutal and relentless. It requires good planning, excellent stealth, and perfect timing in combat when you actually do fuck up and get detected. Unlike Metal Gear Solid where you get guns and you kinda sorta need stealth, you get weapons from the get go, but the likelihood you’ll actually survive should you choose combat over stealth is very, VERY low.

Thief is an incredibly cunning game that inspired various titles including but certainly not limited to Deus Ex, Bioshock, and much more. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that it was the same studio that made all of those…so there is that.

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six

So this guy goes on to spunk all over the game and hey, that’s great. After all, they must’ve done something right if they’re still making them. But I hate it. No really, I motherfucking hate this game. Maybe it was just that I was younger and didn’t know what I was doing…maybe. But holy fuck did I hate this game. I know I’ll certainly be giving this a pass, but hey, if you like stealth FPSs based around modern weaponry and/or you’re a fan of the series anyway, certainly don’t let me stop you from checking it out.

Turok 2 – Seeds of Evil

The first Turok was incredible and this one improved on every living aspect of the original. The cinematics are great, the voiceover work is pretty good, the graphics are amazing, the music kicks ass, and everything else you would expect from Turok is back and better than ever. If you haven’t played this title, you are seriously missing out. Check it!

Unreal

Yes, the original EPIC classic. And no, I’m not a big fan. In a surprising twist, I actually really like Unreal Tournament and even Gears of War, but not the original single player Unreal. I know they did quite a lot, but it just comes off feeling…ehhh to me. I don’t know why, I just don’t like it that much. Still, it deserves to be mentioned because of games like GoW and UT, so there you go. Mentioned. Pass.

Varginha Incident

The WHAT incident? Oh my God…that’s just plain filthy! Wait wait…”Varginha?” Well, I have no idea what that is, but it still sounds WRONG. Joking aside, the game is incredibly generic, though I am liking the level design a bit. And that’s about it, really. It’s not that special and the graphics are sorely dated. Pass.

Z.A.R.

So we have another Russian FPS here (or it could be Polish, I’m not sure) and it’s…well, pretty terrible looking…as usual…yeah. Sorry, this may have been spicy titties back in the day, but it looks horribly generic, especially compared to the other titles this year. And of course, there’s no way it or anything else came close to touching…

Winner: Half-Life

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7J80KD4BG7M

This game is incredible. No, the graphics didn’t quite reach the level of Turok 2 and there isn’t any real music to speak of, but the game is incredible all the same. Literally, it feels like you’re playing a sci-fi movie the whole way through. There are interesting twists, great eventing work, lots of great challenges, plenty of memorable moments, and…well, if you haven’t played it, I certainly wouldn’t want to spoil it for you.

All I’ll say is…it’s quite an experience. I mean, you play games like F.E.A.R. and Condemned and it’s easy to forget that games didn’t use to be like that…and in my opinion, it all started with this.

Conclusion

This was a great year and it’s becoming more and more obvious that we’re reaching an apex. I’m not saying eventually it will all go downhill, just remember my last rant. The good news is pretty much all games from here on out will be in full 3D with lots of great effects, shading, and what have you. Not too shortly from here games will start getting more photo realistic and even more incredible…so stay tuned!