Early shooter games were simple, often viewed from a side angle like in Contra, or with enemies approaching directly on the screen as in Duck Hunt. The first-person shooter as we know it today really took off in the 1990s, and the genre has continued to evolve ever since. Now, there’s a shooter game for every preference, whether you’re looking for fast-paced action like Titanfall 2 or a suspenseful, immersive experience like Resident Evil Village.
If you’re interested in seeing how first-person shooter games have changed over the last thirty years, these titles are worth a look. While they aren’t as revolutionary now, they’re still enjoyable and offer a glimpse into gaming history.
Wolfenstein 3D
The Birth Of Modern FPS Games
With its fast-paced action, Wolfenstein 3D was a groundbreaking first-person shooter that built upon the earlier Wolfenstein games, which were originally played from a top-down perspective. Players navigated a base, shooting enemies and finding items like keys. The game also featured a unique heads-up display, showing the player’s health visually through the character’s head.
While the game might seem a bit old-fashioned and its design can be confusing now, it’s still really enjoyable to run around and destroy enemies, especially Nazis, with powerful weapons. Plus, the last boss is worth seeing – it was a surprisingly funny twist back in 1992.
Half-Life
Breaking Through Environmental Storytelling
Look, I’ve played a lot of shooters, and Half-Life always felt different. It wasn’t about running and gunning like Wolfenstein 3D or Doom. It was more about thinking your way through things. What really blew my mind was how the story unfolded around you, just through the environment, without a bunch of cutscenes interrupting the action. It was a game that really showed you things instead of telling you, and it set a new standard for how stories could be told in games.
The game stood out as a truly unsettling horror shooter, largely due to the terrifying, mutated humans controlled by Headcrabs. It also made the simple crowbar iconic – players often relied on it when they ran out of ammunition. Ultimately, this game was a turning point for Valve, forever changing the company’s direction.
Counter-Strike
A New Standard For Multiplayer
Counter-Strike started as a player-created modification, or ‘mod,’ for the popular game Half-Life, which was common in the late 90s and early 2000s. The creators, Valve, were impressed and helped develop Counter-Strike into its own standalone game. Even with many other complex multiplayer games available now, Counter-Strike remains popular on Steam.
There’s a simple pleasure in a shooter where you just focus on defeating the other team. Counter-Strike really changed the game for online multiplayer shooters, so it’s a must-try for any fan of the genre.
Halo: Combat Evolved
FPS Games Come To Consoles
Halo: Combat Evolved was one of the first games released with the original Xbox, and it played a huge role in the console’s success. Before Halo, first-person shooter games were generally better played on computers, but Halo set a new standard for comfortable and intuitive controls on consoles.
For console gamers, this game finally delivered something to be proud of – it wasn’t just playable, it was truly excellent. Players loved the main character, Master Chief, and the game featured creative weapons and a revolutionary feature: the ability to commandeer vehicles in large, open areas.
Red Faction
Destructible Environments To Play Your Way
While not as popular as Halo: Combat Evolved, the PlayStation 2 game Red Faction was praised for a unique feature: the ability to destroy walls. This opened up new ways to explore the game world, and became a key element that the Red Faction series continued to build upon in future installments.
There’s always something satisfying about bursting through a door to catch enemies off guard, but surprisingly, this tactic didn’t become hugely popular in shooter games. Even so, Red Faction remains impressive for what it achieved on the PlayStation 2 years ago.
Metroid Prime
An Easy Transition To 3D
When classic NES series moved to 3D graphics, the results were hit or miss. Some transitions, like with Super Mario 64, were successful, while others, such as Castlevania 64, weren’t. Fortunately, Metroid made a great jump to 3D with Metroid Prime on the GameCube, and it became a highly-regarded first-person shooter.
Retro Studios made a great choice by including sections where you play as the Morph Ball, offering a different perspective. The game proved that the Metroidvania style could translate well into a 3D world, and the recent Switch remaster makes it very accessible to replay. With its exploration, puzzles, and combat, the atmosphere of Metroid Prime remains truly impressive.
Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Welcome To 2007
First-person shooter (FPS) games stayed relatively similar for a period, but 2007 marked a significant turning point with the release of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. This game was groundbreaking for its focus on contemporary combat, moving away from the World War II settings that had become common in games like Call of Duty and Medal of Honor.
The gunplay felt incredibly smooth and precise, rivaling the best console shooters like Halo. The single-player campaign offered a diverse and thrilling experience, but the multiplayer was the real standout. Its innovative leveling system during matches completely changed how people played online.
Borderlands
A Loot-Based Shooter Before Destiny
The Diablo series was a pioneer in creating action role-playing games focused on collecting loot, viewed from above. Borderlands then built on this concept, adapting it to the shooter genre. The first Borderlands game featured four different character classes, each with a wide range of abilities to unlock, but the story wasn’t particularly strong.
Even so, the game was enjoyable to play solo or with friends. Finding new guns was incredibly addictive, especially since they were more unique than typical shooter weapons – things like guns that fired fire or electricity. The Borderlands series became much better after this first installment, and Destiny later took the looter-shooter genre even further, but it’s important to recognize the impact Borderlands had on the genre.
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2025-11-27 02:37