Because while other game genres were still struggling with the use of 3D back in 2002, shooters were all in on the immersion. These descendants of the original Doom would eventually lay the groundwork for the more popular shooter titles that everyone and their Mountain Dew-loving kids play today.

8 Duke Nukem Advance

Platforms: Game Boy Advance Other Genres: Sci-Fi

There’s this ancient relic of the Stone Age called the Game Boy Advance, and it was made by the progenitors of Nintendo. It was a device so old, that it could mostly only render 2D games. That’s why Duke Nukem Advance was a marvel of handheld tech. Because it was a port of Duke Nukem 3D squeezed into the Game Boy Advance.

It was the full Duke Nukemexperience but in the palm of your hands. In a time when most shooters were available only on the PC, Duke Nukem Advance pushed the boundaries of what was possible with the aging handheld console. The gameplay and visuals were stuck in 1993, but it’s a 3D game on a Game Boy, that’s more than enough.

7 Unreal Championship

Platforms: Xbox Other Genres: Sci-Fi, Multiplayer

Back in the 2000s, games with the word “Unreal” in their title were bound to be flagbearers of the latest graphical tech for consoles. Unreal Championship was no exception. It was one of the first Xbox-exclusive games back when they were still positive that they could defeat Sony in its own arena.

The Unreal Championship, for the most part, was a multiplayer game in the same vein as Quake and its sequels. It was about fragging players in a fast-paced shooter that rewards pixel-perfect aim. Before Call of Duty games took the scene, this one, Quake, and Counter-Strike were the kings of multiplayer shooters.

6 Red Faction 2

Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 2, GameCube, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox Other Genres: Sci-Fi

It’s an old game alright, but Red Faction 2 was one of the prettiest games back in its generation. It came after a time when Half-Life introduced the world to the possibilities of 3D FPS games, and Red Faction 2 was poised to take the crown. It’s set during the 22nd century Earth five years after the events of the first game.

As far as its FPS gameplay goes, it’s pretty scripted as per today’s standards. The game dumps several weapons on the players’ laps and sends hordes of grunts their way. However, the game was somewhat ahead of its time for featuring a karma system that rewards players based on the morality of their actions.

5 Serious Sam: The Second Encounter

Platforms: Microsoft Windows Other Genres: Sci-Fi

Serious Sam: The Second Encounter is an episodic follow-up to the first game, aptly subtitled, The First Encounter. Like the first game, Serious Sam: The Second Encounter takes an arcade approach where players frantically shoot down waves of alien and monstrous creatures as the titular testosterone-fueled action hero.

The game also has a semi-parody theme and setting where it mixes different genres from cyberpunk to fantasy. Sam must travel to different worlds after defeating each stage in order to confront the root of all the chaos. This one’s best played co-op with friends and strangers— it’s also one of the few FPS games with couch co-op for up to four players in a split-screen.

4 MechAssault

Platforms: Xbox Other Genres: Vehicular Combat, Sci-Fi

For those who prefer big robots to big gung-ho shooter protagonists, then MechAssault offers something different. It’s a mech game where players get to control a giant robot as they shoot their way through enemy lines. It’s part of the BattleTech series and takes place in the same universe.

MechAssault is also yet again, another Xbox exclusive. Players must investigate a rogue planet where they find themselves and their mech under assault on all sides by tech-worshiping cultists. Anyone who’s a fan of mecha combat will find plenty to like here as it was also one of the most visually impressive games on the Xbox back then.

3 TimeSplitters 2

Platforms: PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox Other Genres: Sci-Fi

TimeSplitters 2 is an old and renowned name in the FPS genre, and it’s one of the few novel games that didn’t settle for a static setting. Because as the title implies, players get to jump through different timelines thanks to the game’s electrifying plot involving time travel.

Each level is a different time period as players must chase aliens hell-bent on ruining humanity’s timelines through the use of Time Crystals. That’s how time travel worked in this series. And as with the traditional time travel story trope, players must exercise caution in order to not look out of place in a specific timeline, so each level is like its own mini-video game.

2 Battlefield 1942

Platforms: Microsoft Windows, macOS, Classic Mac OS Other Genres: World War 2, Multiplayer

When Battlefield 1942 came out, it was instantly hailed as one of the most ambitious FPS games to date. Because back then— and even now, Battlefield was one of the few shooter games to let players wage a full-scale war involving drivable vehicles and artillery. In 1942, however, the scale was a bit smaller due to network constraints and limitations.

Still, there was nothing like Battlefield 1942 back in its time. It focuses on multiplayer as teams of dozens of players battle it out in their dream World War 2 digital LARP. Its significance certainly reverberated throughout the decades, and Battlefield 1942 launched its own franchise and arguably, its own multiplayer game genre since it’s still one-of-a-kind.

1 Medal Of Honor: Allied Assault

Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Linux, macOS, Classic Mac OS Other Genres: World War 2

Medal of Honor walked so Call of Duty could run. In fact, it was developers who previously worked on Medal of Honor games that brought Call of Duty to the industry. Medal of Honor: Allied Assault was the third game in the series. Its primary focus was a cinematic and interactive recreation of a World War 2 battlefield with scripted events.

Players get to digitally experience and relive the intensity of the D-Day landing and many other military operations in Allied Assault’s episodic campaign. The kind of visuals and gameplay it had was magic back in 2002. Needless to say, it popularized the World War 2 genre in gaming, which made Call of Duty’s road to success all too smooth.

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