Dusk
Over the last decade, FPS games inspired by retro shooters from the ’90s have grown quite commonplace. At this point, this subgenre is threatening to become oversaturated, but this movement’s greatest offerings can comfortably stand alongside the classics of yesteryear. Dusk is, at the very least, a contender for the best indie shooter of the modern era. The game should satisfy long-time fans of the genre along with people only familiar with contemporary Call of Duty and Battlefield games.
Metro Exodus
The most recent entry in 4A Games’ highly regarded first-person shooter franchise, Metro Exodus incorporates the claustrophobic underground tunnels that defined its predecessors as part of larger maps. Although not fully open-world, Metro Exodus does prioritize exploration more than past entries, allowing players to soak in the game’s world as they traverse largely desolate but constantly active environments.
Forsaken Remastered
The 1990s put first-person shooters on the map, with games like DOOM, Wolfenstein, and Blood being rightfully hailed as all-time classics. Released a bit later in the era, Forsaken did not quite manage to achieve that level of longevity, although that is by no means a reflection of a lack of quality.
Faithfully recreated in this remaster, Forsaken places players on a hoverbike and drops them into a series of missions with the goal to kill everything en route to the end of the level. Compared to its contemporaries, Forsaken’s controls provided more freedom of movement, and the gunplay holds up pretty well after all these years. Fans of ’90s shooters should definitely check this one out.
Metal Slug 3
Oh, here is a game that should bring up some beautiful memories for anyone who attended arcades during the early 2000s. Metal Slug 3 is arguably the best entry in SNK’s consistently awesome franchise, and age has done nothing to dull the run and gun game’s brilliance.
Strife: Veteran Edition
In 1996, Strife pushed the FPS genre into uncharted territory by introducing RPG elements. The game features NPCs, quests, voice acting, and open-ended levels. While rudimentary by today’s standards, that does not take anything away from Strife’s accomplishments. This title arguably deserves to be remembered more fondly than it is.
For the FPS portion of the experience, Strife is built on the DOOM engine; consequently, the gunplay is basically identical to Id Software’s groundbreaking ’90s shooter. Admittedly, Strife has not aged as well as DOOM and can be a slog to play at times, although the Veteran Edition does include a number of quality-of-life improvements.
Shock Troopers
RELATED: Classic Run And Gun Games That Hold Up
Bloodrayne: Terminal Cut
Compared to its sequel, Bloodrayne works better as an old-school third-person shooter, even if gunplay is just one small part of the game’s combat routine. The campaign largely revolves around Rayne shooting and slashing her way through a Nazi-infested encampment, which provides enough entertainment to keep things clicking for a few hours. Rayne has a decent selection of weapons at her disposal, but they are designed to support her melee capabilities rather than supersede them.
Saints Row The Third Remastered
Volition’s Saints Row started as an alternative to Grand Theft Auto, but by the third game, the series started to embrace its more cartoonish tendencies. Although not as unhinged as Saints Row 4, 2011’s entry is unapologetically over-the-top and sets players loose on a city overrun with gang activity and influenced by corrupt organizations like the Syndicate and S.T.A.G.
Saints Row The Third is a comedic experience through and through, and that extends to the arsenal of guns the Saints have access to. While there are some more “ordinary” weapons, the game is also not afraid to get weird and juvenile with its designs, a decision that mostly works in the title’s favor. The story missions can be a touch hit-and-miss, but Saints Row The Third has such a fun sandbox that its flaws are ultimately easy to forgive.
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon
With Tom Clancy’s The Division, most of the main Far Cry games, and Watch Dogs 2, Luna’s Ubisoft+ channel has plenty of shooters waiting to be streamed. As good as those games are, they are considerable time investments, so they can be a hard sell. Luckily, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is an exception.
This over-the-top spin-off is a send-up of classic ’80s action movies, and it is pretty hilarious. Despite featuring a (small) open-world, Blood Dragon is a streamlined experience that generally funnels players toward the action, all the while giving them freedom in how they approach situations. The gunplay is about as good as anything in the Far Cry series, even if some of the more recent releases might have slight improvements in a few areas.
Contra Anniversary Collection
Metal Slug is no slouch, but when it comes to run and gun properties, Contra is the top dog. In the same year that saw the debut of the disastrous Contra: Rogue Corps, Konami also released a compilation containing the franchise’s 8 and 16-bit entries, reminding everyone why this series is so highly regarded.
All the games in this package are great, and they are also painfully difficult. If pushed to select the best of the best, Contra 3: The Alien Wars would have to take the prize, but it has stiff competition.
Everspace
Why shoot things on Earth when space is an option? Everspace unleashes players on countless star systems, challenging them to weave and turn among the planets as they destroy enemies, loot ships, and occasionally stop for a refuel. Eventually, this universe’s big bad will arrive to signal that it is time to go, which involves finding an exit gate and jumping to the next area. If a pilot fails to depart in time and meets an explosive end, they can at least rejoice in knowing their death is not meaningless since they can use their loot to upgrade their ship for future runs.
Control: Ultimate Edition
Remedy Entertainment’s Control takes place in the Federal Bureau of Control, which is basically a building that studies and contains all sorts of bizarre phenomena. Naturally, something dangerous has broken free and is rampaging through the FBC, and it is up to the player as Jesse Faden to get to the bottom of things. Along with a myriad of satisfying powers, Jesse receives a unique shape-shifting weapon called the Director’s Gun.
Compatible with six forms in Control: Ultimate Edition, this gun is a versatile and cool item that complements Jesse’s abilities. Admittedly, wielding this weapon is not nearly as fun as launching things with telekinesis or levitating, but these mechanics come together to create a deep and addictive combat system that brings out the best in Control.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege Ultimate Edition
One of the best and most long-lasting online shooters of the last decade, Rainbow Six Siege got over an uneven start to blossom into something truly special. Players are divided into two teams, each one picking an operator that has their own weapons, gadgets, and abilities. Then, one unit attacks while the other tries to counter them.
Far Cry 6: Ultimate Edition
Blood Dragon is probably the best FPS on Ubisoft+, but the mainline entries deserve attention as well. If focusing on purely the open-world, Far Cry 4 is the place to start; however, in terms of gunplay, the series has improved with each new entry. Consequently, Far Cry 6 has the strongest gameplay in the franchise, even if most of the advancements over the previous entries are quite subtle.
Set in the tropical Yara, the 2021 game delivers a prototypical Far Cry experience: charismatic villain, hungry wildlife, and countless camps that need to be cleared out. The formula might lack some originality, but it still manages to get results. The gunplay is smooth, responsive, and accessible.
Brothers In Arms: Road To Hill 30 (Only On PC)
Although dated in places, all three titles are well regarded, and newcomers should start from the first game, Road to Hill 30. Rather than a single soldier, Brothers in Arms focuses on units and requires players to think about how they should approach encounters as a group rather than as individuals.
