First-Person Shooters that was not short on story/atmosphere

[JemyM]

The topic is controversial and will more than likely get some flames on a board I know is dominated by oldschool gamers. I got the flamesuit on so try me. :cool:

Here I will focus on some First-Person Shooters that actually delivers a well written story, well written NPC's, nice twists and a good atmosphere. The purpose is to show that while the genré is often forgetable, there are some shiny gems worth playing for them who thinks FPS's are for braindead people. Ironically, several of the following got weak sales thanks to not fitting well with twitchhappy actiongamers.

Alien VS Predator 2 (2001)
Main Characters: Corporal Andrew "Frosty" Harrison, a Predator, an Alien
Noteable Characters: Dr. Eisenberg, head researcher of the LV-1201 facility, General Vasili Rykov, head of the mercenaries assigned to defend LV-1201, The Empress, the Xenomorph queen
Story: AVP2 tells a unconventional story about three "heroes" who would probably be bitter enemies against eachother but they all share the same foe. The events intervene and takes place at pretty much the same time. The story is fairly complex to give without giving away spoilers but all three heroes will battle LV-1201 and their corrupt leaders.

Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth (2006)
Main Character: Jack Walters, private detective
Noteable Characters: Many characters taken from H.P. Lovecraft's novels, most noteworthy Obed Marsh
Story: Based heavily on H.P. Lovecraft's short novel Shadow Over Innsmouth, also borrowing elements from The Shadow Out Of Time. The game tells the story of Jack Walters who are hired to a manor house in Boston, Massachussetts to deal with a cult calling themselves Fellowship of the Yith. Something there happens that are so terrible to Jack's mind that he ends up several years in Arkham Assylum. The real story begins 7 years later in Innsmouth, a run-down, underpopulated and extremely xenophobic New England port town, shut off from the rest of the world. Here Jack is sent to deal with a robbery of a certain Brian Burnham, but Jack is going to find so much more, including the truth about his own past.

Call of Juarez (2006) (Added by Moriendor)
Main characters: Reverend Ray and Billy
Noteable characters: dto
Story: The young and impulsive Billy flees his family ranch after a violent bust-up with his stepfather. Billy roams the length and breadth of America; two years pass, then Billy decides to go home. The day of his return, gunshots are heard at the ranch from as far away as the neighboring town. One of the town’s inhabitants informs the Reverend Ray, the brother of Billy’s stepfather. At the farm, the Pastor discovers the bodies of his brother and wife and then spots Billy, bloodied whip in hand, standing by a wall daubed with the words ‘’Call of Juarez’’, written in blood. The young man notices the Reverend and flees in a panic.
Ray was well aware of the quarrels between his brother and Billy and figures out that the stepson must have killed the couple in a fit of anger. He vows to avenge the death of his brother and sister in law, and sets out in pursuit of Billy. In the course of his pitiless chase, he chooses to become once more what he was several years previously: a fearsome and bloodthirsty killer.
The specialty of CoJ is that you play hunter and hunted alternately.
JemyM comments: I have not played this myself.

Clive Barker´s Undying (2001)
Main Character: Patrick Galloway, adventurer of the paranormal
Noteable Characters: Jeremiah Covenant, Patrick's old war buddy and his siblings, Lizbeth, Aaron, Bethany and Ambrose
Story: The game begins with Patrick receiving a letter from his old war buddy Jeremiah Covenant. Upon arrival (Ireland) Jeremiah explainss that his family have a dark secret. As children the siblings performed a dark ritual and now at adult age they have fallen to madness and eventually death, all except Jeremiah. The siblings have however woke up from the grave and are now haunting the huge family mansion as well as it's surroundings. Patrick as an experienced ghost hunter sets of to deal with the problem. The story is progressed throughout spooky stages, cutscenes, books and notes that you find along the way.

Deus Ex (2002)
Main Character: J.C Denton, a NANO augmented UNATCO agent
Noteable characters: Deus Ex also tells the story of Paul Denton, J.C's brother, but Deus Ex really have more characters and organisations that can be listed in short.
Story: Deus Ex begins in a cyberpunk society, plagued by a virus known as "Gray Death". Because of the rarity of the cure the nation is in turmoil and several terrorist organisations such as the National Secessionist Force plagues the people and the government. A special anti-terrorist organisation is founded under the United States, fighting a war on terror. The story features many twists and turns and the game won several prices for prices for Best Storyline.

F.E.A.R (2005) (Added by Moriendor)
Main character: F.E.A.R point man
Noteable characters: Alma, Paxton Fettel, Harlan Wade, Norton Mapes
Story: The player is a part of F.E.A.R, a secret special ops unit of the U.S. government specialized in dealing with paranormal threats. At the beginning of the game, the player witnesses how a man called Paxton Fettel is taking command of a batallion of telepathically controlled clone supersoldiers and how Fettel's army seizes control of the Armacham Technolgy Corporation (ATC) structure, killing all its occupants. F.E.A.R's mission is to track down and eliminate Fettel. For more or full info on the story check here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F.E.A.R.#Plot) at Wikipedia.
JemyM comments: F.E.A.R is a horror game with alot of scary scenes and alot of atmosphere with a dark and gruesome story. I was personally distanced from the story due to the prescence of the "Replica Soldiers" who you are forced to fight throughout the entire game. Theese soldiers do not seem to have anything to do with the rest of the story and there are far too many of them based on the explanation why they are there. A storytelling technique Moriendor did not mention is that F.E.A.R use answering machines that can be used to play up messages, usually among people who talked to eachother before things went sour (similar to System Shock 2). This helps to flesh out the story.

No One Lives Forever 1 (2000) & 2 (2002)
Main Character: Cate Archer, scottish spy
Noteable characters: The entire gallery of NOLF is memorable, including the villians. Following the story of Armstrong, the scottish villian is as fun as following Cate Archer herself.
Story: In the year of 1960, in a homage to classic spy movies/books, UNITY, a secret organisation, works against the terrorist organisation known as H.A.R.M. The main character, a female ex-thief who struggle with old male prejudice, resembles Emma Peel from The Avengers. NOLF1 packs one of the greatest end twists of all time, which gave birth to NOLF2. The game won several Game of the year prices, including Computer Games Magazine, Computer Gaming World, PC Gamer and Gamespy.

System Shock 2 (1999)
Main Character: Military recruit
Noteable characters: Dr. Janice Polito, the mystical Shodan, XERXES the computer A.I
Story: The player takes the role of a military recruit hired to protect security on the spaceship Von Braun's maiden voyage. He is awakened from cryo sleep just after something strange happened with the ship. Quickly he discovers that something is wrong. The events that have taken place on Von Braun is told through events, discs, letters, e-mails and journals from other passengers.

The Jedi Knight Series
Main Character: Kyle Katarn, Jedi Knight
starwars.com's databank (http://www.starwars.com/databank/character/kylekatarn/index.html)
Noteable Characters: Jan Ors, Kyle's friend and ally, several villians and famous characters from the movies
Story: 3 games were made with Kyle Katarn as the main character and 2 have him present as a master. A few books use the character.
In Dark Forces, Kyle work under Mon Mothma, dealing with the Dark Trooper Project. Dark Forces expand the myth of Dark Troopers. The real story about Kyle begin in Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II, where Kyle learns of his true heritage. Morgan Katarn, his father, once helped the Jedi Rahn to close off the Valley of the Jedi, a resting place for Jedi who became one with the force. Jedi Knight uses cinematic cutscenes with real actors. In Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith, Kyle acts as the master for Mara Jade (character from the Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn). In Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast (My personal favorite), Kyle have resigned as a Jedi when Jan Ors are taken prisoner and killed. Kyle sets off across the galaxy to bring the Dark Jedi Desann to Justice but must first relearn the force to stand a chance. In Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy Kyle again takes the role of a master to the main character, Jaden Korr, force prodigy. In the end the player may take the dark path and make Kyle the antagonist. The true end of Kyle Katarn is considered to be unknown, chosen by players of Jedi Academy.

Vampire: Bloodlines (2004)
Main Character: A new vampire
Noteable Characters: Many interesting characters like the powerhungry Sebastian LaCroix, Smiling Jack the Anarch (your mentor), and the sexy malkavian Jeanette with her sister Therese
Story: Vampire Bloodlines tells the story of a fresh new vampire in Los Angeles. Places like Santa Monica, Hollywood and Chinatown are visited in the game. The players are torn between competing organisations of vampires. Beyond finding your space in the city, the plot surrounds a mystical sarcophagus that all factions wants, with different ideas of it contents. Some say it contains an ancient vampire that, if consumed (drinking it's blood), would give the consumer godlike powers.

[Danicek]

As for a atmosphere (although this is probably not exactly the thing you have on your mind), the best one for me was the first Half Life.

From the list about, the Deux Ex was most noticable in my opinion, featuring several interesting characteristics, that may qualify it (as often stated) as semi-RPG-FPS game.

[JemyM]

While I have a few other FPS favorites they fell off the list because the story wasnt as complex and memorable. Games like The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay and Far Cry.

Halo had a decent story but was quite repetitive and a bit long in comparision to the games actual content. Nice epic final level from an actiongamers point of view.

[Jaz]

You listed Clive Barker's Undying; it can't be mentioned without comparing it to Realms of the Haunting (yes, once again ;) ). RotH (which preceded Undying by several years) tried to merge the shooter and adventure genres; it delivered a strong haunted house story that actually spanned several realms. Most critics loved it while sales bombed: 'average' adventure gamers found it too heavy on action while 'average' shooter gamers thought there was too much pixel-hunting going on. It still has a strong fan base, and those who loved RotH found Undying the only game that came close in style and atmosphere. There even was a fan project about a RotH remake with the Undying engine; alas, it never came to fruition as far as I know.

Realms of the Haunting (1996)
Main Character: Adam Randall, son of a recently deceased Cornish priest
Noteable Characters: Rebecca Trevisard, unexpected little helper; Claude Florentine, schemer; Aelf, Hawk and Raphael, good guys; Belial, Gaul and the Dodger: bad guys; the Gnarl: strange guy.
Story: Adam's father died in a fire; shortly afterwards, he is visited by a former colleague of his father's, who gives him a box full of broken coins. When Adam visits the mansion where his father lived before he died, he soon discovers that he won't be able to leave without solving its mystery...
This may sound like your typical Haunted House story, and it is... with nice twists and a unique atmosphere.

[JemyM]

There was actually someone on another forum mentioning Realms of the Haunting. I had personally completely missed that one. I bet I would have loved it if I knew about it sooner but it looks a bit too outdated today.

[xSamhainx]

AvP2 is an incredible game, and that took me by total suprise. I expected it to suck, but was wholly taken aback by the suspense in that game. It scared the hell out of me a few times!

On that note, I think Nosferatu is worth a mention. The story is nothing special, but the game's atmosphere is superb. Highly recommended for people who like the classic American and European gothic horror classics.

[Jaz]

@JemyM: I replayed it last year and I still loved it, but it's one of my favorite games, anyway, and I don't mind outdated graphics at all.
Screenies: http://www.realmsofthehaunting.com/screenshots.php

Heck, I even replay Catacomb 3D and Ken's Labyrinth from time to time... *that's* what I'd call outdated graphics :)...
Catacomb screenie: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:2cat3d_3.png
Ken's Lab screenies: http://advsys.net/ken/klab.htm

[JemyM]

I don't mind outdated graphics at all.

I have a problem with year 1995-2000. Thoose were experimental years. The passover from 2d art to 3d art. Prior to year 2000 the polygons/textures was of a such low quality that they remind me about virtual reality rather than an attempt to create an actual world. Post 2000 (Deus Ex and forward) the maps started to look more like real 3d rendered places, with improved character models with real faces/facial expressions and higher textures.

Another technique I cannot stand though are lowres games using digitized actors or bitmapped 3d renderings downscaled to low resolution. This is the 2nd reason I have problems with the 1995-2000 era. For example, Toonstruck or Darkseed.

I can, however, appreciate handdrawn 2d art. Such art does not feel cheap which makes them as impressive today as when the game was first released. Because of this, I play many 2d games, and I have a personal goal to beat all adventuregames that was released up to 1995 as long as they had some recognition as good games.

All of this sadly means that System Shock 2 is a bit outdated by my standards as well. If I would play it today I would use the high-res texturemods.

[JemyM]

AvP2 is an incredible game, and that took me by total suprise. I expected it to suck, but was wholly taken aback by the suspense in that game. It scared the hell out of me a few times!

AVP2 was the first game I cheated in since the Amiga age... reason being that I just cannot stand anything with 8 legs and thoose facehuggers in particular. So I used noclip to bypass an area as a predator... out of pure fear...

[Kendrik]

For atmosphere I quite liked Vampire: Bloodlines. The Seaview hotal was very well done and the characters you met in the first 2 locations were good it was a shame it went a bit to FPSy (new word) when you had to go through the Nos's base.

[JemyM]

For atmosphere I quite liked Vampire: Bloodlines. The Seaview hotal was very well done and the characters you met in the first 2 locations were good it was a shame it went a bit to FPSy (new word) when you had to go through the Nos's base.

Oh wow. I missed that one >_<

I will have to add that one after some sleep.

[Moriendor]

There... correctly (I hope) formatted for your copy & pasting convenience in case you should deem these two worthy of adding to your list :) .

F.E.A.R (2005)
Main character: F.E.A.R point man
Noteable characters: Alma, Paxton Fettel, Harlan Wade, Norton Mapes
Story: The player is a part of F.E.A.R, a secret special ops unit of the U.S. government specialized in dealing with paranormal threats. At the beginning of the game, the player witnesses how a man called Paxton Fettel is taking command of a batallion of telepathically controlled clone supersoldiers and how Fettel's army seizes control of the Armacham Technolgy Corporation (ATC) structure, killing all its occupants. F.E.A.R's mission is to track down and eliminate Fettel. For more or full info on the story check here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F.E.A.R.#Plot) at Wikipedia.

Call of Juarez (2006)
Main characters: Reverend Ray and Billy
Noteable characters: dto
Story: The young and impulsive Billy flees his family ranch after a violent bust-up with his stepfather. Billy roams the length and breadth of America; two years pass, then Billy decides to go home. The day of his return, gunshots are heard at the ranch from as far away as the neighboring town. One of the town’s inhabitants informs the Reverend Ray, the brother of Billy’s stepfather. At the farm, the Pastor discovers the bodies of his brother and wife and then spots Billy, bloodied whip in hand, standing by a wall daubed with the words ‘’Call of Juarez’’, written in blood. The young man notices the Reverend and flees in a panic.

Ray was well aware of the quarrels between his brother and Billy and figures out that the stepson must have killed the couple in a fit of anger. He vows to avenge the death of his brother and sister in law, and sets out in pursuit of Billy. In the course of his pitiless chase, he chooses to become once more what he was several years previously: a fearsome and bloodthirsty killer.

The specialty of CoJ is that you play hunter and hunted alternately.

[Corwin]

No-one mentioned the original System Shock which is still an awesome game!!

[Danicek]

AVP2 was the first game I cheated in since the Amiga age... reason being that I just cannot stand anything with 8 legs and thoose facehuggers in particular. So I used noclip to bypass an area as a predator... out of pure fear...

It was one of several FPSs I put back on the shelf just because I started to feel there is no reason the get scared to death, that it is in fact not a real fun for me. Who wants nighmares just because playing games, life has enough of it's own scaring moments. So after several 'I hear it coming somewhere from the dark' with the typical radar sound making it really sound dangerous, I gave up, it was too scary for me. It was one of those games that helped me to realize what I like and what is too much for me. That's why I did not buy latest Doom for example. I know, it would be too scary for me :].

[JDR13]

I've played every game mentioned so far with the exception of NOLF 1&2.

All really good games imho except for COC: Dark Corners of the Earth. I was incredibly disappointed by that game because I had very high hopes for it and waited 3 years for it to come out. It was a short, unbalanced, boring, and buggy piece of dung:)

[Jaz]

I didn't play Vampire and Call of Cthulhu, but I agree with all other games mentioned so far. All good :).

[JDR13]

[QUOTE=JDR13;21525] I've played every game mentioned so far with the exception of NOLF 1&2. QUOTE]


Have to correct myself here.

I haven't played Vampire:Bloodlines yet either. I did just get a copy off Ebay recently and hope to play it later this year.

[JemyM]

The reason I did not originally add F.E.A.R is that I know plenty of people who tried it and ended up dissappointed. :(

I personally enjoyed the game (I love horror games), but the game had one major flaw to me... I never understood who thoose Replica Soldiers were and why they were absolutely everywhere like a huge army. So throughout the entire game you fight hordes of enemies that had almost nothing to do with the story.

Call of Juarez do not work well with nvidia's 8800 series, from what I gathered from the first map you might be right, the game really have alot of western feel.

[JemyM]

Added F.E.A.R, CoJ and Vampire: Bloodlines

[JDR13]

I'm playing F.E.A.R. right now(2nd time) and loving it. You must have missed something if you didn't understand the purpose of the Replica soldiers, they were definitely part of the story. I can't wait to start playing the Extraction Point expansion.


I'm a little confused about this thread though. The title says "First-Person Shooters" but there are some titles being mentioned that are more RPG-Adventure than shooter.

Did you mean any game featuring a first-person view?

[dteowner]

I think you're seeing a little topic drift that's reflecting the rpg-centric population we've got here, JDR13.

[JemyM]

I'm playing F.E.A.R. right now(2nd time) and loving it. You must have missed something if you didn't understand the purpose of the Replica soldiers, they were definitely part of the story. I can't wait to start playing the Extraction Point expansion.

The role of the Replica Soldiers are confusing at best for me. Reading the plot analysis, Paxton was trained to be a military commander and he took control over the Replica Soldiers cloned by ATC. However, there are too many of them to make sense and they are absolutely everywhere. The main character of F.E.A.R is afterall an agent working for the US government along with Delta Force, shouldnt they call in the US Army? A single US specop facing a whole hostile army on US soil sounds a bit over the edge. That the Replica Soldiers are in fact telephatically controlled is a fact that isnt as obvious as it should be.

I'm a little confused about this thread though. The title says "First-Person Shooters" but there are some titles being mentioned that are more RPG-Adventure than shooter.
Did you mean any game featuring a first-person view?

Games in which you shoot stuff in a first person view. All of the games involve killing alot of stuff through aiming and blasting. It's not seldom such games are cross-genré with personal choices and some RPG elements.

[JemyM]

I think you're seeing a little topic drift that's reflecting the rpg-centric population we've got here, JDR13.

I confess I am a RPG junkie, so when I see a RPG in FPS mode I might call it a FPS. :)

I am not so sure im going to call Oblivion or Dark Messiah of Might & Magic as FPS though since they do not really contain alot of shooting. Granted, you can use bows and fireballs but you do not lawnmove alot of foes.

Truth is, finding a "straight" game today is difficult.
From year 2000 and beyond the first-person genr&#233; expanded and the first-person mode was accepted in more genr&#233;s, including roleplaying and strategic games. The quest for realism have made sure that most first-person shooters of today incorperate stuff like stealth skills, multiple endings (based on choice) and point assignment.

In the end, good FPS skills still help, even in Vampire: Bloodlines and Oblivion/Morrowind. They are simply multi genr&#233;; RPG-FPS. As long as you can just pick up a weapon and rely on your own accuracy they are an FPS to me, but they can also be other genr&#233;s.

[txa1265]

I would add 'Boiling Point' to the list. Sure it has RPG elements, and is mission based, but ultimately it is a sandbox shooter. It does a nice job of putting you in the role of Saul and immersing you into the fictional South American country.

As for the Jedi Knight series, I was confused at first when JemyM said 'especially JKII and Jedi Academy', but the problem you mention with 1995 - 2000 seems to explain that. Regardless, I think that the story of the original Jedi Knight is one of the best in a FPS - the novelization of the combined Dark Forces & Jedi Knight worked very well.

I also think that the setting of Return to Castle Wolfenstein was quite good - the story was pretty trite, but it was a nice environment juxtaposing WWII and the occult stuff.

Also liked Tron 2.0's story and game world.

[narpet]

I thought the first Max Payne game had great atmosphere and game play. It was very gritty and the bullet-time effect (one of the first uses of it in a pc game) was great.

[JemyM]

I would add 'Boiling Point' to the list. Sure it has RPG elements, and is mission based, but ultimately it is a sandbox shooter. It does a nice job of putting you in the role of Saul and immersing you into the fictional South American country.

I would love to add it, if it had not been for every website I know ripping the game apart. Better hope for the "sequel", "White Gold: War in Paradise (http://pc.ign.com/objects/825/825322.html)".

As for the Jedi Knight series, I was confused at first when JemyM said 'especially JKII and Jedi Academy', but the problem you mention with 1995 - 2000 seems to explain that. Regardless, I think that the story of the original Jedi Knight is one of the best in a FPS - the novelization of the combined Dark Forces & Jedi Knight worked very well.

Well, you are right. DF and JK to me was a bit outdated, made before 3d games started to feel "cinematic". The cutscenes in both games are quite good though. Maybe I should remove the bit about "Outcast/Academy" though.

I also think that the setting of Return to Castle Wolfenstein was quite good - the story was pretty trite, but it was a nice environment juxtaposing WWII and the occult stuff.

Return of Castle Wolfenstein is one of thoose FPS'es that made me frustrated over the lack of comments from the protagonist. :(

Also liked Tron 2.0's story and game world.

I havnt played that one myself :(

[JemyM]

I thought the first Max Payne game had great atmosphere and game play. It was very gritty and the bullet-time effect (one of the first uses of it in a pc game) was great.

Max Payne 1 & 2 are brilliant. I wouldnt count them as FPS though. :)

[narpet]

Max Payne 1 & 2 are brilliant. I wouldnt count them as FPS though. :)

You're right... I forgot that they were 3rd person games... oops :)

[JemyM]

Crap, I reached the size limit of the first post.

[JemyM]

You're right... I forgot that they were 3rd person games... oops :)

The most hillarious part of Max Payne was to me after Max is drugged...

Max Payne: There was something disturbingly familiar about the letter before me. The handwriting was all pretty curves.
Michelle's voice: You are in a graphic novel.
Max Payne: The truth split my skull open, a glaring green light washing the lies away. All of my past was just fragmented still shots, words hanging in the air like balloons. I was in a graphic novel. Funny as Hell, it was the most horrible thing I could think of.

---

Max Payne: There was something disturbingly familiar about the letter before me. The handwriting was all pretty curves.
Michelle's voice: You are in a computer game, Max.
Max Payne: The truth was a burning green crack through my brain. Weapon statistics hanging in the air, glimpsed out of the corner of my eye. Endless repetition of the act of shooting, time slowing down to show off my moves, the paranoid feel of someone controlling my every step. I was in a computer game. Funny as Hell, it was the the most horrible thing I could think of.

[Ionstormsucks]

Thief, Thief 2, Thief 3... not exactely shooters, but I had to mention them anyway...

[txa1265]

I would love to add it, if it had not been for every website I know ripping the game apart. Better hope for the "sequel", "White Gold: War in Paradise (http://pc.ign.com/objects/825/825322.html)".
Yeah, I was also hard on the game - but only because it was a buggy mess and ran like a pig on high-end systems. ;)
From my review:
Boiling Point is a highly ambitious attempt at this genre-bridging game type.

Unfortunately, as a whole this is only a fair game. It's plagued by bugs that cause occasional crashes, what seem like memory leaks, some scripting and AI issues, obvious script translation artifacts, and some more serious problems with quests and non-player characters. In addition, the computer requirements are gargantuan. Even on a high-end system the game sometimes has issues.

For all of the problems though, there is an enjoyable and lengthy game to play if you can make it through.

Return of Castle Wolfenstein is one of thoose FPS'es that made me frustrated over the lack of comments from the protagonist. :(
I loved the original game on my Apple ][+, and eagerly gobbled up Wolf 3D when it came around, so this was one I was definitely looking forward to ... but it clearly doesn't hold up over time as well as many other games.

[Moriendor]

The role of the Replica Soldiers are confusing at best for me. Reading the plot analysis, Paxton was trained to be a military commander and he took control over the Replica Soldiers cloned by ATC. However, there are too many of them to make sense and they are absolutely everywhere. The main character of F.E.A.R is afterall an agent working for the US government along with Delta Force, shouldnt they call in the US Army? A single US specop facing a whole hostile army on US soil sounds a bit over the edge. That the Replica Soldiers are in fact telephatically controlled is a fact that isnt as obvious as it should be.

Did you use the phones and laptops throughout the game? You will get a lot of background info from mailbox messages and from uploading data to F.E.A.R HQ.
Anyway, I kind of disagree that there are too many Replica soldiers. Compared to other FPSs, I got the impression that the body count was relatively low actually.

Secondly, the Replica soldiers are a clone army so even if you would consider their numbers as high, it shouldn't come as a surprise.

Thirdly, regarding the solo trip of the F.E.A.R point man (your character), you have to be aware that you have supernatural abilities (warning: spoilers ahead!).
Remember the squads (Delta Force, F.E.A.R and ATC, IIRC) who got ripped to shreds by the Replica soldiers and by Fettel? Why should the government send even more troops to their certain death?
You are the only one able to survive the attacks of Replica and the paranormal phenomenons because of your superior reflexes (it's why you have bullet time... you are actually moving superfast when you activate it, not slowing time down).
Remember. You are an offspring of Alma. You are not even really human. You are an experimental supersoldier that is set loose to defeat its own master/mother (Alma) and at the end of the game (after the credits have rolled by), you learn that the experiment was considered as a success and that the government (or at least parts of it) was actually in on it the whole time. They didn't want or need any witnesses. The whole idea of the experiment was to get rid of Alma who got too powerful and went out of control. The government knew that no regular soldier would be up to the job. They knew that only an offspring of Alma herself would stand a chance. Everything went according to plan or at least seemingly... I don't think the gov't knows at the end of the game that Alma is hanging on to the escape chopper's door :biggrin: ... they probably believe you killed her successfully.

[Asbjoern]

I would say the MoH series up until after MoHAA, or well I haven't played any of the games after that but mostly because they didn't get that good reviews.

There are a lot of atmospheric evenings in the games and especially MoHAA up in the small Alp town is just very harmonic.

The story can be very fragmented though. But still present.

But yes, Medal of Honor, Medal of Honor: Underground and Medal of Honor: Allied Assault.

Regards Asbj&#248;rn

PS. I won't take another fight over this game so it's okay if you critize it. It's just a suggestion.

[bjon045]

Boiling point is probably the best FPS I have ever played, followed by AvP and AvP2. No other FPS has held my attention apart from Doom 1&2 and Duke3d which was years and years ago.

[JemyM]

I have only played two MoH:AA and the expansion Spearhead and I loved both. They really make you feel like you are part of a war. Two levels I remember clearly; one where you must defend two borders, running back and forth, trying to survive while enemies just pour in over the map. The second is a map (i believe the first in Spearhead) when you land with a parachute in total mayhem.

I wanted to get hold of Rising Sun but it slipped through my fingers and I never got around to play it.

[txa1265]

But yes, Medal of Honor, Medal of Honor: Underground and Medal of Honor: Allied Assault.

I really didn't know that there were PSx versions of MoH before MohAA. Interesting. I liked MoHAA, but it was so short and ended so abruptly ... but it really did a good job in immersing you in war ... Spearhead wasn't very good, neither was Breakthrough ... in fact they just got worse and worse ...

[Jaz]

Sadly, I couldn't stand MoHAA, mainly because of the voices.

[txa1265]

Sadly, I couldn't stand MoHAA, mainly because of the voices.

What about them?

[Jaz]

If I remember things correctly German voices (in the original version) sounded just wrong. It irritated me so much that I stopped playing after a while.

[Asbjoern]

Spearhead wasn't very good, neither was Breakthrough ... in fact they just got worse and worse ...

It's actually a bit strange. I played Spearhead immediately after it was released and thought it was raping the MoHAA. So much had been changed and generally the worst expansion pack I've ever played.
But with Breakthrough it was a return to the integrity of MoHAA and it actually added some new exciting levels and environments.
But I've spoken with another person and he says the same as you txa/Mike.

vh. Asbjørn

[txa1265]

If I remember things correctly German voices (in the original version) sounded just wrong. It irritated me so much that I stopped playing after a while.
Ah - that was what I thought. Makes sense, really.

It's actually a bit strange. I played Spearhead immediately after it was released and thought it was raping the MoHAA. So much had been changed and generally the worst expansion pack I've ever played.
But with Breakthrough it was a return to the integrity of MoHAA and it actually added some new exciting levels and environments.
I played all of them (MoHAA and the expansions) 'day of release' ... and I had high hopes for Breakthrough, since it held so much promise and was supposed to be much longer than the puny Spearhead. But I found that it lacked much personality and retreated to the old 'you against the world' tack, especially being released at almost the same time as Call of Duty.

[Jaz]

I'd like to add another old underdog to my list:

Strife (1996)
Main Character: 'Strifeguy', the nameless hero
Noteable Characters: Blackbird (your guide), Macil (the Front leader), the Oracle, the Programmer, the Loremaster (all Entity)
Story: A comet hit Earth, unleashed a virus and killed many. Soon after, the Entity made itself known, people started to worship it, and the rise of The Order began. The Order killed most of the women and children and enslaved most of the men. So much oppression created an underground resistance, The Front... and this is where you come in.

Strife had RPG elements and a nice story in a Science-Fantasy setting. It also had great comic-book-style character portraits, a plot with several twists and multiple endings.

[Asbjoern]

I played all of them (MoHAA and the expansions) 'day of release' ... and I had high hopes for Breakthrough, since it held so much promise and was supposed to be much longer than the puny Spearhead. But I found that it lacked much personality and retreated to the old 'you against the world' tack, especially being released at almost the same time as Call of Duty.

Yes, Spearhead was very short. I remember I got it for christmas and it took me 2 hours or so to complete that christmas night. Breakthrough I found was a longer game to complete and it added stealth gameplay and some intriguing desert missions.
The MoH series has always been about that simple "me against the world" so it has a lot of roots in the FPS genre. It was first with Call of Duty 2 that I experienced a shift in the FPS genre to more realism.
I never got to play Call of Duty until half a year ago (released on Steam), so I wasn't that impressed.

Generally I just found the mission/level design to be too ruined in Spearhead. And the red loading bar before a mission. A disgrace. :)

vh. Asbjørn

[txa1265]

The MoH series has always been about that simple "me against the world" so it has a lot of roots in the FPS genre. It was first with Call of Duty 2 that I experienced a shift in the FPS genre to more realism.

The first CoD was better than #2 IMO, and really brought that feeling of being a small part of a massive war home ... MoHAA was definitely a single player game, but in the first one I felt part of the war, whereas it seemed that by the Breakthrough expansion they had abandoned that feeling in order to make the game feel longer by just hurling waves of Nazis at you.

[Asbjoern]

It's actually funny how you can see the transformation of a singleplayer MoHAA, to a more squad based CoD and at last with CoD2 as the "ultimate" squad based WW2 shooter. I never really got stimulated by CoD2 but I have a lot of respect for it because I feel that when playing it, this was how WW2 combat were really like. It was realistic because you was just one of hundreds of others in a push forward tactic and not a nearly rogue agent shooting around in a submarine bay with dozens of guards.

For those who do not know. The people behind MoHAA and the CoD series were roughly the same.

vh. Asbj&#248;rn

[txa1265]

For those who do not know. The people behind MoHAA and the CoD series were roughly the same.
Which is something many attribute to the precipitous drop in quality of the expansions and sequel - the brain drain to the CoD team.

[Asbjoern]

But to go back a bit. The two first games in the MoH series on PS are really something special. Perhaps not now but at that time they were really well crafted. The first Medal of Honor was actually made by Steven Spielberg and his (former) DreamWorks Interactive.
It is the only two games I've ever bought to the PS and I loved them inspite of the console controlling.

vh. Asbj&#248;rn

[Ionstormsucks]

Enclave. Well, not necessarily 1st person, but you can switch between 1st and 3rd person. I kinda liked it.

[curious]

enclave while a better/more fun game than my least favourite game rune had a worse story. the fact that their were a 'good' and 'evil' story added something but from what i remember of the story you'd get more depth from a saturday morning cartoon.

[JemyM]

enclave while a better/more fun game than my least favourite game rune had a worse story. the fact that their were a 'good' and 'evil' story added something but from what i remember of the story you'd get more depth from a saturday morning cartoon.

I liked Enclave. I ripped the music from the credits. The music in Enclave is made by a famous swedish musician of the swedish demo community.

[Ionstormsucks]

enclave while a better/more fun game than my least favourite game rune had a worse story. the fact that their were a 'good' and 'evil' story added something but from what i remember of the story you'd get more depth from a saturday morning cartoon.
Crap, it had a story? Must have missed that one... anyway, I like the atmosphere. There is this one mission where you have to enter a haunted house or something - loved it. But, you are right, there really wasn't much of a story. Still a good game, fairly solid, very few bugs, looked great, and gameplay was ok as well... not as good as a true RPG, but nice for some fast action. I liked the fact that you could choose between a light side and a dark side. And if I remember right, each side had like 5 or 6 characetrs that you could choose from as well.

[Arhu]

Dark Forces (1995)
Main Character: Kyle Katarn, a mercenary in the service of the Rebel Alliance.
Noteable Characters: Jan Ors, Kyles mission commander

Story: (taken from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_forces)) The story takes place both before and after the events of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. The first mission (which was also released independently for the game demo) was an infiltration of an Imperial base in order to steal the original plans of the Death Star, those that would be later given to Princess Leia and lead to the Death Star's destruction in A New Hope.
After the Battle of Yavin, Kyle is contacted again to investigate an Imperial assault on the Rebel base of Talay, with a never-seen-before kind of advanced stormtrooper. Kyle's investigation reveals the Imperial Dark Trooper project, led by General Rom Mohc. Each mission brings him closer to the Arc Hammer, the source of the project.

----------

The game might be too dated for today's stanards, but boy was it good. I'll never forget the tension I felt when I met my first "advanced storm trooper". I was terrified. Fantastic atmosphere.

[txa1265]

I think it is still a great game ... play it annually. I'm disappointed that the DFMod (http://darkforces.jediknight.net/index2.shtml)project has really stalled ... they were bringing the game to the JKII engine.

[JemyM]

Last year I decided to finish the rest of the Jedi Knight series (after only finishing Jedi Outcast/Academy). I finished Jedi Knight first, then I started with Mysteries of the Sith but ended up feeling it was too difficult for me to handle.

Then I started DF and I reached level 3 before I had to stall the game. My greatest nuisance was the lack of save function and I was annoyed by the now outdated mousecontrol. I will probably finish it eventually though unless the unfortunally stalled DF mod is finished.

[txa1265]

My greatest nuisance was the lack of save function and I was annoyed by the now outdated mousecontrol. I will probably finish it eventually though.
Couple things:
- Mouse?!?! I have *never* played DF with a mouse! :)
- Save system - Dark Forces was designed and balanced around being doable without in-level saves. Not always easy, but it is actually one thing I love about the game.

I also never got through more than the first level of Mysteries of the Sith.
Despite how many times I've played it, there are some *really* hard parts ... I still struggle each time on level 5 (I think ... it is Kyle's last level where he has to escape)

[JDR13]

I think it is still a great game ... play it annually. I'm disappointed that the DFMod (http://darkforces.jediknight.net/index2.shtml)project has really stalled ... they were bringing the game to the JKII engine.

I would really like to play that if they indeed manage to pull it off. I tried playing playing Dark Forces a few years ago, but the 320x240 was just too hard on my eyes.

Heck, I'd even be satisfied with a simple patch that would at least allow 640x480.

[txa1265]

Heck, I'd even be satisfied with a simple patch that would at least allow 640x480.

Which is why it remains one of the few things I play exclusively on the Mac - 640 x 480 and better sound FTW :)

[Dhruin]

I love a good story-oriented FPS...it's the genre I turn to for a break from RPGs. However, this thread just shows how rare truly great story-oriented games are. I mean, the PC is famous for back-to-back FPS but frankly, the list of great story-centric ones is pretty thin.

Never heard of Call of Juarez...I'll have to check that out. I'd definitely include HL/HL2 and I can't help thinking of Max Payne as the same genre despite the different PoV.

[Asbjoern]

And if you say Max Payne then Mafia should without doubt also be on the list.

[Dhruin]

Yep, one of my favourite games ever.

[Arhu]

Heck, I'd even be satisfied with a simple patch that would at least allow 640x480.

Not a patch, but with DOSBox (http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/) you can upscale low resolutions in, well, DOS games. ;). It has some built in engines that make the image look a bit better. Here's a small example:

http://arhiel.blautann.de/dummy/df-1x.gif http://arhiel.blautann.de/dummy/df-super2xsai.jpg

Showing a scene from Dark Forces. Left is what you'd see with 320x200, right is the same using the "Super2xSaI" scaler.

D-Fend (http://members.home.nl/mabus/) is a pretty good frontend for DOSBox, you just need to add "super2xsai" manually to "scale" in extras->change dynamic options.

[txa1265]

Or you could have a Mac ;)

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b241/ATMachine/dfmac3.png

[JDR13]

I'm actually very surprised that DF was never re-released with some extra options, as popular as it was.

I mean, why would they spruce it up for the Mac and not the PC?

[JemyM]

Actually, Dark Forces is released on Playstation, so if you do not want mouse control you can play the game in 1920x1440 with antialising, anisotrophic filthering and alot of other gee whizz effects by using one of the modern playstation emulators.
It also supports saving everywhere.

[txa1265]

It also supports saving everywhere.

Another thing ruined by consoles ... ;)

[Arhu]

Another thing ruined by consoles ... ;)
Gotta agree on this one. A bit ironic though, given that it's console titles that tend to have save points rather than PC games.

[txa1265]

Gotta agree on this one. A bit ironic though, given that it's console titles that tend to have save points rather than PC games.

True - checkpoint based systems are the bane of modern gaming and are directly taken from limited memory early consoles.

My thought was that here is a game that is designed and balanced around mission completion ... and they had to mess it up ...

[JDR13]

Actually, Dark Forces is released on Playstation, so if you do not want mouse control you can play the game in 1920x1440 with antialising, anisotrophic filthering and alot of other gee whizz effects by using one of the modern playstation emulators.
It also supports saving everywhere.

No thanks, just wouldn't be the same. I want to play the original PC version, except in higher resolution.