7 Shooters You Forgot Were Awesome

Shooters have become one of the most popular genres in gaming. Call of Duty is, of course, the standout, consistently ending up on the end-of-year sales charts, but series like Battlefield, Doom, and Halo have also proven to be incredibly successful. With so many eyes on the genre, it makes sense that other developers would look to jump in on the party. While everyone can’t be as successful as Call of Duty and Halo, several hidden gems deserve much more love than they get from genre fans. These games have gone overlooked by many, but still hold up as worthy experiences if you’re looking to get beyond the most popular shooters on the market.

Here are seven of the best shooters that you forgot were awesome.

7) The Operative: No One Lives Forever

Developer Monolith is best known for its Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor series, but it used to be one of the more inventive developers in the shooter genre. In fact, No One Lives Forever won’t be the only Monolith game to pop up on this list.

No One Lives Forever (and its sequel) let players take on the role of Cate Archer, a superspy with a toolbelt of gadgets and weapons to match her skills. It blends best-in-class action and a wry sense of humor, which sometimes makes NOLF feel like the video game version of Austin Powers. Unfortunately, rights issues have kept it from being ported to modern systems, making it tough to play these days, but if you can track it down, it’s worth the price.

6) Syndicate

Starbreeze Studios Syndicate is an FPS reboot of the classic real-time strategy game from Bullfrog Productions. It’s far from a perfect game, but it is absolutely an interesting one. See, the standout addition to Syndicate is the DART-6 chip, which lets protagonist Miles hack into various objects and enemies.

It’s taken to the extreme when you “breach” your opponent’s minds, taking control of their actions. This lets you briefly turn them to your side or simply murder them with a thought. Thankfully, the AI is still able to present a satisfying challenge thanks to several memorable boss fights. Again, it’s not the best FPS you’ll ever play, but Syndicate isn’t afraid to try things, which is commendable.

5) TimeSplitters: Future Perfect

This whole list could be filled with TimeSplitters games. The series has long been underrated by fans and critics. It’s a shame we aren’t still getting games from the series, as its mix of inventive gameplay and silly humor was a standout during the 2000s.

Some players will prefer TimeSplitters 2, but I loved Future Perfect‘s time-hopping story. It lets the developers get creative with the levels and storytelling in a way that they couldn’t otherwise. As usual, Future Perfect‘s multiplayer offerings are among the strongest in the genre. Again, it’s a downright travesty that TimeSplitters 4 never happened.

4) Black

Black‘s sole focus was on creating one of the best-looking and best-sounding shooters the world has ever seen. Instead of giving players a gigantic campaign or an engaging multiplayer mode, developer Criterion Games wanted to make sure Black‘s Heckler & Koch MP5 sounded exactly like it does in Die Hard.

Every mission is an intense firefight, with lead flying all over the place. Granted, those fights aren’t particularly hard, but Black excels at making you feel like an action hero. And you can blast through it in six hours, making it a great game for a weekend session.

3) Singularity

The last game Raven Software released before becoming a Call of Duty studio was Singularity. On top of excellent shooting, players get access to the Time Manipulation Device. Using the TMD, you get access to several game-bending powers. You can move an object backward or forward in time, freeze it in place, or even blast an energy pulse to stun enemies.

Add in a frankly ridiculous story that has you phasing between the present day and 1955 as you explore an island once held by the Soviet Union, and you have an inventive shooter that deserves more love. Like every game on this list, it has its shortcomings, but the breadth of options at your disposal makes it worth a playthrough.

2) The Darkness 2

Starbreeze developed The Darkness 1, but Digital Extremes was brought in for the sequel. Both games are worth playing and could probably live on this list, but I preferred The Darkness 2‘s blend of mob drama, RPG-lite action, and surreal humor.

The Demon Arms remain fun to use, and Jackie’s more normal arsenal is appropriately powerful. The Darkness 2 also looks pretty great to boot. Sure, it’s a little short and ends on an annoying cliffhanger that will never be explored, but it’s still a hidden gem that more people should check out.

1) F.E.A.R.

I told you Monolith would show up again. F.E.A.R. isn’t just an underrated shooter; it’s also one of the best horror games of all time. Blending that spine-chilling atmosphere with exceptional first-person combat was a masterstroke. You might have plenty of firepower at your disposal, but Monolith delicately walks that balance between power and fear to keep you on your toes.

When a firefight does break out, you’ll be treated to some of the most intelligent AI opponents you’ve ever seen in an FPS, especially when you dive into tougher difficulties. Your enemies aren’t just reacting to what you do; Monolith is using Goal Oriented Action Planning to give each AI its own goal that it works toward, making them feel much more lifelike. Even if you don’t trust your shooting skills, it’s worth trying out F.E.A.R.‘s higher difficulty modes to see just how intelligent that AI can be.

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Most Shooter Games No Longer Require an Item That Every Gamer Had to Pay Attention To