General Gaming I Like Lists So Here's Another One, 10 Best FPS Campaigns of All Time

[best3444]

5 minutes ago, AbsolutSurgen said:

I don’t differentiate between platforms. I agree the controls were revolutionary for a controller, but were still a step back from the standard set 8 years before with Doom (KB/Mouse). 
I still think Halo’s vehicle controls were garbage, and some parts (like jumping) felt terrible. As someone who played a LOT of PC FPSs in the 90s and I was extremely underwhelmed (if that’s a word) by Halo. 

 

I know you were a PC gamer before Halo on console so it didn't hit as hard for you. 

 

I guess you guys are saying Robocop is one of the best FPS's ever which is contradictory to review scores. The lighting and reflections must be awe inspiring. 

[Biggie]

Destiny’s story campaign was awesome 

[crispy4000]

2 hours ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

 

If we were to include an FPA like Metroid Prime, we might as well include an FPRPG like Deus Ex while we're at it!

 

The problem is that neither of them are particularly stellar at the "S" part of FPS!

Depends on what you’re looking for.  Getting the “S” right is important for multiplayer, but FPS bosses are really hard to get right IMO.  You can have the best shooting mechanics around, but still have the big encounters boil down to a simple deathmatch, a circle strafe war of attrition, or peekaboo firing explosive rounds from behind walls/cover.  It often feels hollow compared to playing other human beings.

 

The Prime games largely avoided that by making bosses more about positioning than keeping your cursor on the target and/or running behind things.  I found that refreshing at the time, still do.

[AbsolutSurgen]

1 hour ago, best3444 said:

 

I know you were a PC gamer before Halo on console so it didn't hit as hard for you. 

 

I guess you guys are saying Robocop is one of the best FPS's ever which is contradictory to review scores. The lighting and reflections must be awe inspiring. 

Games in 2024 are objectively better than 20 years ago. I’m only including games I’ve played, and 1 per franchise. 
If Halo 3 came out today, exactly as it originally released, with only a single player campaign, it wouldn’t review well. 

The best FPS games strongest points are their multiplayer, which is ignored in this ranking. 

 

9 minutes ago, Biggie said:

Destiny’s story campaign was awesome 

Agreed.  If I were to consider it a single player campaign, I would rate it very highly. 

[best3444]

16 minutes ago, Biggie said:

Destiny’s story campaign was awesome 

 

Loved me some Destiny back in the day. 

[AbsolutSurgen]

13 minutes ago, crispy4000 said:

Depends on what you’re looking for.  Getting the “S” right is important for multiplayer, but FPS bosses are really hard to get right IMO.  You can have the best shooting mechanics around, but still have the big encounters boil down to a simple deathmatch sort of thing, a circle strafe war of attrition, or peekaboo firing explosive rounds from behind walls/cover.  It all feels so hollow compared to playing other human beings.

 

The Prime games largely avoided that by making bosses more about positioning than keeping your cursor on the target and/or running behind things.  I found that refreshing at the time, still do.

I don’t think bosses are a big part of the FPS genre. Which is why so many of them culminate with a set piece. 

[crispy4000]

4 minutes ago, AbsolutSurgen said:

I don’t think bosses are a big part of the FPS genre. Which is why so many of them culminate with a set piece. 

That’s more of a modern trend.  And some do, some still don’t.
 

But it totally checks out why when that choice is made.

[stepee]

1 hour ago, best3444 said:

 

I know you were a PC gamer before Halo on console so it didn't hit as hard for you. 

 

I guess you guys are saying Robocop is one of the best FPS's ever which is contradictory to review scores. The lighting and reflections must be awe inspiring. 

 

“contradictory to review scores” is such a weird thing to say to me :P

 

None of this is objective! Halo 3 bored me - the gunplay in Robocop is a lot more fun and visceral for me.  

[best3444]

4 minutes ago, stepee said:

 

“contradictory to review scores” is such a weird thing to say to me :P

 

None of this is objective! Halo 3 bored me - the gunplay in Robocop is a lot more fun and visceral for me.  

 

I didn't say anything about Halo 3? And I said Robocop must be incredible with it's amazing lighting and reflections. 😆 

 

I'm playin. 

[stepee]

3 minutes ago, best3444 said:

 

I didn't say anything about Halo 3? And I said Robocop must be incredible with it's amazing lighting and reflections. 😆 

 

I'm playin. 

 

I was just giving an example of a game I liked that didn’t get great reviews vs a game that got very very high reviews. Just saying you don’t need to put so much stock into what reviewers have to say!

[best3444]

Just now, stepee said:

 

I was just giving an example of a game I liked that didn’t get great reviews vs a game that got very very high reviews. Just saying you don’t need to put so much stock into what reviewers have to say!

 

Oh, I honestly do put a lot of stock in what some reviewers say. I know I'm in the minority here with that view. But I find it funny everyone here says they don't care about reviews yet they always refer to the oc scores wade or keyser posts. 

[stepee]

Just now, best3444 said:

 

Oh, I honestly do put a lot of stock in what some reviewers say. I know I'm in the minority here with that view. But I find it funny everyone here says they don't care about reviews yet they always refer to the oc scores wade or keyser posts. 

 

Hey I post OC sometimes too. But yeah scores are of note to me, because they affect how a game sells. So if it’s a game I like I want it to get good scores. But I don’t let the score decide for me if I like a game or not. 

 

To me the most important thing is if the game is the type of game I feel like playing at the moment. I’m playing Alone in the Dark despite its low 60s score and having a great time because it’s the type of game I feel like playing now. I could play DD2 which has great reviews and is more polished with more refined mechanics..but it’s not a 1920’s noir horror story set in a mansion with a lot of puzzles to solve. There’s flaws, but being the type of game I want to play far outweighs them.

[skillzdadirecta]

14 minutes ago, best3444 said:

 

Oh, I honestly do put a lot of stock in what some reviewers say. I know I'm in the minority here with that view. But I find it funny everyone here says they don't care about reviews yet they always refer to the oc scores wade or keyser posts. 

When have you ever heard me refer to review scores when I talk about games? I don't care about reviews when it comes to anything not just games. I give even less credence to movie reviewers than I give to gaming sites and have done so since college. The only opinion that matters ultimately is YOURS.

[best3444]

4 minutes ago, stepee said:

 

Hey I post OC sometimes too. But yeah scores are of note to me, because they affect how a game sells. So if it’s a game I like I want it to get good scores. But I don’t let the score decide for me if I like a game or not. 

 

To me the most important thing is if the game is the type of game I feel like playing at the moment. I’m playing Alone in the Dark despite its low 60s score and having a great time because it’s the type of game I feel like playing now. I could play DD2 which has great reviews and is more polished with more refined mechanics..but it’s not a 1920’s noir horror story set in a mansion with a lot of puzzles to solve. There’s flaws, but being the type of game I want to play far outweighs them.

 

I completely understand your view and you are a much more forgiving gamer than I am and also you like way more genres. You are also much more positive and optimistic than I am and can play a mediocre game and absolutely have a blast with it. I'm just built so differently.

 

I take into account what some "professional" reviewers say because they are very intelligent and experienced with gaming and will usually steer the audience in the right direction in if a game is worth playing and buying. I know there are a lot of idiots/haters out there that review games ridiculously for click bait but I usually look at places like IGN and Easy Allies to let me know if a game is worth my time. 

 

I obviously know what genres I'll like but reviews in a general sense are important to me. 

[best3444]

3 minutes ago, skillzdadirecta said:

When have you ever heard me refer to review scores when I talk about games? I don't care about reviews when it comes to anything not just games. I give even less credence to movie reviewers than I give to gaming sites and have done so since college. The only opinion that matters ultimately is YOURS.

 

I shouldn't have said everyone because I absolutely know for a fact you don't care about reviews in the slightest. I care. 

[skillzdadirecta]

2 minutes ago, best3444 said:

 

I shouldn't have said everyone because I absolutely know for a fact you don't care about reviews in the slightest. I care. 

[Biggie]

34 minutes ago, best3444 said:

 

I shouldn't have said everyone because I absolutely know for a fact you don't care about reviews in the slightest. I care. 

I care a hell of a lot more what people on D1P say about a game than some random reviewer. 

[best3444]

Just now, Biggie said:

I care a hell of a lot more what people on D1P say about a game than some random reviewer. 

 

They aren't random reviewers though. I know the reviewers from IGN and Easy Allies. But yea, I take reviews and user impressions here to form an opinion on a game and if I should buy it. 

[Biggie]

1 minute ago, best3444 said:

 

They aren't random reviewers though. I know the reviewers from IGN and Easy Allies. But yea, I take reviews and user impressions here to form an opinion on a game and if I should buy it. 

Nothing wrong with that. I do like Easy Allies. 

[AbsolutSurgen]

1 hour ago, crispy4000 said:

That’s more of a modern trend.  And some do, some still don’t.
 

But it totally checks out why when that choice is made.

Which FPS games do you think had big “boss” fights vs. Set pieces?

 

[best3444]

5 minutes ago, Biggie said:

Nothing wrong with that. I do like Easy Allies. 

 

IGN has stepped it up as well. But generally I know what games to buy. Didn't you want a game coming out early May? Or did I buy that for you already? I completely forget. 

[crispy4000]

1 hour ago, AbsolutSurgen said:

Which FPS games do you think had big “boss” fights vs. Set pieces?

 

 

Plenty going back to good old Mecha Hitler in Wolfenstein 3D.  But I'll post an obvious one from a game high on the list:

 

 

[Keyser_Soze]

4 hours ago, stepee said:

F.E.A.R

No One Lives Forever

Robocop

Crysis 2

Bioshock

Wolfenstein 2 TNC

Titanfall 2

Duke Nukem 3D

Dusk

Doom 2

 

 

 

4 hours ago, stepee said:

Also a reminder that the makers of the great Wolfenstein reboots, MachineGames, is who is working on the Indiana Jones game coming later this year. They are also the team that came from ex-starbreeze aka The Darkness/Ridick which holds well for their first person melee pedigree with the whip and stuff. Game is gonna rule.

 

Yet No Riddick on your list

 

5 hours ago, AbsolutSurgen said:

I originally said that in my post, but deleted it because I thought I would get too much hate.

 

Put Breakdown on the list. Hate me!

 

[Biggie]

8 hours ago, best3444 said:

 

IGN has stepped it up as well. But generally I know what games to buy. Didn't you want a game coming out early May? Or did I buy that for you already? I completely forget. 

you pre-ordered it yes. Endless Ocean Luminous on May 2nd. 

[legend]

I was a PC gamer both before and after Halo. I'd still place Halo 1/3 as top on my list for FPS campaigns. There are few games that have such diversity of tactics to explore.

 

I don't think COD4 would even crack the list for me. It was fun, but if it weren't for the fact that everyone keeps buy COD games, I would have forgotten about it by now.

[BloodyHell]

18 hours ago, skillzdadirecta said:

From What Culture Gaming

 

 

Full List For The Lazy

 

10. Titanfall 2

9. Wolfenstein The New Order

8. Metro Last Light

7. Borderlands 2

6. Far Cry 3

5. Doom 2016

4. Bioshock

3. Half Life 2

2. Halo 3

1. COD4 Modern Warfare

 

I've played and beaten most of these but not all. May need to check out Borderlands 2 at some point. I remember being turned off by the first game... in fact I think it was one of few games I returned so i didn't even bother with the second. Also I'm not sure if I would put COD4 at number one although I think it deserves a place on the list. Lastly if I was going to put a Halo game on here, i would put Reach over Halo 3 although I get why they wanted to put one that had Master Chief in it. Surprised none of the Stalker games made it though. Not a bad list over all.

Most of that list isn’t bad, but no way I would ever put MW at the top. Not that it’s bad in any way, theres just others I think are far better. 
No way I would put MW above Titanfall 2. Or Doom 2016. Or Halflife anything, or Halo 3 (or two, which is my favourite Halo campaign and Arbiter deserved his own series). 

[BloodyHell]

12 hours ago, best3444 said:

 

I completely understand your view and you are a much more forgiving gamer than I am and also you like way more genres. You are also much more positive and optimistic than I am and can play a mediocre game and absolutely have a blast with it. I'm just built so differently.

 

I take into account what some "professional" reviewers say because they are very intelligent and experienced with gaming and will usually steer the audience in the right direction in if a game is worth playing and buying. I know there are a lot of idiots/haters out there that review games ridiculously for click bait but I usually look at places like IGN and Easy Allies to let me know if a game is worth my time. 

 

I obviously know what genres I'll like but reviews in a general sense are important to me. 

they really aren’t at all. They are regular people with opinions. And the most widely popular ones are some of the worst. Kinda Funny “reviews” games but is basically an advertising campaign for AAA studios.

 

Easy Allies is a dead outlet and all the talent left.  The best show they had has basically been reworked and improved for Last Stand Media by Brad. EZA without Kyle, Brandon, Brad, and especially Ben just feels wrong.

 

MinnMax is great at fostering a community, but is the most surface level Dudebro review company out there. Started watching their “Rebirth Deepest Dive” podcast, and they basically never get into anything that isn’t directly shown on screen, while mentioning the theme of loss but never getting into how those themes affect the characters and the story. Most of the episode I watched was just them making dumb jokes and picking at the weirdest things. 
 

IGN has become a joke. Unless a game is truly awful, their review scale starts at 8.

 

Gamespot does have some good reviewers, I’ll give them that. I respect Tams opinion a lot, even when I disagree, because he really goes deep into games. 
 

The best network for actual gaming takes, imo, is Last Stand Media. They have an incredible and diverse cast. Colin, Micah, Gene Park, Cog, Raygun, Dustin Furman, and a host of rotating part timers with really varied tastes, and by far the best interviews with Industry figures out there. Plus they absolutely refuse to take any advertising funding from the games industry, so you don’t get stuff like Kinda Funny’s Calypso Protocol spoiler cast (where one of them outright states, “I was going to give this game a low 3/5, but after interviewing the director, I’m giving it a 4!”), right after doing a large paid sponsorship and having the director on their show. 
 

  None of this is a jab at you, it’s just weird that you think Games reviewers are smart or know more than you about games. They don’t. The only thing that makes them different is they get games early and get their opinion out there before anyone else.

 

Seeing the new “Reviewer to game developer” pipeline that has developed has also made me trust reviewers even less. Especially those tied to a platform. 
 

[crispy4000]

2 minutes ago, BloodyHell said:

Easy Allies is a dead outlet and all the talent left.  The best show they had has basically been reworked and improved for Last Stand Media by Brad. EZA without Kyle, Brandon, Brad, and especially Ben just feels wrong.

In fairness, I think those left still do pull together good reviews.  ‘Talent’ applies more to the on air personality end of things.

[crispy4000]

16 minutes ago, BloodyHell said:

 None of this is a jab at you, it’s just weird that you think Games reviewers are smart or know more than you about games. They don’t. The only thing that makes them different is they get games early and get their opinion out there before anyone else.
 

Depends, I’d say.  There’s certainly genres I don’t have much experience with to properly judge, like sim racing, modern sports games, F2P multiplayer, card battlers, 4x strategy, etc.  There is value in hearing about games from the perspective of someone who is more inundated in a particular genre than you.

 

Even in genres I love like Metroidvanias, there’s some youtubers who are voracious consumers of them.  I think this list is interesting, from someone who makes map guides for them, even though I disagree with some of it:

 

https://www.demajen.co.uk/tierlist.html

 

It gives me a general list of some ones to watch out for on sales or not ignore in my backlog.

[best3444]

3 hours ago, Biggie said:

you pre-ordered it yes. Endless Ocean Luminous on May 2nd. 

 

I saw a preview of it on YouTube and that is when something clicked in my head about you wanting it. 

[Biggie]

7 minutes ago, best3444 said:

 

I saw a preview of it on YouTube and that is when something clicked in my head about you wanting it. 

It’s going to be wild exploring the ocean in handheld mode using AirBuds. 

[SuperSpreader]

Fallout 4

[SuperSpreader]

Mine would be (not necessarily for campaign tho)

1. Return to Castle Wolfenstein 
2. Fallout 4
3. Far Cry 4
4. Half Life 2
5. Metroid Prime
6. Quake 2
7. Doom
8. BioShock
9. Prey
10. idk rn

 

 

 

[skillzdadirecta]

28 minutes ago, SuperSpreader said:

Mine would be (not necessarily for campaign tho)

1. Return to Castle Wolfenstein 
2. Fallout 4
3. Far Cry 4
4. Half Life 2
5. Metroid Prime
6. Quake 2
7. Doom
8. BioShock
9. Prey
10. idk rn

 

 

 

THIS list is about the campaigns doe...

[best3444]

Where does Goldeneye stack among the greats? In 1997 that was revolutionary for consoles both for sp (mission structure) and mp with friends on the same TV.