There are numerous FPS games out there. Many which are very similar in terms of experience. Below I list the ones that I believe give the player very distinct and unique experiences. Do note that they are not ordered by any sort of rank, the numbering is just a count:
1 - Aliens vs Predator 2
This game allows you to play as a marine, a predator and an alien, each with their distinct play styles. The marine is your normal human with rifles, machine guns and a motion sensor. The predator has stealth, multiple vision modes and fun weapons which appeared in the movies. The alien has only his claws, tail whip and bite. The alien also can crawl around almost anywhere in the level. Add some nice use of scripted events, story and spooks and you got one incredible package to experience.
2 - Call of Duty 4
I had to choose between this and Half Life and even though HL was a great single player experience, CoD4 was a more engaging one. CoD4 has a modern warfare setting, so you get to see and use lots of current age weapons and gadgets in the hope of stopping a madman from using nuclear missiles. The game is the best cinematic war FPS game you can ever find, even one of the best single player experiences to date, lots of action, variety in the missions and twists. Add to that great AI who are very aggressive in using cover and flushing you from cover. They are so good that one might show up from behind you without noticing. To even enhance the experience you get music composed by Harry Gregson-Williams. If you ever played a Metal Gear Solid game, you will know how the music can make the game more thrilling and cinematic.
3 - Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay
Based on Vin Deisel’s movie but with a different story and setting, you are caught and in a maximum security prison. The game has an incredible feel to it since the environment and setting is very unique and you get Vin Deisel playing as himself (Character model and voice that is). You can interact with the NPCs around you, great stealth elements, impressive fist fights and more as you try to fight your way for freedom. The game sports a nice graphics engine that looks very similar to the Doom 3 engine.
4 - Dues Ex
This is a game that isn’t affected by time. You play as a nano augmented super agent who gets involved in a mysterious conspiracy that involves a plague. One of the best use of RPG elements in the game since you can increase your characters stats. The game also allows you freedom of choice in tackling a problem, be it stealth, brute force or even negotiation. The story itself is great and deep and is shrouded with mystery and conspiracy with multiple factions that can be your enemy or ally. No matter how old this game, I strongly recommend it if you never tried it before.
5 - Crysis
Was going for Far Cry since it was a close call, thought aliens beat mutant trigens anytime for me. Oh and a nano suit is always a plus, but it is a close call really. You are on an island; you get an objective, choose your path, choose your approach and get it going. Crysis though sports the most cutting edge graphics and physics to date, it brings a lot of PCs to their knees. You first face off against the North Koreans and later the Aliens. A strange artifact was found on an island that got the North Koreans interested and curious. Your job is to get to it before they do by any means necessary. Really the main points about the game are its sandbox style gameplay and some of the action stages, coupled with impressive graphics, huge environment and fun vehicle sequences.
6 - Hexen 2
Another old game that deserves attention since it is one of the unique experiences. The game has a medieval setting and you control one of the multiple character classes: Assassin, Paladin, Crusader and Necromancer. Playing the game with each class is a new experience since they are very diverse. They gain levels and with that improve their skills. You get to fight Imps, Golems, Hydras and more. The game has a nice amount of stages with some nice puzzle elements thrown with background music that fits the setting very well.
7 - Serious Sam 2
If you ever liked mindless action, then the best you can get is offered by Serious Sam 2. You fight against hordes, literally, of enemies from the start of a level to the end. No time to breathe since you are always on the move. The levels are vast and sport different environments. Each setting also has a boss level which generally gives a new meaning to big or huge.
8 - Tron 2.0
Who said games based on movies always fail? This is another one that is based on the movie Tron, a game that has a very unique level setting like no other. You are in a computer world, as in inside the computer. Levels span the internet, network, graphics cards, processor, memory…etc. You get to use the famous disk and ride on those bikes on a grid. Throughout the game you fight viruses and increase your chances of survival via upgrades. One of the best worlds re-imagined from a movie to a game. Another strong recommendation if you never tried it before.
9 - FEAR
From the same people who brought you Aliens vs Predator. The game is about a squad name First Encounter Assault Recon (FEAR) who investigates about a general who has gone rogue in a mysterious way. This game is more about spooks and creative use of blood effects to create a thriller game. The character you control has a special ability that allows him to have super reactions, in other words, the world around him slows down to an extent of seeing bullets in air, which is a great effect. Add to that some of the best AI enemies who communicate with each other, flank and use squad tactics to flush you out. Wrap that up with a mysterious story about a little girl who goes killing people in even a more mysterious way.
10 - Peter Jackson’s King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie
This is the other best adaptation of a movie in a game after Riddick. You play as Jack in First Person view and get to explore the island which has all sorts of creatures. The design is great and controlling Jack is thrilling as you have no HUD (Head up Display) to tell you about his health or ammo. Instead Jack talks if he is low on ammo or you see the screen become disoriented if he is low on health. Such touches really add up to the experience. There are portions of the game where you control Kong himself in a Prince of Persia style of platform jumping and wall climbing plus the occasional boss fights.
11 - Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth
You investigate a cult who worships a sea creature in a mysterious and isolated town. The game is another thriller but focuses on emotion rather than action. Your main character view gets disoriented, shaken and whatnot while he tries to survive from being killed by a mysterious group and to uncover this mystery. Some puzzle elements are thrown in with a lot of notes to read that deepens your involvement in the story.
12 - Condemned: Criminal Origins
A setting with psychos and serial killers, this is your common cop who is chasing a psycho serial killer and in the process gets framed for killing a cop. The game staple highlights are melee combat and the reactions that come with the hit. Just seeing how an enemy staggers from a pipe swung in his face is painfully realistic. Again another thriller who focuses on psychological manipulation and some creepy criminals that are so twisted when you meet them. Imagine the panic when you are alone in a dark building where suddenly someone pops up blabbering weird sentences and is so close to you swinging a steel pipe.
13 - Call of Juarez
An FPS game based around the western theme, you play as Billy Candle where you mainly go stealth and use your whip to navigate through the levels. In the other half of the levels you play as Reverend Ray, an ex-outlaw who became religious. His portion of the game is very action oriented. The game also has a lot of duels that are implemented in a satisfying way. The story revolves around these two as the rush to find Juarez legendary gold goes on. Hardly any western themes games out there and this is the best one out there yet.
14 - S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
You are an artifact hunter who searches for artifact around the Chernobyl power plant. The place is filled with radioactivity, anomalies, mutants, mercenaries, thieves and soldiers. You lost your memory and only have a picture of someone you must kill. The game has a huge world with a lot of side quests that are linked to time. A truly dynamic world since NPCs and enemies fight each other and take territories whether you are around or not. The developers have truly managed to bring their vision of the area around and in Chernobyl in this amazing FPS game.
15 - Portal
Wielding just a gun that opens two portals in which you enter one and end up popping out from the other, in addition as acting as a physics manipulation gun. Hardly any story but rather you are faces with levels. Each level increases the puzzle difficulty a notch. It is up to you to think how to use what you have in your disposal in addition to the portal controls to get through. Simple idea but playing through this will want to crave for more since it is so much fun and challenging at the same time.
I am sure there are more FPS games the offer unique experiences but I had to limit myself to 15 games that I think are the best ones in offering that distinct experience. You think I missed something important? Or don’t agree with what I selected? Then let us know.
