Half-Life 2 RTX is the latest release as part of Nvidia recently fully launching its RTX Remix tool. Developed through RTX Remix, Half-Life 2 RTX features the Ravenholm and Nova Prospekt levels. The team behind Half-Life 2 RTX has said that it plans on remastering the entirety of the game, with every texture, model and level getting updates.

“With a mission to remaster the entirety of Half-Life 2, we’re updating every texture, model, and level, adding extra geometric detail to buildings and surfaces to realistically interact with fully ray-traced lighting,” wrote Orbifold Studios in a post. “Each upgraded asset employs state of the art PBR-based workflows to make highly detailed meshes with realistic material properties, in place of the low resolution, low poly originals. And even particles and animations are being revitalized to bring Half-Life 2 to modern graphical standards.”

Along with ray traced lighting and higher resolution textures, Half-Life 2 RTX also features support for Nvidia’s DLSS 4. This includes support for upscaling, as well as Multi Frame Generation, which is able to multiply the frame rate by up to 10 times when playing Half Life 2 RTX at 4K. DLSS Super Resolution and DLSS Ray Reconstruction are also being used, along with the Neural Radiance Cache, RTX Skin, and RTX Volumetrics.

To play Half-Life 2 RTX, at minimum, you will need either an Intel i7-8600 or AMD Ryzen 5 3600 CPU, 16 GB of RAM, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti with 8 GB of VRAM to run the game at 1080p and 30 FPS. This hardware will be able to run the game at the Low graphics preset with DLSS turned on.

To play at 1080p and 60 FPS, you will need either an Intel i7-10700 or AMD Ryzen 5 5600 CPU, along with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 with 12 GB of VRAM. This will run the game at the High graphics preset with DLSS on.

To play at 4K and 144 FPS, you will need a top-of-the-line system running on either an Intel i7-12700K or an AMD Ryzen 7 7700X CPU, 32 GB of RAM, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 with 16 GB of VRAM. This runs the title at the Ultra preset with DLSS on.

Orbifold Studios has also provided optimal settings for players, depending on the resolutions and frame rates that they want to play at, while also taking their PC specs into account. These settings include Nvidia’s own feature set, including DLSS Ray Reconstruction models and Frame Generation mode depending on their GPU.

If Half-Life 2 RTX has made you curious about RTX Remix, you can try out the tool for free through Nvidia’s official website. RTX Remix was originally released as a beta back in 2023, and has allowed modders to bring modern visual effects to classic games like Painkiller and Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines.

The showcased Half-Life 2 RTX demo will be available for free for anyone that already owns Half-Life 2 on Steam from March 18 onwards. The Half-Life 2 RTX demo will feature levels like Ravenholm and Nova Prospekt. A remix of the full Half-Life 2 through RTX Remix will be released at a later date.

Among the features showcased in Half-Life 2 RTX are DLSS 4 with multi frame generation, the Neural Radiance Cache to accelerate ray-traced lighting, RTX Skin that enhances Father Grigori, as well as enemies like headcrabs and zombies, and RTX Volumetrics for realistic for and smoke effects. Interestingly, Half-Life 2 RTX will also be one of the first implementations of subsurface scattering in a ray-traced game.

Nvidia RTX Remix was originally released as a beta back in 2023. Since then, according to the company, more than 30,000 modders have used the tool to bring ray tracing technology to several classic titles. The full release of RTX Remix features modern AI tools, including DLSS 4, RTX Neural Radiance Cache, and a the community-published AI model PBRFusion 3.

The built-in texture generative AI texture tools in RTX Remix can automatically analyse low-resolution textures from old games to then generate accurate texture materials, while also upscaling the textures to 4K resolutions. These new materials can then be used for realistic lighting effects through ray tracing.

PBRFusion 3 features two models: a PBR model and an upscaler based on diffusion. It acts as a plug-and-play package, allowing users to easily remaster classic titles by picking a number of textures through the RTX Remix Viewport and ComfyUI’s graphs and nodes.

RTX Remix can also be used through other software thanks to its REST API, allowing the use of tools like 3D modelling software Blender and modding tools like Hammer. The example provided reveals that modders can use the REST API integration to export game textures from RTX Remix to ComfyUI, and then seamlessly bring them back to the game after the textures have been enhanced in a big batch.

Since the beta release of Nvidia RTX Remix, several games have been modded to feature modern rendering technologies, high-resolution textures, and even ray-traced lighting. Several of these mods can be spotted at ModDB, which includes mods for games like classic shooter Painkiller, and even cult-classic RPG Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines.

Nvidia had first unveiled RTX Remix all the way back in September 2022. At the time, the company used RPG The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind to showcase the tool’s powerful modding capabilities. In the showcase, Nvidia was able to easily add a new lighting system to the classic game, while also updating its textures to be of higher resolutions.

The beta release of RTX Remix was accompanied by the release of Portal RTX, which was also developed using the tool.

1. Toilets – Half-Life 2

Half-Life 2 helped revolutionize the way physics work in video games with its versatile use of the Havok engine. Filling up trash bins with cans is cool and all, but the gravity gun really took physics to the next level. Just about any physical object in the environment could be used as a projectile with the gravity gun’s pick up and punt functionality. While saws and explosive barrels prove the most deadly objects to use, we couldn’t help shooting toilets at foes. Our excuse for using a toilet was the “flushed” achievement, but the hilarity of it was often the real reason. To Judith Mossman’s disappointment, we couldn’t help but treat the gravity gun as a toy throughout Half-Life 2.

Land Shark – Armed and Dangerous

This 2003 Lucasarts third-person shooter may have been a repetitive slog at times, but it had humor by the bucketloads. The Monty Python and Star Wars parodies were great fun, but the Land Shark gun takes the cake as the game’s craziest thing. Just shoot at an enemy and a live shark tunnels through the ground, popping up below your opponent to eat them alive. Armed and Dangerous may not be remembered for its level design or anything, but the Land Shark lives on as one of the wildest things shot at an enemy in games.

Pixels – Ratchet & Clank 2016

How could a Ratchet & Clank game not make it on a list like this? While it was a given, what was difficult was deciding which weapons made earned a spot. I couldn’t resist the Pixelizer from the 2016 reboot. As the name suggests, this handy shotgun variant morphs enemies into a pile of 2D pixels. The icing on top is that they crumble apart like lego bricks when defeated by the shot.

Drill Bore – Turok 2

It’s hard to beat the Cerebral Bore when it comes to game weapon brutality. A combination of a homing device, saw, and clamp, the Cerebral Bore tracks enemy brains and latches onto them, and well, you know the rest. Turok 2 shows a surprising amount of blood and gore as the bore tunnels through enemies’ skulls. While it’s certainly a satisfying weapon to use, the Cerebral Bore is one of the game’s slower weapons due to the lock-on and scanning time.

Dubstep ‘wubs’ – Saints Row 4

“It’s a party in a gun! Make the world dance to your beat and fear the power of your wubs!” That’s the in-game description of the Dubstep Gun and it fits the bill. Not only does it look like a turntable, but it literally shoots streams of dubstep energy at opponents. What’s even more hilarious and neat is the specific music track changes depending on the outfit worn.

Argent Energy Plasma – Doom (2016)

Every Doom player knows the destructive power of the BFG. It’s the most notorious weapon in the series for good reason. And it’s handy to boot, given that it’s one of two weapons in Doom 2016 with its own dedicated button (instead of the weapon wheel). Doom 2016’s iteration of the BFG uses green plasma made from Argent Energy, dealing up to 6000 damage to an enemy. This thing can vaporize and kill any enemy in a single shot as long as it’s not one of the bosses. The splash damage is also pretty large, catching groups and stragglers in the explosion radius very easily. You know you’ve just acquired the best weapon when that BFG Division music starts playing.

Swords – Borderlands 2

Among the thousands upon thousands of gun variants available throughout the Borderlands games, the Swordsplosion!!! gun takes the cake as most ridiculous. This E-tech shotgun is only available in the Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep DLC from Borderlands 2. Not only does it shoot an exploding sword, but it spawns other smaller swords that explode, spawning even tinier swords. It’s perhaps the most bizarre take on the weapons I’ve seen and I love it.

Rainbows Farts – Red Faction: Armageddon

Instead of your conventional super weapon being rewarded upon completing the game, Red Faction: Armageddon gives players a unicorn gun that farts rainbows. It’s not just a silly novelty though, as the Mr Toots gun provides some of the most damage in the game with its long-range high-powered laser shot. Enemies having the priviledge to be destroyed by Mr Toots explode in a confetti rainbow shower to top it all off.

Skunks – Oddworld Stranger’s Wrath

I’ve always appreciated Stranger’s Wrath for its unique take on the wild west bounty hunter schtick. It really feels like playing a sort of warped Jim Henson version of a classic Western. The third-person gunplay is pretty fun, but the live ammo is particularly charming. Each area has its own ecosystem of rodents and mammals that Stranger can pick up and use as Crossbow ammo, and those adorable but smelly Stunkz are my pick due to their cuteness and application. Shooting these skunks at enemies briefly immobilizes them, causing them to vomit uncontrollably.

Needles – Halo

While the famous M16 pistol from Halo 1 is undoubtedly the most effective weapon in the game, the Needler was the most innovative and intriguing. A Covenant creation, the Needler pins enemies with a barrage of energy needles that explode after a few seconds of insertion. They’re like an arrow with a timed explosive. Just shooting a few needles at enemies does peanut damage, but spam that sucker onto your opponent and you have a chained explosion that kills them within seconds.

Water – Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

The Water Pistol is one of many guns that can be developed on the Mother Base. And it’s far from the novelty item that it initially seems. Besides its utility distracting and potentially blinding enemies with splashes of water, it can short-circuit electronic equipment. But did you know the Water Pistol can even defeat a certain boss? That’s right, the Man on Fire can be defeated by spraying a ton of water from the Water Pistol directly on him. It takes about 80 or so hits, but once you take him down, it’ll be the ultimate humiliation.

Plungers – Luigi’s Mansion 3

The original Poltergust 3000 from the first Luigi’s Mansion defined the game’s premise and concept with its Ghostbusters-like vacuum gameplay. Well, the Poltergust has gone through some impressive upgrades since Luigi’s first haunted house visit. Luigi’s Mansion 3 introduces a bunch of new abilities and features for the Poltergust G-00. The funniest happens to be the Suction Shot, which involves plunging a ghost in the face and pulling it with a rope. The traditional use of Suction Shot is to break objects apart for easier suction, but we can’t stop shooting plungers directly at the enemies.

Thunderjaw – Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

Rift Apart is the second and final Ratchet & Clank game to make it on the list, and of course it’s the RYNO. The RYNO is a returning legacy weapon, but the 8th iteration goes a step further, summoning objects from various PlayStation games. To get this ultimate weapon, players must find every Spybot in the game. Your reward pays off though. I mean, who doesn’t want to smash enemies with Sully’s plane from Uncharted, Jak & Daxter, or a freaking Thunderjaw from Horizon: Zero Dawn? Okay, technically, you’re dropping these objects from a portal and not shooting them, but you’re still shooting to open the portal, so it counts.

Junk – Fallout 3

Like Half-Life 2’s Gravity Gun, the Rock-It Launcher shoots a variety of environmental objects at enemies. What makes this weapon unique is Fallout 3’s emphasis on junk items. There’s a ton of junk within the Capital Wasteland and most of it can be loaded into the Rock-It Launcher. It’s a tad disappointing that every junk item has the same damage output, but the variety of stuff you can shoot at opponents is impressive nonetheless.

Bullet Bill – Mario Kart

Bullet Bill is the oldest object on this list, with its first appearance in world 5-1 of the first Super Mario Bros. Game from 1987. It wasn’t until Mario Kart Wii (and technically Mario Kart DS) when players could finally harness the dread power of Bullet Bill on unsuspecting friends. The kart turns into a giant Bullet Bill, auto-piloting through the course at top-speed catapulting others to the back of the line – that is, until they smash you with one later in the race.

Mass Effect Trilogy

The much-acclaimed Mass Effect trilogy needs no introduction, these action RPGs ushering a new standard for narrative-heavy third person shooting that other space-faring shooters have struggled to match. The series’ central antagonist are the Reapers, a race of sentient star-ships who originated one-billion years prior when the galaxy controlling Leviathans created the synthetic lifeform the Catalyst which then turned on its creators, absorbing their genetic material to create the Reapers. The Reapers awaken every 50,000 years to conduct galactic-level mass destruction with the trilogy centring on Commander Shepard and his crew stopping them.

]]> 604774 https://gamingbolt.com/half-life-2-episode-3-new-footage-showcased-in-20th-anniversary-documentary Mon, 18 Nov 2024 07:04:22 +0000 https://gamingbolt.com/?p=604333 Celebrating Half-Life 2’s 20th anniversary, Valve recently released a documentary detailing the legendary first-person shooter’s development (in addition to giving the game away for free for a limited period). During that documentary, the company also showcases glimpses of a project that was highly anticipated, but never saw the light of day- that, of course, being Half-Life 2: Episode 3. 

In the documentary, Valve has also revealed completely new and previously unseen footage of the cancelled project. It showcases a new enemy blob-shaped shapeshifting enemy type that could move through grates or split up into smaller versions of itself. Also shown off as a new weapon called the Ice Gun, which did exactly what its name suggested. 

In the documentary, members of Episode 3’s development team reveal that Valve had developed multiple levels of the game, before the project was put on hold so that the development team could help wrap up Left 4 Dead’s development. By the time that was done, however, it was decided by Valve leadership (including Gabe Newell) that it was too late to return to Half-Life 2: Episode 3. 

You can view the full documentary below.

For those who already own (and likely cleared) it, the anniversary update is well worth checking out. It adds 3.5 hours of developer commentary from the original team and Steam Workshop support to replace weapons, enemies, the UI, and even experience full campaigns. Lightmaps have also seen improvements, with bicubic filtering resulting in better shadows, while radial fog results in “cleaner, smoother horizon lines.”

UI-scaling now supports higher resolutions, while every map (and Deathmatch map) now supports full HDR lighting and tone mapping. Players can also use blood and fire effects from the Episodes or those from the original launch. This is all on top of dozens of bug fixes and improvements. Check it all out below.

Half-Life 2 20th Anniversary Update

Bug Fixes and Change Notes

Content

• Added 3.5 hours of Developer Commentary by members of the Half-Life 2 team.
• Half-Life 2: Episode One and Episode Two are now playable from the Half-Life 2 main menu.
• Half-Life 2: Lost Coast has been added to the Extras menu.
• Added Steam Workshop support. Play entire campaigns or replace weapons, enemies, UI, and more with content created by the community.
• Added custom Steam Game Recording gameplay events and phases throughout the game.

Rendering and Graphics

• Fixed issues causing props or entire maps to be fully bright or fully dark depending on settings.
• Added bicubic filtering for lightmaps to produce smoother shadows. It can be enabled by setting Shader Detail to Very High.
• Fixed missing grass detail sprites in many maps.
• Added settings to enable Classic Effects that were originally in Half-Life 2. These effects can also be enabled using r_classic_blood or r_classic_fire.
• Added support for radial fog.
• Specular reflectivity has been adjusted throughout Half-Life 2 to better match the original release.
• Updated models for the Crossbow and RPG weapons to support ultrawide displays.
• Fixed camera clipping into vehicles at high FOV settings.
• Fixed lambda cache indicators and other decals vanishing when backtracking through map transitions.
• Setting Model Detail to High will now always display the highest detail version of a model and never swap for a lower level-of-detail.
• Set Antialiasing to 4x MSAA by default.
• Fixed teeth shader rendering fully white on some GPUs.

UI and Options

• The UI now scales to support higher resolutions.
• Launching the game in Steam Big Picture mode will now use the gamepad-friendly UI previously available on Steam Deck. You can also launch this mode with the “-gamepadui” launch option.
• The High Dynamic Range setting has been moved to the main Video settings page.
• Commentary mode can now be enabled on the New Game screen.
• Fixed display of greyscale art for locked achievement icons to match their behavior in steam.
• Improved legibility of gamepad button icons.
• Button hints will now prefer to display standard face buttons and trigger icons only. This behavior can be disabled with the “sc_prefer_basic_origin_hints” convar.
• Replaced instances of system fonts like Verdana throughout the UI with a new font, GorDIN.
• Added a new font renderer that provides more consistent rendering between platforms.
• Fixed edges of certain font characters being cut off with antialiasing enabled.
• Fixed scrollbars and button animations using inverted colors.
• Removed the non-functional “Use ‘bloom’ effect when available” setting.
• Added Rich Presence info while playing Half-Life 2.

Input

• Updated the default Steam Input configuration.
• Added a Gamepad settings menu.
• Added the ability to select a weapon selection UI style while using a gamepad.
• Added settings for separate Aim-Assist modes for mouse/keyboard and gamepad. The new Aim-Assist “Enhanced” mode now attempts to track enemies and snap-to-target while driving vehicles.
• If using toggle crouch, pressing sprint will now make the player stand.
• Legacy joystick settings have been removed from the Mouse settings menu.

Gameplay

• Reduced chances of birds getting stuck in the world.
• Fixed Combine crouching behavior during door assault scene.
• Fixed Combine not firing in some cases during the finale.
• Game sounds and music now pause while the game is paused.
• Fix crash that can occur if the player gets too far ahead of the helicopter in canals.
• Fixed Dr. Breen not looking at the camera in certain broadcasts.
• Fixed smooth friction sounds not playing.

General Map Updates

• Full HDR lighting and tonemapping pass across every map in Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2: Deathmatch.
• Increased lightmap resolution in most maps.
• Adjusted rendering distances across the game so details and objects remain visible much further away.
• Removed Far-Z clip plane from most maps.
• Increased window and door fade distances.
• Improved lighting and world detail inconsistencies during many map transitions.
• Tuned fog and skyboxes for every map with water on the horizon for better horizon blending.
• Replaced instances of simple reflective water with fully reflective water in nearly every map.
• Fixed many instances of floating props across the game.
• Sewed up holes, aligned textures, and fixed seams on many displacements throughout the game.
• Swapped some distant trees out for higher detail models.
• Enabled shadows on many static props that were missing them.
• Added glow sprites to all lights that were missing them.
• Fixed lightmapping for many large static prop structures.
• Added simple rooftop geometry to background buildings that were missing them.
• Added background displacement geometry to areas which are now exposed by removed the clipping plane.

Specific Map Updates

• The introduction sequence has been adjusted to closely match the original sequence, including fixing specular highlights on the G-Man’s eyes.
• Fixed various texture seams on train station wall
• All fences now properly cast shadows.
• Fixed issues with level transitions setting fog values improperly.
• Removed emissive value from base of lighting prop which was glowing in strange places.
• Fixed a bug with Eli’s idle animations during the teleport sequence.
• Fixed lightmapping of train cars in Red Letter Day and Route Kanal.
• Fixed a rendering bug in Route Kanal where world geometry would pop in and out of view when looking down the tracks.
• Aligned pipe and canal wall textures in a few areas to reduce seams and misalignment in Route Kanal.
• Added and adjusted canal wall brushes where level geometry was conspicuously missing.
• Adjusted brightness and falloff of ambient lights in darker sections of the canals.
• Added small grates as dim light sources of ambient light in a few places in the canals.
• Fixed an issue where the splash for Manhack Matt’s jump into the water would be out of sync.
• Fixed a bug where the large brick smokestacks were popping in and out depending on the player’s position in Water Hazard.
• Added missing cables to utility poles in various canal maps.
• Fixed lighting and shadows on the dock and electric tower outside of Black Mesa East.
• Added displacements and water plane to 3D skybox near the dam entrance to replace simple brush cliff face.
• Fixed the lighting on the rocks and props in and around the Ravenholm graveyard.
• Fixed players being able to trap themselves in the graveyard by closing the gate after Gregori would open it.
• Added radial fog to all coast maps in the Highway 17 chapter.
• Removed area portals from many of the smaller structures along Highway 17.
• Fixed a crash that would occur if you parked the buggy in certain areas before entering the bridge level.
• Fixed a bug where Vortigaunts could fall through the world.
• Added simple 3D skybox representation of the next map visible from the top of the lighthouse in Sandtraps.
• Fixed lighting issues during the basement flare sequence in Nova Prospekt.
• Added additional geometry to various windows throughout the levels to cast more detailed shadows in Nova Prospekt.
• Fixed a bug in teleport sequence in Entanglement ending too early leaving Gordon and Alyx standing around while the teleporter reached its destination.
• Fixed the catwalk explosion detonating at the wrong time in Anticitizen One.
• Fixed the building dome having no polygons on the outstide in Follow Freeman.
• Fixed the ship visibly flying through the building dome in Follow Freeman.
• Fixed Barney being left behind during a level transition or nagging the player too early to “roll a grenade” in Follow Freeman.
• Improved resolution of portal render texture during finale.
• Added soundscape to all menu background maps
• Darkened parts of the skyboxes that fall behind Half-Life 2 logo to help with text legibility.
• Added geometry to menu background maps for Ultrawide support.
• Added smoke to the Ravenholm and Follow Freeman background maps.
• Fixed a bug where you could hear the player’s bones break in the Citadel menu background map.

Half-Life 2: Deathmatch Fixes

• Fixed player model selection in the options menu.
• Fixed slam not being able to be detonated if you were too close to a wall
• Fixed view bob with the SMG equipped.
• Fixed using the Gravity Gun to yo-yo grenades, sometimes causing the server to disconnect or crash.
• Fixed missing sound effects for the Gravity Gun.
• Fixed characters playing a missing animation when switching weapons while jumping and moving.
• Fix weapons being invisible when being given another weapon of the same class.

Half-Life 2: Deathmatch Maps

• Increased player spawn point count in many maps.
• Fixed prop placement in maps that would allow players to escape the world.
• Fixed floating props in dm_runoff.
• Fixed the area portal on the blast door in dm_runoff causing the world to no longer render when the door was shut.
• Added geometry to many maps where the player could see outside of bounds.
• Fixed several areas where the player could see out of the world.
• Moved the blue barrels in dm_resistance that you could pick up with the Gravity Gun through the chainlink doors.
• Improved quality of the Valve intro movie when launching the game.
• Fixed playback of the the post-credits movie at the end of Episode One and the intro movie at the start of Episode Two.
• The achievements for Episode One and Two have been added to Half-Life 2. When launching the game it will attempt to read data from installed standalone Episodes to re-grant those duplicated achievements.
• Hammer: Show detail sprite preview on non-displacement surfaces.
• Hammer: Fixed bug where orphaned entities added additional data on each map load.
• Hammer: Fixed the ability to render cubemaps.
• Hammer: Increased many limits for BSP data. Models 1024 -> 2048, Brushes 8192 -> 16384, TexInfo 12288 -> 16384, TexData 2048 -> 8096, DispInfo 2048 -> 8096.
• Added save_transition_music convar that allows streaming music to continue to play in between level transitions.
• Localization files updated.
• Miscellaneous security fixes.

Other

• The previous version of the game has been archived to a publicly visible Beta branch named “steam_legacy”, with the description “Pre-20th Anniversary Build.” If a mod or feature is behaving in an unexpected way, you may need to run this archived build until the issue is resolved in the default build.
• With the Episodes and Lost Coast now contained within Half-Life 2 itself, we’ll be reducing the visibility of the standalone versions on the Steam Store. The old standalone applications will remain available to ensure community projects that rely on them still function properly but they will now appear within the Tools menu on your Steam Library.

Halo 2

You could make a case for any Halo game featuring on this rundown – Halo 3 for its gameplay, Halo 4 for its writing and character development, Halo: Combat Evolved, where it all began. But Halo 2 gets the nod here because it has all those standout elements but additionally its easily the most varied in terms of locations visited, with each locale itself superbly designed. The introduction of Arbiter Thel ‘Vadamee as a playable character not only put new weapons into our hands, but greatly expanded Halo’s lore too, presenting deeper purpose underlining Covenant motivations.

]]> 600361 https://gamingbolt.com/30-best-first-person-shooters-of-all-time-2024-edition Fri, 06 Sep 2024 17:19:23 +0000 https://gamingbolt.com/?p=596510 The first-person shooter genre is one that’s persisted for decades. It served as the framework for all kinds of experiences – multiplayer, single-player, and everything in between – while delivering unforgettable stories and gorgeous visuals. Among the hundreds of titles released throughout, select choices remain the very best that the genre has to offer. So without further ado, here are our picks for the 30 best first-person shooters of all time, as of 2024.

Duke Nukem 3D

3D Realms’ Duke Nukem 3D hasn’t aged well when examining its more risque elements. At the time, it stood out for imbuing some character into the first-person shooter genre, courtesy of Duke’s one-liners. The environmental interactions and destruction also felt fresh, to say nothing of bizarre weapons like the Shrink Ray for cutting enemies down to size.

SUPERHOT

What should be a gimmicky concept – time only moving when you do – results in an engaging, clever experience in the first-person shooter space. Superhot isn’t just about scoring headshots, throwing weapons, or swinging katanas to take out scores of enemies – it’s the assessment, the moments between each kill, that make it sing.

Valorant

Mix Counter-Strike: GO’s tactical shooting with characters befitting a hero shooter and you get Valorant, in a nutshell. As slow-paced and odd as it may seem, this is also one of the best tactical shooters, if not competitive multiplayer titles, out there. Despite only being out for a little over four years, Valorant offers tense gameplay that’s hard to put down.

Borderlands 3

Ignore the base game’s story, characters and writing for the sake of your sanity, and the gameplay in Borderlands 3 is a significant step up. From the smoother response and feedback and improved mobility to more varied gun types and deeper build crafting, it’s a strong looter shooter, though nowhere near as timeless as its predecessor.

DOOM 1 + DOOM 2

While fairly recent, DOOM 1 + DOOM 2 collects the best of both titles into one excellent package. Boasting all their additional content, Sigil, and a great new campaign by MachineGames, the release is made even better with in-game mod support, a stellar remixed soundtrack and cross-platform multiplayer deathmatch, with 26 new maps to cause chaos on.

Killzone 2

After the infamous E3 2005 incident, Guerrilla Games’ first-person shooter had nowhere to go but up, and subsequently knocked it out of the park. The gorgeous visuals were a factor, of course, but the well-designed missions, gunplay, intelligent AI, and tight level design made for an incredible experience (even if the ending was underwhelming).

Halo 3 ODST

Though not quite the follow-up that fans expected, especially after Halo 3’s thunderous conclusion, ODST was still a worthy side story. It focused on one of the most compelling units, the Helljumpers, as they infiltrated New Mombasa and engaged in urban warfare with the Covenant. Perhaps its biggest contribution is the introduction of Firefight, a Horde-style variant with difficulty modifiers, a shared lives pool, and multiple sets to overcome.

Bulletstorm

People Can Fly and Epic Games had a pretty simple goal with Bulletstorm – gamifying stylish ways to kill the opposition. The story and characters are ultimately secondary; kicking enemies into environmental hazards, sending them sky high for some skeet shooting, and more for extra points is ultimately what sold the experience. Even if it remains underrated (no thanks to its terrible VR port), Bulletstorm is still a hell-raising good time.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat

The Zone remains as haunting as ever in GSC Game World’s S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat, the third title in the series and most compelling yet. Though it has its share of bugs, the sandbox gameplay combined with the atmospheric horror and survival elements make for a harrowing time, whether you’re dealing with Anomalies or the various factions.

Destiny 2

Bungie’s live service shooter has had a long history, one with many ups and downs. Even throughout all of the changes, it remains perhaps the best of its kind. Between excellent campaigns like The Witch Queen and The Final Shape, an unmistakable feel for its weapons, gorgeous art direction, and stellar raids, Destiny 2 is still worth playing.

Unreal Tournament

When Quake 3 Arena was believed to reign supreme, Unreal Tournament appeared out of nowhere and claimed the throne. While the former still held a strong esports presence, the latter was the overall better product, from its map design and visuals to the sheer variety of mode types. Assault alone is an incredible addition to the competitive FPS formula and playing with AI bots actually felt enjoyable, even on the higher difficulties.

Turok: Dinosaur Hunter

Turok may have initially come across as “What if FPS but killing dinosaurs instead of humans?” but surprised many with its exploration and gorgeous visuals on the Nintendo 64. Of course, the combat was no slouch either, as each of the 13 weapons resulted in ample gore. Together, these elements made for an unorthodox but memorable shooter.

Prey (2017)

What could have been with the Prey franchise if Human Head Studios’ sequel wasn’t cancelled? We’ll never know, but in the meantime, Arkane Austin’s 2017 reboot, which embraces a more immersive sim structure and deep space paranoia, is excellent. As Morgan Yu, players must survive in a massive space station overrun with Typhon, but not everything is as it seems. The result is one of the finest first-person titles ever made.

Far Cry 3

Moving away from Far Cry 2’s realistic sandbox, Far Cry 3 went much bigger, returning to the tropical island setting while introducing a compelling new villain. Though the story is far more structured, the open world is rife with quests, enemy camps, wild animals, and much more. To this day, Far Cry 3 remains in a class of its own.

Metro: Last Light

Much as Metro Exodus embraced an open-world-style approach to its large areas, there’s something about Metro: Last Light and its linear narrative. Maybe it’s how well-designed each section felt, whether you were escaping from captivity or slinking through the surface, avoiding contact with its mutants. Perhaps it was the moral dilemmas that Artyom faced. Either way, the series’ brand of survival and fast-paced gunplay is at its peak here.

Star Wars: Battlefront 2 (Classic)

Ignoring the utter cluster that Aspyr’s re-released turned out to be in the online department, the classic Star Wars: Battlefront 2 is still a timeless game. The campaign is enjoyable enough but Galactic Conquest was a game changer of a single-player mode, offering a Risk-like map to fight through and conquer. Multiplayer was still arguably the highlight of it all, especially with 24 maps and modes like Hero Assault.

Medal of Honor (1999)

Developed by Dreamworks Interactive, it was the premiere World War 2 title, immersing players in the conflicts of the time while offering a top-tier presentation. Allied Assault would be more remembered thanks to its recreation of the Battle of Normandy, but Medal of Honor still deserves its flowers.

Left 4 Dead 2

Decried as little more than an expansion pack before launch, Left 4 Dead 2 expanded so much on its predecessor’s already compelling co-op gameplay. New Special Infected, deeper campaigns with more varied objectives, a wider variety of melee weapons and guns, and incredible replay value courtesy of its AI Director were just some of the reasons it stood out. Of course, its modability over the years has also ensured some great laughs.

Resistance 3

As the conclusion to the Resistance trilogy, Insomniac’s Resistance 3 is also its least successful. It’s a shame because, on top of new and old weapons, the atmosphere and dark subject matter added to the stakes, making it feel like humanity’s last desperate attempt to stay alive. While it still needed some polish, the gunplay and overall presentation made for a fitting end to the series.

System Shock (2023)

One of the best first-person titles ever made, System Shock is also far from easy to remake. Nevertheless, Nightdive Studios took a swing, rebuilding the visuals from the ground up while staying true to the far-future cyberpunk aesthetic of the original. Even with the improved UI, overhauled Cyberspace and other changes, it still maintains that sense of dread and terror that defined the original.

GoldenEye 007

Rare was already pretty well-established before GoldenEye 007 and yet, its launch raised the developer’s stock considerably. It isn’t just one of the best video game adaptations of a movie (usually a formula for failure back then), but proof that console shooters could be great. The local multiplayer alone defined many gamers’ lives growing up.

Cyberpunk 2077

After all the updates, revamped perks, and improvements, Cyberpunk 2077 has gone from a good first-person shooter to a great one. It’s backed by actual build variety, whether you’re a manic Mantis Blades user, a Netrunner overloading every single enemy, or skilled in a variety of guns. Of course, everything else that makes the game great, from its side quests to its open-world activities, doesn’t hurt either.

Wolfenstein 3D

While not quite the first-ever FPS made, Wolfenstein 3D is what ultimately led to the genre’s rise. It was frantic and fast-paced, with revolutionary visuals and excellent weapons. Though it offered secrets to discover throughout its ten episodes, the simplicity is ultimately what made it such a universal hit.

Quake 2 Remastered

Crafted with Nightdive’s assistance, the recent enhanced edition of Quake 2 packs all the mission packs, Quake 2 64, and a new episode from MachineGames into one package. Then it adds the id Vault, AI opponents in multiplayer, 4K/120 Hz support, and various quality-of-life features, turning one of id’s best shooters ever into a contemporary must-play.

The FINALS

Embark Studios’ THE FINALS is often forgotten when discussing competitive shooters, especially free-to-play options. Nevertheless, it’s a strong package with some unique modes, dynamic combat thanks to full environmental destruction, and extensive strategy, thanks to the unique gadgets. The arena-style combat may not appeal to everyone, but it still makes for some intense PvP sessions.

Black Mesa

If developing a sequel to Half-Life is challenging, remaking the experience, especially as a small team of fans, is an almost Herculean effort. Yet throughout many years of waiting, Black Mesa was finally a reality, delivering everything we loved about the original with gorgeous revamped visuals and entirely new sections like Xen.

DOOM (2016)

Considering how diminished interest had been in the franchise, it’s a miracle that DOOM even released. The fact that it’s this good is just an anomaly. Everything about it, from the visuals and action, particularly the new Glory Kills, is simply fantastic.

Perfect Dark

GoldenEye 007 showcased Rare’s surprising expertise for incredible first-person shooters and Perfect Dark only solidified it. With a tighter narrative focus and strong characterization (as seen with the iconic Joanna Dark), it weaved stealth, tense gunplay, memorable set pieces, and stellar levels into one cohesive package. The fact that it delivered so much despite the Nintendo 64 nearing the end of its lifespan is an achievement unto itself.

Titanfall 2

While it’s a shame that the original didn’t become all that popular, Titanfall 2’s fate is even more tragic given the sheer quality involved. The multiplayer is much more involved with its variety of Titans, weapon types and abilities (even if some maps could be hit or miss). Furthermore, the campaign is simply an all-timer with its level design, boss fights, and stories, making it worth the price of admission alone.

Half-Life 2

When you’re in Valve’s shoes and Half-Life is the pinnacle of narrative first-person shooters, there are high expectations. Yet, Half-Life 2 surpasses with relative ease, from the presentation and world-building to the story-telling and characters. Each area is memorable and unique; the Combine makes for enjoyable foes to fight; and the Gravity Gun is iconic all on its own.

A note before we begin: for the purposes of this list, we’re looking exclusively at strictly linear games. If a game is open world, semi-open world, wide linear, Metroidvania, places emphasis on exploration designed around backtracking, or anything of the sort, you won’t see it on this list. We know that’s a pretty strict way of defining linear design in games, but the very purpose of this feature is to celebrate that, after all, so do keep something in mind as we move ahead.

#15. WOLFENSTEIN 2: THE NEW COLOSSUS

MachineGames did an excellent job of redefining the Wolfenstein franchise with 2014’s The New Order, and then took the series’ new formula to even greater heights with its sequel. The biggest strengths of Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus obviously lie in its story and storytelling, and getting to witness its gleefully over-the-top cutscenes and wonderfully bizarre personalities in a story that remains captivating until the last second is an unforgettable experience. It helps, of course, that the action itself can also be a lot of fun.

Battle for Helm’s Deep – The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

One of the most important battles in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, the Battle for Helm’s Deep is arguably the best in the films. Despite running on sixth-gen console hardware, the video game adaptation captured the desperation of fighting hordes of Uruk Hai, pushing ladders off the keep’s walls, and meeting them at the breached wall to stop their advance. The fight spills over into the courtyard, with a somewhat awkward but cinematic view.