Why is this significant? Well, as Arrowhead Games Studio CEO Shams Jorjani noted in an impromptu Discord Q&A, the next major update will apparently see a “lot of Helldivers” dying. Death isn’t anything new for Super Earth’s elite forces, but this structure is all the more foreboding given how powerful the Illuminate have historically proven.

Of course, as has traditionally been the case, you can probably expect some new weapons to help even the odds. The last Premium Warbond added an assault rifle/grenade launcher combo and the Maxigun, fulfilling many a player’s long-standing Rambo fantasies. There’s also the Killzone Legendary Warbond, which has permanently returned and offers some fantastic weapons based on Guerrilla Games’ first-person shooter franchise.

You can likely expect an announcement in the coming weeks for the next update, so stay tuned. Maybe it will include the rogue-lite mode that Arrowhead had been prototyping, which “fundamentally” alters the game.

Helldivers 2 is available for PS5, PC, and most recently, Xbox Series X/S. Check out our review for the latter here.

First off, if you purchased a single item, then you get access to the entire Warbond, no questions asked. Arrowhead gifted some items last year as a sort of apology for its high price, and while you’ll need to pony up 1500 Super Credits if you didn’t pay for any, those gifted items won’t require medals.

Of course, if you’re new, then you’ll still need to pay the same price and spend on the items to unlock them. But at the very least, you can look forward to additions like the Extrasolar Ash patterns for the Pelican, Hellpod, Exosuits, and more.

The Legendary Warbond arrives in the wake of a new Helldivers 2 update, which adds Magma Worlds for players to battle on. Arrowhead is also prototyping a new rogue-lite mode, but there’s no ETA on its official release (or whether it will be added to the game).

de Man spoke about how much the Killzone franchise has meant to its fans, and how many have wanted the series to return at least in the form of a remaster, if not an outright remake or new game.

“I know that there have been petitions for it,” said de Man. “I think it’s risky because, I can’t speak for Guerrilla or anything… I don’t know if it will ever happen. I hope it will because I think it is quite an iconic franchise, but also I think it kind of has to take into account kind of the sensitivities and the shift in, I guess, what people want because it is quite bleak in some ways.”

He does go on to say that he believes a remastered release of the original Killzone trilogy would see a fair bit of success, especially thanks to the franchise’s fans. A new title, however, isn’t something de Man believes would see much success.

“I think it remastered one would be successful I don’t know if a new game would be as much,” de Man said. “I don’t know if people have moved on from it and want something. I don’t know sometimes I get the sense that people want something a bit more casual a bit more quick.”

While fans of Killzone have been looking for some sign of life from the franchise, developer Guerrilla Games revealed back in October 2024 that the whole reason it created the Horizon franchise with the release of Horizon Zero Dawn was because it was done with Killzone.

“We were done with it as a team,” said art director Roy Postma in an interview. “As a studio, we needed to refresh the palette. It was, by choice, the opposite of Killzone. I think the themes that this story and the characters represent are relatable for all ages and people, like having a found family of friends and finding your place in the world.”

This was a sentiment echoed a few years after the official website for Killzone was shut down. The studio, along with Sony, referred to it being “retired”. This, however, did not affect the multiplayer components of Killzone: Shadow Fall.

The last time we got to see anything related to Killzone franchise was thanks to a crossover event in Helldivers 2. As part of the event, Helldivers 2 players could get their hands on cosmetics and weapons inspired by classic shooter Killzone 2.

While the original Killzone was poorly-received, it did kickstart a franchise that would be one of the core franchises for Sony during the PS3 years. Killzone: Shadow Fall, one of the first titles released for the PS4, has seemingly spelled death for the franchise, however.

“As this was our first crossover offering, we’ve been listening to the response, and the feedback we’ve received from our community surveys is that crossover content is really high up on your wishlists. At the same time, some of you are not happy with the prices of the items, and we will revisit this,” the developer said on Twitter.

The second part of the crossover content is available in the Superstore, including the AC-2 Obedient armor set, the PLAS-39 Accelerator Rifle, the StA-11 SMG, and the Defender of Our Dream cape and player banner. Furthermore, the duration of the previous items in the store has been extended from five to ten days. The development team is also looking at solutions to “bring these items back permanently in the future.”

Finally, a Major Order is available that enables all players to unlock the W.A.S.P. Stratagem. The latter will be familiar to Killzone 3 players as the StA-X3 W.A.S.P. Launcher, which fires multiple rockets after locking on. Based on early impressions, it’s incredibly potent and can instantly kill Illuminate Overseers.

Seasons greetings, Helldivers!

As Helldivers x Killzone was our first crossover offering, we’ve been listening to the response, and the feedback we’ve received from our community surveys.

Because of all this, in partnership with our friends at Guerrilla (and as we’re in the… pic.twitter.com/myvOgRTlDE

— HELLDIVERS™ 2 (@helldivers2) December 19, 2024

However, it also seems a free reward will be doled based on Galactic War success, though conditions for the same are unknown. The second part of the crossover will otherwise arrive on December 23rd. Also, for those worried about the items not sticking around for long enough, Arrowhead is testing out a longer rotation for the Superstore.

Killzone 2’s cosmetics will be available for five days per item page. Though it will return to the usual cycle, it’s taking feedback on whether this may not be enough time. There will also be surveys regarding bringing back items.

Helldivers 2 is available for PS5 and PC. It recently received the Omens of Tyranny update, which added the Illuminate.

Helldivers 2 PSN account backtrack

Sony came within a hair’s breadth of tanking their runaway success of the year with the perplexing requirement for PC users to link a PSN account to Steam to play Helldivers 2. If you didn’t already own a PSN account it’d be mandatory to make one to carry on playing. Sony’s act of self-sabotage caused widespread discontent, of course, but was also set to lock players from the 177 countries without PSN access out of the game. Fortunately, Sony put their collective heads together and reversed the decision, review bombing was ceased with sales – now eclipsing 12 million – continuing. 

]]> 606227 https://gamingbolt.com/15-best-first-person-shooter-campaigns-of-all-time Tue, 01 Oct 2024 19:36:29 +0000 https://gamingbolt.com/?p=600361 There’s more to first-person shooters; it isn’t exclusively guns. For a first-person shooter to be regarded amongst the best it needs to showcase other elements such as evocative, well-designed settings within which to battle, or harbour engaging stories with meaningful characters. Away from multiplayer, single player campaigns are the best way for FPS games to demonstrate these other integral elements. So, here’s 15 FPS games with great campaigns that display great settings and stories alongside shooting. 

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.

Helldivers 2 PSN account backtrack

Sony came within a hair’s breadth of tanking their runaway success of the year with the perplexing requirement for PC users to link a PSN account to Steam to play Helldivers 2. If you didn’t already own a PSN account it’d be mandatory to make one to carry on playing. Sony’s act of self-sabotage caused widespread discontent, of course, but was also set to lock players from the 177 countries without PSN access out of the game. Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead fronted by CEO Jordan Leithart have shown transparency on the situation, admitting to knowledge of the requirement 6 months prior to its announcement. Their honesty has quietened cynicism and, together with the policy’s reversal, review bombing has ceased with sales – now eclipsing 12 million – continuing.

A quick note! Don’t be surprised if you don’t find some of your favorites on this list. And while you’re here, why not check the previous list for added context?

With that out of the way, let’s begin.

Mass Effect 2

BioWare’s Mass Effect 2 continues to be held in high regard even after all these years, and a lot of it can be attributed to the best-in-class narrative that twists and twists based on the choices you make and of course, the spectacular action that takes you through it all. Mass Effect 2 might just be the best action rpg out there, thanks to a well-rounded narrative that features memorable characters like Illusive Man and bombastic moments like the Suicide Mission. It’s also one of the best-looking games on the now-dated console platform, but one of the best nevertheless.