First-person shooters remain one of the most popular genres in video gaming, thanks largely to the runaway success of DOOM, the granddaddy of FPS titles. Throughout the last 30 years, many developers have taken a shot at the genre, with varied results. Some FPS games were critically panned but still managed to make waves with gamers.
Many of these titles were so-so in terms of quality, while others suffered abysmal feedback and disastrous launch cycles. But gamers stuck with them and learned to appreciate what each game brought in terms of play experience, even if the end results weren’t particularly stellar.
Call Of Duty: Ghosts
Call of Duty has a long history of ups and downs, especially as the series began progressing through the years. Ghosts has the dubious distinction of being the most ill-received CoD title of the bunch, though it still managed to sell a lot of copies, and get people back in the saddle.
The main criticisms of Ghosts stemmed from the fact that it was a next-gen game that felt like it came from the previous gen, on top of inconsistent multiplayer, and some campaign pacing issues. It also fell prey to certain clichés that affect a lot of FPS titles. For a AAA franchise like CoD, the critical reception towards Ghosts was surprisingly hostile.
Sea Of Thieves
Sea of Thieves was a novel idea, blending first-person mechanics and open-world gameplay, all set to the tune of a pirate theme. The sheer novelty and charm alone should have been enough to win gamers over, but the critics ended up giving it a right shellacking.
The game sold like hotcakes, attracting more than a million players just two days after release. This was in spite of criticism targeted towards the game’s apparent lack of content, repetitive gameplay, and difficulty curve. Still, it continues to rack up sales.
Star Wars: Battlefront II
Battlefront II seemed like it came out almost immediately after its initial predecessor, and with all that rushing came some problems. The game was heavily criticized for inconsistent play mechanics, not to mention an unforgivable microtransaction system that sent shockwaves around the globe.
For a while, Battlefront II was considered an outcast by the community, but the game’s developers tripled down on reversing the bad press. It ended up becoming a truly impressive and polished, albeit imperfect Star Wars FPS game that still has legions of fans playing to this day, as evidenced by Battlefront II‘s best and worst multiplayer maps.
Duke Nukem Forever
The biggest problem with Duke Nukem Forever was its spotty development history, having started and stopped several times before the final product was released. When it finally debuted years later, it was a critical train wreck, with many reviewers citing outdated play mechanics, underwhelming visuals, and offensive content.
Duke fans bought the game in droves, anxious to get their hands on the true, definitive sequel to the classic Duke Nukem 3D. However, the magic quickly faded, and Duke Nukem Forever has now been cast out in favor of mods and upgrades to its predecessor, which is still an infinitely better game.
Aliens: Colonial Marines
With one of the most notorious and controversial launches in history, Aliens: Colonial Marines was marred with problems from the very beginning. In reality, ACM isn’t nearly as bad as many gamers remember, but it’s still far from the polished title shown off in early dev videos.
Worse, a simple typo on a single line of the game’s code single-handedly brought down enemy AI, which was lampooned for years until the problem was finally discovered. By then, it was too late. ACM sold well, but nobody will ever admit to buying it.
Aliens Vs. Predator
Another Aliens-themed title that didn’t make the cut with critics was 2010’s Aliens Vs. Predator. It continued the trend of allowing gamers to play as either a Xeno, Predator, or Colonial Marine, but the refinements to the game’s play mechanics felt bulky and cumbersome.
It got mediocre ratings from reviewers, but it still sold well, and many gamers eventually made peace with its imperfections. The tradeoff was an interesting story with a lot of atmospheres, but it moved at a much slower pace than its Aliens Vs. Predator 2 predecessor from 2001.
Far Cry Primal
Diehard Far Cry gamers know a lot about the franchise, including how it mixes outlandish and wild storylines with guns – lots of guns. That all changed when Ubisoft decided to set their next Far Cry game in the prehistoric age, eschewing firearms for stone-age weapons like bows, spears, and clubs.
Primal wasn’t a terrible game by any stretch, but it did have its faults, and critics weren’t sanguine about the overall package. The Far Cry name was enough to push sales, but it split the fanbase down the middle between those who wanted a return to the previous formula and those who didn’t mind a change of scenery.
XIII
The Belgian graphic novel series XIII was adapted into a video game in 2003, boasting cell-shaded graphics which gave it a distinct comic-book-style appearance and feel. As a result, XIII became popular with FPS players in the 2000s, even if critics felt it lacked substance.
Combat was heavily criticized as being paper-thin, and many felt the game’s visuals were designed to hide that fact. Regardless, XIII has its moments, blending snappy FPS gameplay with an interesting political conspiracy story.
Killzone: Shadow Fall
Killzone games have been largely hit or miss, with the first in the series debuting to mundane reviews, while its shiny PS3 successor, Killzone 2, managed to drop jaws upon release. It was followed up by a respectable sleeper hit in the form of Killzone 3, which are considered the highlights of the series.
With the introduction of the PS4, Killzone: Shadow Fall was released in order to give gamers more of the same. However, the introduction of sandbox elements and stealth mechanics robbed the game of its signature feel, which many felt was a letdown. That didn’t stop it from selling like crazy, however.
Cyberpunk 2077
Few games have such a notorious track record as Cyberpunk 2077, and it has given CD Projekt Red nothing but ulcers since its ill-fated debut. The company is still committed to turning things around with a rather laughable development roadmap, intended to fix Cyberpunk 2077’s seemingly endless bugs and gameplay issues.
Nevertheless, gamers flocked to Cyberpunk 2077, and continue to pick up the game to see what all the fuss is about. There’s a masterpiece buried underneath all that dirt and grime, and many players have chosen to accept the bad in exchange for the good. In many ways, Cyberpunk 2077 was the video game equivalent of Icarus flying too close to the sun, but fans still hold to hope that it’ll achieve its original intended vision.
