Gun-Slinging Reaches a Whole New Level in These Awesome Shooters
With so many First-Person Shooter games out there on the market clamouring for your attention, it can feel like knowing which ones to pick up off the shelf is a mission in and of itself. So, which FPS games are the most popular? Which ones do you simply have to play in 2017 and 2018? Well, we’re about to make life a whole lot easier for you! So huddle down behind those crates in the corner, take a moment to reload and let us brief you on the most popular FPS games in 2017 and 2018 before heading back into that storm of bullets.
11. Battlefield 1
Battlefield 1 trailer
Battlefield has been around for ages—15 instalments, to be precise. Despite that, instalment #15, released in October of 2016, is called “Battlefield 1”—a fact that becomes even odder when you consider its immediate predecessor was given the number “4”. But we’re certain that Battlefield 1’s name is based on the fact that the game deals with World War I rather than the fact that the team at EA are still nursing a concussion from one too many headshots and respawns from earlier titles. Probably.
Battlefield 1 puts you through a series of historically based war stories from World War I and emphasizes working together. The game’s world designer goes so far as to actually say that gameplay will be significantly more difficult if you don’t join a squad in order to play. And while we are dealing with World War I, it would be wise not to allow your spoilt, 21st-century mind to underestimate the older weaponry you’ll find in-game. Otherwise, you’ll be choking on your foolish pride when someone takes you out, not with a bolt-action rifle or even a flamethrower, but with a good old shovel.
Battlefield 1’s most significant trait is probably the way it focuses on the humanity of the War. Far from being the near pointless glorification of war for its own sake that you’re likely to encounter in most modern military war games, the game focuses on the impact the War had on individual lives. This lends the game a very sad and dark tone, but it also remains true to the War itself and the people who lived and died through it in a refreshing way.
I did warn you! Never underestimate the simple power of a shovel to the face!
World War I takes the battle to the skies.
10. Call of Duty: World War II
Call of Duty: World War II trailer
There’s a new drill sergeant coming to town, and he’s called Call of Duty: WWII. He’s set to arrive in November of this year (2017) but, until then, it’s back to the training ground, boys!
No, seriously. Back to the training field. Off with you! That’s an order!
First off, there’s gonna be a few changes around here. There’ll be no more of that double-jumping and wall-running drivel you all got used to in the last 3 Call of Duty titles. World War II didn’t have that kind of tech. So, get your sorry heads outta those clouds and keep those boots planted on the ground, maggots! There’ll also be none of this “infinite sprinting” madness—if people could actually do that, the death toll wouldn’t have been nearly as high in the war. And no automatic health regeneration either! Squad members with med kits will have to do. This is war! If you don’t like it, go play a videogame or something… Leave warring to the real soldiers who actually know how to patch up a wound on the fly or dive (sensibly) for cover.
Slow and sturdy wins this race if you know how to play your cards right.
You could almost believe you were really holding the gun!
9. Quake Champions
Quake Champions trailer
Quake Champions promises to be a pacey arena-type shooter with loads of playable characters, weapons and skills to choose from. All of that translates into even more hours of running around through varied and sometimes fantastical levels, pulling out weapons out of your hammerspace and blasting screaming people to smithereens—even if there does seem to be something horribly wrong about that idea.
It also means a whole new level of plotting, planning, frenzied fragging, reflex kills and panicking when you realize you’re suddenly out of ammo right in the middle of a tense encounter. If you love the thrill of an arena Deathmatch where literally anything and anyone can be waiting to take you out just around the corner, you’ll definitely want to pick up Quake Champions this year.
Sudden and deadly skirmishes like this one are common place in Quake Champions. Always watch your back.
Things can get pretty gory pretty fast with weapons like this just begging to be used.
8. Titanfall 2
Titanfall 2 trailer
Imagine yourself in the thick of battle—you know, the running, the dodging, the bullets, the laser blasts. Just you and scores of other people that are out to collect your head and mount it on their wall. Nothing out of the ordinary. Now imagine that, certain conditions being met, you could summon your own gigantic mecha-sidekick to crash the party and add some serious firepower to your arsenal. Now that would be something, right?
That’s what the folks at Respawn Entertainment and EA thought, too (and we’re glad they did, because it was a pretty sweet idea!). These mecha-style exoskeletons, called Titans, are wicked cool, and plenty lethal besides. Each of them has its own special abilities and weaponry, which really takes combat in-game to a whole new level. You can choose to pilot your Titan or you can disembark and fight separately. The trusty thing will keep on attacking enemies on its own and will follow you around the battlefield unless you set it to guard mode, in which case it will stay put. Sit! Good boy!
Titanfall 2 adds to the thrill of its predecessor with the introduction of a single-player campaign, though it’s a little on the short side. The game focuses more on its multiplayer aspect. That’s where the Titans can really be used to their full potential. Forget dogs being Man’s best friend—Titans have our vote!
Dominate the battlefield with your trusty Titan sidekick at your side every step of the way.
Here’s to hoping this is either your Titan or it’s on a really short leash!
7. Halo 5
Halo 5 trailer
Released for the Xbox One and with a version called the “Forge mode” for the PC, Halo 5 continues humanity’s war against the theocratic alien alliance known as the Covenant. Follow the “supersoldiers” known as “Spartans” as they spearhead humanity’s defence against an extra-terrestrial threat hell-bent on wiping out the entire species, a strange alien entity called the “Flood” and several other unforeseen threats.
The plot thickens in Halo 5 with several twists and developments that will have massive implications for the in-game universe. In your hunt for the truth you’ll be rampaging your way across alien worlds, the home world and spaceships, taking on steep odds and doing your best to make it home alive when there are just so many ways to die and so many people ready to volunteer for the role of your murderer.
You’ll find yourself exploring bases like these a lot in Halo 5. Good thing you brought backup.
Frankly, traveling on foot on the battlefield gets old, not to mention it can be your undoing.
6. Destiny 2
Destiny 2 trailer
Here’s one more to add to your list of games to look forward to: Destiny 2. Set to be released for PC in October of this year, the game will pick up where the original Destiny left off. As was the case in the first game, Destiny 2 will be split between player versus environment (PvE) and player versus player (PvP) game types.
Destiny 2 will feature 3 classes, as did Destiny before it. With each class comes special abilities, upgrades and boons, as well as 2 subclasses that allow for further customization of your character. The special moves sound pretty cool, too. Weapons and armour will see an overhaul in Destiny 2, and it will be interesting to see how these little changes will play out, come the day of release.
A look at the character design screen.
Sweet graphics make Destiny 2 a real visual treat.
5. ARMA 3
ARMA 3 trailer
If you think the terms “open world” and “military tactical shooter” sound scary when in the same sentence and referring to the same thing, you’re a smart cookie. You have a healthy sense of personal danger. If you don’t think that’s a big deal, don’t you worry—ARMA 3 will soon set you straight on that score! The game has been labelled a “simulation game” for a reason. ARMA 3 can start to feel frighteningly real!
You get to play in a beautiful, open environment. But that beautiful landscape can so easily become a femme fatale, sinking poisonous claws into you even as you are distracted by the spectacle that she is. Expect to die in ways you never saw coming. Expect to feel the frustration and the helplessness that can come from never knowing where your opponents are hiding in this massive, open world, or where the next bullet will come at you from. You can’t trust the trees nearby or that lone structure in the distance.
And yet, it’ll be clear that this is precisely what makes the game such a great FPS. It’s where sandbox meets FPS, and the results are amazing if a little daunting. The scenarios you can create are nearly endless, and the realism you can achieve is uncanny.
With an expansive map such as this one, it’s anyone’s guess as to just how many ways you can outfox your enemies—or be totally outfoxed by them first.
Arma 3’s world is truly grand and very detailed, as demonstrated by this aerial view.
4. Rainbow 6 Siege
Rainbow 6 Siege trailer
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6 hardly needs an introduction—so I’ll just cut right to the chase. Rainbow 6: Siege is more than your average battlefield. No, young grasshopper, you do not simply walk in with the safety off and start spraying the whole place. For starters, you’d never make it very far. Secondly, that’s precisely the way to get hostages butchered on your watch. Rainbow 6: Siege stays true to the series’ focus on the finesse of battle. Might is wrong until you’ve employed the kind of tactical genius that can diffuse the very tense and delicate situations you’ll find yourself inevitably tiptoeing around all game long.
You’ll need spy drones, a diverse team of professionals, an even more diverse cadre of weaponry and fancy gadgets, brains by the buckets, and sometimes more than just a dollop of luck if you’re to get the better of these mad hatters running around with guns and waving their unreasonable demands under your nose. So think things through, abuse the art of subterfuge and show these goons what it means to be the brains of an operation.
Teamwork makes the dream work—so goes the old cliché. Except it isn’t a cliché. Not here.
A fully destructive world means many new tactical possibilities as well as hindrances.
3. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Counter Strike: Global Offensive trailer
Counter-Strike as a series has enjoyed a massive following. There are entire swarms of people you’d be convinced do nothing with their lives besides playing one Counter-Strike game religiously, draining it dry of all its secrets and then ambushing the stores so they can be the first to get at the next instalment, they’re that good at the game. Having said that, I hope you got the warning, newbie; and even then, it might not do you any good. Because Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is very much a worthy successor to the series, which means there will already be loads of cold-blooded experts just itching to go on a rampage and you’re likely to be on the wrong end of the food chain.
But if that’s not enough to intimidate you, or if you’re just too darn stubborn for your own good, your bravery and perseverance will be richly rewarded when you wake up one day and realize suddenly as the sunlight hits your windowsill that you, too, are now one of these insanely skilled wonders of human reflexes and cool-headed efficiency. Then you’ll think back to all those embarrassing kills you suffered at the hands of others—and it’ll all have been worth it. No pain, no gain, after all.
Bonus points for stealth and accuracy! No, really! Look at the bottom left.
Can’t say I’d very much like to be him right now…
2. Overwatch
Overwatch trailer
Cheers, loves! The cavalry’s here! Things are about to get messy fast. Overwatch by Blizzard Entertainment is all about going online, forming a gang of six and then going to town on your hapless opponents. With a whole lot of skill and a little bit of luck, they won’t even know what hit them.
That’s exactly what Overwatch is, though—a team game. Sure, it’s great if you are an ace on the battlefield, running around and racking up kills while remaining eminently untouchable to your opponents—like some kind of futuristic Achilles—but the real rewards are in what you do for the team. Assisting kills, defending teammates, healing and resurrecting allies all add up and the game keeps track of those points. Keep earning those points steadily and you’ll be “on fire”. Though that in itself doesn’t affect gameplay mechanics, it’s quite satisfying to keep it going, plus it helps your team that much more if you’re playing that well.
Overwatch is a great FPS title with a lot of appeal and a lot to offer in the ways of diversity and pure enjoyment. There are a lot of heroes to play through and master, and a lot of combinations to figure out before you can consider yourself a true veteran of the game.
Cheers, loves! The cavalry’s here! Heh, I just had to do it again. Say hi to the fans, Tracer!
Dynamic weapons and abilities can make for demanding encounters with the enemy. Think fast!
1. Star Wars Battlefront 2
Star Wars Battlefront 2 trailer
My inner Yoda tells me, through the Force, that a great conflict will rock the galaxy once again later this year. November will see the advent of Star Wars Battlefront 2, and it promises to be a thrilling and action-packed shooter that will once again call our attention to the iconic Star War series. So, run to the dressmaker and get that familiar brown uniform stitched up in a hurry, because you’re gonna be a big part of this interstellar conflict. You’ve gotta look the part!
We’re talking blasters, the Old Republic, the Sith, the Jedi, odd fighter spacecraft that resemble the letter H (or at least one of the Unown from Pokémon) and little green men with lightsabers that can cut you down in a flash. And, of course, the Force. Everybody knows that, no matter who else they want to pass off as “the hero”, the Force is the real MVP in the Star Wars franchise.
In other news, I’m also seeing that Emperor Palpatine will come down with a nasty case of the flu that will spread to the rest of the Sith and incapacitate them horribly just before the dawn of the New Year. But please, don’t quote me on that—I’m still young in the Force!
Waitaminnit…who’s using the lightsabre?! It seems even machines can use the Force now. Scary stuff.
First-person mode coupled with amazing graphics—always a win.
So, there you have it, the 11 FPS games that you simply must play in 2017 and 2018. Now that you know, it’s your job to start stalking the stores like the rest of us as we wait in eager anticipation for our chance to own these brilliant shooting games.
Liked what you just read? Here are a few others like it that you’ll probably find interesting too!
Top 10 New Shooter Games of 2017 (PC)
The 15 Best FPS Games To Play Today
Top 10 New Shooter Games of 2017 (PC)
