There is no doubt that first person shooter games have become the most popular gaming genre on console platforms such as the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3. The smashing success of games such as Goldeneye 007 in 1997 and Halo: Combat Evolved in 2001 speaks for itself.
The popularity of these games helped solidify first person shooters as the top gaming genre on both console and PC platforms for the first decade of the new millennium. The continual success and longevity of the Halo and Call of Duty series only serves to predict the continual reign of FPS titles for quite possibly another ten years.
Having set sales records beyond that of any other genre, it is only natural that more and more game developers seek to take a shot at the FPS market. The Xbox Live Arcade, the downloadable games market for the Xbox 360, began with simple casual games for players to download onto their 360 hard drives. Since then, the offerings on Xbox Live have greatly increased to full games and many game add-ons such as map packs for full retail games.
The console downloadable market is also an especially popular place for remakes of classic FPS titles such as Doom, Marathon: Durandal, and Perfect Dark to be released both on Xbox Live Arcade as well as the Playstation 3’s online market called the PlayStation Network.
Fans of first person shooter games have been pleasantly surprised with a recent influx of downloadable FPS titles on the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network from game developers. These game companies range from established larger companies with established game series to smaller independent developers bringing out new intellectual properties.
Players were treated to an entry in the Battlefield series with the release Battlefield 1943, and newer titles such as Blacklight: Tango Down and the recently released 360/PC exclusive Breach. These games focus on fast-paced multiplayer combat with influences from Halo, Call of Duty, and even Counter-Strike, which began as a Half-Life 2 mod.
Being generally well-received by game critics and players alike, the promise of more downloadable FPS games help ease off any boredom players might experience from the larger triple-A titles such as Halo or Call of Duty. However, also arriving at the downloadable market to keep a game’s multiplayer experience fresh are add-on map packs for the multiplayer sections of FPS games.
New map packs for Call of Duty titles such as Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare were well received but less so for Modern Warfare 2 because many fans felt the maps weren’t worth the price tag. This is possibly due to the fact that competitor Battlefield: Bad Company 2 offered multiple map packs for free before releasing an expansion pack for purchase.
Kaleb McKinnon, a sophomore in Civil Engineering, finds that the map packs are worth the price tag and bring new life to a game.
“The maps make the game,” McKinnon said. ”It’s like fighting on a different world with new places to hide and make a stand at.”
“The maps kind of determine how you might choose to fight,” McKinnon said, “and having to adapt to a new scenario is just more stimulating than doing the same thing over and over again.”
The add-on maps for Modern Warfare 2 sold very well despite some lackluster reviews, and the more recent Call of Duty: Black Ops will be releasing its first map pack titled First Strike on February 1, 2011.
On the Halo front, the original creator and developer of the series Bungie Studios wrapped up their Halo trilogy and topped it off with a prequel to the series called Halo Reach. Having offered downloadable map packs since Halo 2 on the original Xbox, Bungie continues its tradition of supporting the series with new maps. The Noble Map Pack was released to relishing reviews two months after the launch of Halo Reach.
Mike Calarco, a senior in international studies, prefers the Halo series to other FPS games and finds the additional maps to be an essential part of the package.
“The only FPS I play is Halo,” Calarco said, “and I bought the Halo Reach Noble Map Pack when it came out.”
“I thought the maps added a fresh new element to the online multiplayer experience,” Calarco said, “and the DLC exclusive playlist offered hours of fun on those new maps. It was definitely worth the price, and everyone I know who takes the game even semi-seriously purchased them.”
While Bungie has brought the Halo series to a close, the series that has been named “the king of first person shooter games” will be continued by other developers backed by Microsoft, the publisher and owner of the rights to Halo.
The buzz over first person shooter games has only grown over the years. As the bigger FPS series continue dominating the gaming sales market, and a steady flow of downloadable FPS titles for all major gaming platforms continue to be released, fans have much to anticipate this year.
A prequel for the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare series has been announced, and the long-awaited Duke Nukem Forever is finally arriving to stores May 3, 2011. The return and resurgence of a 90’s-style macho gun-toting protagonist promises a wild ride of old school intensity and raunchy humor, which contrasts nicely with the overabundance of military shooters currently on the market.
With 2011 promising so many shooters both new and old, and new again for the Duke, the FPS genre doesn’t seem be slowing down any time soon.
