First-person shooter games have experienced a stony history in the past forty-five years since it all began. They have had tremendous waves of fame and downfall. But they have always come back as the new generations of gamers bring technical advancement to the concept.
First-
Who made first-person shooter games?
The first attempt at a first-person shooter game came in 1973 with Maze War for the Imlac PDS-1 computers installed at NASA Ames Research Centre. This game was developed by Steve Colley, Greg Thomson, and Howard Palmer.
Spasim [launched in 1974] is another early documented first-person shooter game. The game was an elementary space stimulator for up to 32 players, on networked PLATO computers.
Game Design
- Combat and power-ups
First-person shooters usually focus on gameplay with fast-paced battles and power-ups. In this era of first-person shooters, designers let characters carry different weapons with little or no reduction in speed Dexter
- Level design
First-person shooters may be structurally constituted of levels. In harder modes, enemies are tougher, more aggressive, and power-ups are limited. In easy modes, the players can succeed through reaction time alone.
- Multiplayer mode
First-person shooters may feature a multiplayer mode. Multiplayer first-person games allow thousands of players to compete at once in an online world.
List of historical fps games
The beginning of real-world gaming
- Wolfenstein 3D
Wolfenstein 3D was launched in 1992 for DOS. The game is set during WWII, as the player controls a captured American Spy named B.J.Blackowicz.The spy carries out a series of crucial missions against the Nazis as he escapes from the Nazi German prison castle Wolfenstein. Wolfenstein 3D sold over 200,000 total copies by the end of 1993. It was an enormous hit and single-handedly created a new genre.
- Doom
Doom [ launched in 1993] is considered one of the pioneering first-person shooting games. It has improved textures, variation, in height, and more intricate level design. Since its launch in 1993, over 10 million copies of games in the Doom series have been sold.
Advancement in 3D graphics 1995-1999
- Descent
The descent was the biggest opening at that time and it was launched in 1995 – In this game, the player is cast as a soldier hired to eliminate the threat of a strange computer virus injecting off-world mining robots. It was an advertisement as well as a critical success. It sold a total of 1.1 million units as of 1998.
- Quake
Quake [launched in 1996] is an FPS game featuring fast-paced gameplay within an entire 3D environment. It was centered on online gaming and used real-time rendered polygonal models instead of sprites. In 1997, it was the sixteenth-highest computer game seller in the US. Sales of Quake reached 550,000 units in the US by December 1999.
- Goldeneye 007
Goldeneye 007 is a 1997’s first-person shooting game based on the 1995 film James Bond Goldeneye. The player plays the character of the Secret Intelligence Service agent James Bond through a series of levels to prevent a criminal organization from using a satellite weapon against London. It turned out to be both a critical and commercial success by selling 2.1 million copies in 1998. Overall, GoldenEye 007 sold more than 8 million copies worldwide, making it the 3rd best-selling Nintendo 64 game. The game earned 250 million dollars worldwide.
- Medal of Honor
Medal of Honour[launched in 1999] gave birth to the long-running growth of first-person shooters set in World War II. The player, as a member of the Office of Strategic Services, has to complete several missions such as rescuing an American pilot, recovering stolen artwork, and obstructing the Nazi War effort. As of 2016, the series sold over 39 million copies all over the world.
- Half-Life
Half-life is a first-person shooter game developed and published in 1998 and becomes one of the blockbuster games. The player takes on the role of Gordan Freeman, a scientist who battles through aliens and human enemies to escape the Black Mesa Research Facility. The game was praised for its artificial intelligence and selection of weapons. During 1999, the game sold a total of 445,123 copies making it the fifth best-selling pc game in the US. Half-life sold 9.3 million copies by the end of the year 2008.
- Unreal Tournament
Unreal Tournament is a first-person arena shooting video game launched in 1999 and loved by many gamers. The game became a milestone for multiplayer gaming due to its incredible graphics and level design. By 2001, the game sold copies close to 2 million.
The Multiplayer Era
- Counter-strike
Counter-strike was launched and developed in 1999 and it is a series of multiplayer shooter video games in which the terrorists battle to show an act of terror due to the counter-terrorist trying to curb it. This game need lots of space bar clicker speed while playing to dodge the enemy attacks. Counter-strike is considered one of the most influential multiplayer first-person shooter games in history. In the year 2011, Counter-strike sold over a total of 25 million copies.
- Call of Duty Modern Warfare
Call of Duty is a first-person shooter game launched in 2003. It allowed players to advance through World War II in a series of campaigns. The ability to pull up and aim firearms, its single-player and multiplayer mode, and the ability to relive the last few seconds of a fallen comrade’s life were some striking features that distanced the game from its competitors. In April 2021, the series has sold 400 million copies. It is the most successful video game franchise created in the United States and the third best-selling video franchise of all time.
- Portal
Portal is a puzzle-platform game launched in 2007. It consists of a series of puzzles that must be solved by the player using the portal gun. The game received praise for its authenticity and unique gameplay. Apart from Steam download sales, over a total of 4 million copies of the game have been sold since its release.
- Bioshock
Bioshock is a 2007 FPS game where the player takes the role of Jack as he is guided through Rapture to reach various objectives. Some commentators acclaimed Bioshock as the best game of that year for its innovation in artistry, design, and narrative. By 2010, Bioshock 2007 sold over 4 million copies. Its franchise sold over 34 million copies, making it the best-selling video game franchise of all time.
- Crysis
Crysis is an FPS (first-person shooting) game based in the future where a big, ancient alien-built structure has been discovered buried inside the mountains. The player takes on the role of a soldier to fight both North Korean and extraterrestrial enemies in various situations. Crysis game sold over 3 million copies by 2010.
- Battlefield 3
Battlefield 3 [ launched in 2011] features the combined arms battles across single-player, co-operative, and multiplayer modes. The players step into the role of elite US marines to complete various missions. The game sold about 5 million copies in its first week of release and received mostly positive reviews.
- Team Up
One of the most abiding multiplayer Quake modes is Team Fortress [ launched in 1996]. The game let players choose one of the nine different classes, each of which used their weaponry and had varying movement speeds. In 2007, Valve developed its sequel Team Fortress 2. The sequel added a cartoony art style to the first game.
Valve also developed Left 4 dead in 2008. This game popularized asymmetric survival-based multiplayer games that could either control armed humans or powerful zombies. A sequel followed, and the team created a similar Evolve, which replaced zombies with monsters that gained new ability over time.
What is the future of FPS games?
The genre has come a long way following those early days with the help of headways in technology. With legendary franchises and new installments making a significant impression, first-person shooters show no sign of flagging soon.
