These FPS Games Are Masterpieces Of Action-Adventure

Modern first-person shooters like Call of Duty: Blacks Ops 7 or Battlefield 6 will certainly take players on a journey through the campaign. They are not the most adventurous stories or worlds to explore, but the following examples are. Whether they are completely linear, somewhat open, or fully open-world, these games imbue the excitement of a great adventure setup.

With the chilling reveal of Metro 2039 on April 16, the Atmospheric FPS is having a massive resurgence this Spring. However, as we prepare to return to one of the most intense universes in gaming, this is the perfect time to look back and appreciate the FPS action-adventure greats that define the genre.

10

Metro 2033

The Future Is Bleak

Metro 2033

Released

March 16, 2010

ESRB

M // Blood, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Drugs, Violence

Metro 2033 is a post-apocalyptic game set in Russia. The upper world is too dangerous between monsters and poisons that most citizens now live in the old train tunnels below, which is how players will navigate through most of the game.

Their arsenal will start weak between junk guns and bad bullets, but eventually players can upgrade guns or buy better versions from vendors using old-world bullets, which are also stronger in attack power. It’s not the most adventurous game since the setting is rather bleak, but the story’s surprises and set pieces should make for an interesting playthrough of Metro 2033.

9

STALKER 2: Heart Of Chornobyl

The Fallout Anomaly

STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is another post-apocalyptic game, but this one is more open-world in terms of design. There are quests to chase, anomalies to find and patch, and plenty to see in the desolate area of Chornobyl following the nuclear fallout.

Requests are simple and force players to immerse themselves in the journey, as not everything is directed plainly with waypoints. Players have to use their tools to find the best route possible, and they’re often not going to like the results, as there are no cheerful quests or NPCs. This is a dark game about survival, betrayal, and exploring the ruins of society.

8

Dying Light

Parkouring With Zombies

Dying Light is a zombie-infested game, but unlike the slow, stuttering zombies of Resident Evil, this game’s undead are much quicker. Thankfully, so are players since the game promotes quick movement from running to climbing to leaping across buildings.

It’s a parkour fan’s delight across big open areas and destroyed structures, all of which are hiding deadly secrets. Players can find a vast array of ranged and melee weapons to fight back, but for most encounters, there’s nothing wrong with running away, either.

7

Crysis

A Stealth Mission In The Jungle

Crysis

Systems

Released

November 13, 2007

ESRB

M

Crysis is a great example of an open-world game with stealth gameplay to make players feel like they are in a modern Metal Gear game. Players will be dropped onto an island with a powerful new suit, which allows them to go through enemy camps strategically with optical camouflage.

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Players can explore the island quietly, or they can make their presence known, although this strategy can often turn deadly quickly. Either way, the gunplay and the stealth mechanics are both top-notch, fully immersing players into the spy role-play experience.

6

Far Cry 3

A Bad Vacation

Far Cry 3 is another tropical open-world game set on an island, but this game stars an unlikely group of partygoers on vacation who get abducted by traffickers. One of the partygoers, Jason Brody, can escape, and players can then explore the island with him as the lead.

They can find vehicles to drive, weapons to shoot, and camps to take over, all in the name of revenge. It’s all one big chaotic mess filled with drama, explosions, and some of the coolest tropical sights ever placed in a video game.

5

Dishonored

Finding The Killers

Dishonored is an immersive sim set in a dystopian steampunk world where everyone thinks the protagonist, Corvo, killed the empress. The game can be boiled down to a series of assassination missions, each set up to uncover more of the conspiracy about who really orchestrated the empress’s assassination.

Players can use daggers or guns to take enemies down quietly or loudly, but the biggest draw of Dishonored is the cool powers that are unlockable. Players can slow down time or leap across big gaps with teleportation, and all of these powers and gadgets can help players plan their kills in open-ended ways.

4

Titanfall 2

Mech Assault

Titanfall 2 may seem like just a more futuristic version of Call of Duty with mechs and special suits, but it’s so much more than that. While shooting as a human or while piloting a mech is part of the core gameplay loop, which feels great, there’s also a lot of movement between gunfights.

Players can leap across gaps in big industrialized warehouses filled with modern homes, or they can run along canyon walls to their next destination. The set pieces are wild, varied, and will always keep players on the edge of their seats waiting to see what will appear around the next corner.

3

BioShock Infinite

Grinding On Rails

The BioShock series has some of the most interesting locations for its games, with BioShock Infinite having the most sense of adventure from the design alone. Taking place in the sky, Columbia is a floating archipelago of islands that are connected via railways, which players can glide across with their handy rail grinder.

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Zipping between locations alone is thrilling, but using the rails while in a gunfight can make the movement even more exciting. Columbia is an interesting world to explore as it takes pop culture and American iconography and filters it through a post-modern lens that is both creepy and hard to look away from.

2

Half-Life 2

A Free Man In An Arrested Society

Half-Life 2 is another shooter with a dystopian feel to its society, only this one takes place in the future. The game begins with the franchise’s overarching scientist protagonist, Gordon Freeman, escaping the watchful eye of the government and escaping into the in-between society to find answers to what happened to him in the last game.

While there are standard weapons, like pistols and the returning crowbar, the Gravity Gun is the main mechanical draw. With it, players can use the game’s physics to defeat enemies or solve puzzles their way, and thanks to the set design and the environmental storytelling, Half-Life 2 skyrocketed the developer, Valve, beyond success.

1

Metroid Prime

A Haunting Exploration

Metroid Prime

Systems

Released

November 17, 2002

ESRB

T For Teen Due To Violence

Metroid Prime is a shooter that does it all, perfectly adapting the Metroid franchise into a 3D adventure. Set on a distant planet, players will explore as the bounty hunter Samus Aran to uncover hidden pirates and an ancient civilization that all somehow connect to her.

With new gadgets and powers, players can open up pathways on the island and in the game’s ruins in typical Metroidvania fashion, like missiles that can blow up doors. Shooting feels good thanks to the lock-on ability, rolling around in third-person is a good way to break up the pacing, and the platforming is also a treat even in first-person.

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