Should-Play PC Shooters

I have made a list of PC shooters that I would highly recommend to anyone at all interested in the genre.  In no particular order:



Fallout 3

This game is really the culmination of the FPS RPG genre.  There are many different ways to play through the game, lots of different weapons, very long gameplay, good voice acting that includes Liam Neeson, and above all, a fifties-era mentality in a post apocalyptic world.  Did I mention the forty-foot tall, anti-communist Freedom Prime robot?  Good times.


Quake

One of the first non-spite shooters, but that's not why it made the list.  Quake is engagingly difficult, any enemy can kick your ass.  The most common enemy has a grenade launcher and a chainsaw.  With a loosely Lovecraft-based story and various traps to keep you on your toes, this game aged well.


Prey

Fantastic storytelling and voice acting, Art Bell, and gobs of creativity.  You'll be walking on floors, wall, and ceilings; gravity is not constant.  Oh, and the composer for the music has won awards, as he should.  The music really helps to make this a very evocative, powerful game. 


Unreal Tournament 2004

This has the most game types of any Unreal Tournament game.  While the single player campaign isn't too thrilling, the Instant Action and multiplayer options are great.  This is the easiet game to LAN I have ever played.  Bots are easy to adjust, and there are lots of fan-made maps in addition to those that come with the game.  Also, this is one of the most stable game engines I have ever encountered.


Half-Life

This game has a good length, and a great story that has led to a franchise.  This is a game that really went after secondary fire with a vengeance.  I've played through this game at least twenty times, and I still like it.


Doom 3

If you've never played this before, Doom 3 has jump scares that'll, well, make you jump.  As much as able, while sitting.  The PDA functions of this make it more realistic and immersive.  The attention to darkness keeps players on their toes (I DO NOT recommend the flashlight patch if you want to get the whole experience).  Overall, an intense shooter with great visual effects and a solid story.


Halo : Combat Evolved (the first Halo game)

This is the first of the Halo franchise, and, apparently, has the most solid story.  Game length is decent, there are many intense firefights, and the voice of Master Chief is none other than Steve Downs, Chicago classic rock station The Drive's very own deejay!  The story in this game is awesome, and the soundtrack is memorable.


Half-Life 2

For those that didn't play the first Half-Life, this has little to do with that!  So it's easy to just jump right in to this game.  There is a fantastic story and very well developed characters.  The graphics were ground-breaking and are still good.  It's easy to lose track of time will playing this.




For anyone wondering why Doom, Wolfenstein, etc are not on here, have you played them recently?  I played Doom all the time back in the day, because there was nothing else to do.  I played it a few months ago, and it was more of a chore than a fun time.