Summary
First-person shooters from the nineties are in a subcategory of their own, humorously dubbed as “boomer shooters” by nostalgic fans. Back then, there were trendsetters and underrated titles that deserved more attention. As time went on, so did the FPS scene, branching out intomodern military shootersin the 2010s, and, in recent times, more of an emphasis on story-telling, RPG elements, open-world levels, and such.
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Thankfully, plenty of the classics have received more than just a touch-up with modern source ports that not only improved the visuals and performance but also introduced a whole heap of other cool features, making them worth playing now more than ever.
PowerSlave: Exhumed
WHERE TO PLAY
Destination: The ancient Egyptian city of Karnak. Alien forces possessing horrifying powers have sealed off the once thriving community from all outside contact. As a covert operations specialist, you have been trained for all forms of contingencies. Nothing can prepare you, however, for the nightmare you are about to enter…First Person Viewpoint Action. 20 Plus Levels of Non-stop gameplay through an ancient Egyptian city and the tomb of the Pharaoh RamsesReal time fully 3D rendered gameplay allows you to move between floors within a single level.Cross bridges and swim through underwater grottos. With just a machete to start, search for 6 other weapons including hand grenades, a flame thrower, an M-60 machine gun, and a magical cobra staff. Dynamic lighting creates stunning visual effects.
PowerSlave: Exhumed combines aspects of both the Sega Saturn and PlayStation versions ofExhumed(orPowerSlaveoutside of Europe) into one singular title. Both games had a number of differences between them, but their core DNA remained the same. It’s a Metroidvania which will have players exploring Egyptian tombs and mausoleums while destroying its recently-reanimated undead inhabitants with magical staffs and an M60.
Ambient colored lighting, fully 3D environments, and a combination of both the claustrophobic and open-level designs from each title are but some of the features that make it. The end result is like a mega-mix of the best bits, big and small, to create an ultimate version that should prove to be a stellar pick for old-school gamers.
Black Mesa
Black Mesa is the fan-made reimagining of Valve Software’s Half-Life.You are Gordon Freeman, a theoretical physicist at the Black Mesa Research Facility. When a routine experiment goes horribly wrong, you must fight your way through an interdimensional alien invasion, and a bloodthirsty military clean-up crew in order to save the science team… and the world!Venture into a completely reimagined and refined single player campaign, including all new and expanded Xen levels with 19 chapters of fighting through top-secret labs, running atop harsh desert landscapes, sneaking into abandoned railways, and leaping across dimensions.Face off against an army of classic enemies, updated with new features and engaging AI as you wield an arsenal of military hardware, scientific prototypes, and the iconic crowbar through incredibly detailed environments.The all-new soundtrack and voice acting pair with mind-Blowing graphics and effects, never before seen on the Source Engine, to create a more immersive experience than ever before.
Ever wanted tore-experience the originalHalf-Lifewith updates to… well, everything?Black Mesawas in development for 15 years, and what’s on offer admittedly teeters between ‘remake’ and ‘reimagining’. However, it has Overwhelmingly Positive reviews on Steam, so it’s certain to please.
The updated visuals, new voice acting, original soundtrack, entertaining combat with a variety of weapons, additional puzzles, updated enemy AI, and reworkings of the infamous Xen levels should scratch that itch for anyone wanting to revisit the infamous research facility in the midst of an extraterrestrial invasion once again. Plus, it offers a multiplayer mode for some old-school action.
AfterDOOMandDOOM 2, there wasQuake, the first ever fully 3D shooter. Highly influential, countless shooters owe it to this one - especially for its lightning-fast multiplayer mode. Now the entire game can be re-experienced, along with two expansion packs from the era alongside an additional pair of stunning chapters created by Machine Games, all in one fabulous HD release.
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Co-op and multiplayer (with console crossplay) are playable, and the Steam Workshop has even more content to try out, like the Nintendo 64 version of the game. And, to top it all off, theNine Inch Nails soundtrackfrom the original game was brought back for the first time, which is an essential part of the experience.
Compared to the previous game,Quake IIis a different kettle of fish in its entirety, leaning towards more of a sci-fi shooter than a Lovecraftian-themed onethanks to its weapons. Nevertheless,Quake 2 Remasteredmakes for an excellent port.
After all, it has the base game, along with its two expansion packs, a third bonus chapter by Machine Games, and evenQuake 64(a notably different game from the Nintendo 64 that still retained many of the base game’s assets) tossed together as well. Then there are the heart-racing multiplayer and co-op modes all intact and with console cross-play, too, and even 8-player local split-screen multiplayer for PCs (4 players on consoles).
Serious Sam Fusion
Serious Sam Fusion 2017brings several Serious Sam games developed by Croteam to the latest in-house tech!Serious Sam Fusion 2017 is also a central hub for existing Serious Sam games that will enable seamless integration of new engine features, patches, and upgrades.Games available in Serious Sam Fusion 2017:- Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter- Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter- Serious Sam 3: BFE- VR versions of all games are a part of Serious Sam Fusion 2017, too!Serious Sam Fusion 2017 enables a lot of cool new features, like a common workshop and cross-game mods. All of the games can be started from one application, so you can jump between playing The First Encounter level to a Serious Sam 3 level and back without exiting the game. When listing game servers, servers playing TFE, TSE, SS3 – will all appear in the same list and you can vote map across games if you want. Oh, and owners of our VR games are able to play multiplayer together with their “flat” counterparts!
Serious Sammay seem like a simple shooter on the surface, but it delivers some seriously fiendish enemy encounters that require a lot of well-timed dodges and attacks. Even in its beta form,Serious Sam Fusionis one of the best ways to play theearlier entries in the series.
BothSerious Sam: The First Encounterand its follow-up can be played, along withSerious Sam 3: BFE. Not only do they all have updated HD graphics, but they serve as a hub for all three titles to be played (along with their VR versions!) seamlessly without needing to individually boot them up. Simply owning these games separately gets you this version for free as well, and with controller support, split-screen multiplayer, online servers, faster loading times, and numerous improvements galore, it’s an essential pick for retro shooter fanatics.
Shadow Warrior Classic Redux
The definitive version of the cult classic shooter, Shadow Warrior Classic Redux features remastered visuals and two massive expansion packs. Corporations rule every facet of life in a near-future Japan and employ Shadow Warriors, one-man armies of unparalleled skill, to protect their power and forcefully remove all opposition.The Zilla Corporation is the most powerful of these conglomerates and will stop at nothing to achieve domination unseen by any other corporation in the world. Lo Wang, Zilla Corporation’s legendary Shadow Warrior, discovers this corruption and the dark powers being summoned to aid his employers in this quest for absolute power. As a man of honor, Lo Wang vows to battle these demonic forces with an arsenal of explosive weapons, his silent blade, and a razor sharp wit.
While Duke Nukem was a big-seller for 3D Realms and Apogee,Shadow Warriordidn’t quite fare as well, but it garnered enough support to gain a cult following over time. While the original game is free to download,Shadow Warrior Classic Reduxis still a great way to experience theoriental-themed shooterand its two expansion packs bundled together.
Similar toDuke Nukem 3D, it has one-liners, level interactivity, creative weapons, and nifty levels by the boatloads. This version, boasts controller support, vastly improved resolutions, a built-in CD soundtrack, and achievement support. It’ll make the experience all the more gratifying by a long shot.
System Shock: Enhanced Edition
For the first time ever, System Shock has been rebuilt from the original source code as aFREEupdate to all owners of the game!Re-discover what made System Shock the first of it’s kind, a ground breaking immersive sim that would inspire a generation of games to come….Twenty one years after its first release, System Shock is back!System Shock: Enhanced Edition features:Higher resolution support up to 4K widescreen modeMouselook supportRebindable keyboard/mouse/joystick commandsAdapted to Nightdive’s KEX engineSupport for both Direct3D and OpenGLOption to switch between hi-resolution Mac assets and the original DOS assetsOfficial support for fan missions and fan modsNew unified options menu that allows changing preferences before gameplayAdjustable FOV (Field of View)Smoother camera rotation and translationImproved control scheme which allows faster and streamlined experienceBrand new achievementsRemappable keys with three profiles to choose from: original controls, custom controls, and lefthanded controls.Many original game bugs fixed.A first-person fight to the death in the depths of space.You’re a renowned hacker, the most notorious cyberspace thief in the corporate world. Caught during a risky break-in, you become indentured to Diego, a greedy Trioptium exec who bankrolls a rare cyberjack implant operation. After six months in a healing coma, you awaken to the twisted aftermath of a terrible disaster. Where are the surgeons? Why is the station in such disrepair? Slowly, the chilling realization that something is very wrong creeps over you.Once a prime corporate research facility, Citadel now teems with mindless cyborgs, robots and terribly mutated beings, all programmed to serve SHODAN, a ruthless A.I. There’s scarcely time to think before it unleashes the first terror…
Groundbreaking’ doesn’t come close to describing how influentialSystem Shockwas to the world of gaming. Nonetheless, those eager to play an important piece of FPS history might want to consider trying outSystem Shock: Enhanced Edition.
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This immersive sim still holds up very well today. Its compelling story and challenging gameplay mixed with modernized changes like updated visuals, smoother performance, updated controls (mouse support couldn’t have come to a title that needed it the moment than this) and the like really make hacking computers, solving puzzles, scrounging for equipment and blasting SHODAN’smechanical terrorsall the more gripping and gratifying.
Blood: Fresh Supply
Battle an army of sycophantic cultists, zombies, gargoyles, hellhounds, and an insatiable host of horrors in your quest to defeat the evil Tchernobog. Squirm through 42 loathesome levels filled with more atmosphere than a Lovecraftian mausoleum. Begin your journey armed with a simple pitchfork and earn more effective implements of destruction like aerosol cans, flare guns, voodoo dolls and more!Includes the original Blood and addons: Plasma Pak and Cryptic PassageBlood: Fresh Supply Enhancements.Updated using Nightdive Studio’s KEX Engine. Vulkan, DirectX 11 and OpenGL 3.2 support, play with unlocked framerates! Antialiasing, Ambient Occlusion, V-sync and Interpolation support.Support for high resolutions including 4K monitors. Fully customizable keyboard and controller pad support. Extended modding support, including support for already existing mods.Completely rewritten netcode supports up to 8 players. Play online in co-operative mode, kill each other in “Bloodbath” or split the difference in classic 4v4 team-based “Capture The Flag” mayhem.
Bloodis another example of a cult-classic shooter that had an underground following since its release back in 1997.Horror tropes galoreawait in this darkly humorous title that has players tossing TNT bundles at zombies and hurting evil cult members with voodoo dolls in over 40 fiendishly challenging levels.
Blood: Fresh Supplypacks in its respective expansion packs, reinstates its multiplayer, adds mod support, features split-screen, offers both the CD and MIDI soundtracks and smooths out the controls, so players can look up and down without tarnishing the visuals, thanks to its updated engine. Its unapologetically over-the-top violence remains faithfully intact, naturally, and its protagonist is oozing with sadistic charm.
Rise Of The Triad: Ludicrous Edition
When cultists target Los Angeles for destruction, only the High-Risk United Nations Task-Force (codenamed H.U.N.T.) can end their reign of terror. Gear up and load out as one of five elite operatives, each with their own attributes, and infiltrate the cult monastery to stop their nefarious plans.Dive deep into ROTT lore with 4 full campaign modes and expansion packs, and explore never-before-seen content from previously-lost beta builds. Run and gun through labyrinthine levels and splatter LUDICROUS GIBS across the island with over-the-top weapons. Double the fun with the gaming world’s first-ever dual-wield pistol setup, or blast the iconic Drunk Missile and watch rockets trail off with a mind of their own. Mix things up with magical weapons like the legendary Excalibat, and delete foes in the blink of an eye with the Hand of God.Experience a perfect mix of past and present with 60+ frames-per-second gameplay, classic pixelated artwork upscaled to HD resolutions, increased field-of-view, cloud saves, achievements, and more. Recreate any Rise of the Triad experience with multiple iterations of the classic original soundscape, or rock out to the heavy metal 2013 reboot soundtrack. Get the upper hand on enemies with the inclusion of ROTT’s original cheat codes - if you can remember them!
Rise of the Triad: Dark Warwas a shooter like none other, and is still unique to this day. Even when running on an updated version of theWolfenstein 3Dengine, it had bounce pads, rocket launchers galore, moving float pads that could form bridges or structures, power-ups that turned players into dogs with powerful barks, and more.
Rise of the Triad: Ludicrous Edition, packs in the shareware episode and ultra-difficult expansion pack alongside the base game and a swell custom-made chapter. Multiplayer is reinstated with a portion of its game modes intact, along with cut enemy variations and alternate HUD designs being thrown into the mix as well. Plus, it has one of the greatest soundtracks from any FPS game of the decade (along with the Heavy Metal version from the 2013 remake). It’s truly as ludicrous as it says.
Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour
Frag like it’s 1996 – this time with even more asses to kick! Join the world’s greatest action hero in Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour as he saves Earth once again, kicking alien ass and saving babes across the globe along the way. Blast your way through hordes of ugly aliens in four classic Duke Nukem 3D episodes plus an additional ALL NEW FIFTH EPISODE from the game’s ORIGINAL EPISODE DESIGNERS with NEW MUSIC from the game’s ORIGINAL COMPOSER and NEW Duke Talk from the ORIGINAL VOICE of Duke Nukem.
In 2016,Duke Nukem 3Dgot a new re-release with all sorts of nifty improvements. While fans were not happy with Gearbox removing General Arcade’s fantastic port,Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour, that came out a few years prior, this version retains all theexplosions, level of interactivity, and egothat the original became famous for.
All three episodes are present, along with the official fourth chapter and an exclusive one that takes Duke around the world to kill more alien scum. Multiplayer with bot support, Steam Workshop, re-recorded one-liners by Duke’s voice actor, improved textures, and even new songs composed by Lee Jackson (one of the original composers for the game) makes it not only an amazing title with content galore, but an essential one to play.
