Today, as, incidentally, at the very beginning of the development of the gaming industry, among gamers you can find a mention of games called shooters. Now we will try to see how it all began, what was the history of the development of this direction of the gaming computer sector, and also note some good shooters recommended by modern gamers. Naturally, the classics of the genre will not remain without attention either.
What is a shooter?
Since the advent of games where it was necessary to shoot (and almost always everything that moves), shooters have taken almost a leading position in the market for PC games, as well as for modern game consoles. Today, the best shooter games are in such frantic demand among gamers around the world, which is impossible to imagine.
However, approaching the very definition, it should be noted that the word shooter means "shooter", "machine gunner" or something else like that. In general, it is clear that the same best shooter games on PC mean gameplay in which either the player, who is the main character, or a team of gamers, if this is a network action (from the English action - “action”), is constantly shooting.
It is worth noting that now a lot of games fall under the definition of shooters. As a rule, they are divided into two main types: first-person shooters, also referred to as FPS (First Person Shooter), and those where the view is opened from the third person, as if following the main character on the heels. In general, good shooters of both genres are found in such abundance today that it is impossible to imagine. But let's look at the history of this unique development.
How it all began: 3D technology
The history of the creation of games of such a plan indicates that at the very beginning, and now almost all games use technology for transmitting three-dimensional images on two-dimensional monitors and screens. Now emulation has reached almost perfection. And if you take into account the use of the most modern helmets or several outdated virtual reality glasses, then there is no need to talk about emotions at all. It only remains to convey the sensations when a bullet hits you.
And it all started quite prosaically. The fact is that at that time there were no certain 3D technologies, so in most cases pseudo-three-dimensional elements were used, mainly in the form of long corridors or labyrinths. That is why the best shooters of that time were often called "walkers." And if initially it was only necessary to shoot at moving targets, the tasks became more complicated over time: now it was necessary to search for keys to access a certain place, perform some specific tasks, solve puzzles, etc. Only after full access to all riddles and all enemies destroyed, the transition to the next, more difficult level. By the way, the multi-level mission system until recently was considered the most popular.
The best first-person shooters on PC at the dawn of the gaming industry
But back to the origins of the genre. It is believed that the very first games of this plan at the time were such as Wolfenstein 3D, Hover Tank 3D, Catacomb 3D, etc.
A little later, such unique games appeared that later became classics of the genre and received further development and continuation, such as Doom, Quake, Heretic, Hexen, Duke Nukem 3D, Blood, Unreal and many others.
By the way, it was these games that looked different. Although emulation of three-dimensional space with a first-person view was present in them, nevertheless they were launched under DOS, and many of them were eventually transferred to the Windows platform.
As for the main direction, it was in FPS (the best first-person shooters on PC are implied) that it was mainly necessary to destroy monsters, zombies, mutants, etc. But in parallel with this, projects developed in which the player did not look at what was happening with his own with his own eyes, and controlled the character from behind him. They are called Third Person Shooter ( third-person shooter).
And the list of the best shooters of that time, of course, can not do without the brightest representative of this direction, which has already become a classic of the Tomb Raider game with the notorious Lara Croft as the tomb raider.
What is interesting: the game was so in demand that it received four more parts in the sequel. Two parts of the film of the same name with starring Angelina Jolie were even shot. But the interest was caused not only by the fact that it was necessary to shoot, but also by the fact that to complete each mission it was necessary to solve many related puzzles and puzzles, and sometimes even choose the only way to cross the abyss.
What is most interesting: then it was required to find exactly one, the only possible solution to continue the gameplay. Today, there are many of the most unpredictable and unpredictable games, where the development of the storyline can depend solely on the actions of the player.
Games that served as the basis for creating others
Naturally, with the advent of the first graphic chips like 3DFX cards, and then nVidia Riva, it was possible to significantly increase the performance of computer systems in terms of modeling three-dimensional textures, and many games using advanced technologies were continued. For example, the sequels Quake, Unreal, Doom, etc. were released.
But the most important event was the release of the cult at today's Half-Life game. It was a real breakthrough. It was this shooter that later served as the prototype for creating new developments based on its unique engine.
How not to recall now one of the most popular games called Counter Strike? But it is initially based on the Half-Life engine, and it also has a lot of branches like the Opposing Force and more modern modifications. By the way, the game Half-Life itself recently received a rebirth.
Moreover, many of the best shooter games have ceased to be a kind of single-player missions and involve team actions, moreover, using the technology of online communication, team transfer and a strict hierarchy in the team itself (which only Team Viewer costs or the technologies used in the RaidCall package) .
Best PC Shooters: Hybrid Versions
As for the consideration of the so-called hybrid versions, it is worthwhile to dwell separately on the technologies themselves. The fact is that they got their unspoken name due to two main aspects: switching the vision mode (from the first or third person) and passing the gameplay alone, with a team or with installed bots. Please, the same latest version of Unreal Tournament, Quake IV, Far Cry - they all have such mods (this is about the gameplay related to the main player).
Modern modifications of shooters
In addition to all of the above, it is worth noting that the current and, as already understood, the best modern shooters on the PC have a distinctive feature: they have several user modes. In particular, this concerns game confrontation: you can choose, for example, deathmatch, when a battle occurs only between two players in real time. Please, the same Quake III: Arena or the fourth part of Unreal Tournament is designed specifically for online matches. Although you can use single-player missions, but from the point of view of modernity, this turns out to be uninteresting and boring.
Network games
As for the development of network games, here the greatest influence was exerted by Internet technologies. It became completely unimportant in which place you are located - you can easily play with an opponent from Australia or recruit a team of players in the USA.
After all, it is clear that dealing with a real opponent, and not with a bot, is much more interesting, because a computer system predetermines certain actions of a player in advance, and a real opponent or partner is able to act completely unpredictably.
World Championships
What can I say, but at one time the best first-person shooters on PC were included in the composition of modern sports competitions in which team championships were held.
If anyone does not remember, the Russian team of gamers at one time won the main prize for Quake III, and a little later for Counter Strike.
The best shooters of the year
2015 in terms of games in this direction brought a lot of surprises. If you make a rating of the most popular, sought after and most anticipated games of 2015, in which the best shooters of the year on PC are present, according to various estimates, it might look something like this:
- Battlefield: Hardline.
- Evolve.
- Grand Theft Auto V.
- Resident Evil: Revelations 2.
- Tom Clancy's The Division.
- Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain.
- Star Wars: Battlefront.
- Unreal 2015.
- Payday
- Dying Light.
- Armored Warfare.
This is not the most complete list. This can include a huge number of games, and completely different genres.
And we are not talking about such monsters of all modifications, such as Medal of Honor, Call of Duty, Borderlands, Titanfall, BioShock, Crysis, War Thunder, Splinter Cell, STALKER, Metro 2033, etc. And these are far from all the best PC shooters. They can be listed not only for a long time, but for a very long time.
And if you recall “Serious Sam”, where you just had to shoot everything that is, indiscriminately, it can be noted that this game as an FPS shooter still remains a means of relieving stress or negativity: just hammer on all the monsters without parsing, and even with musical design in the style of Heavy Metal. This is what is called full drive!
The best games for mobile systems
Now a few words about what are the best shooters on Android (or other mobile systems). Here you just need to look at the list presented in the ranking of the same Play Market (Google Play) or AppStore.
The championship belongs to zombie horror and military strategies like Dead Trigger 2, Dead Earth: Sci-Fi, NOVA 3, Special Force, Squad Strike 2, Critical OIps, Modern Combat, Call Of Battlefield, Neon Shadow, Mission Impossible, Dead Effext 2, FPS Zombie Crime City, Storm Of Darkness, Sniper 3D: Assassin, Enemy Strike, Evolution, SWAT, etc. You can list, as they say, to infinity. In general, the list of “Best Shooters on Android” is updated with new products almost every day.
Gaming Technology Predictions
And finally, a certain result. The best shooters are represented quite varied, although it is possible to note several formed directions in this genre. In particular, this concerns coordinated team actions, a return to the battles of the Second World War, anti-terrorist operations, opposition to evil spirits, of which the most popular are zombie horror, etc. But in general, good shooters on PC, I think, do not lose their relevance will be, especially if we take into account the unprecedented development of virtual reality technologies, where each player can feel himself, so to speak, in the body of his character (well, why not Avatar?)
The use of helmets will give an additional incentive to the gaming industry, and who knows, maybe pretty soon the player will be able to feel not only the fullness of movements or the perception of the surrounding space, but also real pain when they are hit by enemy weapons?
But it’s better to let virtual players use good shooters that make you think about performing certain actions on personal computers than they will do such actions in real life. Perhaps this is even some means of withdrawing the accumulated adrenaline or anger? The war is as old as the human world ...