What's the best FPS for somebody new to the genre

July 20, 2018 3:21 AM

I've got around £20 to spend on a new game for PC on Steam and would like to try a single-player FPS - which one?

I enjoy open-world games and have played the hell out of every GTA release but have never really played a first-person shooter since Goldeneye.

I am absolutely not interested in online multiplayer and will only play offline single-player. I've got a relatively good gaming PC which should run pretty much anything although I might not be able to max everything out on more recent releases but that's OK. General age of the game doesn't bother me.

I have a normal keyboard and mouse but would consider a PC compatible XBox controller or similar if it will make a difference to the playability of the game.

I don't mind a story but am not interested in lengthy unskippable cutscenes.

I'm considering something from the Fallout series or one of the Just Causes because they look slightly ridiculous and fun a la GTA but would love to hear some more suggestions.

posted by jontyjago to Computers & Internet (23 answers total)

Does it have to be a pew-pew shooter ? If not I would recommend The Witcher 3. and it doesn't really matter if you haven't played 1 and 2.

A bit more stealthy style ? I would look into Dishonored and Dishonored 2.

For more traditional shooters I would recommend Doom (2016) or Wolfenstein: The New Order. Doom can get pretty exhausting quickly though. I had to take a break every half hour of play.
posted by Pendragon at 3:42 AM on July 20, 2018 [2 favorites]

If you want a single player FPS and you like open world games, I'd suggest Far Cry 3 or 4. They are open world games with excellent shooting mechanics, fun enemy AI , distinctive worlds and a variety of stuff to do.

3 is slightly cheaper and older and has a plot that I would describe as "offensively terrible.". Neither game is brilliant plotwise, but they are extremely fun and things blow up real good.

3 is currently $20 on steam which I'd assume would translate to a similar price in GBP.
posted by selfnoise at 3:44 AM on July 20, 2018

Oh! If you're interested in a more linear FPS I believe Titanfall 2 is currently only $20 on Origin (again, your GBP mileage may vary.). It has quite a short single player campaign but if you don't mind that it's one of the best I've played in modern memory. Fantastic level design, great mechanics, great variety and a fun plot that doesn't outstay its welcome. Just the movement mechanics alone are worth experiencing.
posted by selfnoise at 3:50 AM on July 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

Open World, Ridiculous and fun? Borderlands.
posted by lmfsilva at 4:01 AM on July 20, 2018 [7 favorites]

Best answer: Came here to say Borderlands as well. I'd get the first one before the second. There are unskippable intro videos at the beginning of a new game and the beginning of each dlc, but after you've seen them once there's a mod that will remove them. Otherwise the only cutscenes are ~5 second NPC intro videos. For some reason you have to turn vsync on in the ini file.

That or Fallout 4. The mechanics in Fallout 4 really are leaps and bounds better than 3 or New Vegas. Few cutscenes as such, but a lot of conversation.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 4:30 AM on July 20, 2018

The Talos Principle is a FPS where you don't fight enemies, but instead solve puzzles. This game and its DLC are definitely worth the price of admission if you like that sort of thing.
posted by King Bee at 4:42 AM on July 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I know you said you have a pretty new PC but I'm still going to recommend Half Life 2, which was one of the best gaming experiences I ever had, as someone not that into shooters. It's also more linear but did a pretty good job of making the rails comfortable and subtle to me.
posted by threementholsandafuneral at 6:05 AM on July 20, 2018 [8 favorites]

Just Cause 3 is third person {the camera hovers behind you} but is a total hoot of stupid destruction, with cutscenes only during the missions, which are 5% of the game. If you want to rip down statues of dictators or blow up a lot of fuel tanks, it's highly recommended.
posted by Homeboy Trouble at 6:11 AM on July 20, 2018 [2 favorites]

Seconding Just Cause 3 for stupid fun. It's also super cheap right now because JC 4 is coming. Honestly, for single player, explosive, mindless fun, I have found nothing quite like it.
posted by The Bellman at 6:24 AM on July 20, 2018

Seconding Doom (2016) for the purest FPS experience of the last couple of years. It is hyper-violent, in a very David Cronenberg squishy-and-bones kind of way, so YMMV vary on that front, but it's very clearly monsters that you're mowing down rather than other humans (which I've always felt a bit uncomfortable about in the big war franchise FPSs - Call of Duty et al)
posted by parm at 6:24 AM on July 20, 2018 [2 favorites]

I'll rec Portal and Portal 2 for FPS newcomers, especially Portal which eases you into the basic mechanics before unleashing the more twitchy levels. I like Fallout 3, New Vegas, and Fallout 4's mix of RPG progression, first-person perspective, and tactical options using VATS.
posted by GenderNullPointerException at 6:29 AM on July 20, 2018 [3 favorites]

Portal and Portal 2

...although don't pay the current non-discounted prices for them (or for Half-Life 2 for that matter) as the Valve games reliably go to 80% or 90% discount during every Steam Sale.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 6:45 AM on July 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

Doom, Talos, and Titanfall 2 are all very strong recommendations.

You said you don't want multiplayer, but Overwatch is free this weekend, and despite being multiplayer, it's team based in a nice refreshing way with a huge variety of characters and no XP/progression system, which means that you don't need to grind to be better. It's one of the good ones!
posted by bbqturtle at 7:06 AM on July 20, 2018

I'd second Half Life 2, because of its interesting world and story in addition to its good ganeplay, and 2016's DOOM for its propulsive, aggressive, brawler approach to shooting. Neither are wide-open playgrounds, but both are classics.
posted by Rinku at 8:49 AM on July 20, 2018

Half-life 2 is great but I'd start with Half-life 1 first.

Likewise Portal 2 is great but I'd start with Portal 1 first.

Once you've played those two, pick up "The Orange Box" which will get you the sequels for both of the above for a great price.

They aren't open world but they are fantastic games.
posted by mr_silver at 9:44 AM on July 20, 2018

HL1’s graphics are extremely dated by modern standards. Some of the games being recommended above are third person, so avoid if by FPS you really mean first-person shooter.

If you want crunchy shootiness then the best single player FPS of modern times is probably either “Doom” or “Wolfenstein: The New Order” (or its sequel).

If you're happy with third person, then the Wicher 3 is huge, sprawling & highly rated. The Just Causes are mad, but fun.
posted by pharm at 10:03 AM on July 20, 2018

Definitely Half-Life if you have never played it. You can get replacement graphics that make it look like a modern game.

For more puzzles no shooting, Portal.
posted by BeeDo at 10:08 AM on July 20, 2018

I'm going to be a bit negative here:

• Half-Life: Groundbreaking at the time but it doesn't hold up very well. Skip it and start with Half-Life 2, which is a stone cold dystopian action classic. The plot won't make any sense but it wasn't very coherent even if you played the first one. Also note that "Episode One" and "Episode Two" are follow-ups, not prequels.
• Just Cause and Witcher 3 are great and all, but not first-person shooters by any stretch of the imagination.
• The Portal games and The Talos Principle are great puzzle games but I don't think that's what you're going for here.

That said:

• The Dishonored series has a bigger emphasis on stealth than action, but they are absolutely my favorite big-budget first-person games. Excellent game design, great atmosphere and world-building. If you like the idea of being a badass vengeful supernatural assassin in a crumbling steampunk city, well this series delivers.
• It's less action-packed, but the recent Prey from the same developers (Arkane Studios) is also really excellent. Use your wits to survive an extra-dimensional alien invasion on the most vividly-realized space station I've ever seen in a game.
• If you want more action, the Far Cry series are generally excellent and fairly newbie-friendly. #2 is my favorite, but #3 and #4 are shinier and probably more accessible. (Caveat: #3 has a "white savior" storyline that rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. #4 is much better in this respect.) #5 was a disappointment IMO. Skip #1, it's basically a tech demo.
• Speaking of games with "Cry" in the name, the original Crysis is actually a really well-made sandboxy action game and less of a tech demo than its reputation suggests.
• The Borderlands series is good fun too, but especially in co-op. I recommend #2 which IMO is notably superior to the first one.
• The 2016 reboot of Doom is really great, with tons of in-your-face action. They knocked it out of the park. RIP AND TEAR, UNTIL IT IS DONE.
• The newer Wolfenstein games (The New Order and The New Colossus) aren't anything fancy, but they're high quality dumb shooters with a surprisingly well-done storyline.
• The Fallout games are pretty good too. #4 looks better and is more action-oriented. #3 and New Vegas (especially the latter) are more RPG-focused.

posted by neckro23 at 12:07 PM on July 20, 2018 [4 favorites]

One small caveat: the PC version of Just Cause 3 runs quite poorly. I don't really think it was ever fixed. I tried the free weekend they had somewhat recently and it was still really rough.

(Dishonored 2 runs jankily as well but that game is so fucking good you should play it anyway. I didn't include it above because I have a very strict interpretation of "FPS" but it is a hell of a game).
posted by selfnoise at 12:15 PM on July 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

Rock Paper Shotgun's list of the 50 Best FPS games offers some solid starting points.

Of games I haven't seen others mention (e.g. the Half Life & Portal series), I'd recommend checking out Bioshock. Very atmospheric, and while it isn't exactly open-world, it gives you a fair amount of freedom in how you approach a level.
posted by Aleyn at 2:07 PM on July 20, 2018

Now I want to dive into Steam just to play Doom2016.... I would say old Quake3 with custom maps and skins. Pure random environment with things trying to kill you. Watch your six, keep turning and listening, look for movement, learn the map, track, predict, run!, that's not spam -- it's covering fire, no plot at all. FPS
posted by zengargoyle at 7:18 PM on July 20, 2018

Response by poster: Thanks all for the answers - for information I went for Half-Life 2 and after 15 hours am getting close to finishing it. I'm enjoying it, especially the bits where you're bombing round in a boat or a buggy - not sure if it will have any replay value though.

And yesterday Fallout 4 went on half-price sale so I've picked that up too.
posted by jontyjago at 6:37 AM on August 8, 2018

HL2 is a rail shooter in disguise (it's completely linear from start to finish IIRC) so doesn't have a great deal of replay value. The sequels are still just as fun however & are in some ways even more polished.

Enjoy!
posted by pharm at 6:53 AM on August 10, 2018