Years don’t seem to matter as much as gaming gets older. The difference between games from 2015 and today is not nearly as big as the difference between games from 2005 and 1995. Still, going back to the FPS games from ten years ago is an interesting exercise.
There are a lot of games from series that are still chugging along strongly and some from series we desperately wish would come back. Thanks to the gift of backward compatibility, many of these games are still easily playable on modern hardware. On the other hand, some of the multiplayer-focused titles are just not the same now that they have fallen out of the zeitgeist.
When Rainbow Six decided to make a multiplayer-only entry, they decided against the trend of fast-paced matches popularized by Call of Duty. Instead, the developers played to the series’s strengths and crafted a tactical competitive multiplayer shooter where every movement and bullet counts.
It makes the game a little harder for newcomers, but every victory feels more rewarding. Siege opened to relatively low sales but built up a loyal player base over the years that stays engaged thanks toregular injections of new content.
By 2015 developer Bungie had moved on to Destiny and Halo was being spearheaded by 343 Industries. Halo 5 felt like a departure in a couple of ways. For one, it was rated T instead of M. Secondly, and more importantly, it lacked local multiplayerand local co-op, which had been in every entry until then.
The story involves Master Chief’s longtime AI companion, Cortana, rebelling against humans, making it a more emotionally conflicting plot for the protagonist.
The third game in this subseries jumps far into the future to take advantage of any sci-fi technology the developers could think of. Players have increased freedom of movement, being able to double jump and run on walls in both single-player and multiplayer.
This is also the first time in the series that the campaign can be played cooperatively both online and offline. The campaign stars Christopher Meloni. This use of star power has aged far better than Advanced Warfare’s inclusion of Kevin Spacey. For years, Black Ops 3 had the best and most complete Zombies Mode, with 14 maps to choose from.
Evolve was a little ahead of its time. The multiplayer consisted of four players teaming up against on player-controlled monster.This asymmetrical formatcame a year before Dead by Daylight blew the doors open on the idea.
On the other hand, the single-purchase as opposed to any live-service component prevented Evolve from growing after launch. Players who bought it quickly moved on even if the game was well-made. Turtle Rock’s title briefly went free-to-play before shutting down for good in 2018.
As great as Wolfenstein: The New Order was, some players might have missed the World War 2 setting for which the series is known. Fortunately, the standalone expansion, The Old Blood, is a prequel taking place entirely in the past.
You even go through the iconic Castle Wolfenstein. Like the New Order and its sequel, The Old Blood perfectly balances a narrative-driven experience with more retro sensibilities. The plot takes itself seriously but you still mow down waves of enemies with heavy weaponry.
After the success of Dead Island, developer Techland decided to make anew zombie IP. There are a lot of similarities between the two games’s structures, but Dying Light adds a dynamic parkour movement system that changes the way you approach situations.
Zombies easily overwhelm you, but you can always climb to a nearby rooftop to make a getaway. The increased danger during the night also adds a layer of tension and urgency. You need to get things done and return to a safehouse before the moon comes out.
When Call of Duty was changing things up by looking into the future, Battlefield was shaking up its formula by focusing on the police instead of the military. Battlefield: Hardline takes place in Florida and is more about what is dubbed “the war on drugs.” The multiplayer also reflects this in its modes and characters.
While some might have mixed feelings about gamifying the police without offering any commentary, Hardline’s gameplay is still satisfying. Its biggest sin is not feeling like a Battlefield game. Perhaps it would have been better received at launch if did not have the Battlefield brand.
After a long hiatus, the legendary Battlefront series came back in 2015 during theStar Wars renaissance. This multiplayer-only title offered matches on many iconic Star Wars planets. True to the Battlefront style, you may control several iconic vehicles and play as characters of different species.
Even though it’s only multiplayer, the 2015 Battlefront magnificently recreates the Star Wars feel. Blasters don’t feel like pistols or any other weapon from an FPS set in the modern day and the vehicles also feel out of this world.
