First Person Action Games in the 2000s: The Good Ones

For a hot second there, first-person action was a dominant, arguably overabundant presence in the realm of gaming. High profile series like Call of Duty and Battlefield set the template going into the 21st century, while lesser known works such as The Operative: No One Lives Forever and Prey explored a variety of angles by which to keep the genre interesting.

Not all these works turned out to be winners, but for every few run-of-the-mill projects there was an outlier released between 2000 and 2009 that showed how much further the genre could be taken. So it is that we find ourselves here today, with what I feel are the best and brightest first-person action titles (a.k.a. “First-person shooters” or FPSes) of the 2000s… 

The Runners-Up

Star Wars: Republic Commando - A very solid bit of grittier-than-normal Star Wars material that actually does well with the infusion of tactical shooter squad mechanics. If it’d been a tad longer and more involved, and perhaps a bit more forgiving on the Assault Ship and Kashyyyk levels, this would make the main list.

Half-Life 2 - I don’t like it as much as the original, I think it meanders a bunch in the middle-most levels, and there are times where I feel the levels are a bit confusingly laid-out. Beyond that? Yeah, pretty good.

F.E.A.R. - It’s taken a long time for me to warm up to the game given its difficulty curve and the purposefully drab level design, but its second half - diving as it does head-first into J-horror shenanigans and more frenzied firefights - makes the difference.

7. Left 4 Dead 2 (2009)

There’s no denying zombies as a monster *and* as visual metaphor had been played out even by 2009, but works such as this illustrated their utility as action game fodder when coupled with rock-solid multiplayer design. Left 4 Dead 2 acted as a slight but appreciable improvement on the original game, with more interesting environments to trek through and a greater range of weapons with which to dispatch the undead. 

Furthermore, the sheer straightforwardness of the presentation - of the world, of the characters, of the thin veneer of story stringing the various locales together - allowed the frantic nature of the action and the daunting nature of the zombie horde to take center stage. 

6. Perfect Dark (2000)

When one stops and thinks about Perfect Dark for more than a minute, it really does start to sink in how bizarre a creation it truly is. Ostensibly a successor to Rare’s GoldenEye game adaptation, Perfect Dark grabs that earlier game’s then-innovative action template and variable approach to level objectives, and elects to blend in a heavy helping of 90s conspiracy fiction, cyberpunk, and pulp sci-fi. 

The result, however, is indisputably a delightful romp that balances the slick with the absurd. On the one hand, the heroine Joanna Dark (herself a compelling example of the cool-headed super spy in action) cuts a bloody swathe through corporate high-rises, secret laboratories, mountain bases, and other scenic locales that wouldn’t be out of place in classic spy fiction. On the other hand, much of said bloodshed is undertaken with not only familiar types of firearms but also extraterrestrial oddities and experimental gadgets.

And that doesn’t even touch upon the shapeshifting aliens or the deep-sea expedition to find a sunken spacecraft.

5. Call of Duty (2003)

It was honestly a toss-up as to whether I’d favour the original game or Call of Duty 2; the latter’s scale and more impressive set-pieces do give me pause. However, it’s the apparent earnestness beneath the competent design and the unexpected variety that makes me think Call of Duty the first, known also as Call of Duty Classic, remains the standout of the series during this decade.

The game moves confidently from the messiness of the American paratroopers’ descent into France on D-Day, through to the careful subterfuge of the British campaign, before closing on the desperate final push into Berlin by the Soviet army. Through it all, there’s this pervasive sense of comradery; rarely does one soldier prevail entirely on their own merits, instead needing the backing and cooperation of their allies to push forth and complete objectives. Coupled with how vulnerable the player and other soldiers are at any given moment, it makes every step taken and every mission accomplished all the more satisfying.

4. Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast (2002)

Some may debate whether Jedi Outcast, or really *ANY* of the sequels to Dark Forces, fully qualifies as first-person action given how the VERY MUCH third-person lightsaber and Force power stuff came to overshadow the Doom-like rhythm of the original game. While I’ll concede that complicates matters a bit, I’d still put this 2002 gem up against most of the rest of the genre any day of the week.

The key to Jedi Outcast’s success lies in how it builds its own solidly compelling tale atop a foundation of nostalgic references and classic design. Though straightforward in concept, Kyle Katarn’s quest for revenge and eventual shift towards re-embracing his Jedi heritage manages to stay engaging for the game’s duration, bolstered by Katarn’s status as an affable lead and the game’s choice to sprinkle in iconic Star Wars imagery and characters. On top of that, the series’ compelling weapon variety, colourful range of worlds, and tough-but-fair difficulty curve remain intact as ever.

3. Return to Castle Wolfenstein (2001)

Wolfenstein may not be the strangest property to ever find its footing amid the rise of id Software, but that doesn’t mean it lacks for an odd trajectory in terms of development history. Consider for a moment how the series began with a pair of experimental top-down stealth titles guided along by the late Silas Warner, subsequently spending a decade in limbo before being revived with 1992’s Wolfenstein 3D, one of the games responsible for codifying the first-person shooter genre. The strange manner in which Wolfenstein became one of id’s flagship properties has ensured, for better or worse, that each new game has license to do as it sees fit.

So it is that Return to Castle Wolfenstein sets about unifying Warner’s founding vision of a tense stealth-oriented World War II adventure with the action titles’ focus on pulp fantasy and larger-than-life action. Returning hero BJ Blazkowicz always teeters on the edge of vulnerability and overwhelming force, cutting through Nazis and supernatural entities alike with an ever-growing stockpile of era-appropriate firearms even as the game’s challenge ensures he’s rarely more than a few steps from fatal injury. That the plot’s thin and mostly an excuse to send BJ on a globetrotting excursion is besides the point; the game and its creators get the twisted yet endlessly justified fun in breaking into places of cruel intent and absolutely wrecking the Nazis’ day before escaping by the skin of one’s teeth.

2. BioShock (2007)

I can’t say with the utmost certainty that The Big Twist still works either as commentary on player agency in gaming OR as the in-universe justification for the usual “locations strung together by a loose objective” structure that informs much of game design. I also cannot deny that the ending falls a bit flat and the game’s binary morality system is similarly undercooked. Fortunately, those are the most substantial complaints I can levy against this game, for it remains an overall well-considered effort.

BioShock’s greatest strength truly is the beauty and the malice embodied in its setting of Rapture; the underwater city’s extravagant art-deco design and grandiose ambitions of absolute freedom entice even as the darker undercurrent of unchecked cruelty and encouraged selfishness comes to light. Indeed, it’s because Rapture is so alluring that the game is able to set up its broader point of such an idyllic place being undone by the unjust, grotesque forces that created it in the first place.

Furthermore, the game builds upon the foundation of developer Irrational Games’ earlier work on System Shock 2, carrying over and streamlining many of that title’s compelling concepts to great effect. The balancing of utility and aesthetic appeal for firearms and the superpower-like Plasmids works well as a way to ensure a range of options in fights, as players can cater their build to their preference. Also akin to System Shock, Rapture is divided into distinct zones with unique civic purposes (a transportation district, agricultural district, art/theatre district, et cetera), keeping the audience on their toes with varied sights and challenges.

1. Halo 3 (2007)

I never would have thought a Halo game would stick the landing for me, never mind impressing me enough to top off a list of the finest works in a decade. And yet, here I am, unable to deny the reality of what I experienced. Halo 3 is a damn fine game, growing beyond the adequate-but-flawed framework established by its predecessors to deliver a thrilling and well-executed action narrative. 

Despite the Master Chief remaining a one-note cypher of a protagonist, the surrounding cast of allies and adversaries make up the difference with solid banter, compelling arcs, and strong vocal performances. Furthermore, the game being the closer to a trilogy means it benefits from raised stakes and escalating scope of encounter design - more Scarab fights, more desperate pushes through Flood and Covenant forces, more Warthog excursions across enemy-choked landscapes.

It also helps that Halo 3 boasts the best feeling moment-to-moment action of the series, bolstered by Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori's enthusiastic work on the soundtrack (pay them what they're due Microsoft) as well as developer Bungie's use of the Xbox 360’s graphical capabilities to deliver quite impressive level architecture (including the twisted Flood-infested chambers of the level "Cortana", an all-time series highlight). Closing on a surprisingly effective (and earned!) bittersweet note, this was a strong finish for the initial trilogy.