Have First Person Shooter games hit their peak? In this editorial piece I look at one of the industry's most popular genres and whether the games are as fun as they used to be.
First Person Shooters. FPS'. The genre can be traced back as far as 1970, when what is now considered to be the first 'proper' shooter game, Spasim, was released to play on LAN network computers. Since then the genre has exploded, with many classics such as Doom, 007 and Quake owing much of their success to FPS-like qualities. However, in the larger spectrum of things, the FPS genre is not actually that old. (Some of the first games can be traced back as far as the 1950s, when video games - albeit basic ones - were played using computers.) Despite this, shooters have managed to become one of the largest grossing genres in the entirety of gaming, with games such as Call of Duty: Black Ops bringing in millions of dollars upon day of release.
Try and think of all the video games you've played recently - how many of them had guns or elements of FPS in them? How many didn't? - The latter no doubt pales in comparison to the former. It's true: FPS is everywhere, and almost every game has at least some flavour of FPS mixed into it. It's almost hard to forget about it, especially considering the success of shooter titles such as Call of Duty and Battlefield that gamers are constantly being reminded of. But in the thick of an FPS-dominated market, it begs the question; are they beginning to get a little old?
It's true that in modern-day gaming, FPS receives as much flak as it does praise. Upon day of release, thousands of people took to famous reviewing website Metacritic to express their concern at how Modern Warfare 3 was just a little too similar to it's predecessor, and in just a matter of days, it's user score had sunk to one of the lowest the website had ever seen. One reviewer even went as far as to say that "the lack of willingness to add improvements in gameplay show a laziness often found in a complacent game series." It seems as though just as many people are against FPS games, regardless of their quite astounding popularity.
Many attribute this negative feedback to the fact that a lot of FPS games simply repeat the formula. The age old adage "don't fix what isn't broken" seems to be a favourite with many FPS developers. Indeed, it's difficult to compare two different FPS games without immediately stating the similarities before the differences become apparant, and it feels as if many gamers are crying for a change. This became very obvious in November of last year, when The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim saw sales of over 10 million copies, with many gamers choosing to lay down their rifles in exchange for a trusty bow and arrow.
So the question still remains:are shooters becoming stale? The sales figures would suggest probably not. The Call of Duty franchise has sold well in excess of over 50 million copies between titles, grossing billions in the process, and Modern Warfare 3, the latest installment, sold a staggering 6.5 million copies on the day of launch. It doesn't appear as if the behemoth shows any signs of slowing down. People's opinions, though, reveal that cracks are beginning to show.
Many are starting to look more forward to the next RPG release, or the next Hack and Slash. While these games may not gross anywhere near the sorts of profits a shooter does, they often offer a far more entoxicating and thrill-packed ride. A clear line is defined, then, between those who enjoy the occasional FPS, but would happily play something else, and those who would stand by FPS games until the bitter end - and at the moment, it would appear as if the latter definitely has the ball in their court.
However, with many massive titles already announced and confirmed for this year, including the conclusion of Bioware's Mass Effect series, the continuation of the infamous Bioshock series, and the release of Darksiders II all making waves outside the FPS genre, you have to wonder; are shooters beginning to lose the battle?
What's your opinion on the FPS genre? Die-hard fan or complete newbie? Let us know on the official Digital Warfare forums, or leave a post in the comment section below!