The games of my Life (aka "My Foundation") Part 2

FIRST PERSON

- Doom (1993) – Ok, Castle Wolfenstein was the pioneer in FPS, but Doom and Doom 2 made nightmares come true. A real horror show and it had LAN support, what more could we want?

- Dark Forces (1995) – At that time, Lucas Arts released only masterpieces. This one is fantastic, especially for a Star Wars fan like me. The unforgiving feature: no multiplayer at all (haven’t these guys learned something with Doom?)

- Duke Nukem 3D (1996) – I wish there was a remake of it. The game was dirty, immoral and brilliant (especially level design). I can still remember the maps, enemies and weapons…

- Quake (1996) – The second mark in the world of FPS. Cool soundtrack, beautiful art and graphics, deep environments and an unbelievable multiplayer support. Not to mention the clever idea of keep good mod support, which allowed the creation of…

- Team Fortress – mod for Quake (1997) – the patriarch of all class based multiplayer FPS. One of the best games of all times (with one of the best intros too).

- Amulets & Armor (1997) – Graphics was very dated even for that time, but the game was delicious. Wide character customization, long campaigns and a good multiplayer: the first great FPS RPG I knew.

- Out Laws (1997) – Awesome soundtrack, very challenging (and diverse) levels, pretty cartoonish graphics (even if not completely 3d). Another game who deserved a sequel or a remake.

- Rainbow Six (1998) – Very complex and well designed game. It brings a whole new vision of how to combat in a game. The true tactical FPS.

- Half-Life (1998) – In HL we had a glimpse of what the games would become in the next years. It’s like a sci-fi movie, but the player is the leading actor. If we think of the mods for the HL engine, this is one of the most important games of all times.

- Unreal Tournament (1999) – Much better than Quake III Arena (a soulless shooter)…

- Counter Strike – mod for Half-Life (1999-2000) – It changed the way first person shooters are played. And it deserves a true sequel (not the fair but unimaginative Counter Strike: Source).

- Battlefield 1942 (2002) – A true step ahead in FPS. It is so advanced that recent games are still trying (mostly unsuccessful) to catch it. It has also a great mod support allowing the community to keep it alive until these days.

- Natural Selection – mod for Half-Life (2002) – The union of RTS and FPS is a genius' idea. It's strange that few games tried to follow it.

- Jedi Academy (2003) – One of the last great games of the Star Wars franchise. Great customization and alternative story lines makes you wish to play again and again.

- Call of Duty (2003) – A blockbuster, a true symbol of singleplayer FPS and the one of the few games to effective put you into the horrors of war. Pure shock and awe.

- Battlefield Vietnam (2004) – Here is a very misunderstood game. It is very good, but its very problem is to be the successor of the excellent BF1942. Even with more cool vehicles and weapons and an awesome soundtrack, the thematic (Vietnam War) is not as attractive as the WW2… I made a mod for it.

- Half-Life 2 (2004) – Another standard of quality, with unbelievably beautiful environments (specially the open space levels), impressive physics and terrifying history. Half-Life 2 is essential to be played.

- Vampire Bloodlines (2004) – Merging RPG with shooter was a very ambitious task and Troika almost made it. Although greatly conceived, with a very cool storyline, this game was plagued by bugs and rushed, barely finished levels. With some extra development time, extra money and extra skilled workers it would be one of the best FPS ever.

- Battlefield 2 (2005) – A true success. As the developers are moving to the console public and knowing the next releases (Battlefield Bad Company and Battlefield Heroes), it looks like this is the last Dice's masterpiece.

- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2006) – The best first person RPG ever. Open spaces, great story, hundreds of missions, good freedom, amazing landscapes… it have it all. But there is no multiplayer. With little adaptations, it was possible to add it and make the game just perfect.

- Dark Messiah of Might & Magic (2006) – It's unfair to compare this game with Oblivion. It has a very different focus and does very well what it proposes. Except for the ridiculous powerful kick, the combat system is wonderful. Great game, but more RPG would do well for it.

- Portal (2007) – A game for exercising brains and reflexes. A funny villain and a most charming ending. Pity it is so short and has no multiplayer…

- Team Fortress 2 (2007) – The game I'm playing and recommending now. Simply a most have.