The History of First-Person Shooters: Part 5

Killzone 2 took its time coming, but the results were worth it.

After a series of false starts, the PS3 finally proved how technically capable it really was with the release of Guerilla’s heavily promoted Killzone 2. Although largely sticking to the popular cinematic shooter template, its execution was undeniably spectacular, and it finally gave Sony an exclusive to rival the mighty Halo.

More recent times have seen solid, if not entirely genre-busting entrants. The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena wasn’t the sequel fans had hoped for, while Raven’s latest attempt to revive the Wolfenstein series ran short on charm. The less said about Terminator Salvation, the better. Techland’s Call of Juarez sequel had a refreshing premise, but mainly went over old ground in gameplay terms – and the same could be said of Halo ODST, a stopgap release originally pitched as an expansion.

Big Daddy's got a brand new bag.

In the multiplayer arena, EA broke new ground with Battlefield Heroes, its first ‘Play 4 Free’ title on PC. The game is free to download, and revenue is instead generated from micropayments and in-game advertising. Battlefield 1943, meanwhile, has recently become the fastest-selling download-only title ever, based on first day as well as first week sales over PSN and XBLA.

Looking ahead, it’s clear that demand for First Person Shooter has never been higher – so high, indeed, that Activision has felt confident enough to set a SRP of £54.99 for Modern Warfare 2. There has been predictable furore over the move, but when you’ve got a property as hot as this, the balance of supply and demand should tilt your way.

The horizon is littered with exciting-looking titles, with Left 4 Dead 2 sure to be essential, Borderlands melding team-based shoot-outs intriguingly with RPG elements, and id Software’s new open-worlder Rage shaping up to be an extraordinary mix of vehicle-based and pedestrian combat.

Gone for good? Probably.

Valve has remained characteristically quiet about the whereabouts of Half Life 2: Episode 3 and Portal 2, but there’s little doubt both will be incredible. Bioshock 2, though, is harder to call. With Ken Levine and most of the original team working on an as yet unknown new project, the return to Rapture isn’t without its question marks.

And finally there are the rumours. Will Starbreeze’s Syndicate reinvention Project Redlime end up as a first person title? When will Bungie concoct something non-Halo related? And will 3D Realms ever manage to exorcise the ghost of Duke Nukem Forever?