What makes an FPS game awesome?

First person shooters are some of the most popular games in the world.  There are many good things about them, and even non-gamers can name some of the games.  Below is a list of 10 things that can make a FPS awesome.

10) An Interesting Campaign

I always hated these guys

Even though most people spend more time on multiplayer than on the campaign, the campaign is a huge selling point.  The campaign can tell an epic story, as well as bring in people new to shooters into the genre.  The campaign is also a great indicator of how multiplayer will be, and can give players an idea of how they should play based on their individual style.

If you enjoy playing as a sniper in the campaign, chances are, you’re going to enjoy playing as a sniper in multiplayer.  

The campaign is also a good measure for how ready you are for multiplayer.  If you’re having trouble on casual, you’re probably going to struggle to get a kill online.

9) A Sense of Realism

I swear I’ve seen that guy somewhere before

Even if the game doesn’t take place in an environment even remotely similar to ours, it should still feel as if the events are possible.  This creates reality immersion, and we’re more likely as gamers to believe the events that are happening.

We haven’t gone to war with Russia like in Modern Warfare, but the events in the campaign seem like they could really happen, a somewhat scary thought.  And I can definitely tell you I’ve never been to Pandora, but if I was there, I could see a bunch of bandits acting crazy, and people searching for treasure.

8) Physics

Look at how the bodies fall

Realistic physics is a must.  Besides adding to the realism, good physics can help with a team’s set up, using the bounce of a grenade to make it land right at the feet of your enemy.  Seeing an enemy get blasted into a wall by a rocket launcher is also satisfying, forcing them to run back, if they survive.

Physics also plays a role in how bodies fall, and in the case of battlefield, how bullets drop.  While at first it is difficult to get used to, understanding real physics can give you a definite advantage.

7) Great Multiplayer

The gang’s all here

Multiplayer needs to be included, but it shouldn’t be boring.  Multiplayer is primarily there for when people finish the campaign, but still want more out of the game.  

Competitive multiplayer can foster, or destroy friendships as well.  All online activity comes with a learning curve, but it is up to the player to overcome it.  The design of the game can help though, as developers should make sure not to make the people at the top have access to things that are too overpowered.

Good multiplayer also satisfies a gamer’s need for competition.  With gamers, anything can become a competition.  The thrill of victory is often enough to motivate gamers to continuously better themselves.

6) Awesome Graphics

Shiny...

In this day and age, great graphics are a must.  This is especially true for first person shooters, as good graphics help with the immersion.  

Graphics can also help in the arena, with more powerful PCs having an edge.  If you can see the few pixels of an enemy’s head when turned up to max, you have an edge over the person on low where everything looks the same.  

Additionally, you spend more time looking around in a fps, and will notice them more, so they become more distracting if they’re bad.  On the other hand, good graphics will let you admire the scenery as you blow someone’s head off with a high powered sniper rifle, that also glints in the sun.

5) Good Level Design

Nice and peaceful.... until the shooting starts

Awesome shooters have good level layouts.  

There aren’t areas of the map that hold a crippling strategic advantage over others.  Areas aren’t broken. The appearance of the map helps people get geared up for the competition.

Good maps are also fun to explore, and developers will often put easter eggs in them somewhere, which are always a thrill to find.  Well designed maps are also easy to remember, which helps out players when they’re on the prowl, seeking to corner or ambush their prey.

4) Awesome Guns

Ah, nothing like annihilating your enemies with green electro-plasma

Flat out, awesome shooters have awesome guns.  They don’t have to be spectacular like an instagib, being analogous to the real model is still awesome, like how the Baretta .50 cal works like you’d think it would.

Really cool guns can also take the concept of normal guns, and improve upon them.  This can be done by modifying existing characteristics, or adding new ones completely.

Take the flak cannon for example.  At it’s base, it’s a shotgun, but instead of buckshot, you fire superheated, plasma-like flaky death into your foes. Or you can fire the entire clip at once in a giant flak bomb of death.

Way cooler than a shotgun.

3) Fun Game Modes

And we’re gonna blow it up

Awesome shooters will have game modes beyond the standard campaign, and allow you to do cool things like capture the flag, or play mutant.  Some shooters even come up with their own modes, which may or may not be successful.  The ones that are often get copied.

Game modes completely alter the outlook of the game, even minor alterations, like team death match vs. death match.  Game modes also change how some mechanics work, causing players to learn something new.

Take zombies for example.  In call of duty, you previously had standard game modes, but now you have one specifically for all the players to cooperate against the environment.  Instead of competing, players are working together to overcome the odds.

2) Smooth Gameplay

The killing, it never stops

Any fps that wants to be awesome has to have smooth gameplay.  While helping in the immersion, smooth gameplay is necessary just to play the game.  

Things should transition into each other, you don’t want errors and ghost players coming out of nowhere and ruining the experience. It shouldn’t be necessary to enter a street fighter combo just to pull off a combat maneuver.  

Hitboxes also fall into this category, and it’s important that a headshot actually counts as a headshot.  Obstructions to hitboxes should be treated as such.

 Smooth gameplay is also important for any competitive play, freezing up before a winning shot is the worst.  Even if just a few pixels are out of line, that can completely mess up the round.

1) Being Immersed in the Game

I am such a badass

Being immersed within a first person shooter is one of the greatest feelings in the world.  The mindset of actually being a gun-wielding badass is beyond comparison, and it can actually feel like you’re doing all the cool things your character is.

If your character is getting treated like a soldier and is acting like a soldier, you’ll subconsciously start thinking like a soldier.  When you get immersed, checking corners becomes second nature, and hearing, “We are Oscar Mike” actually starts to make sense.