Shooter games have been a staple genre in the industry since its inception, and multiplayer has played a huge part inkeeping them fresh and exciting. From games likeFortnite, toDeadlock, to whatever this year’sCall of Dutyis, multiplayer shooters are an industry powerhouse.
Every gamer has a specific type of shooter they prefer to play, whether it’s first-person, third-person, intense action, or more tactical. All of these concepts originated from industry-leading games. Here is a list of some multiplayer shooters that pioneered their respective ideas, and were ahead of their time.
Many considerDoomto be one of the most influential games of all time and paramount to the establishment of the multiplayer shooter genre. It is widely accepted thatDoomwas the first shooter game to include online multiplayer, allowing players to use the internet to join other players.
While many rememberDoomfor its single-player mode,especially in its modern interpretations, the original game from 1993 kick-started the popularity of multiplayer shooters and paved the way for many other games that followed.
Quaketook whatDoomstarted and expanded, focusing more on multiplayer accessibility and functionality. It introduced movement techniques like bunny-hopping, strafe jumping, and rocket jumping, which have since become staples in many multiplayer shooters.
Quakewas also one of the first games officially recognized as an e-sport, leading to the massive professional industry seen today. While the series has not survived the test of time as some other 1990s shooter franchises have, it is thanks toQuakethat players can have many of the experiences in online games they do today.
Unreal Tournamentwas one of the first games to have a truly dedicated modding community. Thanks to the highly modular nature of the game, many players were able to make maps, game modes, and even complete overhauls of the game.
While Epic Games is better known for their modern hitFortnite,Unreal Tournamentwas where they began. For veteran players, it is clear to see how the sandbox elements ofUnreal Tournamenthave become the playground that isFortnite.
7Counter-Strike
Tactical Team-Based Action
Counter-Strikestarted as a mod forHalf-Life, before being transformed into a standalone game. As a shooter,Counter-Strikechanged the fast-paced formula that had grown popular, opting for slower, tactical, objective-based gameplay. Taking control of either terrorists or counter-terrorists, players must plant bombs, defuse bombs, rescue hostages, or eliminate the enemy team, before switching sides and doing it all again.
Modern gamers may be familiar with tactical shooters,fromRainbow Six Siegeto the later entries in theCounter-Strikeseries. But without the popularity of thisHalf-Lifemod, those games may never have existed in their current forms.Counter-Strikeshook up the genre, creating its own space in the industry that is still alive to this day.
Star Wars Battlefrontisone of many games based on theStar Warsfranchise, and one of the most important. While it has a story mode, most people remember the game for its huge 64-player online games. Chaotic ground battles, vehicular combat, and the terrifying possibility of running into one of the “heroes” on the enemy team.
WhileStar Wars Battlefrontspawned multiple sequels and reboots, modern attempts to recreate the feeling of the original are widely regarded as having fallen flat. Ultimately, there is nothing quite like the huge action-packed battles that scratch that nostalgic itch quite the same.
Halo: Combat Evolvedbrought developer Bungie to fame, and rightfully so. The game featured an incredible single-player campaign, and fun-filled multiplayer.Halo: Combat Evolvedwas released before the introduction of Xbox Live, meaning that for players to fill out the 16-player lobbies, they would have to have multiple systems running 4-player split-screen games on one LAN network.
While it may seem impractical by modern standards, many players will have fond memories of LAN parties, spending hours killing their friends repeatedly in the sci-fi arenas, with some of the best-feeling guns on the market. It is impossible to understate the importance ofHalo: Combat Evolvednot only to the sci-fi shooter genre, but also multiplayer shooters as a whole.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfareis a game that many discuss in discussions of gaming nostalgia. WhileCall of Dutywas already an established name,Modern Warfaretook the previously historical shooter and pulled it into the modern day. With an impeccable story and the tightest multiplayer experience at the time,Modern Warfarewas a huge success.
Modern Warfareintroduced gamers to the multiplayer experience they know today, with varying modes and guns to choose from. While not an expressly innovative game,Modern Warfareperfected the player experience, and madeCall of Dutya staple name in the industry for years to come.
Before games likeOverwatchandValorant, there wasTeam Fortress 2. Following from the originalTeam Fortressmod forQuake,Team Fortress2 is a hero shooter that has been receiving consistent updates and support since 2007. Similar toQuake,Team Fortress 2has a dedicated community. Players are constantly building new maps and hosting servers for people to play in, with different game modes, visuals, and objectives.
Without the continued success ofTeam Fortress 2, it is hard to see a real market forhero shooters, and that is largely thanks to the distinctive style of the game. It has a fun, cartoonish aesthetic which is lacking from many other shooters, helping it visually stand the test of time.
The Divisionis an entry in a long line of Tom Clancy games, yet feels unique within the franchise. A third-person shooter, set in a crumbling New York, blending single-player and multiplayer together, the game is hard to compare to anything. It is possible to play through the game entirely solo, never touching the multiplayer, if a gamer so wishes.
Alternatively, they can venture into the Dark Zone, a PvP-enabled area where players can find high-level loot, which must be extracted by helicopter before they can leave the Dark Zone. It can also be stolen by other players, if they manage to kill the loot-holding player before they extract it. This makes for an intense, competitive experience that has little comparison outside of other franchise entries.
The story ofTitanfall 2is a sad one. The game is widely regarded as a masterpiece, with the perfect combination of fast-paced gunfights, lightning-fast traversal, unique combat abilities, and heavymech combat. However, due to the release between the yearlyCall of DutyandBattlefieldinstallments, as well as poor sentiment surrounding the priorTitanfallgame, it underperformed.
Despite this, Respawn has continued to support the game, even when the servers were held for ransom by hackers, and its legacy can be found in the form ofApex Legends.While fans can keep hoping for a third game in the series, those who haven’t had the chance to experience allTitanfallhas to offer are seriously missing out.
