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The video game market is populated with numerous first person and third person shooters and the catalog of these games gradually increase with every passing year. Though third-person shooters are slightly less in number compared to their first person shooter counterparts, they still remain intuitive and visceral in spite of the disconnection from the character’s eyes.More than anything, the third person point of view allows you to be more familiar and relatable with the character under your control. This viewpoint also provides a much more flexible way of storytelling that can be more engaging for the player. Here’s a comprehensive list of few of the best third-person shooter games.
#10 Dead Space
Developed by EA’s Visceral Games for Windows, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360, Dead Space puts you in control of a ship engineer named Issac Clarke who has to battle through a mining ship ravaged with an alien plague. The remainder of the human beings aboard the ship were butchered and their remains are revived as hideous creatures known as Necromorphs. The game is played from an over the shoulder point of view which plays a part in deliver’s that nail-biting experience. The game was warmly receieved by many videogame websites citing it’s cinematic script, polish, graphics, audio and the chilling atmosphere as few of the plus points. Despite the exclusion of a multiplayer mode to extend it’s replayability, Dead Space holds it’s ground with the extremely refined single player mode and frightening enivronments and enemies.
#9 Syphon Filter
Though considered predominantly as a stealth game, Syphon Filter has a great combination of third person shooting elements that gels with the stealth aspect thoroughly. Though the concept of the game may not be new as there were few games before Syphon Filter that executed certain aspects well, it is a game that definitely does have a distinguishable identity. Originally released on the PlayStation 1 in 1999 there were very few western developers that tackled this genre and were successful. Syphon Filter was the start of one of PlayStation’s long list of exclusives that is played by fans even till today with the hope that we’ll receive a next-gen version to continue this excellent franchise.
#8 Vanquish
Fast, frantic and fluid action takes the spotlight with this third person sci-fi shooter. Directed by Shinji Mikami of the Resident Evil fame, Vanquish puts you in the shoes of Sam Gideon a government agent equipped with a cutting-edge suit whose mission is to take down the baddies fighting for Earth’s diminishing energy resources. The plot is over the top and somewhat underwhelming, nonetheless Vanquish was commended for its flashy visuals, fast-paced action and innovative gameplay. The game was also noted for introducing some very fast paced style of gameplay borrowing elements from some 2D shoot-em’-ups and a neat sliding boost mechanic which is supremely entertaining.
#7 SOCOM II: U.S Navy SEALs
SOCOM II succeeded the well-received original SOCOM and was vastly improved on many facets the second time around. Published by Sony Computer Entertainment and developed by Zipper Interactive for the PlayStation 2, SOCOM II was Sony’s representative in the online gaming battle between Microsoft and them. It was praised for improving the multiplayer mode greatly over it’s predecessor where 16 players can create their own SEAL team and take down hostiles in various online missions. SOCOM advocates teamwork and tactical thinking greatly, and is one of the selling points of the game. The game remains a blast to play, though the single player lacks slightly, the multiplayer is one of the best experiences for fans of cooperative gameplay.
#6 Grand Theft Auto V
One of this generation’s release biggest releases and Rockstar’s masterpiece that was in the making for five long years is Grand Theft Auto V. From the sprawling highly detailed county of Los Santos to the three wacky protagonists, GTA V was a roaring success for Rockstar. Many critics consider it to be the greatest swansong for the seventh generation of video game consoles and was lauded for the intricately designed Los Santos, graphics, soundtrack, story and Rockstar were also appreciated for doing away with the repetetive design of GTA IV. The trio of the lead characters, varied missions and an innovative multiplayer mode helped GTA V discern itself from the other entries in the series. The game also withstood numerous controversies and lawsuits and powered through them. Grand Theft Auto V will go down in history as one of Rockstar’s most amibitious project ever.
#5 Max Payne
Remedy Entertainment are known for creating games that have a gritty noir theme, and the game that started this trend was the original Max Payne that released back in 2001. The game focuses on a troubled NYPD detective Max Payne who pursues the culprits behind his family’s massacre. The story is told in a unique way, with the use of comic book panels as a story telling tool in place of cutscenes. The revolutionary and extremely cool gameplay mechanic that separated the game from other third person shooters was the bullet time effect, that was made immensely popular by The Matrix film series. Though it was slightly criticized for it’s linear level design and lack of replay value, the gunplay and the story-telling makes up for any downfalls and Max Payne will go down in history as one of the slickest and coolest third person shooters ever.
#4 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Continuing the success of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, that was set in a fictionalized city of Miami called Vice City, Rockstar focused their attention on San Andreas. The state was heavily based on California and Nevada and centers on Carl “CJ” Johnson who returns to Los Santos after the death of his mother. The story concentrates on CJ avenging his mother’s death while he runs into quite a bit of trouble on the way. The game was praised for its open world gameplay, story, soundtrack and voice acting and is regarded as the epitome of third person shooters. It was in the news too with the hugely controversial hot coffee mod and was heavily criticized for it’s violence and killing. Despite this, San Andreas is considered one of the best games ever made and is a high point in the Grand Theft Auto franchise.
#3 Gears of War
Microsoft’s system seller that released in 2006 was developed by Epic Games and was highly anticipated before release. It blends the third person shooter mechanics with survival horror and put players into a world where the human race is fighting for survival against the Locust, a species of nasty-looking monsters that rise from the deepest corners of the earth. The plot takes you on a ride focusing on a squad of mercs and ex-prisoners and lead by Marcus Fenix, who you play as, fighting through the endless onslaught of enemies. Though the story isn’t perfect, the gameplay takes the cake in Gears of War. The impeccable cover mechanics and animations are top of the line and the satisfaction you get after going through hordes of the Locust is unmatched. The multiplayer is fantastic, encouraging teamwork and the use of tactics. The game was also praised for its visuals, made possible by Epic Games’ Unreal engine and the success of the game spawned three more sequels.
#2 Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Similar to Microsoft’s killer app, Gears of War, for the Xbox 360 and PC Sony had an ace up their sleeves too and this game was exclusive to the Playstation 3. Upon release, unsurprisngly, it was exceedingly well-recieved by many publications and fans alike. Coming off their success of the first Uncharted, Naughty Dog pushed themselves and turned up the dial to a 11 and this resulted in Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.
The story follows Nathan Drake along with his old pals, Elena and Sully to track down the mythical Cintamani stone and Shangri-La competing with Serbian soldiers. The plot is very entertaining and is humor-laden and also contains emtional scenes, which was brilliantly acted by the talented cast and crew. The setpieces and the over-the-top nature of this game are similar to any blockbuster film and would fit perfectly on the big screen. The gunplay is immensely satisfying and the visuals set a new standard for console games in the industry. The multiplayer mode is an absolute blast and holds it’s ground perfectly separately. Uncharted 2 offers an unparalled cinematic feel that no game can come close to and has to be experienced by all gamers and is a milestone in the games industry.
#1 Red Dead Redemption
After Capcom’s decision to drop the first game in the Red Dead series, Red Dead Revolver, Rockstar swooped in and took Revolver’s concept and made it reminiscent of various spaghetti western films. After the success of Revolver, Rockstar then proceeded to work on the sequel titled Red Dead Redemption.
The game is set in the perilous American Frontier and puts you in the shoes of John Marston, a former outlaw whose family is captured by the government who then force him to hunt down the members of his old gang and bring them to justice. The story, voice acting, gameplay and visuals were widely appreciated by many video game publications and also won a countless number of awards. In addition to the beautifully-told story and the immensely detailed world of the frontier, an extremely enjoyable online multiplayer mode was also included offering extremely satisfying shootouts with other players.
In summary, Red Dead Redemption checks almost all the boxes of a perfect third person shooter and deserves all the accolades it received.
