Whilst there's an abundance of first person shooters available on consoles and PC, some are absolutely brilliant and others, good, but not memorable. We're flooded with single player experiences as gamers, and so for any to stand out, there needs to be a bit of character. With some developers they've bridged the gap between first person shooter and first person adventure game such as Skyrim, but for the core shooter experience where the namesake is taken in the literal sense, the best do stand out somewhat. Many have delved into the multiplayer aspect to generate more life beyond any story campaigns, but those that are successful are few and far between. What is quite common now is seeing games which offer great single player experiences but somewhat lacking multiplayer offerings. Whilst it's perhaps easy to sit in our gaming chairs and wonder why more resources aren't placed into the single player to make them better rather than chase after a seemingly impossible holy grail of multiplayer gaming; the bottom line is when the single player does get it right regardless of what extras it has, the effect on the player is heartfelt and memorable. Here's our top first person shooter experiences of more recent times.

Bioshock 1 & 2

Ok there's two games here but with very minor differences between the two games, it's worthy to mention both. The abstract style of 2K's underwater extravaganza is perhaps only going to be bested by the forthcoming Infinite. With a memorable plot, some of the most distinct art Deco looks and solid gun play make the antics of Bioshock's hero and arch nemesis Andrew Ryan one of the most iconic shooters of this current generation.




Deus Ex: Human Revolution

A fairly new entry and perhaps more fitting of First Person Adventure, but contentions aside, the game does feature a healthy dose of guns if you're playing a more aggressive Adam Jensen. With the option to sneak around the John Carpenter inspired futuristic metropolis and go balls out guns a blazing makes the vent shuffling madness well worth it. A truly exceptional and lengthy single player experience indeed.




Halo Reach

With so many Halo games on current generation Xbox, it's perhaps hard to choose one above the other, but in reality when the rose tinted specs are removed, the choice rests firmly with the most recent game. Whilst offering a more team based spectacle than its forebears, the gameplay and action are solid - even bringing back memories of the first game in its approach. To be one of the best of the series is no easy feat, so hats off to Bungie for going out with a bang.




Call of Duty: Modern Warfare

With several games in the Call of Duty series it was a hard choice to pick just one game especially when the quality of the single player experiences are so high. Forget the grenade spamming of World at War, the ingenious mental torture of Black Ops, and rest in the comfort of the game that put a huge stamp of success on the COD series. Undoubtedly MW 1's campaign is up there with the best of them simply because it got so much right from chaotic beginnings to inspired conclusion.




Medal of Honor

An interesting inclusion in the list but worthy all the same. Players might scoff at the rather experimental multiplayer offering, but the single player was as good as any Call of Duty game. It felt more realistic and less dramatised than other offerings, and those beards really brought home the harsh realities of fighting against oppressive regimes as US forces - forget the deliberate controversy over the use of the "Taliban" name. Who could forget the mountain ambush in one mission which was probably one of the most dramatic action scenes of any first person shooter.




Battlefield 3

Battlefield has come a long way in terms of its story telling, and whilst the Bad Company games opted to bring a bit more character to proceedings, the remarkable changes of pace in BF3 make for a well rounded package that's not short on massive set pieces and engaging tones. From flying aircraft, riding tanks, to blowing up buildings, DICE got things right and still managed to produce a solid multiplayer offering as well.




Rainbow Six Vegas

Last but not forgotten is Ubisoft's Rainbow Six Vegas. When this first appeared on Xbox 360 it was a breath of fresh air as you controlled Logan and his special forces team in the most tactical of ways. The style of the game was unmatched, and although somewhat dumbed down from previous games in the series to suit a more wider audience, the offering was still top quality. The sequel was more of the same and has a place in our hearts, but the original just sits ahead in terms of the impact it had on our gaming experience.




Posted: Jan 08, 2012 2:10 pm

Source: http://www.msxbox-world.com/features/article/953/the-best-mainstream-single-player-fps-campaigns.html