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This article is about the Video Game Genre . For the TV episode of the same name, see William Gibson's "The X-Files" Episodes . First-person shooter ('''FPS''') is a Genre of Video Game s which is characterized by an on-screen view that simulates the Playable Character 's Perspective and a focus on the use of ranged weapons such as Gun s. The modern FPS genre emerged at the point when home computers became sufficiently powerful to draw basic 3D Graphics in real time. Id Software 's '' Wolfenstein 3D '' and '' Doom '' are widely considered to be the breakthrough games of the genre. The latter in particular, defined the genre so emphatically that FPS games were commonly referred to as " ''Doom'' Clones " for a significant period after its release. Popular examples of the genre include '''' series, '' System Shock '' and '' GoldenEye 007 ''. First-person shooters have been subject to substantial Controversy due to the levels of violence included in most games. The level of realism is increased when the video game world is seen through the first-person perspective. TERMINOLOGY First-person shooters are so-called because players are put into the perspective of the principal protagonist in the game. Traditionally, players always see from the point of view of that protagonist. The term derives from the fields of Grammar and Linguistics , where the ' First Person ' describes pronouns which speakers use to refer to themselves ('I', 'me,' etc.), or verb forms which speakers use to describe their own actions ('I am,' 'I go,' etc.). Similarly, in the field of Literature , First-person Narrative describes a text in which the narrator is also a character within the story, and frequently refers to themselves and their own actions. In comparison, in a 'third-person' game, players participate by controlling an in-game character, or ' Avatar ,' which has its own pre-written personality and history. In a third-person game, players do not always see from the point of view of the principal protagonist, but often see from an another perspective (often called a 'third-person perspective') from which they can view the protagonist from outside. This is similar to Third-person Narrative in literature. OVERVIEW The first-person shooter is a sub-genre of Shooter Game s. Many other shooter genres, such as On-rails Shooters , are viewed from a first-person perspective, while Flight Simulators frequently involve the use of weapons; however, these are not considered FPSs. In the early 1990s, the term came to define a more specific type of game with a first-person view, where the main character's gun and part of his/her hand is shown, almost always centered around the act of aiming and shooting handheld weapons, usually with limited ammunition. The focus is generally on the aiming of one's own guns and the avoidance of enemy attacks, but the player is given more control over their movement than in on-rails shooters and most Light Gun games. Many '' or '' Duke Nukem 3D '') it is possible to toggle the game between viewpoints and play the entire game from either perspective. More frequently, a first-person view will be adopted in a third-person game only for brief periods for certain situations when it is advantageous. Since a first-person view usually allows more precise refinement of a player's aim than most third-person aiming systems, many third-person shooters allow the player to switch to their avatar's viewpoint in order to fire a weapon; sometimes, as in the first '''') on the theory that a wider perspective makes those weapons easier to manage. GAMEPLAY All FPSs feature the core gameplay elements of movement and shooting, but many variations exist, with different titles emphasising certain aspects of the gameplay. The lines between sub-genres are not distinct; games such as '' GoldenEye 007 '' and '' XIII '' include stealth elements—avoiding detection being advantageous in certain situations—in addition to action-packed sequences more typical of a "run and gun" FPS. '' Half-Life '' (1998) was praised for its blend of genres; Steven Poole commented that it "edged FPS into the grey zone between shoot 'em up, exploration and puzzle games."1 '' Deus Ex '' was also praised for giving players the ability to choose the approach they took to situations in the game.2(Originally published in ''PC Gamer'' (UK) issue 87''.) ;Realism:The extent to which FPSs attempt to model themselves on reality varies dramatically. Settings may vary from accurate recreations of historical periods such as or Shields . Within this structure there is much variation regarding the balance between the two meters, whether one or both of them can be replenished, and if so, how (" Medikits " are a common gameplay device for instantaneously recovering health). :The type of weaponry found in an FPS, and the realism of guns' accuracy and power, is usually appropriate to that game's setting. Frequently, the most recently-found gun will be the most powerful and most used, and players will retain every weapon they have discovered, ending the game carrying an unrealistically massive arsenal of guns and ammunition (most FPS games, especially before '''', and '' Far Cry ''. ;Narrative and structure: The level of emphasis on plot varies. Some developers choose to give players as little information as possible and thrust them straight into combat, a common practice in the early to mid 90's, while others craft elaborate backstories and settings for their games. Storytelling techniques also differ; the plot may be revealed through interaction with other characters (sometimes incorporating dialogue choices more typical of an separated in time and space, each set in a specific environment such as a warehouse, desert, laboratory, or castle. One recent game which attempted to emulate Half-Life's opus on narrative realism was F.E.A.R. , which was entirely from the first-person perspective with the exception of a single opening cutscene. :The Linearity of FPSs also varies, with some leading the player as directly as possible through the game through as many gunfights as possible, while others give the player numerous options regarding how they tackle each section. More recent titles such as '' Just Cause '' and '' Postal&2 '' have allowed the player to wander around large "sandbox" environments like those of '' Grand Theft Auto ''. ;Combat and pacing: Many FPSs maintain a focus on " Run And Gun " gameplay, with quick movement and near constant combat. Many of the older FPSs such as '' Doom '' and '' Quake '' are in this genre, as well as many more recent titles like '' Serious Sam '' and '' Unreal Tournament 2004 ''. Other titles adopt a slower pace, with the emphasis on puzzle-solving, or interaction with characters in ways other than combat. : Stealth is a common feature of FPSs — firefights in some FPSs are extremely risky and require the player to completely avoid being spotted, activating alarms or even killing enemies ('' Thief '', for example); but even in games such as '' GoldenEye 007 '' and '' Halo '' which also feature numerous shootouts, sneaking up on an unaware opponent can be an advantageous technique. In addition, these games also have non-ranged weapons. :Strategy and planning are emphasised in '', and '' Battlefield 2142 ''. ;Multiplayer:Many first-person shooters are designed primarily as Multiplayer games, and the single-player component (if any) consists entirely of play against Bots . Notable examples include '' Quake III Arena '', '' Counter-Strike '', '' Unreal Tournament '' and '' America's Army ''. The '' TimeSplitters '' series began as a Split Screen multiplayer-focused game, although its single-player modes have since become more elaborate. :The MMOFPS combines first-person shooter gameplay with a large number of simultaneous players over the Internet. '' World War II Online '' and '' PlanetSide '' are pioneers of this new sub-genre. Some FPS games strive to increase the realism of graphics and game environments, while retaining unrealistic gameplay. As a result, in many games the player has exaggerated physical capabilities and resiliency that allow him to make maneuvers such as "grenade jumping", which is an action that allows the player to gain an extension to normal jumps by blast effects. The extended jump is possible with other game weapons and can thus have different names: for instance, the '' Quake '' series allows "rocket jumping". Other maneuvers common in FPS games are Straferunning and Circlestrafing . For many, the appeal of the FPS lies in Immersive frantic blasting with a touch of verisimilitude, humor, puzzle-solving, and Claustrophobia . For others, the single player mode in story-oriented games can have compelling narratives which allow for added element of drama in the games. Online play and mods Most FPSs feature competitive and/or co-operative Online Multiplayer modes. Players of these games often form into teams, or " Clans " and participate in organized tournaments and championships. Some of these contests have sufficient prize funds to allow players to turn partially or even fully professional. Among modern video game styles, FPSs were the first genre to gain a widespread online gaming community. This was due to a deliberate policy of innovation by games developers (notably by (compared to, say, Fighting Game s) mitigates the effect of the inevitable network Lag . Despite these effects, these games remain highly sensitive to network speed, and complaints about lag are still common. Many FPS games are designed with a core Game Engine , separate from the graphics, game rules, and Level s. This enables developers to reuse or License the core software for other games. This "plug-in" design, combined with the general-purpose nature of the PC (compared to consoles) allows amateur Programmer s to add new elements to games, such as new rules, characters or weapons without having access to the underlying technology. This process is known as " Modding ", from ''mod''ification. Indeed, it is a common characteristic of FPSs that players and enthusiasts are able to create their own levels (''see'' Level Design ) or even change overall graphical appearance and gameplay for distribution to other fans. Normally, this distribution must be done for free in order to abide by the developer's license. This has contributed to the longevity both of the genre and of individual games. Some games even serve as a basis for Total Conversion s, where all of the game content is replaced, leaving only the basic game engine intact. Many games now include the software the designers used to make levels, such as '' UnrealEd '' for the Unreal series. The amount of custom levels made for a game is heavily affected by how popular the game is and the size of the community available to play the map. Many Id Tech 2 and Id Tech 3 based and later games increase the potential audience for a user-created level by allowing a custom level to be downloaded when a player connects to a server, as opposed to requiring the levels to be downloaded and installed in advance. The communities of amateur programmers around FPS games can often become recruiting grounds for development companies; Valve Software have taken this as far as recruiting the core development teams of mods and releasing their product commercially. CONTROL SYSTEMS Keyboard and mouse Most modern first-person shooters on the PC utilise a combination of the WASD keys of the Keyboard and Mouse as a means of controlling the game (commonly referred to as "WASD/Mouse"). Usually FPS control schemes are fully customizable within the game. One hand uses the mouse, which is used for Free Look (also known as mouse look), aiming and turning the player's axis. The primary mouse button is used for the main "fire" function, with any additional buttons on the mouse performing other actions such as secondary fire functions, grenade throwing, Mêlée attacks, or activation of a Zoom Lens . A Scroll Wheel is often used to change weapons. On the keyboard, the Arrow Keys (or other keys arranged in the same manner, such as WASD , ESDF or IJKL ) provide digital movement forwards, backwards, and sidestepping (often known as " Strafing " among players) left and right. Usually these buttons make the player run, and a nearby button must be pressed in order to walk. Other nearby keys perform additional functions such as crouching, jumping, opening doors, reloading, and picking up and dropping weapons. The R key is the Reload Weapon key in most FPS default keyboard configurations. Control pads Although some game consoles such as the Dreamcast include support for keyboard and mouse peripherals, allowing the above control systems to be used, the majority of console FPSs are controlled by the system's standard Control Pad . Early console FPSs such as '' Zero Tolerance '' and '' Corporation '' were restricted by the number of keys available on the standard control pad and their Digital nature; in the former, the Mega Drive D-pad controlled turning and forward and backward motion, with the four directions combined with the press of another button performing additional jumping, crouching and sidestepping movements. On more recent control pads with two Analog Stick s (such as Sony 's DualShock 1 and 2 and Sixaxis PlayStation 3 controllers, and the Xbox , Xbox 360 and GameCube pads), four main control systems have come about. In the case of control pads with only a single analog stick (as with the Nintendo 64 and Dreamcast), the functions of one of the sticks may be transferred to four of the face buttons, although this only provides digital movement in those four directions, without the pressure-sensitive precision of an analogue stick. ;1:(Commonly known as the Halo style of controls, although other games before Halo have implemented it) :Left analog stick: ''Used for movement'' ::''Up and down'': Movement forward and backward. ::''Left and right'': Lateral sidestepping ("strafing"). :Right analog stick: ''Used for free look'' ::''Up and down'': Vertical aiming. ::''Left and right'': Rotation left and right. ;2:(Commonly known as the original, old-style, or legacy) :Left analog stick: ::''Up and down'': Movement forward and backward. ::''Left and right'': Rotation left and right. :Right analog stick: ::''Up and down'': Vertical aiming. ::''Left and right'': Lateral sidestepping ("strafing"). ;3 and 4 :Two further control schemes in which the functions of the left and right analog sticks are swapped. Not all FPSs allow the default control scheme to be fully customised, but usually all of the above may be further modified. Often there is an option for players who wish prefer to "invert" their aiming, so that pressing down on the vertical aiming analog stick makes their aim move up (like pulling "back" on the joystick in a Flight Simulator ), and pressing up ("forward") on the same stick moves their aim down. Usually, firing a gun is performed by pressing one of the shoulder buttons or triggers on the control pad, an action similar to pulling the trigger on a real gun. Sometimes, however, shooting may be set to one of the face buttons, which are usually used for other functions such as crouching, reloading or opening doors. Switching weapons is generally performed by pressing left and right on the D-pad. Wii remote Games released or in development for '' and '' Red Steel '', five first-person shooters which use the motion-sensitive Wii Remote as an aiming device instead of the traditional mouse or analog stick. Movement is controlled with the analog stick on the Wii Remote's "Nunchuk" attachment. PlayStation Portable and Dreamcast The analog stick is used to move forward/backward and strafe while the PSP 's or Dreamcast 's face buttons used to look. Many prefer to use the " South Paw " configuration instead, though, to give a more accurate aim by using the analog for aiming, while sacricifing the movement's analogousness to the digital face buttons, much like the keyboard and mouse setup's "WASD." Like the control pad, the L and/or R button is used to shoot. Nintendo DS In FPS games for the Nintendo DS , (such as Metroid Prime Hunters ) the D-pad is used for walking and strafing, while the touch screen is used similar to a mouse for aiming. Shooting is usually used with the L button, but some games, like Metroid Prime Hunters, have left handed configurations. PLATFORMS AND HARDWARE DEVELOPMENT The primary platform for modern FPSs has traditionally been the PC , though there have been notable games on other platforms, and the number of releases on consoles are increasing steadily. FPS are among the most demanding programs for computing resources, persuading many users to upgrade computers that are still suitable for more mundane tasks, such as online browsing and office work. According to . Recently, consumer HMDs have been introduced which should further drive developments in Virtual Reality technology and better game play by providing a more immersive experience. HISTORY See Also: First-person shooter engine The first-person shooter, as the phrase is currently understood, emerged in the early 1990s. However, the modern genre is an extension of earlier games, particularly those involving 3D graphics. While these early games are not First-Person Shooters in the modern sense, many of them come very close in gameplay terms, and many others contained ideas which later influenced the modern genre. Beginnings It is not clear exactly when the first FPS was created. There are two claimants, '' Spasim '' and '' Maze War ''. The uncertainty about which was first stems from the lack of any accurate dates for the development of ''Maze War'' — even its developer cannot remember exactly . In contrast, the development of Spasim is much better documented and the dates more certain. The initial development of '' Maze War '' probably occurred in the summer of 1973. A single player made their way through a simple maze of corridors rendered using fixed perspective. Multiplayer capabilities, with players attempting to shoot each other, were probably added later in 1973 (two machines linked via a serial connection) and in the summer of 1974 (fully networked). '' Spasim '' was originally developed in the spring of 1974. Players moved through a wire-frame 3D universe, with gameplay resembling the 2D game '' Empire ''. Graphically, ''Spasim'' lacked even hidden line removal, but did feature online multiplayer over the world-wide university-based PLATO Network . Another notable PLATO FPS was the tank game '' Panther '', introduced in 1975. 1979-1990: Arcades and home computers )]] )]] )]] The next significant games arrived in the Video Arcade boom of the late 1970s. The 1979 game '' Tail Gunner '' was the first commercial shooter game to provide a first-person perspective. Players could not move through the simulated world, but fought off opponents from a fixed point in space. 1980s '' Battlezone '', a tank combat simulator reminiscent of ''Panther'', allowed players to move around the game world in their battle with computer-controlled enemies, and thus became the earliest widely-available first-person shooter in arcades. It was a resounding commercial success. In the early 1980s, the Home Computer market grew rapidly. While these machines were relatively low-powered, limited first-person-perspective games appeared early on. '' Star Raiders '' (1979) gave the player the perspective of a spaceship pilot flying through a streaming 3D starfield; motion was unrestricted, but the environment consisted only of stars and individual moving objects, with no 3D scene rendering at each individual frame. '' 3D Monster Maze '' (1981) for the Sinclair ZX81 was the first truly 3D first-person adventure game on a home computer, although not a shooter. '' Dungeons Of Daggorath '' and '' Phantom Slayer '' (1982) restricted the player to 90-degree turns, allowing "3D" corridors to be drawn with simple fixed-perspective techniques. In these games, computer-controlled opponents were drawn using bitmaps. '' 3D Deathchase '' (1983) on the ZX Spectrum featured a 3D shooter chase through a forest, with the 3D being created using drawings of trees getting larger as they moved closer to the player. Similar to ''Phantom Slayer'', the 1983 game '' 3-Demon '' was a 3D version of Pac-Man for the IBM PC situating the player first-person inside the ''PacMan'' maze. Numerous other "tricks" were used by programmers to simulate 3D graphics. Examples include two early games from Lucasarts, '''s ZX Spectrum titles '' Tau Ceti '' (1985) and '' Micronaut One '' (1987), the former having a 3D planetary environment and the latter involving the player's ship traveling through wireframe tunnels. Later in the decade, the arrival of a new generation of home computers such as the Atari ST and the Amiga increased the computing power and graphical capabilities available, leading to a new wave of innovation. Although it lacked numerous modern graphical features including textures, varying colors, and the use of special shading techniques to simulate curved polygons, the first first-person shooter to offer true-3D filled-polygon graphics was the single-player '' Driller '', released in 1987, which used the acclaimed Freescape Engine . Other FPS games of the flat-polygon era include '' Faceball 2000 '', '' The Colony '', and '' MIDI Maze '', the latter notable for its networked multiplayer feature (communicating via the computer's MIDI interface). 1991-1993: Defining the genre Screenshot]] By 1990 the technology to render very simple flat-colored 3D worlds was widespread, and was being used extensively in simulator games such as '' Abrams M1 '', '' LHX Attack Chopper '', and others. In April 1991, the then-unknown Id Software released '' Hovertank 3D ''. This game innovated a new rendering technique called raycasting, whereby vertical lines are scaled to create a smooth 3D perspective as long as the player looks straight ahead (raycasting games do not allow players to look up and down, though later games would fake this to various degrees of success). The game environment was a simple flat grid-based map, with enemies rendered as Sprites . Later the same year, a modified version of the same game engine, adding texture-mapped walls, was used in '' Catacomb 3D '', which also introduced the concept of showing the player's hand on-screen, strengthening the illusion that the player is literally viewing the world through the character's eyes. In 1992, id improved the technology by adding support for VGA graphics in '' Wolfenstein 3D '' which surprisingly was created by only 13 people in 2 months. With these improvements over its predecessors, Wolf 3D was a hit, and marked the emergence of the modern FPS genre. A lesser-known predecessor to ''Wolfenstein 3D'' is '' Ultima Underworld '' (1992), a Role-playing Game developed by Blue Sky Productions, (later merged with another developer to create Looking Glass Studios ) and marketed by Origin Systems . Unlike ''Wolfenstein 3D'', ''Ultima Underworld'' supported many true 3D features such as non-perpendicular walls, walls of varying heights, and inclined surfaces. A technology demo of this game was, in fact, John Carmack’s inspiration for ''Wolfenstein 3D''’s game engine. {Link without Title} In 1993, '' Pathways Into Darkness '' was released by Bungie. It mixed the elements from a FPS with those of a RPG. While this had been done in ''Ultima Underworld'', ''Pathways'' into darkness focused more on its shooter elements where as ''Ultima Underworld'' was more of an RPG in first person. The game was the first FPS to include and fully integrate a complex and complete story throughout the game. However, ''Pathways'' only experienced limited commercial success, partially due to its difficulty level, but mainly due to being available only for Apple computers. It is considered the spiritual ancestor of the '' Marathon '' and '' Halo '' series developed by Bungie. ''Wolfenstein 3D'' was soon surpassed by id's next game, the genre-defining '' Doom '' (1993). While still using sprites to render in-game opponents, and raycasting to render the levels, ''Doom'' added texture-mapping to the floor and ceiling, and removed some of the restrictions of earlier games. Walls could vary in height, with floor and ceiling changing levels to create cavernous spaces and raised platforms. In some areas, ''Doom'' removed the ceiling altogether to create the outdoor environments that were generally lacking in previous genre games. However, ''Doom'' wasn't truly 3D; id used a line map system which the game would make into a 3D looking environment, and they added the height later; this meant they couldn't put a room on top of a room, but they could create an ''Automap'' more easily. While the graphical enhancements were notable, ''Doom'''s greatest innovation was the introduction of network multiplayer capabilities. While similar multiplayer modes had existed in previous mainframe- or arcade-based games, ''Doom'' was the first mass-market game to gain a significant following dedicated to multiplayer (usually, but not exclusively, LAN -based) contests, and guaranteed persistence of the FPS in gaming formats; the real thrill of these already-atmospheric games comes from blasting human opponents, be they friends or strangers on the Internet. ''Doom'' was also one of the earliest FPS games to gain an active community of fans producing add-on maps. 1994-2000: After ''Doom'' ''Doom'' dominated the genre for years after its release. Every new game in the genre, such as '' Heretic '', was held up against its masterpiece, and usually suffered by comparison. However, some developers wisely chose not to attack ''Doom'' head-on, but instead to concentrate on its weaker aspects, or expand the new genre in alternative directions. '' Rise Of The Triad '' (1994), developed initially as a sequel to '' Wolfenstein 3D '' by Apogee Software , was a cult favorite. It added to the FPS genre with its use of Photorealistic models and Sprites , dark and quirky humor, advanced multiplayer features, and introduced wanton and gratuitous violence in the form of Giblets (which would later be popularized by '' Duke Nukem 3D '' and '' Quake '', and are debatably a staple of most first-person shooters today). '''' (1995) and '' Marathon Infinity '' (1996) by Bungie Studios , added a large array of innovation, included a successfully integrated, strong, and extremely well developed plot (this had been done with Pathways Into Darkness , but was not on the same scale), revealed through a series of computer terminals, and multiple mission types such as rescue, exploration, extermination, and retrieval, a radical change from the simplistic "blast anything that moves" style of most earlier FPSs. It had the first instances of AI controlled teammates/friendly combatants, unarmed/ambient characters, dual wielding, secondary functions on weapons, and free look as it is known today, most of these are widely used in modern first person shooters. It also allowed one polygon (the Marathon equivalent of a sector) to be placed over another and one character to pass over/under another, this made much more complex architecture and game play possible. Lots of the levels and events played out in a nonlinear fashion (this was especially true with Marathon Infinity) encouraging exploration, this had been done in previous games but not as extensively. It also broke from the tradition of episodes, which allowed for a continuous, immersive game experience. However, these games did not reach a wide audience, being released on the Apple Macintosh platform, and only ''Durandal'' being released on Windows (although all games have since been made available, free of charge, to Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X {Link without Title} ). Marathon 2: Durandal was ported to the Xbox 360 in August of 2007. '' System Shock '' (1994) and '' System Shock 2 '' (1999) combined an FPS-style viewpoint and controls with Role-playing Game and Horror gameplay elements. Both games received huge praise from critics and huge cult followings, but limited mainstream success. In 1995 the '' introduced a linear storyline with levels presented as "missions" with certain objectives to be accomplished, and cutscenes that advanced the plot. It was also the first "''Doom'' clone" to be set in the environments of a predefined universe ( Imperial bases, Star Destroyer s, ships, planets, ''etc.'') rather than simplistic, surreal mazes and "find the exit" scenarios. The 1995 game '' Descent '' used a fully 3D polygonal graphics engine to render opponents (previous games had used Sprites ). It also escaped the "pure vertical walls" graphical restrictions of earlier games in the genre, and allowed the player six degrees of freedom of movement (up/down, left/right, forward/backward, Pitch, Roll And Yaw ). Descent became a cult favorite and is still modded & played online today. In 1996 id Software released their eagerly-anticipated '' Quake '' which significantly enhanced the network gaming concept introduced by ''Doom''. Like ''Descent'', it used a 3D polygonal graphics engine to render enemies, but, again, ''Quake'''s greatest influence was felt in network-based multiplayer gaming. Because of QuakeSpy, now known as GameSpy , ''Quake'' was the first FPS game to really break out of the LAN and gain a widespread fanbase dedicated to multiplayer Internet gaming. ''Quake'' also innovated by actively encouraging user-made modifications. These " Mods " contributed to its longevity and popularity with players; in some cases (such as '' Team Fortress '') they even developed a semi-independent existence. '' Duke Nukem 3D '', also released in 1996, was the first game using what proved to be the most popular engine of the decade (12 released titles), Ken Silverman 's Build Engine . Build was outwardly similar to Doom's engine, but the internals (and many engine features) were radically new and different. The game itself was a new take on the shooter, with main character Duke characterizing himself by way of witty, egotistical one-liners and interaction with all sorts of goofy objects, from blowing up urinals to tossing cash at strippers. Duke, and Build, are also notable for having one of the simplest map editors of any 3D game ever made. '' Blood '' was similar to Duke Nukem, using the Build engine, but had a totally different setting as well as a very strange atmosphere. In 1997, '' GoldenEye 007 '' was released for the Nintendo 64 . It was praised for a realistic setting, incorporating impressive Artificial Intelligence and animation, elaborate bullet-hit detection (permitting a player to inflict maximum damage through accurate "head shots"; a practice encouraged through the incorporation of a "sniper scope" weapon function), and mission objectives and well-designed environments based on the '' GoldenEye '' film's sets. Its Split Screen multiplayer Deathmatch mode was also well-regarded for the range of options offered. Console first-person shooters have for many years been criticized for having control schemes less precise than the Keyboard and Mouse of PC titles, yet ''GoldenEye'' overcame such complaints to be considered the first great FPS for a console, as well as one of the best movie-to-game adaptations. Also released that year was the first Western-based shooter by '' a game with a Star Wars theme. ''Jedi Knight'' is still active and is still being modded by enthusiasts today at locations like The Massassi Temple . The lasting popularity of both ''Jedi Knight'' and ''GoldenEye'' is interesting considering their nature as film licenses, relatively few of which are highly-regarded by gamers. In 1998, the game '' Half-Life '' was released, featuring a single-player game with a notable narrative focus directing the action and the goals of the player. The tremendous success of the game encouraged the creation of many more games with a similar focus on story-based action. ''Half-Life'' also produced many successful mods, such as the hit '' Counter-Strike ''. Counter-Strike continues, eight years later, to be the most popular multi-player FPS in the world; a feat of no small achievement in a market of ever-changing consumer tastes. Also in 1998 '' Thief, The Dark Project '' was released. It was considered by many critics to be one of the first FPSs to successfully implement stealth elements. Some deemed it a "first-person sneaker". Another game of 1998, '''', while not a major commercial success, was also very influential. Supporting large numbers of players, vehicles, wide-open landscapes and innovative movement mechanics provided by the jetpack all players Spawn ed with, ''Tribes'' can be considered the ancestor of many modern multiplayer-focused shooters including '' Battlefield 1942 '' and contributed greatly to the creation of the Massively Multiplayer FPS genre (including '' World War II Online '' and '' PlanetSide ''). This game also spawned a large functionality based modding community, that created numerous ui changes and scripts that made play easier, including complicated inventory management scripts, and movement aides. 1999 was another important year for FPS, as two competing franchises were pitched head-to-head: '''' series with '' Unreal Tournament 2004 '' and the soon to be released '' Unreal Tournament 3 '', and the '' Quake Series '' with '' Quake 4 '', released October 2005. The 2000s: Strides for Realism In 2000, '' Deus Ex '' was released, a single-player FPS that blended elements from RPG and Adventure Game s. It featured many side-quests and multiple ways of completing each mission. This game also had a character building system similar to an RPG where the player gained Experience Points for completing various objectives, which were then spent on upgrades for your character, as in the '' System Shock '' games. Additionally, it incorporated stealth elements that first appeared in ''Thief: The Dark Project''. In 2001, '''' was released, creating a new level of realism in an FPS environment with extensive vehicles and aircraft, seamless indoor / outdoor environments, and view distances an order of magnitude longer than anything else released before it in the genre. '''' was released for the Xbox , a first-person shooter with third-person vehicle usage. The game was acclaimed for its Artificial Intelligence used to control the game's enemies, and key features of its gameplay such as melee attacks have since become genre standards. The game's recharging shield on top of a non-recharging health supply has been widely imitated. Also, its control scheme has also since become standard in console first-person shooters. '' Return To Castle Wolfenstein '', another 2001 release, saw a fair degree of success, although it would not reach the heralded status of other games; say Halo and Half-Life. RTCW was the sequel to the original Wolfenstein, and continued the story of the original game. The game featured more of a run-and-gun style of play, but was not grossly unrealistic in terms of the players survivability. Like many of id's titles, though, the player was not restricted to the number of weapons carried, although heavy weapons would slow down their movement speed. The plot was drastically expanded upon, playing off of real world aspects of Nazi mysticism and occult research. Of particular note is RTCW's multiplayer mode, which while not the first of its kind can definitely be mentioned as "standing out" from other titles. Players selected from one of four classes, each with different abilities and weapons. All 4 types were critical to victory, due to the objective-based nature of the multiplayer maps. Simply put, "deathmatch" did not exist, and each map consisted of a series of objectives that needed to be completed by the players in order to achieve success. '', brought FPS action to a massively multiplayer arena.]] Also released in 2001, '' World War 2 Online '' (WWIIOL) was released, expanding the FPS genre to a massively multiplayer audience. Unlike most FPS games of the time, which had limits of 32 players, WWIIOL could support thousands of simultaneous players. As such, WWIIOL is recognized as the pioneer of the MMOFPS (Massively-Multiplayer Online First-Person Shooter) sub-genre. Placed in a WWII setting, players could compete in realistically modeled tanks, airplanes, ships and infantry of the WWII era on a massive 1/4 scale map of Europe. In 2002 ''''). In contrast to the somewhat similar and recently released WWIIOL , the game was focused a bit more on fast-paced and visually pleasing action and a smaller number of players, putting less emphasis on a massively multiplayer world and realism in equipment modelling. Meanwhile, in the world of consoles, ''''. Due to its weighting towards exploration, typical of the Metroid series' style, many critics referred to the title as a First-person Adventure game. During 2004 through 2006, many remakes of older games were released, along with some newcomers:
There have been many attempts to combine the FPS genre with '' blended some RPG elements with an experience and skill-based point system that can work across matches. '' Battlefield 2 '' has a stats tracking similar to ''Enemy Territory'', and a complicated scoring system. The Wheel Of Time (video Game) attempted to blend a fps with an RPG and was one of the few fantasy games to be a first-person shooter as most fantasy games are RPG's. The '', is said to have a control scheme very close to a PC First Person Shooter control scheme. The success of such a format is not yet decided but opens the way for more innovative gameplay in the FPS genre. CONTROVERSY First-person shooters, often with graphical, brutal and interactive Video Game Violence , are common examples in The Debate On The Connection Between Violent Video Games And Real-life Violence Or Violent Behavior . Lt. Col. David Grossman , a former West Point psychology professor, has written several books on the subject of violence in the media, including ''On Killing'' and ''Stop Teaching Our Kids to Kill''. In interviews, he has repeatedly used the term "murder simulator" to describe first-person shooter games. He argues that video game publishers unethically train children in the use of weapons and, more importantly, harden them emotionally to the act of murder by simulating the killing of hundreds or thousands of opponents in a single typical video game. Video game violence critics generally agree that violent video games are at least as bad an influence on children as are television shows with the same level of violence and cruelty, and most seem to believe that video games are more threatening to a child's well-being, because the video game player uses the controller to make an on screen character act out the violence personally. It was widely reported that the Spree Killer s in the Columbine High School Massacre were fans of first-person shooter games. They had recorded a videotape before the massacre in which they said they looked forward to using their shotguns just as in the game '' Doom '' (the ''Doom'' levels created by one of the attackers -the most popular being one called " UAC Labs"- can still be found on the Internet as the Harris Levels ). But on the other side, many people against banning games for violence claim that people who would act violently on their own acccord would be drawn to violent video games, as opposed to being influenced by video games. It has further been claimed that the system of rewards and punishment in violent video games like ''Doom'' systematically teaches participants to be violent. Opponents to this view hold that such games actually ''prevent'' violent behavior by providing a safe outlet for aggression. Over two hundred studies have been published which examine the effects of violence in entertainment media and which at least partially focus on violence in video games in particular. Some psychological studies have shown a Correlation between children playing violent video games and suffering psychological effects, though the vast majority stop short of claiming behavioral Causation . Craig A. Anderson has testified before the U.S. Senate on the issue, and his Meta-analysis of these studies has shown 5 consistent effects: "increased aggressive behavior, thoughts, and affect; increased physiological arousal; and decreased prosocial (helping) behavior". ( Violent Video Games: Myths, Facts, and Unanswered Questions ) However, some studies explicitly deny that such a connection exists, most notably Anderson and Ford (1986), Winkel et al (1987), Scott (1995), and Ballard and Lineberger (1999). Some studies have shown that children who watch violent television shows and play violent video games have a tendency to act more aggressively on the playground, and some people are concerned that this aggression may presage violent behavior when children grow to adulthood. Common themes in the continuing debate is whether people with violent dispositions prefer violent games or violence in games predispose players to violent behavioral patterns, and the role gender differences plays. Most FPS games have a voluntary ESRB rating of ''T'' (for Teen) or ''M'' (for Mature audiences), but sale of these games to children in the USA was not moderated or enforced until late in 2003, when it was announced that a number of major retail outlets such as Wal-Mart and Best Buy , which account for a large share of video game sales, would begin restricting sales of "M"-rated games to people under the age of 17, due to the level of violence and blood which earned the title the "Mature" rating. There is no national law in the United States prohibiting sale of such games to children, but bills have recently been proposed that would prohibit the sale of games to customers under the ESRB rating's age. Video Game Industry professionals oppose such a law, citing that the ESRB is a voluntary rating and similar rated materials are not regulated, such as the MPAA Film Rating System 's minimum age for movie patrons. Controversial , and its developers, Rockstar Games . However, according to statistics from the , a very controversial video game because of its excessive violence. SEE ALSO
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