Ben-DutkaYou know, it wasn't too long ago when first-person shooters not only ruled the sales charts, they also ruled in the critical realm as well. Now, I'm not saying this has changed much; the change has happened on the other side of the wall, in the genre known as third-person shooters. There was a time when few "TPSs" could live up to the intensity, polish and overall quality of the best first-person shooters (FPSs) on the market. But are those days long gone?
First of all, bear in mind that games like God of War III and Heavenly Sword are not third-person shooters; they're straight-up action titles. Uncharted and Gears of War are third-person shooters and let's face it, just looking at those two franchises alone, one can make the argument that such games are better than any FPS of this generation, with the possible exceptions of Killzone 2 and Crysis . Naughty Dog and Epic are blazing new trails in the genre that once took a significant backseat to FPS and the more we look around, the more we see TPSs beginning to get their just due. It could be argued that Ratchet and Clank is a member of the TPS category, and we're also very interested in the likes of Wet (and not just 'cuz Eliza Dushku is the voice of Ruby).
Thing is, I know FPSs will always be popular, and there will always be excellent productions available. This holiday season, you can bet that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is going to shatter sales records all over the place, and it's a further guarantee that 9s are in store from reviewers. But do you really think Uncharted 2: Among Thieves won't rival Modern Warfare 2 (at least in terms of critical acclaim)? I mean, when we look at both the PS3 and the Xbox 360, there are exclusives on each console – Gears and Uncharted – that are legitimate system sellers…and they're also TPSs. In fact, I'd dare say more are interested in those games than they are in any FPSs on the horizon. Perhaps it's because developers have really found a way to take advantage of this mechanic with the new and more powerful hardware, or maybe it's just because it has been proven that TPSs can be both awesome and profitable.
I guess the bottom line is this: if you ask after the hottest upcoming titles, perhaps TPSs will be just as prevalent on FPSs when someone responds. Does anybody remember when someone would ask if a certain game was a FPS and then they'd hear it was a TPS and…well, they'd be all disappointed? No more, people.
FPs games have the MOST boring bosses fights.
Been burnt out on FPS games for a while now. I'm sick of Camping on Duty and the all sniping camperfests they've become. Which is why I'm skipping Modern Warfare 2 for Uncharted 2.
GREAT decision!
I think my next FPS will prbly be..Resistance 3…cant wait to see the next twist…BUT i think i may prefer TPS you know…dont get me wrong i love FPS..like Killzone & Resistance.
i agree with you Culoslap
and i agree 10000000000% wit Oxvial
FPS are no where near as good as TPS boss fights there no fear in like ohhh shit..he's a big mother f***** what do i what do i do…in R2 i was bit like..wtf do i do when i was fighting bosses…but K2 i dont wanna knock the game coz im like numba 1 fan of it love everythink bout it…i wasnt a fan of like them boss kinda battles..The end battle was epic i coulda broke my TV until i noticed he was telaporting(sorry for tha spelling ina rush) kinda thing everywhere lol then..i got tha Bitch lol…Uncharted over MW all tha way i doubt i will even buy it..massivly over-rated..online is good no diff you killzone if you ask me just perks n u get stuff when you do a killstreak…killzone as kinda perks but u kno wot i mean.
I probly get thumbs down for this. haha
Hmmmm………..what about Mirror's Edge?
Do you ever use a gun in it?
I loved TPS's more then FPS's, actually I hated FPS's until I played Oblivion on the ps3…I figured ahh it's a FPS(slasher)I'll give it a shot because I like games of that genre…and I loved the FP view point so I went out and bought KZ2 over R2 and I fell in love with KZ2 so I now love FPS's atleast KZ2 as much as my TPS's.
I play Oblivion mostly in third-person view because the fighting is horribly chaotic even when you can see the area around your character; I found combat in first-person unplayable.
I love Oblivion, but it REALLY needs a lock-on feature.
Really fane? I was the opposite, I can't do Oblivion combat in third person, feels slow and awkward. I guess its good they had both views 🙂
FPSs limit your freedom of movement(legs/arms) since it's almost ALL 'bout pulling the trigger
We all know how much more freedom there is TPSs.
With a TPS, the extra freedom opens up other modes of play, like in Ratchet and Uncharted you have elements of platforming, adventure/ exploration games and puzzle games.
I'm really getting tired of FPS's ever since this console generation started. I'm glad games like Ratchet and Clank, Uncharted (Shooter but also a platformer) and Flower which puts a lot more variety in their games.
All my favorite games this gen are 3rd person. They'd be Dead Space, Warhawk, and Uncharted. I think I may end up adding Red Faction: Guerilla to this list as well. Long Live the TPS!!!!
I'm actually kinda upset that they turned Red Faction into a TPS, the first 2 were friggin incredible as FPS'
The only TPS that really mattered was Lost Planet. Not only that, but I'm very glad Capcom stuck to their arcade roots when concieving the game.
OK point made fella!
AK must be posting from a PS3 that happened to me a couple of times. lol
Lol The PS3's slow response to submitting actions, I know.
over-the-shoulder cameras have helped tremendously. the '2nd person' shooter, if you will, is a glorious marriage between the two.
I hate when people call it a 2nd person shooter…Because really, a 2nd person shooter would be if you were looking through a character's eyes, but controlling a completely different character. It's not an impossible thing…but it wouldn't be any good unless you were bored, or masochistic.
Hmpf… A post about third person shooters with a ton of comments and the king of all online console TPS's isn't even mentioned once. Ben, I'm dissapointed.
@ all of the commenters; seriously?
Sigh.
I think you really are IN the game with an FPS. I love COD. It's really like you're Soap,that you are the soldier who fights the battle.. It's immense. But I like TPS too though 😀
fps's are pretty boring after a while. looking forward to uncharted 2 =D
There is something about seeing your character doing something… it wouldn't be the same if you chainsawed a guy in first person
I like FPS best for multiplayer, and TPS for single player.
Definitely looking forward to Uncharted 2.
Why Do they have to make a FPS or a TPS game? Why not have ALL GAMES do both by just changing your view? It would sell more games. Not that hard for them to do it so why are they being dumasses about it? BEN why cant they please BOTH WORLDS???