Summary
Although the first-person shooter genre has gone through multiple commercial heights and hiatuses, the genre’s roots remain firmly planted within the ‘Boomer Shooter’ titles of the 1990s and early 2000s. With a focus on explosive weaponry, expanded movement, and 90s snark, ‘Boomer Shooters’ have a definitive style within the genre.
From industry-defining science fiction experiences and multiplayer-centered competitive shooters to experimental titles overshadowed by blockbuster releases, the very best of the ‘Boomer Shooter’ subgenre of FPS titles have an expansive and extensive set of experiences.
Although other developers such as Infinity Ward and Bungie have come to the forefront of the first-person shooter genre in many players' minds, id Software arguably remains the genre’s most revered studio name. As such, it should come as no real surprise that the 1996 launch of its 3D FPS titleQuakenot only stood on the shoulders of id’s former FPS goliaths but"took whatDoomstarted and expanded, focusing more on multiplayer accessibility and functionality."
Initially released on PCs before finding firm footing on consoles of the time, such as the Sega Saturn and Nintendo 64,Quakehas gone on not only to be a recognizable name in the history of the FPS genre, but a quintessential title for any fan of id’s stylized first-person devastation.
Featuring an eponymous loudmouthed character in line with the game’s 1996 launch era,Duke Nukem 3Dremains not only the place where many players first interacted with Duke Nukem himself, but a cornerstone title for the entire FPS genre.
Incentivizing players to explore and interact with the game’s environment while also prioritizing tightly-wound first-person gunplay,Duke Nukem 3D— even nearly 30 years from its launch — is"a quintessential title to play for anyone who loves first-person shooters.“Despite the middling to low reception of the cigar-smoking FPS mascot’s more recent titles,Duke Nukem 3Dis not only a playable piece of FPS history but an enjoyable romp that is arguably as enticing now as it was at release.
It’s seemingly not common for a tie-in title for a Hollywood franchise to result in a critically acclaimed video game. However, it’s arguably even less of an occurrence that such a property-linked experience could establish itself as such a genre-defining title asStar Wars: Dark Forceshas.
Releasing in 1995 as a virtual extension ofStar Wars' beloved expanded universe of fiction,Star Wars: Dark Forcesnot only solidified itself as a natural home forDoom-esque gameplay but as"one of the best boomer shooters ever made.“With a genre-bending ability to look up and down, which was then an unexpected evolution of FPS gameplay, and a faithful reproduction of George Lucas’s science-fantasy world,Star Wars: Dark Forceshas seemingly remained as beloved by contemporary audiences as it was 30 years ago.
Predating the haunted hellscapes ofDoomby just over a year, and as such, spinning the world of video games on its head as it effectively introduced the industry to the first-person shooter genre, id Software’s 1992 titleWolfenstein 3Dremains inarguably"one of the most influential games of all time.”
Despite the alt-history route of its contemporary installments,Wolfenstein 3D’s pixelated interpretation of escaping a Nazi compound arguably remains just as heart-pounding and action-oriented as it would have felt in 1992. In exploring the World War 2-era catacombs for exit routes or the level’s bosses, players mow down Nazi soldiers, dogs, and mechanical inventions with a host of period-appropriate weaponry. However, the science-fiction roots of the series' recent titles can be seen even as far back as this first entry, asWolfenstein 3Dis not afraid to pull the rug out from players by introducing an arsenal of engaging interpretations of the period.
Considering its involvement with theQuake,Legacy of Kain, andCounter-Strikeproperties, it should be no surprise that Ritual Entertainment’s 1998 science fiction first-person shooterSiNseemingly remains a consistently revered cult-classic FPS, even nearly 30 years from its release.
Despite its launch being arguably overshadowed by"one of the 90’s best video games”— Valve’sHalf-Life—SiNnot only builds on the solid foundation of itsQuakeinspiration but evolved the FPS genre in its focus on hyper-specific areas of combat. Evolving the act of being struck by limb-specific damage by enemy combatants and disarming enemies with a swift punch,SiNexpanded on the FPS sandbox that id Software titles had established only a few years before. As such, while its renown is not nearly as extensive as its contemporaries or predecessors,SiNremains one of the decade’s most inspired and engaging first-person shooter experiences.
Although it had gone through a brief period of being unplayable on modern devices until recently,Unreal Tournamentremains not only"one of gaming’s most important franchises,“but a quintessential FPS title that is just as enjoyable to play today as it was in 1999.
Although theUnreal Tournamentfranchise has been bolstered by multiple sequels and expansions, the series' inaugural entry arguably remains the most revered and influential. Besides installing itself as a cornerstone of the competitive multiplayer FPS scene for decades,Unreal Tournamentpositioned developer Epic Games as a AAA developer who would go on to bring its Unreal Engine — and titles such asGears of WarandFortnite— to the industry.
If an indication of a certain title’s influence can be seen in how many times it has been brought to modern hardware, then there can be no video game experience more revered than id Software’s 1993 first-person shooter classicDoom. As"the long list of unusual platforms where Doom has been ported"has included not just a variety of console generations and personal computers but even household appliances,Doom’s place within video game history is arguably unparalleled.
With a long history of spin-offs and sequels that have defined the video game industry,Doom’s 1993 inaugural FPS title remains one of the series' most recognizable experiences, with its position as a genre-defining installment readily accepted. Though Doomguy’s arsenal of conventional and futuristic weaponry and menagerie of hellspawn enemies was a shot in the arm for the video game landscape of the 1990s, players who experience id Software’s landmark FPS today are sure for a tightly-wound and graphically engaging experience.
AlthoughQuake 3 Arenahas many things — spotlessly polished mechanics, a tightly-wound blend of competitive and creative gunplay, and a lightning-fast pace of combat — single-player content is not its forte. With an intentional hyperfocus on bestowing players with a content-rich and mechanically sound competitive FPS environment,Quake 3 Arenanot only ditched the single-player modes of its predecessors but pushed its multiplayer offerings to the forefront.
However, as much as a lack of single-player content may seemingly hinderQuake 3 Arena, id Software’s 1999 FPS'“focus on fun-filled fragging has kept it a solid choice since its release,“and it remains the posterchild for the movement-based explosive combat that ‘boomer shooter’ titles have become renowned for.
