If there’s one thing Microsoft won’t let occur, it’s that big shooter franchises like Halo and Call of Duty will go away under their watch. Even when sequels stop being made, fans can no less than be assured that the older games will remain accessible forever, whether through a port, remaster, or remake.
Just have a look at Halo: Combat Evolved, which already received an update for its tenth anniversary, and it’s getting one other one, Halo: Campaign Evolved, for its twenty fifth anniversary. Halo fans are lucky, but fans of those lesser-remembered shooters aren’t as lucky because many are inaccessible or simply fell out of the conscious minds of the broader shooter fanbase.
Bulletstorm
A Kick To The Cactus
Bulletstorm is the style of shooter where the story doesn’t matter, because it’s completely a parody of more serious endeavors like Call of Duty, throwing over-the-top shenanigans and tons of swears into the script. The gameplay is what’s most significant concerning the game, with two key mechanics that uplifted the commonly great arrangement of guns.
Players could use an electronic whip to grab enemies, and so they could also kick them back. Environments were plastered with hazards, like red barrels and cacti, and the more creative the kills, the more points they might earn. It was an arcade-style shooter that was perhaps misunderstood on the time, but fans have never given up hope of seeing a sequel someday.
The Darkness 2
Cel-Shaded Mobsters
The Darkness 2 switched the art style from something realistic, like in the primary game, to a more cel-shaded design to stick to the comic origins. Gameplay was also a bit more free-flowing, with a greater set of weapons and powers for the mobster hero, Jackie, to unlock. Jackie went from hitman to mob boss relatively quickly because of his possession of demons.
Players could harness tentacles to grab enemies or other demons to attack as players blasted away with pistols and other armaments. Each games are value testing for the eerie powers alone, and so they can still be played and purchased on Xbox systems when it comes to home console entertainment.
Star Wars: Republic Commando
Roger Roger!
The unique Xbox had a couple of exclusive Star Wars games for consoles, with Star Wars: Republic Commando being considered one of them. As a part of a squadron of 4 Clone Troopers, players would lead their group through linear missions, blasting dozens of droids in the method. The look was spot on from the flicks, as was the voice acting and the sound effects.
It didn’t do anything too extraordinary for a shooter, but as a first-person experience set during The Clone Wars, it was ok. Thankfully, this game can now be enjoyed on a plethora of consoles because of a remaster, and while it isn’t any Halo: Combat Evolved, Star Wars: Republic Commando is nice fun from a galaxy far, distant.
Red Steel 2
A Hidden Wii Gem
The unique Red Steel was a launch title for the Wii, which was a contemporary game involving each ninja katana gameplay and shooting. With early motion controls, it wasn’t much fun, however the sequel was higher. Red Steel 2 had a cowboy meets samurai theme, and the sport supported Wii Motion Plus, meaning the katana and gun controls were more solid.
It’s a game that might easily be ported to the Switch or Switch 2, because of the Joy-Cons still supporting motion controls, but this might be one game from Ubisoft that won’t be resurrected anytime soon. The Wii didn’t have a ton of first-person shooters or motion games, but when anyone wanted to gather the very best the system had to supply, Red Steel 2 must be in the combo.
Singularity
Red Dawn
BioShock gets plenty of praise for being an immersive, atmospheric alternate history shooter, and for what it’s value, the sport deserves all of the awards and a focus it gets. There are other games just nearly as good that didn’t hit quite the identical peaks, and Singularity is one other example. Starting in the fashionable era, players are sent to ascertain out a Russian experimental site where a catastrophe took place. Once involved, they’re then sent back to the Nineteen Fifties when the experiment first went berserk.
With a special device, players can warp between realities, sometimes affecting enemies and the environment, like repairing a rusty staircase to be usable again, because of time manipulation. Before Raven Software was fully transformed right into a Call of Duty support studio for Activision, they made some great original games like Singularity, and it’s essential to not forget this one on Steam.
Call Of Juarez: Certain In Blood
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Call of Juarez: Certain in Blood is the second game within the series, and in each level, players can determine which of the 2 brothers they want to play. Ray could have standard weaponry from the Old West, including revolvers and rifles, while Thomas is a more agile and stealth character.
With Thomas, players can pick off enemies with arrows, knives, and even use his lasso to get around places Ray cannot. Some levels are more open, allowing players to purchase recent weapons in shops as well. The 2 brother system gives some replay value to missions on this otherwise linear, but solid, cowboy shooter.
Syndicate
A Linear Cyberpunk
Syndicate is a 2012 reboot of the franchise that began back in 1993. Unlike other cyberpunk games, like Cyberpunk 2077 and Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Syndicate is a more linear experience without many RPG elements, beyond upgrading cybernetics. That said, it does have the very best shooting mechanics in a cyberpunk game by far, with futuristic versions of fan favorite rifles, pistols, and shotguns. So, for shooter fans who also desire a cyberpunk framework, Syndicate is a greater fit.
Players can use special vision to spotlight enemies and decelerate time, together with more sensitive hacking powers to blow up heads or turn enemies on one another. In a time when cyberpunk games are really hot again, it’s a shame so many have forgotten the greatness of this reboot, or never even knew it existed, since it’s unfortunately been delisted from digital platforms.
Cold Winter
Frozen In Time
Cold Winter was a PS2 exclusive, and it has remained ever since. This spy thriller is a globe-trotting adventure that appeared like a more brutal tackle the James Bond games that were popular on the time. Levels are pretty linear and closed off, but there have been some diversions every once in a while to suit the spy motif, like on the lookout for optional objectives by picking locks.
The developer, Swordfish Studios, is now long gone, but shooter fans can also know their work from 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand, one of the vital over-the-top shooters of all time. So, while Cold Winter may not be accessible or as beloved as something like Splinter Cell or Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty on the PS2, it’s still a fun spy thriller.