There’s been some heavy hitters in the FPS (First Person Shooter) arena. Quake 4 immediately comes to mind, followed by Unreal Torney, ohhh and of course the late comers to battle, Bioshock and Crysis. I could go on and on here but the list would send me into a frenzy of unwarranted violent action and I’d be tempted to pick up my sticks and shoot. With all this action floating in the air, it’s easy to forget where it all began. I want to take this moment to remember the founding fathers of this genre. The games that made it all possible for the new kids on the block to shine.

It wouldn’t be fair for me to say that any one of these games is better than the other. Therefore I will list them out in the best possible way I can, chronologically. So let’s get started.

Wolfenstein 3D - 1992

1992 was the year that the king of all kings was created. It was created by id Software and published by Apogee Software. Like an episode of Highlander, there can be only one, original FPS that is. Wolfenstein 3D is still immortal. Even today, new games are created while reminiscing about the first of the kind to walk the walk and shape the genre. I mean I got to lash out against Nazi Germany, shoot dogs, soldiers, and everything else that stood in my way and I did it all in the first person. This game took me by surprise all those years ago and I was in love from the moment I laid eyes on it.

Doom - 1993

Before Resident Evil and long before Silent Hill, there was another game that could scare little kids into being good. That game was dubbed Doom and this was one that I loved also. I can vaguely remember making it to the end and getting my butt kicked from all angles. This classic also came from id Software and it looks like they were only getting started.

Duke Nukem 3D - 1996

Created by Apogee Software and developed by 3d Realms, Duke Nukem is the king of all out action and the take no prisoners mentality. I remember the emotions that came over me when I first played this game. My mom got it from a co - worker and I thought, hey it must be safe. That is until I ran into my first stripper in the game. It may have been a little much for me back then but the game was still great!

Taken from wikipedia - “Murderous aliens have landed in futuristic Los Angeles, and humans suddenly find themselves atop the endangered species list. The odds are a million-to-one, just the way Duke likes it!”

Quake - 1996

And then there was quake. The Quake engine alone is enough to warrant respect in this gritty scene but this game had something special. You were using guns in an aztec/almost rpg like setting. I must say id out did themselves here.

Unreal - 1998

Developed by Epic Games and Digital Extremes and published by GT Interactive, Unreal was simply, Unreal. The unreal engine is now the platform for many FPS games including Rainbow Six, Gears of War, and Bioshock just to name a few. This game was serious business back then and these days, well I’d say it’s still making friends.

Honorable Mention: Shadow Warrior - 1997

Developed by 3d Realms and released by GT Interactive, honorable mentions go out to Shadow Warrior. As Lo Wang, you could shoot, slash and hack your way to the end of this classic. Unfortunately, for all it’s grandeur, it could not live up to the hype in the sales department and it hasn’t driven much since then, but it’s still a great classic in my book!