PC First Person Shooters to look forward to in 2004
----------The Big Ones----------Half-Life 2 - April/2004 (or not?)Developer: Valve Software (Notable previous title(s): "Half-life")
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Pros: Have you watched the videos?
Cons: Delays, and overly-high expectations.
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-Movie (Gameplay: Traptown, great clip.)-
http://www.fileshack.com/file.x?fid=3372-Screenshots-
http://www.halflife2.net/image_files/04.jpghttp://www.halflife2.net/image_files/06.jpgDoom 3 - (2004?)Developer: id Software (Notable previous title(s): "Wolfenstein 3D", "Doom", "Quake", etc.)
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Pros: Graphics, atmosphere, physics.
Cons: An id game with a story, will it pan out? System requirments.
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-Movie (Gameplay: E3 trailer.)-
http://www.fileshack.com/file.x?fid=4201-Screenshots-
http://www.shacknews.com/screens.x/doom3/D...303_doom3_1.jpghttp://www.shacknews.com/screens.x/doom3/D...303_doom3_2.jpgS.T.A.L.K.E.R. - 9/14/2004Developer: GSC (Notable previous title(s): "Codename: Outbreak")
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Pros: Huge open ended world, non-linear gameplay, FPS/RPG meld, awesomely powerful engine, vehicals.
Cons: Certain realism aspects may not appeal to some.
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-Movie (Night/Day cycles)-
http://www.fileshack.com/file.x?fid=4072-Screenshots-
http://www.stalker-game.com/download/galle.../sb_xray_41.jpghttp://www.stalker-game.com/download/galle.../sb_xray_49.jpgMore info -->
http://www.stalker-game.com/index_eng.html----------Should be Great----------Far Cry - 3/23/2004Developer: Crytek (No previously released titles at all)
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Pros: Great Engine, Solid AI (needs some ironing out, but fun to play against), Physics, Vehicals, Really cool editor
Cons: Will there be enough diversity between levels? Performance problems for some.
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-Demo-
http://www.fileshack.com/file.x?fid=4439-Movie (Gameplay)-
http://www.fileshack.com/file.x?fid=4256-Screenshots-
http://www.gengamers.com/assets/images/aut...a_farcry-81.jpghttp://www.homelanfed.com/images/jcal/farcrys10.jpgMore info -->
http://www.farcry-thegame.com/uk/index.php...hangesite=flashBattlefield Vietnam - 3/22/2004Developer: Digital Illusions Canada (Not Battlefield 1942
)
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Pros: Helicopters, Jets, Airlifting vehicals, mobile spawn points, updated graphics engine
Cons: Will it different enough from the mods (DC, EOD) to be worth it?
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-Movie (Gameplay, 24megs, not currently on Fileshack)-
http://www.gamershell.com/download_4969.shtml-Screenshots-
http://img.gamershell.com/imagefolio/galle...tnam/newbv3.jpghttp://www.gamer.nl/images/content/CosmicF...074639505_2.jpgMore info -->
http://www.eagames.com/official/battlefiel...nam/us/home.jspThief: Deadly Shadows (aka Thief 3) - (2004?)Developer: Ion Storm Austin (Notable previous title(s): "Deus Ex")
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Pros: Thief gameplay updated with next-gen engine.
Cons: Consoleitis? We shall see.
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-Movie (Gameplay: 3 mins long shakey cam, not currently on Fileshack)-
http://www.4gamer.net/store/movie/thief_h.mpg-Screenshots-
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2003/...3_screen004.jpghttp://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2004/...2_screen003.jpgUT 2004 - 3/16/2004Developer: Epic Games / Digital Extremes (Notable previous title(s): "Unreal", UT, UT 2003)
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Pros: Everything that UT 2003 had (literally) plus the kitchen sink (vehicals, new gametypes, the return of assault). Mods should port easily.
Cons: Even with a discount, will owners of UT 2003 bother with it?
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-Movie (Gameplay: Shows off a lot of the vehicular combat)-
http://www.fileshack.com/file.x?fid=4092-Screenshots-
http://www.planetunreal.com/ut2004/screens.../ut2004lan2.jpghttp://www.planetunreal.com/ut2004/screens...ts/atari/17.jpgMore info -->
http://www.unrealtournament.com/ut2004/features.php----------Could be Good, Can't Wait for a Demo----------Soldner: Secret Wars - Feb/2004Developer: Wings Simulations (No previous FPS games, made the sim "Panzer Elite")
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Pros: Huge maps, anything can be destroyed, looks like Operation Flashpoint with a near-future twist.
Cons: Early reports have been very critical about framerate, this is the developer's first FPS.
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-Movie (Gameplay, not that great a movie, fastforward a couple mins to see anything.)-
http://www.fileshack.com/file.x?fid=4301-Screenshots-
http://soldner.jowood.com/images/screenshots/72.jpghttp://soldner.jowood.com/images/screenshots/49.jpgMore info -->
http://soldner.jowood.com/Painkiller - 3/23/2004Developer: People Can Fly (No previous games at all)
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Pros: Crazy over-the-top Serious Sam style gameplay with a great looking engine, solid physics, dual purpose weapons.
Cons: No developer track record.
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-Movie (Gameplay)-
http://www.fileshack.com/file.x?fid=4080-Screenshots-
http://www.painkillergame.com/images/scree...Catacombs09.jpghttp://www.painkillergame.com/images/scree...inStation17.jpgMore info -->
http://www.painkillergame.com/loader_content.htmlCall of Cthulhu - 4th Qtr. 2004Developer: Headfirst Productions (No previous FPS games, just adventure games i.e. "Simon the Sorcerer")
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Pros: More of an adventure/FPS hybrid, no HUD, realism oriented, sanity effects, physics interaction, atmposhere.
Cons: It's been delayed so much, most of its unique features won't be so unique anymore.
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-Movie (in-engine I think)-
http://www.fileshack.com/file.x?fid=1742-Screenshots-
http://img.gamershell.com/imagefolio/galle...ofCthulhu07.jpghttp://img.gamershell.com/imagefolio/galle...ofCthulhu05.jpgMore info -->
http://www.callofcthulhu.co.uk/Xenus - (2004?)Developer: Deep Shadows (The company founders are two of the main people who worked on "Codename: Outbreak" at GSC)
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Pros: FPS/RPG hybrid, huge world, non-linear gameplay, vehicals (including helicopters).
Cons: Might be overshadowed by big-name titles.
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-Movie (Gameplay: Driving, Flying, Shooting, Talking to NPCs)-
http://www.fileshack.com/file.x?fid=2947-Screenshots-
http://actionvault.ign.com/features/media/...xenus062503.jpghttp://actionvault.ign.com/features/media/...xenus070203.jpgMore info -->
http://www.deep-shadows.com/en/index.phpVampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines - 6/14/2004Developer: Troika (Made the RPG "Arcanum")
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Pros: FPS/RPG hybrid, uses the Source engine, Vampires are great to play as or against.
Cons: Sequel to a not-that-great game.
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-E3 Trailer-
http://www.fileshack.com/file.x?fid=3002-Screenshots-
http://www.vampirebloodlines.com/screens/BS2.jpghttp://www.vampirebloodlines.com/screens/BS7.jpgMore info -->
http://www.vampirebloodlines.com/----------Might not be bad----------Tribes: Vengeance-Movie (Gameplay)-
http://www.fileshack.com/file.x?fid=3927-Screenshots-
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2004/...0_screen003.jpghttp://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2004/...3_screen006.jpgFirestarter - 3/2/2004Demo+Patch -
http://www.fileshack.com/file.x?fid=4189http://www.fileshack.com/file.x?fid=4202-Screenshots-
http://www.firestarter-game.com/img_glob/g...reen/025/02.jpghttp://www.firestarter-game.com/img_glob/g...reen/031/01.jpgVivisector - 1st Qtr. 2004-Movie (Gameplay)-
http://www.fileshack.com/file.x?fid=2996-Screenshots-
http://www.vivisector.com/visuals/3shot0001.jpghttp://www.vivisector.com/visuals/shot0001.jpgPsychotoxic - (2004?)-Movie (Gameplay)-
http://www.fileshack.com/file.x?fid=4360-Screenshots-
http://www.nuclearvision.de/_download/shots/01.jpghttp://img.gamershell.com/imagefolio/galle...c/screen016.jpgMen of Valor: Vietnam - 6/14/2004-Movie (Gameplay)-
http://www.fileshack.com/file.x?fid=3010-Screenshots-
http://www.2015.com/games/images/mov/ss/full/3.jpghttp://www.2015.com/games/images/mov/ss/full/18.jpg--------------------
Oh, and if Fileshack is still being hammered (and you are sans lightning), you can find most of the same movies at
http://www.gamershell.com/download_movie.shtml or
http://www.3dgamers.com/Did I forget anything that deserves mentioning? (keeping in mind that this is for PC FPS only, no 3rd person games like Hitman: Contracts, and no console games, like Halo 2)
It seems like it'll be a good year for the FPS (not to mention all the other great stuff coming out in other genres).
So, what are you all most looking forward to?
Special thanks to
hellspit from the
Shacknews forum for posting this originally.
