When asked what the veryfirst FPSis, most gamers wouldn’t hesitate to name the 1993Doomas the origin point of shooters. It’s an unsurprising answer, as it’s often been wrongfully claimed to be the first of its kind, but it does correctly claim the title as the most famous of early FPS’s.
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The truth is there aremany more FPS titles populating the 90s decade, and some even dating back to the 70s. By the timeDoomreleased, many other developers had already forayed into this genre, many to great success. Some of these titles have been lost to time, but gamers should be reminded of other fantastic early FPSs, particularly those released beforeDoom.
10Maze War - 1973
Old enough to be the father ofDoom,Maze Warstands out as one of the oldest FPS, developed and released on the rudimentary gaming technology of the 1970s. As such, the game was held back by technological limitations, lacking all the blood, guts, gore and character sprites from games released later down the line.
Yet still, the game wasahead of its time by offering multiplayer components. Two connected computers could load into the game and play together. The goal was simple–track down the other player in the maze and shoot the other player. Though it lacks the polish of some later titles,Maze Warstill deserves recognition as FPSs might not exist if it weren’t for its creation.
9Battlezone - 1980
Battlezonebecame a household name among gaming arcades, beingone of the most popular FPS arcade games, released back in the 80s when gaming was becoming a mainstream form of entertainment. Home consoles were almost a decade old at this point, but arcades proved as popular hangout spots for teens and young adults.
Battlezoneis an extremely simplistic game with a basic premise–the player must take aim with the crosshairs at the enemy tanks and fire at will, raking up points with each successful hit, and seeing if they can beat their own or another high score. Yet it still proved to provide great entertainment from gamers even with minimal graphics and gameplay mechanics.
8The Colony - 1988
The Colonyis one of the few games on this list that received two released, one withblack and white graphicsand the other in full color, the latter released two years later. Though other games had already delved into first-person games,The Colonyclaims the title as the first game that allowed players complete freedom of movement within a first-person game.
Players control a marshal responding to a distress call from a research colony, which is where the inspiration for the title comes from. Unfortunately, the marshal crashes his ship when trying to land, and finds himself now also in need of rescuing. While investigating the colony and searching for the parts to repair the ship, the marshal happens upon hostile aliens that are hatching a scheme to take over the universe, which the marshal must put an end to.
7Castle Master - 1990
Castle Masteris another great FPS from the years of yore, released three years prior toDoomfor most of the home computers of the era, complete with 3D graphics to help breath more life into their title. It was developed by Incentive Software, who have a somewhat impressive repertoire of FPS games.
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The game opens by prompting players to choose whether they want to play as the Prince or Princess, making it one of the only games of that era that gave players this freedom of choice. Consequentially, the unselected character is stolen away by a dragon, and its up to the player to rescue them. The player character ventures into the castle to explore its many rooms, encountering puzzled and enemies during their exploration.
6Xenomorph - 1990
At the beginning of the 90s decade,Xenomorphwas released for the DOS, Amiga, Atari ST and Commodore 64, based on the popular Ridley ScottAlienfranchise. Players would play a first-person campaign threatened by the dreadful Xenomorph, cementing itself as an early FPS, and evenone of the first horror games, depending on the players' courage.
Rather than assuming one of the roles from the major movie franchise, players control a janitor aboard the Sirius, waking up from cryosleep to see the ship empty and damaged. He is forced to land at a mining platform that also seems devoid of any human life, but soon discovers it is rife with the titular alien lifeforms that are responsible for the deaths of all the humans. Players must find the resources to repair the ship while defending themselves against the murderous aliens.
5Corporation - 1990
Corporationis a first-person game that hits some similar themes and aesthetics to Doom, more-so than other FPSs of the time, and was hailed as the first game that made use of dynamic lighting, breaking new boundaries in games development at the time, and prides itself as one of the earliest 3D first-person games.
Corporationis set in a dystopian future, in which a major mega-corporation known as UCC has been performing some rather unsavory experiment, resulting in the creation of hostile mutants, and one manages to escape the facility and terrorize the streets of future London. Players take on the role of a cyber cop tasked with infiltrating UCC to bring their illicit activities to light.
4Catacombs 3D - 1991
TheCatacombsseries predates this entry, butCatacombs 3Dwas the first game in their series that featured 3D graphics, elevating their games to new heights of greatness. Released back in late 1991,Catacombs 3Dpredates several similar titles as well asDoomby several years.
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Though an FPS in style and name, players don’t control a character from any sort of military background, butinstead play a wizardnamed Petton Everhail, descending into the titular catacombs to face off against Nemesis, the name of the evil lich responsible for the kidnapping of his friend Grelminar. Petton will have to face and overcome many creatures as he descends further down, until encountering Nemesis himself.
3Wolfenstein 3D - 1992
Wolfensteinhas become a household name in the world of gaming, with a franchise that is still ongoing today. Most of the series are set in the ages of World War 2, in which players control an American soldier fighting against the Axis Powers. Earlier entries in the series tell the story of Nazis tapping into the occult and supernatural to gain power to tip the odds in their favor.
Wolfenstein 3Ddips into the world of myth and legend as it centers around the storyof a mythical spearthat legend tells no man can defeat the one who wields this spear, which the Nazis stole from where it was held in Versailles. It is up to the players to infiltrate their stronghold and reclaim the spear before it is too late, and all hope is lost.
2Pathways Into Darkness - 1993
Released mere months beforeDoom,Pathways into Darknesswas published by the company that would become famous forHaloandDestiny–Bungie, which have become a studio well known for the first-person games, though fans of their later titles might be unaware of their earlier launches, such asPathways into Darkness.
In this early release FPS game, players take control of a Special Forces officer who has been burdened with the lofty task of putting a stop to a godlike being that has its eyes set on global destruction. Players must solve challenging puzzles and overcome the enemies that stand between them and their goal which lies within the pyramid they infiltrate. Considering the game was made by only two people, this title was very well-made with a surprising amount of depth in its gameplay and story.
1ShadowCaster - 1993
Another game predatingDoomby mere months,ShadowCasterreleased in the months betweenPathways into DarknessandDoom, proving 93 was the year for shooter fans.Though the game also incorporates elements of RPGs andadventure, the game is also an FPSat heart, utilizing a first-person for both perspective and gameplay.
ShadowCastercenters around unique plot in which the playable character Krit discovers he is in fact no human but a shapeshifter, and one of the last of his kind. However, the evil rivals of shapeshifters have come to drive them into extinction. Krit must unlock his powers to overcome the demonic forces, and save himself and his father from their machinations.
