Before the advent ofCall of Dutyand other huge multiplayer franchises, there was2002. It was the year before the very firstCall of Dutygame was released.Shootersback then more or less focused on the same settings; if not futuristic sci-fi, then it’s usually World War 2, but most of them are heralded as proponents of graphical advancements.
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Because while other game genres were still struggling with the use of 3D back in 2002, shooters were all in on the immersion. These descendants of the originalDoomwould eventually lay the groundwork for the morepopular shooter titlesthat everyone and their Mountain Dew-loving kids play today.
8Duke Nukem Advance
There’s this ancient relic of the Stone Age called the Game Boy Advance, and it was made by the progenitors of Nintendo. It was a device so old, that it could mostly only render 2D games. That’s whyDuke Nukem Advancewas a marvel of handheld tech. Because it was a port ofDuke Nukem 3Dsqueezed into the Game Boy Advance.
It was the fullDuke Nukemexperience but in the palm of your hands. In a time when most shooters were available only on the PC,Duke Nukem Advancepushed the boundaries of what was possible with the aging handheld console. The gameplay and visuals werestuck in 1993, but it’s a 3D game on a Game Boy, that’s more than enough.
7Unreal Championship
Back in the 2000s, games with the word “Unreal” in their title were bound to be flagbearers of the latest graphical tech for consoles.Unreal Championshipwas no exception. It was one of the first Xbox-exclusive games back when they were still positive that they could defeat Sony in its own arena.
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TheUnreal Championship,for the most part, was a multiplayer game in the same vein asQuakeand its sequels. It was about fragging players in a fast-paced shooter that rewardspixel-perfect aim. BeforeCall of Dutygames took the scene, this one,Quake,andCounter-Strikewere the kings of multiplayer shooters.
6Red Faction 2
It’s an old game alright, butRed Faction 2was one of the prettiest games back in its generation. It came after a time whenHalf-Lifeintroduced the world to the possibilities of 3D FPS games, andRed Faction 2was poised to take the crown. It’s set during the 22nd century Earth five years after the events of the first game.
As far as its FPS gameplay goes, it’s pretty scripted as per today’s standards. The game dumps several weapons on the players' laps and sends hordes of grunts their way. However, the game was somewhat ahead of its time for featuring a karma system that rewards players based on the morality of their actions.
5Serious Sam: The Second Encounter
Serious Sam: The Second Encounteris an episodic follow-up to the first game, aptly subtitled,The First Encounter.Like the first game,Serious Sam: The Second Encountertakes an arcade approach where players frantically shoot down waves of alien and monstrous creatures as the titular testosterone-fueled action hero.
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The game also has a semi-parody theme and setting where it mixes different genres from cyberpunk to fantasy. Sam must travel to different worlds after defeating each stage in order to confront the root of all the chaos. This one’s best playedco-op with friendsand strangers— it’s also one of the few FPS games with couch co-op for up to four players in a split-screen.
4MechAssault
For those who prefer big robots to big gung-ho shooter protagonists, thenMechAssaultoffers something different. It’s a mech game where players get to control a giant robot as they shoot their way through enemy lines. It’s part of theBattleTechseries and takes place in the same universe.
MechAssaultis also yet again, another Xbox exclusive. Players must investigate a rogue planet where they findthemselves and their mechunder assault on all sides by tech-worshiping cultists. Anyone who’s a fan of mecha combat will find plenty to like here as it was also one of the most visually impressive games on the Xbox back then.
3TimeSplitters 2
TimeSplitters 2is an old and renowned name in the FPS genre, and it’s one of the few novel games that didn’t settle for a static setting. Because as the title implies, players get to jump through different timelines thanks to the game’s electrifying plot involving time travel.
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Each level is a different time period as players must chase aliens hell-bent on ruining humanity’s timelines through the use of Time Crystals. That’s how time travel worked in this series. And as with the traditional time travel story trope, players must exercise caution to not look out of place in a specific timeline, so each level is like its own mini-video game.
2Battlefield 1942
WhenBattlefield 1942came out, it was instantly hailed as one of the most ambitious FPS games to date. Because back then— and even now,Battlefieldwas one of the few shooter games to let players wage a full-scale war involving drivable vehicles and artillery. In1942, however, the scale was a bit smaller due to network constraints and limitations.
Still, there was nothing likeBattlefield 1942back in its time. It focuses on multiplayer as teams of dozens of players battle it out in their dream World War 2 digital LARP. Its significance certainly reverberated throughout the decades, andBattlefield 1942launched its own franchise and arguably, its own multiplayer game genre since it’s still one-of-a-kind.
1Medal Of Honor: Allied Assault
Medal of Honorwalked soCall of Dutycould run. In fact, it was developers who previously worked onMedal of Honorgames that broughtCall of Dutyto the industry.Medal of Honor: Allied Assaultwas the third game in the series. Its primary focus was a cinematic and interactive recreation of a World War 2 battlefield with scripted events.
Players get to digitally experience and relive theintensity of the D-Day landingand many other military operations inAllied Assault’s episodic campaign. The kind of visuals and gameplay it had was magic back in 2002. Needless to say, it popularized the World War 2 genre in gaming, which madeCall of Duty’s road to success all too smooth.
