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Shooters that still hold up

From cover, from the hip, and from a side-scrolling jet

519 games · page 1 of 11

Red Dead Redemption 2 2018 Why it still holds upA world that answers what you do, from the weather to the law, still keeps it worth playing today.
The Last of Us 2013 Why it still holds upThe fights still come down to that scarcity today, and retreating to come back from another angle is often the way through, in levels open enough to improvise in.
Mass Effect 2 2010 Why it still holds upYour squad keeps it worth playing today: you spend time on your ship, the Normandy, learning their pasts and doing their optional missions, and those choices carry through to the end.
Super Metroid 1994 Why it still holds upThe world is still the reason to go back today, made to be explored from its silent, empty start.
Half-Life 2 2004 Why it still holds upPlay it now for the pacing: the opening sections alternate tension with small moments of rest, and enemies, allies and supplies are always marked by the design or by sound.
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End 2016 Why it still holds upYou would play it today for the traversal and the performances, since climbing carries much of the game and the dialogue and acting carry a personal story.
Grand Theft Auto V 2013 Why it still holds upToday the reward for your time is the detail: conversations while driving change if you repeat a mission, and the story takes about 30 hours.
The Last of Us Part II 2020 Why it still holds upFights that leave many ways open, from sneaking through to setting groups against each other or shooting your way out, are still worth playing for today.
Metroid Prime 2002 Why it still holds upExploring is still the draw today, with a story you find by scanning and locked areas that pull you back later.
Half-Life 1998 Why it still holds upThe story told without cutscenes keeps it fresh to play now, and its soldiers still change how a gunfight plays.
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves 2009 Why it still holds upIt stays playable now because you keep control of Nathan almost every time something happens on screen, and the characters talk like people.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City 2002 Why it still holds upA whole city built on one decade and its music still makes every drive part of the same setting, which is the reason to play it now.
Horizon Zero Dawn 2017 Why it still holds upFighting each machine is a small puzzle of weak points, in a seamless world with tribes at different technology levels, which keeps it worth playing now.
Resident Evil 4 2005 Why it still holds upThe game escalates steadily, and muted colours keep its places oppressive, so the pacing still keeps its grip today.
Resident Evil 2 2019 Why it still holds upPlayed today it keeps the tension through scarcity: ammunition is short, zombies need their heads destroyed to stay down, and a first run takes about eight hours.
Mass Effect 2007 Why it still holds upShaping a hero of your own through those conversations still makes the choices worth making today.
Mafia 2002 Why it still holds upThe period setting is why it is worth playing now: Lost Heaven is modelled on 1930s American cities, and the missions move between chases, races and shootouts.
Dead Space 2 2011 Why it still holds upIts atmosphere is why it still works: the lighting and the sound design keep you on edge from start to finish.
Black Mesa 2020 Why it still holds upPlayed now, it keeps Half-Life's mix of shooting and puzzles on a newer engine, with physics that the original never had.
System Shock 2 1999 Why it still holds upThe skill system and the atmosphere keep it worth playing now, since you build your character through choices aboard a ship that feels lived in.
Death Stranding 2019 Why it still holds upA route planned, built and shared with strangers still makes the long walks worth doing today.
Mass Effect 3 2012 Why it still holds upBecause so much of it rests on those earlier choices, the trilogy played in order from the first game still gives it its full weight today.
Deus Ex 2000 Why it still holds upWith several routes to every objective, both a pacifist and a combat approach work, and that freedom in level design is the reason to play it today.
Resident Evil 2002 Why it still holds upAmmo, inventory and saves are scarce, so you keep deciding what to fight, what to carry and when to backtrack, and that tension is the reason to play it now.
Grand Theft Auto III 2001 Why it still holds upA city built as a place rather than a level, where what you do is your choice and the world carries on around you, is still worth playing today.
Halo 3 2007 Why it still holds upCo op for up to four and a map editor for your own multiplayer maps are the reason to play it now.
Cuphead 2017 Why it still holds upBoss fights built on learning patterns, in that style, are still the reason to play it today.
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception 2011 Why it still holds upIts set pieces blend climbing, shooting and escape in single sequences rather than separate modes, and that is why it is still worth playing now.
Star Wars: Battlefront II 2005 Why it still holds upGround, space and hero battles in one game, and the space battles in particular, are the reason to play it now.
GoldenEye 007 1997 Why it still holds upOpen levels with objectives that change by difficulty, plus the multiplayer, still hold it up today.

Aiming at something, from wherever the camera happens to be. The ones that last are the ones you can read at a glance: always clear what is dangerous, where it is, and what you have left.

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