Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction 2007
Why it still holds upA pair of heroes who share a wrench and an arsenal still make a lively duo today.
2000s shooters that still hold up
From cover, from the hip, and from a side-scrolling jet
Games
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction 2007
Why it still holds upA pair of heroes who share a wrench and an arsenal still make a lively duo today.
Black 2006
Why it still holds upA shooter built around destruction and explosions still has its place.
Star Trek: Voyager - Elite Force 2000
Why it still holds upA shooter with a story from the series is still easy to follow even for newcomers.
Fear Effect 2000
Why it still holds upA film like presentation still gives it a style of its own.
On sale
Serious Sam: The First Encounter 2001
Why it still holds upA room full of enemies is still a good test of nerve.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat 2009
Why it still holds upA dangerous zone to cross with a bandage in hand is still an atmosphere worth entering.
Doom 3 2004
Why it still holds upIts atmosphere is why it is worth playing now: the dark, the sound and the empty base keep it tense.
Killzone 2 2009
Why it still holds upTaking cover and leaning out to fire is still a good way to learn a firefight.
On sale
Freedom Fighters 2003
Why it still holds upThe three orders still decide the fights by where you point twelve people today.
Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault 2004
Why it still holds upA squad that follows orders gives a sense of command, and it still does.
On sale
Return to Castle Wolfenstein 2001
Why it still holds upA mix of stealth and combat still leaves each mission a choice of how to approach it.
Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction 2005
Why it still holds upHaving a sandbox to flatten still gives you creative choice in how you approach missions.
Headhunter 2001
Why it still holds upGuns that hurt without killing still make each arrest a tense decision.
On sale
Borderlands 2009
Why it still holds upA role-playing shooter with four hunters is still a reason to return to Pandora.
Ghostbusters: The Video Game 2009
Why it still holds upTrapping a ghost is still the reason to play it now: weaken it, wrestle it with the capture stream and drag it into the trap, with the films' cast and music around you.
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 2008
Why it still holds upACES still pays you for how you fought, kill by kill.
On sale
Manhunt 2003
Why it still holds upThe violence and the snuff film look made it controversial in 2003, and hiding in the dark still makes it an unusual stealth game today.
Medal of Honor: Underground 2000
Why it still holds upThe campaign still has an unexpected extra, a bonus level that turns the war into a castle full of oddities.
On sale
Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth 2005
Why it still holds upThe sanity system still makes the fear come from the detective's own mind as much as from the enemies.
Medal of Honor: Frontline 2002
Why it still holds upA campaign that moves from D-Day to covert operations still changes the pace from level to level.
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars 2009
Why it still holds upIt still has a look of its own, with a camera that looks down on an open city and outlined comic book shapes.
On sale
The Thing 2002
Why it still holds upThe squad is still what makes it worth playing: you need them, and any one of them could be the Thing.
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 2007
Why it still holds upDrones, tanks and aircraft under your orders still widen a firefight.
Battlefield: Bad Company 2008
Why it still holds upWalls that blow open still turn every firefight into a rearrangement of the map.
Unreal Tournament III 2007
Why it still holds upEight modes, from Duel to Warfare with vehicles, still give a server many ways to play.
On sale
Call of Juarez: Bound In Blood 2009
Why it still holds upTwo brothers who play differently still give each shootout a choice.
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2001
Why it still holds upThe command map still plans the fight from above and has you watch it through one pair of eyes.
On sale
Painkiller 2004
Why it still holds upThe shut doors still start the fights when the exits close, and end them when the room is empty.
On sale
Far Cry 2004
Why it still holds upA jungle full of enemies that flank you is still a place to scout with care today.
On sale
Stranglehold 2007
Why it still holds upThe style score still marks you for how you came through the door.
On sale
Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway 2008
Why it still holds upThe breakable cover still means the wall you sent a team behind may not be there in a minute.
On sale
Red Faction: Guerrilla 2009
Why it still holds upA world full of structures to level still makes each mission a choice.
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2006
Why it still holds upTaking cover to recover is still the way to survive a firefight today.
Hitman: Contracts 2004
Why it still holds upA contract that can be done quietly is a plan that is still worth making.
Tomb Raider: Anniversary 2007
Why it still holds upA raid through fourteen levels of ruins is still a good adventure to take.
Battlefield Vietnam 2004
Why it still holds upA war with two different styles of fighting still gives each side its own approach.
Prey 2006
Why it still holds upPortals and shifting gravity still make the ship a puzzle to cross.
On sale
F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin 2009
Why it still holds upA limit of four guns makes every loadout a choice, as it still does.
Soldier of Fortune 2000
Why it still holds upA graphic engine of bodies and weapons is still the game's stamp.
Resident Evil Code: Veronica X 2000
Why it still holds upSparse ammunition and limited saves still make each room a risk to enter.
Resistance 2 2008
Why it still holds upA mix of old and alien weapons is still a good reason to pick up a controller.
On sale
Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 2005
Why it still holds upPinning a position and flanking it is still a good lesson in small unit tactics.
Jak 3 2004
Why it still holds upTwelve weapons and two Jak forms still give the fighting a lot of range.
Infamous 2009
Why it still holds upA city to save or shock is still a good choice to make today.
On sale
Red Faction 2001
Why it still holds upBlasting your own path through walls still makes every room a new problem.
Total Overdose 2005
Why it still holds upThe dive still makes the move to leave the floor, and to hit something while you are in the air.
On sale
Quake 4 2005
Why it still holds upSquadmates who heal and repair you still make the campaign a team effort.