Lock and load and get ready for war in these games like Battlefield.
Team-based shooters have always been a fun pastime. When you add something to the basic formula though, whether it is a selection of character classes, vehicles, leveling up or cooperative gameplay, you get something really special. These games do just that.
10. Medal of Honor: Warfighter (2012)
A whole lot of explosions out there
Developer: Danger Close Games
Genre: First-person shooter
Take his hand if you want to live
Warfighter lets you take part in a global hunt for a new type of explosive called PETN, visiting (and fighting in) Bosnia, Pakistan, Phillipines and Somalia.
In the game’s multiplayer component, you start by choosing the country you would like to fight for and diving into the fray. There are six classes to choose from, each offering a distinct playstyle. The combat itself is reminiscent of pretty much every team-based shooter you’ve ever played, which doesn’t mean it’s not fun.
When it first came out, Warfighter picked up some flak for being released in an unfinished state. Quite a bit of time has passed since then and the game got polished up, so if you care enough to give it a shot now you’ll find it a solid game.
9. Warframe (2012)
Just a taste of what you can expect
Developer: Digital Extremes
Genre: Third-person shooter
Cyber ninjas – what’s not to like?
You are one of the Tenno, a forgotten race of warriors that return to find the galaxy ravaged by war.
After the initial tutorial/cinematic, you may choose from one of three available exo-suits before being allowed to pick your next mission from the main map. The objective, of course, is to become more and more powerful so you can take on more difficult missions, which in turn produce better loot.
The cycle doesn’t end for as long as you play, and this can unfortunately get somewhat tedious after a while. However, the game’s interesting setting, premise and atmosphere, as well as the solid base gameplay, make up for the minor problem of repetitiveness.
8. Hawken (2012)
The machines you pilot are agile and rather fast
Developer: Adhesive Games, Reloaded Games
Genre: Vehicular combat, First-person shooter
Those who miss the old Mechwarrior will find their home here
Take control of a massive battle machine, and dive into the war for control over the world’s resources.
Hawken puts you into the cockpit of an impressive piece of death-dealing hardware that is neither slow nor impractical. You are free to load your bad boy up with whatever arsenal you prefer, before taking it into any one of the game modes we’re all used to, except it’s all with giant robots, so it’s more fun by default.
Are you tired of getting a new game and having it feel like something you already played to hell and back? Then join Hawken’s open beta and put some metal into that playlist.
7. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Phantoms (2014)
The classes have been given much thought
Developer: Ubisoft Singapore
Genre: Tactical shooter
He’s got your number
Ghost Recon: Phantoms is a pure multiplayer game that lets you pick and choose between three classes and three game modes. Each class has been given several possible functions so you won’t get bored.
Most of the time, you control your character from a third person perspective, only shifting into first person when aiming with an optical sight. In order to minimize frustration, Phantoms has a built in matchmaking system that attempts to match you with similarly skilled teammates and opponents.
When compared to the other Ghost Recon titles, Phantoms is more of an action-packed title, which makes the game easier for you to enjoy and us to recommend.
6. War Thunder (2012)
It’s all in the details
Developer: Gaijin Entertainment
Genre: Action, MMO
Become king of the skies… For a while
War thunder brings you back into the times of conflicts passed, and makes it so you don’t want to leave.
This free to play online shooter lets you pick from an impressive selection of real-life vehicles (for instance, there are over 350 different models of aircraft) and take it into battle with up to 31 other players (16 per team). War Thunder offers three kinds of games: Arcade, Realistic and Simulator battles, with increasing levels of complexity and realism.
It is difficult to find a free game with this much detail put in. The Realistic and Simulator modes, if you can handle them, offer the grittiest experience of any MMO around.
5. Counter Strike: Global Offensive (2012)
Our old friend just got a makeover
Developer: Valve Corporation, Hidden Path Entertainment
Genre: First-person shooter
Go, go, go!
Join either the terrorist or counter-terrorist forces to take control of the battlefield.
Besides the two game modes we’re all used to (Bomb and Hostage scenario), CS: GO offers three different ways to play:
Classic Deathmatch
Arms Race: Deathmatch where scoring kills rewards you with weapons and the first player to score a kill with every weapon wins
Demolition: similar to classic round-based CS, but with Arms Race’s weapon rewarding feature
There’s a reason that Counter-Strike has been popular for over a decade and a half. The game is elegant in its balance between simplicity and complexity, and everyone can enjoy it.
4. Planetside 2 (2012)
The battles of Planetside 2 are bigger than everything that came before
Developer: Daybreak Game Company
Genre: Massively multiplayer online first-person shooter
The Brotherhood of Nod send their regards
In Planetside 2, you get to take part in an interplanetary war for territory between three factions.
After arriving onto the battlefield, you engage several hundreds of other players in a game that’s pushing boundaries in the raw number of people that can duke it out in a single location. For performance in battle, your character gets to advance, which unlocks additional bonuses that you pick for your preferred playstyle.
At 1152 players fighting on a single map, Planetside 2 is currently the world record holder for the game with the biggest FPS battle. Do yourself a favor and don’t miss the next big battle.
3. Killing Floor 2 (2015)
There might be a lot of them, but you’re the one with the gun
Developer: Tripwire Interactive
Genre: First-person shooter
Predator-zombies, what will they think of next?
Europe is in shambles, brought low by an epidemic that’s grown out of control. Will you manage to fight your way through the mutated zombies, or will you settle for a vacation in their rotting abdomens?
Before a game starts, you select a class and one of several perks offered for it. Then, you are sent head-first into a defensive, cooperative romp with up to five other players, and tasked with surviving wave after wave of zombies. Kills give you money, which you can then spend to buy weapons, ammo and armor. After each game, you can use the experience you got to upgrade your effectiveness with the character class you played.
Addictive and just oozing adrenaline, Killing Floor 2 is a recommended title to all but the easily disgusted.
2. Star Wars: Battlefront (2015)
The sense of scale is incredible
Developer: EA Digital Illusions CE
Genre: Action, shooter
Everything is proceeding according to plan, says Admiral Ackbar
This reboot of the Battlefront series will take you back and through both familiar and unfamiliar battles from the galaxy far, far away.
You will be able to take part in the war between the Rebels and the Empire, and take control of either a generic soldier, or a familiar face from the movies. Up to 40 players will be able to battle simultaneously on twelve huge maps. As before, iconic vehicles and weapons will be made available for use.
Regardless of what you think of the prequels, sequels, or the expanded universe, chances are you’ve loved Star Wars at some point, and this title will rekindle your interest. If you didn’t… Well, Battlefront looks so good it might just help you change your mind.
1. Titanfall (2014)
On foot and mechanized gameplay are both equally impressive
Developer: Respawn Entertainment
Genre: First-person shooter
“Move along, nothing to see here.”
Titanfall lets you take part in a semi-important conflict between the IMC (Interstellar Manufacturing Corporations) and the Militia, while letting you pilot an extremely important giant robot.
On foot, you are extremely mobile, and can use impressive free running moves to quickly cover the large battlefield. Before you can enter a Titan’s cockpit, it needs to be dropped onto the battlefield, which is indicated by a countdown. Killing enemy players reduces this countdown, as well as adding to your score. When your beast finally arrives, upon entering you become a walking engine of destruction that sadly cannot jump, but can take and deal a monstrous amount of damage.
Unlike most large scale games, Titanfall has very little wait time between fights on the map due to the player’s insane mobility. Along with the high-octane action and strong atmosphere, this makes it into a title you don’t want to ignore.
