Video games listed among the best first-person shooters

Publications have listed at least video games as some of the best first-person shooters (FPS), a subgenre of shooter games that mixes together a first-person perspective with a user-friendly shooting interface. The genre's household franchises include Call of Duty, Doom, and Halo. FPS evolved from its 1990s origins of shareware files on a bulletin board system to become the all-time biggest video game genre.

As introductory prose of editor-ran features puts it, FPS is the one genre that has maintained its popularity for every console generation it has been around, surviving allegations of causing real-life violence. Its entries are some of the highest-selling video games year-after-year, with a mass audience extending to casual gamers, and the video games industry's multi-billion-dollar success was attributed by GameSpot to them.

The reason for the genre's popularity is theorized to be providing players the opportunity to be a "badass" in action film-esque scenarios. As LaptopMag explained, "the best first-person shooters offer exhilarating escapism that puts awesomeness at the forefront. Getting caught in intense gunfights, balancing every last piece of ammunition, skillfully running or jumping around the arena as an onslaught of bullets rush towards you, and precisely popping the heads of every demon or monster you're facing off against is the textbook definition of a good time."

Generally, the methodology of best-of FPS lists measure not only enjoyment but lasting influence, innovation, and historical importance. GameSpot explained the highest-quality FPS contain one or more of the following: "cohesive story", "well-designed campaign", "clever" enemy artificial intelligence, weapons, and a "creative multiplayer mode".

The genre is a foundation for games that also experiment with elements such as worldbuilding and storytelling, resulting in variety. Some FPS heavily incorporate other aspects that exceed or are as prevalent as the FPS core, such as other genres like role-playing video games, an emphasis on choice-making, and political subject matter. While most lists allow for virtually any FPS game, GameSpots 2004 top-ten list was limited to action titles that were "true first-persons shooters", disqualifying games like System Shock 2 (1999) or Deus Ex (2000) that were closer to other genres such as role-playing games.

Multiplayer is also a defining factor in the quality of several FPS considered the best, such as Goldeneye 007 (1997) and Overwatch (2016). As LaptopMag put it, "There are also those days when you just want the satisfaction of battling other players in palpitating PvP action." This multiplayer aspect also results in several FPS becoming Esports staples. GameSpots 2004 list noted how FPS without a multiplayer mode tend to lack longevity. List

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Publications For instances of at least four citations, reference numbers in the notes section show which of the following publications list the game.

The A.V. Club – 2014