First person shooter for the 360?

noir_blood

So I been in the mood for a first person shooter for the 360, and with black friday coming up, I figure I can get a good deal. The question boils down to, what should I get? I honestly haven't really played much shooters for the 360, I think the last one was Gears of Wars. My friends play the second one, so I was thinking of getting that, the only thing being I didn't care much for the single player portion. What does Penny Arcade recommend? Should I get the new Call of Duty, or the COD 4? Is Halo 3 still popular? I really like(I think it was called) Battlefield, the EA game which has helicopters, tanks, and big levels. Anything like that?

The_Scarab

Are you looking for a multiplayer experience only or a strong single player too.

COD4 is far better than COD5: World at War.

Halo 3 is still amazing.

Farcry 2 is the dark horse hit of the year.

Battlefield Bad Company is also great.

Left4Dead just landed on 360 and by all accounts is an excellent console version of an ostensibly PC orientated game.

Dis_quiet

Sounds like you're looking for multiplayer, but if you want a great single player experience, Bioshock.

noir_blood

In a perfect world both. I actually wouldn't mind picking up two games, one that's a strong single player, and one that focus on multiplayer.

I liked the Left 4 dead demo, but I heard that there aren't many levels, and fear that could get old fast.

I did play Bioshock, and while I liked the atmosphere, there wasn't enough Oomph in the guns I thought.

xzzy

Halo 3 has a pretty enjoyable single player experience too.. probably get more out of it if you're a Halo fan already (in which case you would have bought the game already), but the missions are fun in their own right.

Halo 3 and COD4 consistently trade places on the top spots for games played on XBL (except this week because fo GoW2), so they'd both be good buys.

antifood

Left 4 Dead has 20 maps out of the gate, and some of the most exciting game play I have experienced in quite some time.

I can't recommend this title enough. The online campaign mode is a roller coaster of adrenaline, and the versus mode amps it up to 11. Valve's other titles are some of the best fps titles out there, and L4D is of the same caliber. Plus it has zombies, lots of them.

Darlan

In it's current state, I imagine Left 4 Dead will really only have long legs for the kind of people who are and have been playing Counter Strike since launch. There just isn't a whole lot of content there, though it is fairly well polished. After borrowing it for about 3 days from a friend who was already kind done with it, I find I'm pretty much done with it too. (Caveat: I haven't had my 360 plugged into the Internet since I've borrowed it, which is a big part of the game, but still...it's so short and repetitive.)

Halo 3 is irritatingly split up into different segments of different Map Pack owners, and if you want to play the awesome, big 16 player maps and new gametypes you have to pay for the newest one, which is just bullshit to me. I would love an option to play all gametypes with the maps the game came with, they really did ship with enough. I don't want to add more maps that I may very well want to veto every time they come up. Still, what's there is decent.

Call of Duty 4 is probably the game you want. Great multiplayer with an addictive experience system, and a good single player campaign with re playability in it's "get the high score" arcade mode. If you haven't already played this to death, there's really no need at all for World at War, if then.

Bioshock is my favorite next gen game, but it's really a hybrid FPS/RPG/Adventure thing that doesn't really have that great of gunplay, so I don't know if it'll scratch your itch here. Still, get it eventually.

Dangerous

CoD4 is the best bet, though Rainbow 6 vegas can be had really cheap these days and is still very fun. I actually like the single player more in CoD world at war better than CoD 4's, though that is a personal preference. The online co-op is a blast though, I haven't played the versus multiplayer but I've heard it's slightly worse than CoD 4's, which is still pretty great.

I am kinda regretting buying Halo 3 at full price. The campaign is decent, co-op is alright. The versus multiplayer doesn't do much for me at all though. Just feels very plain and dull. Could be because I'd already been spoiled by CoD 4's excellent multiplayer, but still a lot of people enjoy Halo 3 online so it might be worth a look.

Darlan

Dangerous wrote: »

Just feels very plain and dull. Could be because I'd already been spoiled by CoD 4's excellent multiplayer, but still a lot of people enjoy Halo 3 online so it might be worth a look.

I find that Halo 3 is far inferior to CoD4 online, but the local multiplayer is some of the best around. If you're the type who can still get a few friends together for an Xbox lan party, Halo 3 makes for one of the best gaming experiences. It's accessibility allows for newer player to be somewhat useful, and the arcadey style just clicks perfectly in that kind of environment.

Ever since Halo 2 went online, though, it's hard to get these things going. Perfect LAN party material is probably the single reason why I loved Halo 1 so damn much.

FyreWulff

I found CoD4's multiplayer extremely boring. It's whoever has the most broken set of perks and consists entirely of endlessly sprinting around the map, getting sniped, and respawn. Also, you'll get kicked out of lobbies if you don't have the pay-maps. Also, it's pretty much all deathmatch. The game doesn't even have CTF. Also, have fun joining a game with your team 5 seconds away from losing.

Its single player is awesome though.

The splitscreen is horrendous and not even worth your time. Limited selection of maps.


Halo 3 gets endless play around here. You can play it co-op online. It has a playlist for pretty much everyone, and it's actually possible to get games without owning Legendary. Yes, you can't play Big Team without Legendary, but otherwise you'd only have 2-3 maps to play on. Legendary is also cheaper than CoD4's map pack. Also, you can take up to 3 people with you online in splitscreen. CoD4 is an entirely solo experience online. Also it's infested with turbo controller cheaters.

the playlists that require Legendary on Halo 3:

Team Doubles (2v2)
DLC Big Team (8v8)
DLC FFA (8 man FFA)
Team SWAT (4v4 no shields, came out after Legendary)
Team Snipers (the worst playlist ever)

playlists that don't require Legendary:
Team Slayer (4v4)
Team Objective (4v4)
Social Slayer (4v4)
Social Skirmish (5v5)
Multi Team (2v2v2v2)
Rumble Pit (6 man FFA)
Lone Wolves (8 man FFA)
Squad Battle (6v6)
MLG (4v4)

antifood

L4D is a co op game... I could not imagine playing it by myself.

Darlan wrote: »

In it's current state, I imagine Left 4 Dead will really only have long legs for the kind of people who are and have been playing Counter Strike since launch. There just isn't a whole lot of content there, though it is fairly well polished. After borrowing it for about 3 days from a friend who was already kind done with it, I find I'm pretty much done with it too. (Caveat: I haven't had my 360 plugged into the Internet since I've borrowed it, which is a big part of the game, but still...it's so short and repetitive.)

Halo 3 is irritatingly split up into different segments of different Map Pack owners, and if you want to play the awesome, big 16 player maps and new gametypes you have to pay for the newest one, which is just bullshit to me. I would love an option to play all gametypes with the maps the game came with, they really did ship with enough. I don't want to add more maps that I may very well want to veto every time they come up. Still, what's there is decent.

Call of Duty 4 is probably the game you want. Great multiplayer with an addictive experience system, and a good single player campaign with re playability in it's "get the high score" arcade mode. If you haven't already played this to death, there's really no need at all for World at War, if then.

Bioshock is my favorite next gen game, but it's really a hybrid FPS/RPG/Adventure thing that doesn't really have that great of gunplay, so I don't know if it'll scratch your itch here. Still, get it eventually.

Slicer

If you enjoy co-op gameplay, Left 4 Dead is a solid choice.

Ranced

CoD4*, GoW2, and Halo 3.

Three games that have a lasting community and happen to be very different from each other, so I'm sure you will get your money's worth from them.

*CoD5 is out, yeah, but CoD4 is probably going to outlive it.

sdfdgertre

The_Scarab wrote: »

Are you looking for a multiplayer experience only or a strong single player too.

COD4 is far better than COD5: World at War.

Halo 3 is still amazing.

Farcry 2 is the dark horse hit of the year.

Battlefield Bad Company is also great.

Left4Dead just landed on 360 and by all accounts is an excellent console version of an ostensibly PC orientated game.

yeah , and i think what you have said is so right , and i think i can get great pleasure from playing the game ,

xzzy

I'd say it's a bit early to claim that GoW2 has a "lasting community", it hasn't even been out a month. :P

The first one seemed to have an uphill battle. A lot of people were thrown off by the terrible lobby system, only the people that really enjoyed it (read: were retarded good) stayed with it for any length of time.

tofu

FyreWulff wrote: »

I found CoD4's multiplayer extremely boring. It's whoever has the most broken set of perks and consists entirely of endlessly sprinting around the map, getting sniped, and respawn. Also, you'll get kicked out of lobbies if you don't have the pay-maps. Also, it's pretty much all deathmatch. The game doesn't even have CTF. Also, have fun joining a game with your team 5 seconds away from losing.

I have never been kicked for not having the map pack.

And it may not have CTF, but it also has...4 objective modes if I remember correctly.

Tiemler

COD4. I do like World At War, but wouldn't put it ahead of Modern Warfare. Play IW"s game first.

Bad Company, again, takes a backseat to COD4, unless you can't live without tanks and helicopters and huge sprawling maps.

Halo 3 kinda depends on how much you enjoyed other Halo games. If you don't like energy shields, bunny-hopping, and emptying a clip into someone and then going upside their head with a melee attack to kill them, then it's not your best bet.

I'm finding Far Cry 2 really difficult to recommend at full retail right now. Too many other, better games are out there, and the online play is fairly anemic despite the great map editor.

Ranced

xzzy wrote: »

I'd say it's a bit early to claim that GoW2 has a "lasting community", it hasn't even been out a month. :P

The first one seemed to have an uphill battle. A lot of people were thrown off by the terrible lobby system, only the people that really enjoyed it (read: were retarded good) stayed with it for any length of time.

the first GoW was on top of the live charts for a year without a lobby system. the matchmaking works provided you restart the search if you haven't found a game within 10 or so seconds

doing all that is still faster than finding a game in halo 3


so yeah, i think it's going to last

tofu wrote: »

FyreWulff wrote: »

I found CoD4's multiplayer extremely boring. It's whoever has the most broken set of perks and consists entirely of endlessly sprinting around the map, getting sniped, and respawn. Also, you'll get kicked out of lobbies if you don't have the pay-maps. Also, it's pretty much all deathmatch. The game doesn't even have CTF. Also, have fun joining a game with your team 5 seconds away from losing.

I have never been kicked for not having the map pack.

And it may not have CTF, but it also has...4 objective modes if I remember correctly.

most of the things he complained about can be said about halo, funnily enough

Voro

If you played Tribes, then you don't need Halo 3.

Team Fortress 2 (Orange Box) is unbelievably awesome, but the PC got updates where the 360 was shafted which has left a bad taste in some mouths.

CoD4 is excellent and very solid. Loved the weapon customization in multi. I'd say the main downside is no co-op campaign.

R6: Vegas 2 had excellent 2 player co-op and character customization. The multiplayer community sucked though, and that was at release. Much like the original, I expect it to have gone downhill over time.

GoW2 is also good times. Haven't had a chance to do co-op, but I'd definitely take it's multiplayer over Halo 3's any day.

Dr.Funkenstein

noir_blood wrote: »

I liked the Left 4 dead demo, but I heard that there aren't many levels, and fear that could get old fast.

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Get Left 4 Dead

Ranced

Voro wrote: »

If you played Tribes, then you don't need Halo 3.

That's dumb, don't do this.

For the Valve multiplayer games, if you have a capable PC, definitely get them on that.

DeathPrawn

If you haven't already played Half-Life 2, Portal, TF2, and the HL episodes (and you can't/won't play them on PC), The Orange Box is by far the greatest bargain you will find.

Otherwise, I'm putting my vote in for COD4.

METAzraeL

Halo 3 is really addicting if you can get into it, which is helped by playing with friends.

I also thought GoW2's campaign was rather lame, but the Horde mode is fantastic. I doubt you could get it for very cheap this soon after release, but if you can, I'd say Horde mode is worth it alone.

I only played CoD4 for a very small time, thought it was ok but not as good for quick fun with friends as the Halo games. The campaign is supposed to be rad, though.

L4D is super fun as a simple co-op game, but the 360 version might have dubious support and a sub-par community.

sethsez

I would ADORE Call of Duty 4 if it weren't for the perks, which I consider a really fucking stupid idea. What, exactly, is the point of handicapping new players while giving additional advantages to vets, who already have a huge advantage as it is by knowing the game inside and out? Yes, yes, I know it's supposed to be a reward system for extended play, but what it really does is exaggerate the difference between vets and newbies even more than it would be naturally.

If you can plow through the first few hours of being killed over and over by guns you don't even have access to, there's a tremendous amount of fun to be had, but the whole thing is balanced to be about as unfriendly to new people as possible. Great if you picked it up when it was new, more than a little aggravating a year later.

I'm definitely in the minority on this, though, so take it with a pinch of salt. I'm very much of the opinion that a game should place all players on an equal playing field and let skill sort it out, but the perks system definitely has its fans.

ALSO Left 4 Dead is absolutely fantastic.

tofu

Most of the perks I use are the ones available at the beginning.

Except for UAV jammer.

Dangerous

Some of (arguably) the best weapons are available from the start as well. M16, M40A3, pump shotty and mp5 are weapons that I use in most of my custom builds. Grenade launcher is available right off the bat for most (all?) ARs and is almost always good for 2 free kills as long as you can hit the broad side of a barn. Not to mention there's nothing stopping you from picking up the weapons off dead people.

Just because more weapons and perks are available doesn't necessarily make them better. Only perk I wouldn't mind seeing go away altogether is martyrdom, even though I love seeing that +10 exp pop up after I die.

Also CoD4 has a CTF mode. It's called sabotage, and the flag is a bomb.

Tiemler

tofu wrote: »

Most of the perks I use are the ones available at the beginning.

Except for UAV jammer.

Yeah, and it unlocks early. Besides, new players can use the M-16 with 'noob tube' attachment and Stopping Power, a combination which can stand against anything else in the game.

The perks don't hurt new players, but they do have kind of a rock, paper, scissors effect that I don't much care for. That and it takes way too many levels to unlock Dead Silence.

Ranced

Tiemler wrote: »

tofu wrote: »

Most of the perks I use are the ones available at the beginning.

Except for UAV jammer.

Yeah, and it unlocks early. Besides, new players can use the M-16 with 'noob tube' attachment and Stopping Power, a combination which can stand against anything else in the game.

The perks don't hurt new players, but they do have kind of a rock, paper, scissors effect that I don't much care for. That and it takes way too many levels to unlock Dead Silence.

Yeah, the perks are pretty balanced. They are really only there to cater to certain playstyles and the most common ones are unlocked early on in a level.

Toxin01

Left 4 dead.

Get some friends, play it on advanced and play VS to break things up.

Then spend a month trying to beat every level on expert. I'm pretty sure Valve will be releasing the DLC for the 360 as well.

FyreWulff

Dangerous wrote: »

Some of (arguably) the best weapons are available from the start as well. M16, M40A3, pump shotty and mp5 are weapons that I use in most of my custom builds. Grenade launcher is available right off the bat for most (all?) ARs and is almost always good for 2 free kills as long as you can hit the broad side of a barn. Not to mention there's nothing stopping you from picking up the weapons off dead people.

Just because more weapons and perks are available doesn't necessarily make them better. Only perk I wouldn't mind seeing go away altogether is martyrdom, even though I love seeing that +10 exp pop up after I die.

Also CoD4 has a CTF mode. It's called sabotage, and the flag is a bomb.

No. CoD5 actually has CTF. CoD4 does not.

bigwillch

I think Battlefield: Bad Company is criminally over-looked by a lot of people. The squad / teamwork aspect of it really adds a more friendly / sportsmanlike vibe than you get from teabag-fests like Halo (which is fun sometimes of course). Plus they've released new free maps recently which didn't get a lot of publicity.

acidlacedpenguin

why all the COD WAW hate?

Having played COD4 a ton on PC, some on 360, and now playing COD WAW on 360 it seems to be a pretty fun game.

There's even a perk that negates martyrdom (which is pretty much the only reason all the perk haters hate) and people with last stand can revive other last standers.

though I wish the vehicle maps weren't on regular rotation. Unfortunately, I think COD WAW has more of a problem with unlocks. Unlike COD4, the best weapons aren't available from the start.

Mechanical

sethsez wrote: »

I would ADORE Call of Duty 4 if it weren't for the perks, which I consider a really fucking stupid idea. What, exactly, is the point of handicapping new players while giving additional advantages to vets, who already have a huge advantage as it is by knowing the game inside and out? Yes, yes, I know it's supposed to be a reward system for extended play, but what it really does is exaggerate the difference between vets and newbies even more than it would be naturally.

If you can plow through the first few hours of being killed over and over by guns you don't even have access to, there's a tremendous amount of fun to be had, but the whole thing is balanced to be about as unfriendly to new people as possible. Great if you picked it up when it was new, more than a little aggravating a year later.

I'm definitely in the minority on this, though, so take it with a pinch of salt. I'm very much of the opinion that a game should place all players on an equal playing field and let skill sort it out, but the perks system definitely has its fans.

I'm gonna have to respectfully disagree on the perks, the earlier ones are more useful in my book. Besides, didn't they keep the barebones playlists? I'll agree with you that the perks seem really lopsided in World at War though, and once you get some weapons (FG42) there's not really too much incentive to use anything else. Oh, and the MP5 in CoD4 is absolutely fantastic. And people saying 'noob tube' really grates for some reason for me. It's a fucking grenade launcher.

AndrewPaul

I love FPSs, and I'm currently enjoying Far Cry 2 a lot. Honestly though, CoD4 is probably your best bet. It's freakin' fantastic.

Kris_xK

CoD4. Tons of modes, tons of maps, tons of players. The only thing it's missing is Halo3's stat tracking.

Sheep

And L4D's zombies.

Dangerous

Since I don't think this question really warrants it's own thread I'll ask here. Which FPS should I get next, BF: Bad Company, or UT3? I already own both recent CoDs, L4D, halo, Gears 2 and farcry 2.

I liked the demo for Bad Company a lot, and I have always been into the BF series. On the other hand I love the UT series and haven't played much since UT2k4 was released, so the 'same old weapons and gameplay' doesn't bother me that much. Online split screen sounds like a blast and it would be a good, easy to get into deathmatch game for when friends are over. The lack of user created content doesn't really bother me much either, aside from a few total conversions I was never that interested in it in the other UTs.

antifood

Dangerous wrote: »

Since I don't think this question really warrants it's own thread I'll ask here. Which FPS should I get next, BF: Bad Company, or UT3? I already own both recent CoDs, L4D, halo, Gears 2 and farcry 2.

I picked up UT3 back when it came out on the PS3, I never really got into it. Speaking of the PS3, if you have a one, I recommend checking out Resistance 2 -the online component is fantastic. I have not played Bad Company, so I can't comment on that title.

You didn't mention it, but have you played Dead Space? It's supposed to be very good, and it's 30 dollars at Target this Friday.

Tiemler

Kris_xK wrote: »

CoD4. Tons of modes, tons of maps, tons of players. The only thing it's missing is Halo3's stat tracking.

What makes Halo 3 stand apart is the replay sharing. That's the one new feature in that game that needs to become an industry standard.

And somebody brought up Bad Company. I stopped playing a while ago, but some things just never got old in that game. Collecting dogtags, owning people with the laser designator, and getting kills with the power tool.

Blake T

If you haven't got Call of Duty 4 you should buy call of duty 4.

If you have got Call of Duty 4 you should play it again.

Sheep

Tiemler wrote: »

Kris_xK wrote: »

CoD4. Tons of modes, tons of maps, tons of players. The only thing it's missing is Halo3's stat tracking.

What makes Halo 3 stand apart is the replay sharing. That's the one new feature in that game that needs to become an industry standard.

And somebody brought up Bad Company. I stopped playing a while ago, but some things just never got old in that game. Collecting dogtags, owning people with the laser designator, and getting kills with the power tool.

I hope it becomes one of those things that becomes "required" for these types of games.