Steam reviews can be deceptive. Sure, it’s an aggregate score, which is the modern-day method of determining quality for many things, be it movies, music, or video games. Those aggregates have their flaws, but they generally give a good idea of what the consensus on a game is, rather than the individual opinions of a handful of critics.
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Explore the gaming history of underappreciated FPS games that sold poorly but are considered great by critics and fans alike.
However, some games get more hate than they deserve. The reasons for this are many, but when an aggregate score like Steam user scores reflects that hate, it can needlessly hurt the game’s reputation. These next FPS games are trapped in that box. They hail from a variety of gaming eras, and they’re currently stuck with a “Mostly Positive” score on Steam, yet their quality suggests they deserve a much better result.
Balance the critic averages
Balance the critic averages
Easy (6)Medium (8)Hard (10)
F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin
A Sequel That Stands On Its Own Terms
The first F.E.A.R. is still a great game today, perfectly blending horror with physics-based FPS action and some brilliant enemy AI. It became a near-instant hit, and when a sequel was announced, fans were understandably excited. However, following up a classic is no easy task, and F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin falls a bit short in that regard.
The sequel is more action-heavy than its predecessor, while the horror elements took a backseat for most of the game, instead becoming the primary focus in a few less action-heavy levels. The first game’s overall cohesion isn’t there, but the action is still top-notch, and visually it looks way better than anything in F.E.A.R. Weapons are a lot more creative, and the ending is an all-time great spectacle. If you compare F.E.A.R. 2 to F.E.A.R., you may be disappointed, but play it on its own terms, and you’ll have a blast.
Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora
A Gorgeous Adventure Game Set On An Alien World
Let’s get this out of the way: Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is one of the most visually impressive video games ever made. Its connections to Ubisoft and the Avatar film franchise don’t do it any favors in the word-of-mouth department, but the majority of gamers who actually try it out have nothing but good things to say.
Exploring the world of Pandora is an experience unlike anything else in gaming. From the minimal UI to the smooth movement systems to the intuitive exploration mechanics, simply getting around is a joy. The perspective is unique too: since you’re playing as a Na’vi, you’re much taller than a human, and the camera is positioned to reflect this. From flying on a mounted Ikran to clearing out SecOps bases, the more action-focused elements are equally impressive. Frontiers of Pandora gets a bad rap because of name association, but it’s a fantastic FPS that is ideal for single-player fans.
Void Bastards
A Sci-Fi Roguelike Inspired By System Shock 2
Most roguelikes are pretty simple on the objective front: you enter an area, kill all the enemies, maybe grab an upgrade or some resources, and move on to the next area. Void Bastards adds a neat twist to that system. It’s a sci-fi roguelike where you play a cryogenically frozen prisoner on the Void Ark, awoken to track down the bureaucratic figures who can approve the ship’s jump to the next system.
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In your hunt, you’ll choose a variety of nearby ships to search, each loaded with mutants. However, the difference here is that you’re not just trying to kill everything in each level; in fact, you technically don’t need to kill anything at all. You’re executing a heist: boarding each vessel looking for specific loot, then escaping back the way you came. It completely changes the standard roguelike loop, and in many ways, it’s for the better. That said, Void Bastard’s standout weaponry is extremely creative, and the gunplay feels great, so you will still do lots of shooting, and you’ll probably have a blast. What makes it unique is that you don’t have to shoot every enemy in sight if your plan calls for a different approach. Its sequel, Wild Bastards, is even better.
Atomic Heart
The Dystopic Soviet Take On BioShock
Atomic Heart was in development for a long time, and with each successive trailer, it grew harder and harder to believe. Its visuals were too perfect, its combat too reactive, its powers and guns too creative. It’s clearly inspired by BioShock, but it brings a Soviet-era twist that is both fascinating and visually arresting. There’s a lot to like here.
The reality is that most of what Atomic Heart promises, it delivers on. It has some framerate issues, but visually, it comes exactly as advertised. The same goes for combat, which is action-packed, loaded with cool weapons and abilities, and surprisingly challenging. The biggest issue is the story, and particularly the main character, who verges on insufferable. Still, if you can get past that aspect and want to play a shooter with a one-of-a-kind setting and some top-tier combat design, Atomic Heart is the game to check out.
Atomfall
Your British Grandma’s Fallout
Much like how Atomic Heart wears its BioShock influence on its sleeve, Atomfall does the same thing with Fallout, specifically Bethesda’s modern sequels. This is a post-apocalyptic survival-action game set in Northern England. There’s lots of crafting, exploring, and looting to be done, but there are also some RPG elements involved, particularly when conversing with NPCs and making narrative decisions.
There are also immersive sim aspects to Atomfall in how you approach any given quest. While we’re not talking Dishonored-levels of variety here, you can still go about things through stealth, combat, vertical approaches, or trying to silver-tongue your way around danger. At its core, Atomfall is a survival game, so resources (including ammo) are scarce, but this just serves to make combat more tense. It all creates a great blend of genres, and it’s one of many reasons why Atomfall deserves more attention.
The Finals
The Most Destructive Free-To-Play FPS On The Market
Outside the controversy around its use of AI voice work, word of mouth around The Finals seems pretty positive, yet its Steam review score doesn’t lie. Some players take issue with its time-to-kill, which is much longer than popular PvP FPS games like Call of Duty or Rainbow Six Siege. However, The Finals is undeniably a unique entry in the competitive FPS space, one that deserves the love it gets and probably a little bit more, too.
The main draw here is environmental destruction. Each map in The Finals can be destroyed from top to bottom, meaning each match will vary based on both intentional and incidental demolition. Then there’s the primary game mode, Cashout. Instead of trying to rack up kills or capture objectives, Cashout involves tracking down currency on the map and depositing it in a Vault. Depositing takes time, leaving you vulnerable to attack, and anyone who kills you can steal your cash for themselves. Destruction complements this, allowing you to blast through walls to reach the cash quicker, or blow the floor out from under the Vault to move it into a location that’s easier to defend. There are many layers to The Finals’ gameplay, and it’s one of the newer free-to-play shooters that’s genuinely worth your time.
E.Y.E.: Divine Cybermancy
A Shockingly Overlooked Sci-Fi RPG With Unreal Character Build Depth
This one is a deep cut, but it’s wild that E.Y.E.: Divine Cybermancy isn’t talked about more often. Part of that is probably due to its name, which is a bit convoluted, and its narrative, which is the same. It’s also very in-depth, possibly too much so for some, but its systems are worth learning for the rewards they provide. As far as sci-fi RPGs go, this is legitimately one of the best around. It’s so complex and so reactive that it’s frankly hard to believe this is a 15-year-old game.
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The main draw here is build-crafting. Hacking is incredibly deep, allowing you to do the expected, like take out security systems and control cameras, but also hack enemies and control them remotely. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Then there are PSI powers, almost game-breaking abilities that let you do anything from turning enemies into enraged creatures to sending them into a parallel world that drives them insane. There are so many weapons and abilities available that you can easily piece together any number of broken builds. The coolest part is that many of these abilities come with their own mechanics, like making combat turn-based, ensuring multiple playthroughs feel like brand-new experiences.
Homefront: The Revolution
Essentially, A Near-Future Version Of Far Cry
The first Homefront was largely uninspired, a Call of Duty clone made from the scaffolding of a Medal of Honor sequel that failed to match the pedigree of either. The sequel, Homefront: The Revolution, went through a period of development hell that had people worried about its quality, but came out the other side a standout experience that goes where most military FPS games won’t dare tread: the open-world genre.
Homefront: The Revolution is set in a near-future Philadelphia that has fallen to the invading Korean People’s Army. You play a resistance fighter who explores the city, avoiding drones and patrols and gradually building a sleeper cell that can break the KPA’s hold. While you’ll do this through a variety of means, from all-out combat to stealth missions, the biggest appeal here is the phenomenal weapon customization. You can basically do anything you want with your weapons, even beyond what might seem logical. Want to turn that crossbow into a flamethrower? Go for it. Want to give your revolver the range of a sniper rifle? That’s your call. It’s basically like playing a near-future Far Cry game with some of the wildest weapons you can imagine. If that’s not an endorsement, what is?
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