Activision’s latest first-person shooter is regarded by many as the last-chance saloon for the franchise, following a long line of disappointing releases in recent years. But rather than go off into the night, Call of Duty has pulled off the impossible and successfully rebooted the biggest individual brand of the series. Modern Warfare takes things back to basics, ditching the futuristic and historic themes for something set in the modern-day. There’s also a brand new engine in use, the first in quite some time, offering improvements not only to graphics but core gameplay too. The biggest shake-up is in the multiplayer area; Activision has ditched paid DLC altogether, and instead provides all core content to all players free of charge. You can pay for a Fortnite-esque Battle Pass to get extra achievements over the course of each season, but it’s by no means a requirement and provides no exclusive content. The campaign also has something to say, even if it isn’t necessarily presented in the most respectful way. I want to see more of this world, I just really really wish they hadn’t turned waterboarding into a minigame. Find out more in our Call of Duty: Modern Warfare review. Battlefield V is an evolution of the hugely popular Battlefield 1, transporting players from the First- to the Second World War, complete with a range of new weapons, vehicles and terrains to fight your way across. Unlike the current Call of Duty title, Battlefield V has an anthology-based single-player campaign focusing on unique stories of individuals in WW2. But while it’s an exciting campaign, Battlefield V is all about the multiplayer. Battlefield V has a standard range of much-beloved multiplayer modes including Conquest, but what’s more interesting is the introduction of Grand Operations. It’s a new multiplayer mode that takes place over a number of days, with the story of the campaign (and each team’s resources) changing depending on the outcome of each battle. Incredibly that’s not all, as you’ll also find Firestorm, a new battle royale mode with a huge, fully destructible environments and vehicles not present in the base game. CS: GO is one of the most popular FPS games on the market at the moment, and offers users an experience more ‘real’ than blockbuster FPS war games. There are a number of game modes available with a number of weapons and skins. Skins play a huge part in CS: GO as they allow you to customise the look of your weapon, and people take it incredibly seriously – so serious that rare skins are being sold for real money online. The 2016 reboot of the classic Doom series takes Doom back to what it was originally – absolutely insane. It starts with a casual skull crush before throwing you into the action at the deep end within minutes of playing, and within an hour of playing you’ll be waging war in Hell. It goes against typical FPS cover-and-shoot trends, keeping gamers moving constantly to avoid being surrounded by the enemy and eradicated. You’ll find various power-ups throughout the game that’ll give you the edge in battle and make your destruction that little bit gorier If you’re looking for a simple, gruesome and fun shooter to play, look no further than Doom. You can read our Doom (2016) review here. Metro Exodus is the third and final instalment of the hugely popular Metro series, and it’s safe to say that it’s the best to date. Exodus sees Artyom and the Spartan Rangers ditch the dark, dank Metro system to embark on a cross-country mission with the aim of finding other explorers and settling down somewhere safe. The game is the first in the series to offer an open-world format, offering four unique environments full of post-apocalyptic points of interest and, of course, dangerous mutated animals to avoid. But despite offering several open world areas to explore, Metro Exodus doesn’t lose that panicked, claustrophobic feel that is so synonymous with the series. The highlight is the gunplay; the horror FPS is tense and terrifying, but at least you can defend yourself with a wide range of weapons – all of which are highly customisable on-the-fly, allowing you to find the perfect combination for any firefight. Essentially, if you’re on the market for a tight, story-driven first-person shooter that’ll make you scream like a kid then Metro Exodus is the game for you. While many of the games featured in our roundup fall into the ‘run and gun’ category of FPS games, Rainbow Six Siege is the complete opposite in almost every way. It’s more about patience, planning, timing and blowing huge holes in walls, ceilings and floors, of course. Siege is a five-on-five attack-and-defend style game, pitting two teams against each other with one defending and one attacking. Gameplay is fast-paced and interesting with 25 unique operators available to choose from, and the high-fidelity destruction system allows for opportunities previously unavailable in attack-and-defend games. Compared to the first Battlefront game, Star Wars Battlefront 2 is a huge improvement in almost every way. And before you point out that BF2 is a third-person shooter, you can play the game (both the campaign and multiplayer) entirely in first-person. Yes that’s right, we said campaign – BF2 features a fully-fledged original campaign that stretches across locations from the entire film franchise, and puts you in the shoes of some of its most iconic heroes. It’s a visually stunning game too, from the environments to the facial animations and even the individual markings of the barrel of the gun that you catch glinting in the light as you run to avoid enemy fire. If you’re a lover of Star Wars and first-person shooters, Battlefront 2 is the perfect option. Generation Zero doesn’t offer a huge multiplayer experience, but it’s one of the most enticing and visually gorgeous first-person shooters we’ve come across. The game is set in Sweden in an alternate reality and is focused on a group of friends that have been on a camping trip. Upon returning home, residents are nowhere to be found and dangerous robots patrol the land, and it’s up to the friends (aka you and your co-op buddies) to find out what has happened. Tactics play a huge part in the game; finding the right weapons, ammo and upgrades are crucial if you want to successfully take down some of the incredible machines you come across roaming the open world. The gunplay is incredibly satisfying too, from the kick-back of the rifle to the ear-piercing sound that echoes in the environment around you. Whether you’re a shooter fan or Sci-fi nerd, Generation Zero ticks all the boxes. Destiny 2 is that rare sequel that’s an improvement on the original in almost every way. Gear has been improved, levelling refined and finally the story actually makes sense. Even the core gunplay – almost perfect in the first game – somehow feels even more fluid and satisfying. It’s a disappointment that there are no new enemy races to fight, but the maps are stunning, and packed with content. Best of all? The expansive end-game respects your time, with gear drops balanced around playing for a few hours a week, leaving plenty of time to clear the rest of your backlog. Rise and shine, Mister Freeman, wake up and smell the ashes. It’s tough to find a game more spell-binding than Half-Life 2. From the moment you find yourself riding that train into the dystopian future of City 17 to the instance good ol’ Barney tosses you your trademark crowbar, gamers everywhere knew that they were in for one hell of a ride. With unmatched in-game cinematics and a memorable cast of allies and villains, Half-Life 2 was an experience more than it was a game – so much so that all these years later, users are still pining for a third in the series. Killing Floor 2 is the follow up to the hugely popular Killing Floor game that was released in 2009, and is arguably better than the original (hence its presence in this roundup!). Killing Floor 2 drops you head first into a sea of chaos with bullets flying and blood splattering around you, and is made much more enjoyable when teaming up with your friends to take down the hordes of charging mutants. It’s gory, gruesome and action packed, and features a blend of weapons and environments that should satisfy any seasoned FPS gamer. While this cartoon-esque team shooter does have plenty of room for shooting expertise for those who desire it, it’s also an instant-fun riot for rank amateurs. Pick the character that most appeals to you – the slow but steady, blood-crazed heavy, the headshotting Sniper, the fast-running scout, the rocket-jumping Soldier – and get in there. You don’t have to be good at shooters to feel like you’ve contributed, and you’re guaranteed a laugh. And if fighting other players seems a bit too scary, TF2’s had a co-op mode added in which you and four others fight off hordes of AI-controlled robots. A true classic. Lewis Painter is a Senior Staff Writer at Tech Advisor. Our resident Apple expert, Lewis covers everything from iPhone to AirPods, plus a range of smartphones, tablets, laptops and gaming hardware. You’ll also find him on the Tech Advisor YouTube channel.
