10 Shooters With a Great Plot
These games not only give plenty of shooting, but also tell fascinating and emotional stories.
1. Half-Life 2
Despite the fact that Half-Life was a revolutionary game, there was little history in it (a couple of talkative scientists do not count). In Half-Life 2 and its sequels, the plot became one of the main components. There is a clear main goal: to rid the city of alien invaders. The motivations and characters of the characters are thought out, and the game world is filled with science fiction, at times intertwined with rigid realism.
What’s more, the story in Half-Life 2 is closely tied to the gameplay. Gordon’s vehicles and devices receive improvements in the course of the game, which is always logically furnished. Even the simple training of the hero in the use of the gravity gun reveals the details of the life of Alix – Freeman’s companion, who helps him in battle and solving riddles.
2. Far Cry 3
Ubisoft’s bold experiment. There are a lot of good things in Far Cry 3: beautiful and bright graphics, a rich open world, cool shooting. But remember the shooter for the most part because of the plot.
A spoiled young guy, along with his friends, accidentally falls on a tropical island full of dangers. There he is met by Vaas, the insane head of the bandits who control the area. Now the main character needs to learn how to shoot, hunt and survive to become a real warrior, defeat the antagonist and save friends.
In the course of the story, the player gets acquainted with many memorable characters, but the real symbol of the game was the psychopath Vaas. So well it is written by the writers and played by Michael Mando.
3. BioShock Series
The action of the first two parts of BioShock takes place in the underwater city of Rapture, and the third – in the flying city of Columbia. However, in each game of the series, one thing is constant: their plots tell about people (and almost people) who rebelled against the power structures. Society is either on the verge of destruction, or has already been destroyed, and the heroes are fighting with those who brought people to such a state.
The stories in each game are fascinating, with frequent unexpected twists and turns. The emphasis on the plot in the third part is especially strong: this is the climax, which touches on and partially explains the other two.
4. Borderlands 2
Borderlands 2 is a journey. After a train wreck, the heroes go to take revenge on the man who tried to kill them – Handsome Jack. He, of course, will try to deal with them a few hundred more times.
On his way, the player will meet dozens of unique and literally insane characters. The main thing you need to know before passing: side quests here are sometimes even more interesting than the main ones. And don’t forget about the additions. They have a lot of content, and the stories are in no way inferior in humor and ingenuity.
5. Call of Juarez: Gunslinger
A cowboy who has seen the best of times falls into a bar, orders a drink, and begins to tell an amazing story of his life. It turns out that he fought with almost all the famous bandits of the Wild West: Billy the Kid, Jesse James and others.
The player must “live” what the cowboy is talking about. The character recalls the details – they appear in front of the player in real time. If the hero dies in the flashback, the narrator stumbles: “No, wait, everything was wrong.” And all this is presented with light humor and mysticism.
6. Metro Series
Metro 2033 and Metro Last Light are inspired by the books of Dmitry Glukhovsky. The developers worked closely with the writer during the creation of the games, so their plots are fascinating, authentic and thoughtful.
The player travels through the Moscow metro, in which people live after a nuclear war, and periodically goes to the surface contaminated with radiation. Along the way, he meets different characters – good and bad, traitors and loyal friends. And in the end, he has to make some difficult decisions on which the fate of the world depends.
7. Spec Ops: The Line
Spec Ops: The Line starts out as a regular military shooter. Three brave soldiers arrive in devastated Dubai to find the source of the strange messages. They are attacked by rebels, then by the US military. Everything turns out not to be what it seems, and then again. The ending turns the whole story on its head. Or not, it depends on your actions.
Despite the fact that the shooter was released quite a long time ago, it still perfectly demonstrates the horrors and consequences of the war.
8. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Series
The Modern Warfare trilogy is an epic adventure that will take the player from secret operations in the Middle East to a full-fledged war between Russia and the United States. In these shooters, there are not so many actors, but the characters are memorable. Mainly because in each part you need to play for a new character side by side with the old ones.
Not all three parts of Modern Warfare turned out to be equally good. Nevertheless, they gave us a lot of amazing moments: what is the mission in Pripyat, the exhausting defense of a small restaurant in an American city or the observation of a nuclear explosion from the first person.
Buy Call of Duty: Modern Warfare for PC →
Buy Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for PC →
Buy Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 for PC →
Buy Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered for PlayStation 4 →
Buy Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered for Xbox One →
9. Wolfenstein: The New Order
Wolfenstein is set in an alternate universe in the sixties. Germany won World War II and took over the world. Soldier BJ Blaskowitz wakes up after many years in a vegetative state and goes for revenge. He joins the resistance, consisting entirely of colorful characters.
At its core, The New Order is a game about the destruction of the Nazis by any available means. But it also has a gorgeous plot, which includes science fiction, mysticism and allusions to the real plans of the Third Reich. And also a wonderful production, which makes you remember the paintings of Guy Ritchie, then the films of the category “B”.
10. Halo Series
Many games of the Halo series are known primarily as multiplayer shooters. But most of them also have great single-player campaigns. The plots of the games tell about the adventures of the “Spartans” – an elite squad of soldiers specializing in solving problems in deep space.
Halo stories attract primarily for their thoughtfulness. The universe in detail is not inferior to “Star Wars”. Dozens of characters, each with their own fate and character. A lot of events intertwined with each other – the world of the franchise can be studied for hours.
Buy Halo Master Chief Collection for Xbox One →
