Summary
Manyopen-world gamesfocus on gameplay mechanics such as survival, exploration, resource gathering, and crafting. In these games, first-person combat takes something of a back seat, being just a way to defeat enemies to continue with other activities. But some games shift this focus, or ensure that the shooter gameplay is fully fleshed out.
What makesgood FPS shootergameplay though? Is it the weapons available? Skills that can improve combat capabilities? Or is it something as fundamental as gunplay feeling natural, well-coordinated, and rewarding? Possibly it is a combination of all these things and more. However, there are definitely some open-world games that got combat right.
Competitive PvP Survival
The Front
The Front takes place in a post-apocalyptic sandbox world populated by mutants and hostile factions. On this war-torn land, players will engage tyrannical imperial forces, exiles, thugs, and rebels in an epic battle that will determine the fate of humanity. Team up with your friends, explore ruins and enemy areas, craft weapons and equipment, build bases and defend them with tower defense-style traps, upgrade tech, pilot tanks and helicopters, battle the elements, and contend with fearsome foes!Vehicle Assembly: Customize vehicle parts to build the war machine of your dreams and make it a force to be reckoned with through upgrading and reverse engineering. These functions are expected to be added to the game in an update at the end of April.Sandbox-style Construction: Construct bases using hundreds of different building components to protect your resources and shelter yourself from this merciless world. The only limit is your imagination!Tower Defense-style Traps: Strategically route monsters through a brutal crucible of traps designed to slaughter explosive beasts, invisible assassins, flying soldiers, and other catastrophically powerful invaders.
The Frontis acompetitive PvPsurvival shooter, that follows in the footsteps of games like Rust. Players compete for control of a fairly large open-world map. Thegameplay follows a logical progression, with players constructing a basic base and then working toward unlocking further technologies to upgrade the base.
The gunplay inThe Frontis excellent, as one would expect from a competitive PvP game. Furthermore, combat can take place in vehiclessuch as tanks and helicopters, with multiple players crewing them. Overall, for small teams,The Frontis a fun game.
Aszombie survival gamesgo, few offer such a complete and polished experience as7 Days To Die. However, considering the game spent 11 years in early access, this is not really surprising. This game has it all. Challenging zombie encounters, missions, crafting, base building, and the fun Blood Moon tower defense gameplay.
Combat in7 Days To Dieis rewarding. This is not a game that forgives mistakes, and it is very easy to end up dead as a new player. It takes time to learn how the zombie AI reacts, and the common locations where zombies are hidden inside POIs. Luckily, the gunplay is great, and really rewards players that are willing to learn how to play well.
The Forestisn’t for everyone. This is a game that can be downright disturbing at times. Add to this the fact that simply staying alive in this game is a challenge, and you have a game that isn’t really suited to casual play. Put simply, people either love or hateThe Forest. Those who love it generally end up investing hundreds of hours into the game.
TheFPS combat inThe Forestis tough. Primarily due to the fact that, in the early stages of the game, a player only has access to simple weapons such as a bow. Advanced weapons need to be retrieved from dangerous, hidden locations, which can be tough to get to. The trick with combat inThe Forestis knowing when to run and not fight in many scenarios.
Destiny 2is the only game on this list that can be termed a true MMO. Thissci-fi shooterhas a lot to offer. The base game is free to play, and there is aton of content available for free players. The open-world aspects of this game involve, firstly, the ability to travel around the galaxy to different planets and locations, and secondly, the world maps at these locations are also open-world in most respects.
Combat inDestiny 2can be fast and furious, with enemies spawning on all sides in the most frantic zones. Players can select from animpressive lineup of weaponry, armor, and equipmentto improve their combat capabilities and progress their character.
Out of the box,Grand Theft Auto 5places the player in third-person mode. However, for people who prefer first-person combat, there is ahotkey for switching the view. However, most players use a combination of both views,sticking to the third-person viewwhen exploring the open-world map, and using the first-person view for combat.
Gunplay inGrand Theft Auto 5is more tactical than brutal. Players need to utilize cover to avoid being hit, only popping out of cover to return fire. AI enemies will try to flank, meaning the player needs to stay aware of what is going on around them in combat.
Of all periods of history, the Wild West is the most synonymous with gunplay. There are few Western movies that don’t have at least a few gunfights.Red Dead Redemption 2brings the Wild West to lifein a game that has something to offer everyone, from fishermen to bank robbers.
The gunplay inRed Dead Redemption 2is fantastic. This is another game that drops the player into third-person view by default but has akey bind to switch to first-person. Quickdrawing an army Colt revolver or pumping a fresh round into the chamber of a Winchester rifle is a truly iconic experience. Whether fighting AI enemies, hunting animals, or battling other players online, it takes skill to wield weapons well inRed Dead Redemption 2.
Fallout 4is seen by many people as the pinnacle of Bethesda’s world-building prowess. With its great open-world,post-apocalypticmap, it sets the scene for somefun and frantic FPS combat.This is a game that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and this is apparent in the oftenhumorously named weapon selection.
First-person combat gameplay inFallout 4seems quite simple at first. It isn’t until a player progresses far enough to begin entering the dangerous POIs such as underground bunkers that the complexity comes into play. Put simply, players can’t just stand and shoot inFallout 4, they need to think about cover, and the impact of stealth as well.
