Third-person shooter games such asStar Wars Outlawsare designed to excel in that camera style, mixing action and traversal, which makes for a memorable experience. However, sometimes third-person games leave the player wondering how they would look and feel with a first-person view.
This doesn’t mean that third-person shooters are bad without the change in style. Some games would benefit from being able to choose between third-person and first-person, a function that not enough games implement. Meanwhile, some would benefit from a shift in perspective in either a sequel or reboot.
Regarded as one of the godfathers of Battle Royale games,Fortnitehas always featured solid third-person shooter gameplay, but it has evolved. With fast sprinting and mantling now being featured, it seems to be borrowingfrom other Battle Royale titlesthat came later likeApex LegendsandCall Of Duty: Warzone.
Since the developers at Epic Games are unafraid to experiment with new mechanics forFortnite, a future season that allows for players to swap to first-person might draw in more players, especially since Epic Games has been behind great FPS games in the past, such asUnrealandBulletstorm.
As a whole,Mafiagames are considered to beGrand Theft Autoclones, but very well-made ones that became a franchise. However, it can be argued thatMafianever reached the same level of popularity as theGrand Theft Autogames because of how similar they are, even down to a nearly identical third-person camera.
With the announcement ofMafia: The Old Country, perhaps a first-person open-world experience could help distinguish the games from their competition.Mafiahas alwaysexcelled at immersing players in their worldslike Empire City and New Bordeaux, so a first-person option could have strengthened that immersion.
There is no denying thatThe Thingwasan impressive horror title for the PS2era due to its faithful recreation of the atmosphere mixed with tension and paranoia that made the John Carpenter movie so terrifying. However, if one thing has aged with the original game, it is the camera.
Such was the case with many third-person games at that time; the camera inThe Thingwas awkward and often didn’t respond well to the controller. A first-person view likely would have flowed better and would have worked with the squad-based gameplay while keeping the eerie atmosphere of wandering the Antarctic base at night.
TheResident Evilgames revolutionized third-person action, especially the originalResident Evil 4. Without that game and its over-the-shoulder view, so many games that have become household titles would probably not exist. However,Resident Evilhas recently proven effective in the first person withResident Evil VII: BiohazardandResident Evil: Village.
Understandably, theResident Evil 4remake stuck to what made the original so good, but giving players the option to playResident Evil 4in first-person would have attracted fans both old and new. Horrors that were already scary in the third-person would be even more terrifying in the first-person view.
From storytellingto challenging detective workto performances,L.A. Noireis considered great by many gamers. However, an argument can be made that the third-person shooting elements leave much to be desired, especially in the longer shootout sequences that take forever because of the stiff controls.
Perhaps the remaster ofL.A. Noirecould have used a bit more polish via Detective Cole Phelps swapping to a first-person view when in action sequences. Even in investigations, the first-person camera would have allowed players to find clues more efficiently.
On the one hand, it was admirable for007: Blood Stoneto takethe long-running James Bond gamesin a new direction just like the Daniel Craig movies did for the franchise at the same time. On the other hand,Blood Stone, while good, was considered a step backward in quality, and part of that was because of the change to third-person.
James Bond games such asGoldenEye,Agent Under Fire, andNightfirewere considered top-tier first-person shooters for their time, mixing stealth and action that was considered difficult but fun to play.Blood Stone, on the other hand, was considered too stale because of its constant cover-and-shoot gameplay, when a first-person experience probably would have improved it.
As a whole,Aliens: Fireteam Elitewas a solid action game, even if it wasn’t themost terrifying Xenomorph experience in gaming. The titular star beasts just weren’t as scary due to the third-person camera that featured user interface elements that kept things more action-adventure rather than survival horror, which is fine, resulting in a decentLeft 4 Deadclone.
However, some of the best Alien games have been in first-person, even the action games likeAliens Vs. Predator.Aliens: Fireteam Elitehad the potential to be whatAliens: Colonial Marinesfailed to be, but maybe a first-person option could beadded to the reported sequelor a differentAliensgame.
What starts as a seemingly typical shooter evolves into one of the most visceral and disturbing single-player campaigns of the Xbox 360/PS3 era. By the end,Spec Ops: The Linemanaged to stand out from most shooters at that time, even the third-person shooter gameplay is considered genuinely good.
That doesn’t mean that a first-person shooter wouldn’t also have worked forSpec Ops: The Line. Given the many psychological and gruesome horrors of the main character, Captain Martin Walker, a first-person perspective of the events would likely have been just as traumatizing for some players.
TheDead Spacegames are often in the same conversation asResident Evil,as revolutionary horror games. The third-person camera still works to this day as shown with the remake, which some consider superior to its 2008 counterpart.
With that saidDead Spaceis already terrifying when the camera can show Necromorph enemies coming from nearly all directions. The player would be even more terrified if they were stuck in first person and forced to constantly check all sides for any incoming enemies. This was somewhat proven withthe Nintendo Wii exclusive shooter,Dead Space: Extraction, which was all in first person.
