We have two juggernauts incoming in the next few weeks on each of the main two consoles (sorry Wii U).

Quantum Break and Uncharted 4 are undoubtedly going to be stellar experiences and as a PS4 owner I personally can't wait to finish the saga as I am sure many Xbox gamers cannot wait to begin theirs. 

I noticed quite a debate in the Quantum Break thread after somebody said "QB tries to push TPS in a way that no other game did since Gears 1"....

The statement seeme rather shortsighted and very focused on one console brand, so I thought I would address the topic directly here.

An evolution in TPS's began in 2005, I had a Gamecube and PS2 at the time and was lucky enough to be there on day 1 for Resident Evil 4. This game brought the "over-the-shoulder" camera to the TPS genre and it is now standard. It also blended shooting with melee attacks... weakening targets in various points to then trigger a custom melee (loved Weskers sliding punch).

The cover mechanic featured in games such as MGS, WinBack and the Getaway but became a core gameplay feature in Namco's Kill.Switch.... people often credit Gears with this but it is totally untrue. The game also introduced blindfire.

Reasons for Gears being recognised for it's cover system are due to the games success and the seemless environmental integration of the cover-system.

There have been various takes and improvements on the cover-system in recent years with Uncharted 2 introducing hanging vertically from cover. The soft cover system as seen in TLOU, is a more natural type of cover that allows the character move easily between objects and adds to the realism and cinematic quality.

So getting down to it, what are your top 5 third person shooters?

Mine are;

5. Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2

4. MGS3

3. Resident Evil 4

2. Uncharted 2

1. TLOU

I mean, my favorite mechanically is Infamous SS. The game itself is the definition of mediocre and unmemorable, but the shooting mechanics and acrobatics are literally what I've wanted from a 3D Metroid since Miyamoto fucked up Prime by making it a FPS game for no reason.

Honorable mention goes to Sunset Overdrive. I've never played it but let's be honest - it's Xbox infamous.

Infamous SS is the first Infamous game that I played through to completion and that was due to the gameplay, traversal and different powers, not to mention how aesthetically amazing it was. However the characters and story were weak and usually that is what makes me keep playing.... 

I do wish for an X-men game of similar quality...

I don't think it qualifies in the traditional sense but I don't mind if you want to...

It's the perfect template for pretty much any super hero game, really. Such good fundamentals.

Ratchet & Clank















Wut?

Sorta just threw this list together: Gears of War, Freedom Fighters, Resident Evil 4, Splatoon, GTA San Andreas

Alan Wake, Gears, and Kid Icarus: Uprising

I cant really give an order to this but i'd say :

Max Payne 3, TLOU, RDR, MGS 3, Mass Effect 2.

MAybe i forgot some.

From a narrative point of view, I'd have to say Spec Ops: The Line, in no small part because it BEGAN as a bog-standard, typical military shooter, complete with crisp jargon between team mates and your squad mowing down all sorts of faceless foes. I actually had to be talked into playing this game because I typically look at shooters as a bit of a 'meh' proposition, something that began maybe five or six years ago. (*EDIT* Looking back, I think it might actually be even longer, which makes me feel kind of old. -_- ) Used to really enjoy Halo, Gears, Call of Duty Zombies, etc, but eventually just kind of lost interested in shooters that weren't Bioshock, and REALLY lost interest in military shooters.

Anyway, long story short, blew me away. The varied ways the 'final scene' could end, the subtle ways your progression changed yourself and your teammates, from their in-combat dialogue to execution animations, it was just absolutely nuts the detail that had been given. It was worth another playthrough literally just to catch details I had missed the first time around, easily left a bigger impression on my brain than any game since the original Bioshock.

Mechanically? Ironically I'd have to say Sunset Overdrive, and that's despite the fact that I've only played a little of it. x3 I dunno, something about the means of traversal, mixed with the extensive weaponry you can obtain, and even the fourth-wall breaking irreverence, it just seems like a game that was designed from day-one to be... well, the Deadpool movie. =P Only presumably with less nudity and swearing.

(Infamous: Second Son comes in a very close second, as I do think that Sunset Overdrive edges it out, in my opinion, in both weaponry and traversal variety, while Infamous edges it out in terms of characters and narrative. Still love it to pieces, though.)