Right, one thing that has always confused me has been the way in which this genre has had its games critically examined. If we talk about the great console FPS shooters, we always talk about the Goldeneye's and the Halo's. I understand that these games are classics and many of the FPS's we see today probably wouldnt exist without their revolutionary style and control. One thing I always wonder is why, and i have already mentioned this in another post somewhere, Halo is considered to be better than Metroid Prime. MP consistently achieved higher ratings than Halo, generally saw a longer lifespan and IMO was more intuitive and original than Halo was, yet it is never mentioned in the same breath as Halo. When i mention MP in conversations regarding the best FPS of last generation, i generally get dismissed instantly. I suppose my question is why some games reach a higher mass appeal and critical acclaim than other around it which may be considered better.

Multiplayer FTW :) Also I feel the single player campaign of Halo 1 is as good as any of the other great games people mention (like Metroid Prime).

The multiplayer on Halo 2 was excellent, obviously due to the great online mode but i found the Halo multiplayer a bit bland really. Saying that, i did have some good times on it and it was better than MP's complete lack of it. Im not contesting that Halo shouldnt be considered one of the all time great shooters, that would be insane, im contesting why MP isnt when it consistently recieved higher ratings.

Halo was popular for two reasons:
1) It nailed FPS controls on a console, even better than MP.
2) It was accessible.

Not only did the game have terrific controls, but the multiplayer was great. Halo allowed you to have, what, 16 people play at once and it was just really a blast. To my knowledge, it was the first console game that did something like that and it was just unique.

ha. don't know where your head's been.

The major difference is that Metroid Prime is much more adventure and puzzle. Halo's single player campaign doesn't even compete in depth or detail.

Halo's is just plain FPS - shoot 'em up and keep trucking. Just like every other FPS, but perhaps done a little better, at least.

But, multiplayer does seem to be the deciding factor when considering games AS just FPS. If it's got good multiplayer, it's a good FPS. If it doesn't, well, then it's not.

That's why everybody would probably consider Hunters a better FPS than Echoes, and obviously why Halo/Halo2 are considered some of the very best FPS out there.

BTW, Halo 1 multiplayer is infinitely better on PC. Just sayin'. 

I never tried out the 16 player multiplayer, didnt it require getting 4 Xboxes and linking them together? But yeah, Halo was a great game, fully deserving of being up there, listed amongst the best shooters ever. I suppose the multiplayer social aspect made it more accessable than a non-multiplayer shooter. Its a shame because many things within MP were amazingly refreshing, for example the morph ball. Reckon MP3 will have a good multiplayer option (if one at all) to raise its awareness?

MP3 has no multiplayer.

Thats my point, MP was a FPA and was a refreshing change from the endless shooting, required you to use your brain a lot of the time and also implemented new ideas very very well.

It has no multiplayer? Bah it really should, online would help things too sadly.

don't forget that metroid prime was a great change for the series.... one that appalled me, and made me hate a series i grew up with, so f&@k them................. just one MORE fps now.

But thats the point, its not just another FPS, it stayed similar to the themes that made the originals great, im a huge fan of the originals too. I loved the scanning theme of the MP games, it made it seem like i was collecting the information to help me on my way. Something absent with other FPS's