• Mourning The Loss of EA's Online Pass, 2010 - 2013

    Friends, colleagues and beloved family members. We are gathered here today to mourn the loss of one we cherished.

    Today, we say goodbye to EA's Online Pass system.

    The Online Pass was taken from us at such a tender age, it's easy to embrace the darkness at a trying time like this. The darkness of the Online Pass. So dark at times that it felt like EA actually hated you.

    The Online Pass would not want you to shed any more tears than it caused you to shed during its all-too-short lifespan. Remember the good times! Think back, fondly, on all the memories you shared with the Online Pass.

    I have my own memory to share.

  • Top 5 Most Memorable Campaign Moments in Call of Duty

    This year marks the tenth anniversary of Call of Duty, a franchise that has widely became considered as the benchmark of the FPS genre. Since Call of Duty 4’s resounding success in 2007, we've seen exponential growth within the franchise and the industry itself; where many competitors have tried to mimic its success, to little or no avail.

    Call of Duty’s resounding success may stem from its high-octane thrills and spills in the form of multiplayer, however, we can’t forget the true core aspect of the franchise and the roots of its initial allure: the campaigns. As the years have progressed, we have seen some of the most brilliant minds within the entertainment industry combine to produce Call of Duty campaigns – most notably with the latest installment into the franchise,  Black Ops 2.

    Despite each Call of Duty title building a formidable campaign, many gamers still deter away from them and opt to play multiplayer, which is unfortunate to say the least. Regardless of this, a portion of gamers still turn to the Call of Duty campaigns as viable source of solo entertainment without the quarrels of multiplayer, and have been handsomely rewarded for it through the excellent narrative that each campaign provides.

    It’s here, within the aforementioned minority of gamers, that we see one of the most heated Call of Duty debates: What is the best Call of Duty campaign moment?

    Editor's note: this post will contain spoilers so proceed with caution!

  • 4 Shooters You Didn't Realize Started as Mods

    Gone are the days of simple tweaks and boring FPS mods. In this day and age, mods are becoming more like full fledged games with every passing year. Come to think of it, there actually are a few shooters that got their start as mods...

    #4. Battlefield 2

    Now, we want to be explicitly clear; Battlefield 2 wasn't exclusively started as a mod but it was definitely helped out by the success of Battlefield 1942 mod Desert Combat.

    Indeed, the mod was so popular that DICE snapped up the developer - Trauma Studios - and put them to work on the then-in-development Battlefield 2. Sadly, DICE would shutter Trauma Studios within a year of acquiring them, but their legacy lives on in the major FPS they helped develop.

  • 6 Screenshots That Will Sell You on Next-Gen Gaming

    Ready or not, the next-generation of gaming is coming and it's actually not that far away. The sheer power that next-gen gaming consoles boast is nothing short of stunning, but don't take our word for it...

    #6. Infamous: Second Son

    Infamous: Second Son
    Platform: PlayStation 4
    Release Date: TBA

    Honorable mention for this close up of protagonist Delsin Rowe.

  • Why We're Using Burn Competitive Gaming Controllers

    When it comes to competitive first-person shooters on console, everyone has their hardware of choice. Everything from the headset you wear to the controller you wield can give you an edge in the game and when competition is as fierce as it is today, these are important decisions to make.

    While we can't tell you which piece of hardware is best for you, we can tell you what we've been using the hell out of over the last couple months and give some insight as to why we've been using it. We'll have a piece on our headset hardware after we've put a few models through their paces, but for now let's focus on the gamepad.

    Earlier this year, we picked up a customized Curse-themed controller from Burn Controllers and we have absolutely been loving it to pieces (although, conveniently, the controller is not in pieces). Here are a few things we've been enjoying about the Burn controller.

  • 4 First-Person Franchises That Deserve a Reboot

    Rebooting classic gaming franchises is a risky endeavor, and it doesn't always work out the way the fans would hope. When EA announced that they were rebooting Medal of Honor a few years back, fans were pretty excited to see the direction that the franchise would go.

    What they got, however, was a game that did its level best to merge the most interesting elements of Battlefield and Call of Duty but failed on pretty much all fronts. When that failure was repeated in Medal of Honor: Warfighter, EA themselves admitted that the reboot had failed and put the franchise back on the shelf.

    Regardless of past failures, the past contains a veritable treasure trove of amazing opportunities that developers and publishers can cash in on if they are smart and do them the right way. This holds true across the board, but specifically in first-person shooters as well. Medal of Honor was a disaster, just about anyone can admit that, but that doesn't mean that bringing back some of the more popular first-person franchises is always a bad move.

    Without further ado, let's take a look at some of the first-person franchises that we would love to see make a comeback! Use the navigation below to peruse the list and be sure to leave us a comment sharing your most-desired FPS comebacks below.

  • 5 Guns We Never Want to See in Call of Duty Again

    Honorable mention: the War Machine from Black Ops II

    With each passing year, Activision releases a new Call of Duty game with a whole arsenal of new weapons. Sometimes the weapons are brand new to the game but there are more than a few guns that have become staples in the franchise. The M1911 pistols is in nearly every single Call of Duty game and the M16 assault rifle has turned up several times.

    Those staples are great, and return to the series time and time again because they offer something special.

    These are not those guns. These are the opposite of those guns. Guns that we never want to see in a Call of Duty game ever again. Ever.

    Please.

  • 3 of the Best Villains in a First-Person Shooter

    Video games as a whole are filled with loathsome, wicked villains. Men and women bent on doing nothing more than making your life a living hell. From the Final Boss in DOOM II to the Roid Rage Pyscho in Borderlands, first-person shooters are no stranger to some evil baddies.

    These are best of the worst. 3 of the baddest villains you will encounter in a shooter, bar none. There might be more sadistic villains out there, a bad guy more twisted and cruel but these are our favorites.

    Note: this page will contain spoilers, proceed with caution!

    #3 - The Flood

    Game: Halo Series
    First encountered: 2001

    Technically speaking, the Flood isn't really a single enemy as much as a group of enemies but holy crap are these guys bad. Making their first appearance in the first Halo game, the player first encounters the Flood about halfway through that game. Released by the Convenant, the Flood come upon Master Chief during his attempted rescue of Jacob Keyes. Overwhelmed, Keyes and his squad become assimilated by the Flood before Chief can move in and rescue them.

    Why They Deserve a Spot on This List

    The Flood are one of the most despised of FPS villains and for good reason. These pyschos feed off of sentient life, spreading their infection rapidly and assimilating those life forms. When infected, the host becomes one of the Flood and the vicious cycle continues. The virus consumes anything and everything in its path, with hosts growing stronger in their death and infection.

    If this wasn't enough, the Flood posed such a threat to the world that the Forerunners had no choice but to kill themselves in an attempt to finish the Flood once and for all. This bastard infection is responsible for the death of an entire generation of life. The story progresses all the way through Halo 4, but this should give you an idea of the type of bad guy we're dealing with here.

    #2 - Frank Fontaine

    Game: BioShock
    First encountered: 2007


    Hands down one of the most insane twists we have ever experienced in a video game came at the hands of the bastard known as Frank Fontaine. Naturally, you think BioShock villains and your mind goes straight to Andrew Ryan, but to that we ask, 'Did you actually play BioShock?'.

    Because Fontaine is about as bad as it gets, in our eyes.

    Why They Deserve a Spot on This List

    On a list of 'biggest douche bags', Frank Fontaine would rank pretty high. His crimes include, but are not limited to:

    • Manipulating others for his own personal gain.
    • Conning an entire social movement for his own personal gain.
    • Pretending to be someone he wasn't for his own personal gain.
    • Attempting to extend his own personal revenge to total domination.

    Throughout the majority of BioShock, players are guided and assisted through their adventures by a friendly revolutionary by the name of Atlas. As things turn out, Atlas is nothing more than a front for the man previously known as Frank Fontaine, one of Andrew Ryan's biggest rivals. Fontaine manipulates, tricks and employs mind control against you to achieve his own personal plans for revenge and domination.

    Yeah.

    #1 - GLaDOS

    Game: Portal Series
    First encountered: 2007

    Our number one spot goes to none other than GLaDOS, who earns her place on to this list not for her sheer wickedness or cruelty, but rather because she was such a damn good character. Valve's writing team is always amazing, but GLaDOS is perhaps their best achievement to date.

    GLaDOS first appeared in 2007's Portal as the AI system responsible for testing and maintenance in the Aperture Science facility that the game takes place in. It quickly becomes clear, however, that there is a lot more to GLaDOS than first believed. As great as the character was in the first Portal, GLaDOS really came into her own in Portal 2 when the character spends more time understanding how GLaDOS came to be.

    Why They Deserve a Spot on This List

    What makes GLaDOS so unique is that, despite her efforts to ridicule, humiliate and manipulate the character, you can't help but enjoy these encounters. The writing is masterful and her character more in-depth than we had assumed from the first game. GLaDOS is one of the most popular characters in gaming from the last decade, and with good reason.

    If you haven't had a chance to play either of the Portal games, we recommend you do so if for no other reason than to see what we mean when we say that GLaDOS is our all-time favorite FPS villian.

    Who are your favorite video game villains, anything glaring that you think we should have included? These are our favorites, now let's hear yours!

     

  • These Are Our Top 3 Most-Anticipated PlayStation 4 Shooters

    There are a good deal of things that we don't know about the PlayStation 4 but from what we do know, this is going to be a beast among consoles. The reveal event for the console promised more power, a better online experience than what PlayStation Network currently offers and the capability for some truly gorgeous games.

    But you know us, we're all about shooters. First-person, third-person...it doesn't really make a difference. So, naturally when I heard about the PlayStation 4, I started getting excited for a new breed of console shooters. 

    There are a few promising shooters coming to the PlayStation 4 that we know of already, but not all games are created equal. Without further ado, here are my Top 3 Most-Anticipated PlayStation 4 Shooters!

    Note: this is the first edition of our list, as more games are announced for the upcoming next-gen console, we will release an update to this list. Like any good first edition, this one will be worth hundreds of millions of dollars in the future.

  • We Almost Had a Mega Man First-Person Shooter

    Unveiled today in an article over on Polygon, it was revealed that Capcom commissioned a Mega Man first-person shooter back in 2010. The game was to be developed by the brilliant people who created Metroid Prime, as Capcom wished to usher Mega Man into the modern era of gaming.

    The game, tentatively titled Maverick Hunter, would have featured classic franchise weapons, abilities and enemies. The studio, Armature, had delved into Mega Man's rich history to create an authentic experience with modern gaming elements; namely those of the increasingly popular first-person shooter genre. The game had the full blessing of Capcom and Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune. 

    While Maverick Hunter was promising, Capcom appears to have deemed it too much of a gamble and the project was very quietly axed in late 2010, prior to the departure of series creator Inafune.

    The studio, Armature, essentially faded into obscurity and the game never saw the light of day. Thanks to Polygon, however, we now have some brand new screenshots and footage of the game in action as well as a brilliantly in-depth piece discussing the history of the game and what went wrong.

    The odds of Maverick Hunter ever coming to fruition are very unlikely, so just like with Star Wars 1313, we are forced to live in a world without a game that would we very much like to have played. Don't mind that sound, that's just the noise of our souls being broken into a hundred tiny pieces.

    Check out some video of the game after the break and hit up Polygon for the full story.