15 Best Third-Person Shooters Of The Decade (So Far)

Six years in, what sits at the top?

By Clayton Froggatt /

From Nintendo's Radar Scope and Sega's Tac/Scan in the early '80s to Tomb Raider on the PS1, the PS2's introduction of Max Payne - which introduced Bullet-Time - and Resident Evil 4's revolution of the genre by introducing precision aiming and over-shoulder camera angles that kept the action front and center, the third-person shooter genre has seen some monumental changes over the years.

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Mostly it's down to Resident Evil 4, which set such a new standard with its third-person mechanics, it would influence future franchises like Gears of War and even non-shooters like the Arkham series.

However, the most notably well-made third-person shooters recently have been Gears 4, Uncharted 4 and even The Division. Three. Out of a whole year.

The production of this genre has seemingly slowed down, mainly resulting in more sequels than new IPs.

Although, this isn't all bad. Since 2010, there have been a lot of high-quality games that have come out, enough to enjoy and place on a list for the very best third-person shooters from this decade (so far).

15. Spec Ops: The Line - Yager Development

Spec Ops: The Line, a game that surprised many with how the story played with your perception of the world and the life of Captain Martin Walker, challenging your very own morality.

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What accompanies its great story, however, is a relatively run-of-the-mill third-person shooter. Enough to keep you engaged to get from point to point, but if you stripped all that story away, what do you have?

Pretty much every other bland military third-person shooter out there, which is a shame.

Spec Ops: The Line receives its entry on the story alone, as that's the reason why players and the developers have made this game memorable, but the shooting aspect, as the genre states and requires, is what causes it to be placed at No. 15.

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