5 Most Influential FPS Games of This Console Generation

4. Portal

I€™ll be the first to admit that Portal, by definition, is not a traditional FPS. There are no assault rifles or plasma cannons or frag grenades. There's no threat of annihilation by a superior military might or extra-terrestrial menace. There are no headshots. And that€™s precisely why Portal needs to be discussed. Portal redefined the capabilities of the genre, utilizing familiar mechanics to achieve something far removed from the usual suspects. Where most shooters cultivate a need for accuracy within high-stress, fast-paced environments, this unassuming puzzler provided elaborate scenarios that could only be solved through patience and ingenuity. Portal asks you to consider your entire environment, to envision the goal and work backwards to complete a strategy of your own design. It€™s a stark contrast to the linearity of a genre that rarely requires more than your ability to follow directions along a narrow path. That freedom is refreshing and helps to elevate the first-person-shooter past its arguably deserved reputation for being full of mindless, reactionary experiences. Outside of mechanics, Portal emphasized the true narrative strength of first-person perspective: immersion. You don€™t need to empathize with a protagonist, to identify with a character €“ in essence you become the character. A fact Portal exploited with its barebones narrative and vague instruction. You wake in sterile white room. Where are you? What is this place? What happened? You hear a voice that issues a directive €“ complete a series of tests. There€™s so much uncertainty and so many unanswered questions that you have no choice but to continue forward. Portal instantly immersed you in the same mindset as your fictional counterpart. You€™re given no backstory or information, and like Chell, you try to draw conclusions based on the immediate. Your only option is to follow directions, and maybe find some answers along the way. The unique potency of the first-person is becoming more prevalent in today€™s industry. Games utilizing its immersive capabilities for powerful thematic effects are gaining traction and credibility. Mirrors Edge straps players in the shoes of a parkour-centric protagonist atop towering skyscrapers with anxiety€“inducing effectiveness. Granted, there€™s no direct proof that one title had anything to do with the other, but the increasingly creative application of the first-person is definitely something to get excited about.