The genre of shooting games is probably the most popular one nowadays. This can be proved by looking at the number of people playing shooters such as PUBG, Fortnite, Call of Duty, Apex, and many more. However, this popularity of shooting titles goes back to the initial days of video games.
The ’90s was a significant era for gaming and proved to be a critical time in the evolution of shooters. While the online play wasn’t as streamlined as today, it was the lengthy single-player campaigns that were the most famous aspect of those games. It is surprising how a lot of those titles were probably longer than many games nowadays. Let’s check some of them out.
HowLongToBeat.com will be used as a reference to get the average length of the games.
10 Quake III Arena (9 Hours)
Released at the end of 1999, Quake III Arena was a PC exclusive title at the time. The game showcased a completely three-dimensional arena, and the focus was clearly on the multiplayer. However, since the internet at the time was not as good as today, the game offered a single-player campaign.
Quake III Arena ditched the plot-based storytelling from its predecessors and provided a multiplayer-based campaign. That was essentially multiplayer matches against bots.
9 Doom II: Hell on Earth (9½ Hours)
Doom II: Hell on Earth was the much-awaited sequel to the original Doom. Release only a year later; the sequel wasn’t too different from its predecessor. In comparison, Doom II was more like an expansion to the original, adding a few new tricks here and there.
However, the best part was the leap the game took by giving players 32 levels to play through. Another thing that made Doom II worth playing was the challenge it presented, as the game offered original Doom bosses as regular enemies.
8 Hexen: Beyond Heretic (10 Hours)
Hexen: Beyond Heretic is currently rated 9/10 on Steam, a score that speaks for itself. Many critics and players have praised the game’s innovative aspects for its time. Hexen was released in 1995 on Windows and was a very unique game.
This game, like many others of the era, oozes with creativity and passion. It provides a kind of experience not possible today. The game has to be one of the best action fantasy titles with RPG and shooter elements.
7 Wolfenstein 3D (10 Hours)
It is just bizarre that a game like Wolfenstein 3D was able to do what it did in 1992. The title was a unique experience for its time since most of its peers were two dimensional. Wolfenstein 3D laid down the first brick on which the tower of shooters would be built upon.
On top of its groundbreaking nature, this game was simply a lot of fun to play. It was also as long as many modern-day single-player FPS games, clocking at a solid ten hours playtime.
6 Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II (10½ Hours)
While Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II isn’t the complete Star Wars game of the ’90s, it is good enough in many areas. The game proves to be a stepping stone in the evolution of Star Wars video games as it blends third-person shooter elements with first-person.
Dark Forces II takes place a year after the events of Return of the Jedi and allows players to play as Kyle Katarn, a mercenary. The game contains twenty-one levels, that should easily take between 10-12 hours to complete.
5 Duke Nukem 3D (11 Hours)
Duke Nukem‘s protagonist is the kind of character who would not be accepted in the mainstream today. But at the time of the game’s release, Duke Nukem was received pretty well by almost everyone.
Duke Nukem 3D is pretty similar to Doom in many aspects, except it throws in a lot of humor and over the top dialogue. Players play as Duke, fighting hordes of enemies and making their way in the retro sci-fi world. The game’s story is divided into episodes and takes a hefty ten to twelve hours to complete.
4 Half-Life (14 Hours)
Everything good that can be said for Half-life wouldn’t be enough to describe how important this game was to the evolution of shooters. Standing at a 10/10 on Steam, Half-life tells a good narrative and has a complete focus on its storytelling.
While today’s standards may age it, in 1998, Half-Life was unlike anything that existed before it. It allowed players to decide the pace and uncover the fantastic sci-fi story as they progress through the levels.
3 Unreal Tournament (16 Hours)
Unreal Tournament by no means can be considered a proper single-player title, but it does the job. The game was released in 1999 to a plethora of positive reviews, with many praising its fluid gameplay.
The primary focus of the game was multiplayer; however, it does offer a single-player campaign where players have to become the grand champion. Unreal Tournament campaign contains arena matches against bots, but it can still take close to fifteen to sixteen hours to complete.
2 GoldenEye 007 (17 Hours)
GoldenEye 007 has to be the most popular FPS of 1997, essentially becoming a console seller for Nintendo. On the surface, GoldenEye 007 might look pretty similar to other shooters of the time, but on closer inspection, it becomes obvious why it was so successful.
The game received a score of stable 9s and 10s, thanks to the campaign and multiplayer. The game allows the players to play through free-roaming levels, with a deep focus on weaponry and gadgets. GoldenEye 007 was a massive release for the console market.
1 System Shock 2 (18 Hours)
If there’s one shooter that deserves a remake, it is System Shock 2. The game is known for its hybrid mix of different genres, especially RPG and horror, and providing a universe that demands to be explored.
The game deserves credit for inspiring some of the best shooters of the modern era, such as BioShock. System Shock 2 blends many different elements and enables players to use way more than just guns during a playthrough.
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