What's your favorite boomer shooter/retro FPS game?

[Dweller Dark]

Personally, my current favorite is DUSK, as it takes everything from the idtech/Build Engine games, meshes it all together seamlessly, and then adds its own things to the mix. Most of the enemies feel unique or at least a step-up from a weaker counterpart, the weapons each have noticeable advantages and disadvantages worth strategically exploiting, the atmosphere, music, and themes are amazing, and the setpieces (like the tornado from E3) are cool as fuck. And then the final FINAL bossfight feels like what the Shub-Niggurath "fight" in Quake should have been, with a splash of Stephen Weyte. 

 

[[McD] James]

Yup, it's Dusk. That game is a masterpiece. 

[Smoothandz]

Amid Evil

 

The weapons have great feedback, nice variety of enemies and vividly different locations. Boss fights were always a big thing to me and this game nailed it. I enjoyed the fact I got my ass kicked the first couple of times fighting a boss, but the feeling of coming up with a strategy and implementing it successfully really pays off.

 

Sidenote, I have to agree with @[McD]James though, Dusk is a wonderful game. Very very close second in my book.

[Serum]

Ultrakill, Dusk, Amid Evil

[Teo Slayer]

DOOM, Wolfenstein 3D, Quake, Heretic, Blake Stone

[snapshot]

I don't have a favorite but Doom is the one that gave me most replay value, I haven't played any of those newer retro shooters, besides Doom 2016 and Eternal but do those even count? Quake I finished twice but still like jumping back into every once in a while for saveless runs until I die, Quake 2 was alright but I gave up on it after getting lost in one of those mine/cavern levels past like 1/3 of the game, finished Duke3D once and gave up halfway through second playthrough, Shadow Warrior once, gave up on Blood after reaching like half of the third episode.

[INfront95]

Modern?: Amid Evil, DUSK, other didn't played to form an opinion.- This is from small studios. Doom eternal- the only boomer shooter of AAA class i can recall playing.

Old: Blood, doom, SOME PARTS of Hexen)

Uh.... huh.... thats it. Hm i thought i have more than that. Turns out i more RPG guy than i expected.

[Lippeth]

One of my favorite modern retro shooters is Wrath, nice and chunky with fun weapons and cool monsters. I don't like the save/checkpoint system, it feels too clever for its own good and just makes me want quicksaves. But probably gets the ever-changing title of "favorite", at least for old looking modern games. Almost a tie with Ion Fury.

 

I didn't get very far into Amid Evil, it was a miss on all accounts for my taste which makes me sad because so many people compare it to Hexen and I love Hexen. It all felt a little too abstract and colorful and gave me a headache in no time at all. Not downplaying the skill and creativity in making it, but as far as tastes go, I couldn't get into it. I still have it so I'll have to give it another shot in the future.

 

From what little I played of Dusk, I liked it. It was hard to get into the setting at first, and the monster and weapon designs weren't too appealing, but it's fun to play in short bursts. I get distinct "indie game" vibes from the tone and message prompts, but it's fun enough overall.

 

Favorite old game might be a tie between Doom and Hexen, but I have fun with all the other games in that style around that era as well.

[hybridial]

I find it extremely difficult to pick a favourite, but it probably is Doom 1 and 2. 

 

it's a genre which I love the games I like, a lot though. Hedon for example I've just started playing and its awesome. Quake I've been playing more lately and its awesome. Its a beautiful genre when done well, and can be as simple as Doom or complex as Strife (which I also played through the first time recently). 

 

 

[NiGHTMARE]

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned Void Bastards yet. It's like playing a System Shock-inspired cartoon.

 

Also, if you want another AAA retro shooter, I think Call of Juarez: Gunslinger would fit the bill? Arguably Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus as well.

[El Juancho]

Quake, the mods are better than the doom ones IMO, play arcane dimensions and you will see

Edited September 3, 2021 by El juancho

[Toad]

Quake, it's just perfect in (almost) every way. And Blood comes in second, the gameplay feels so good and blood is also amazing in almost every way (and it's buggy :)).

[Sergeant G]

DOOM (All classic commercial releases), Heretic, Quake, Half Life, Wolfenstein 3d (including the Nocturnal Mussions and Spear of Destiny) I didn't really get into Blood, Rise of the Triad or any of the most well known derivatives. When I was a teen my parents got swept up in the FPS hysteria for a few years. They wouldn't let me buy Dark Forces, and thought they were accomplishing something.

@#$%ing Boomers. 

Edited September 4, 2021 by Sergeant G

[ReaperAA]

Of course Doom (mainly Doom2 because of all the mods/wads). 

 

Among the newer retro FPS games, I will vote to Ion Fury. It is the one I enjoyed the most due to my preference of build style level design and the dystopian cyberpunk aesthetics. Plus i like the detailed sprite graphics over the low poly 3D models like in Dusk.

[Wavy]

For older shooters, it'd be Quake.

 

For more modern retro shooters, it's a tie between Ion Fury and Prodeus.

Edited September 5, 2021 by Wavy

[DynamiteKaitorn]

Restricting myself to 90's FPS' only, I'd say Unreal as it was, and to some extent still is, a pretty scary and solid game. Sure the graphics are old but the game does a great job building tension in the earlier maps and as the game goes on I have fun exploring the environment.

[[McD] James]

I never really thought of Boomer Shooters as classic FPS games, but rather modern FPS games that directly emulate the style of classic FPS games. I most certainly do not prefer Dusk over Doom.

[scalliano]

Given that "boomer shooter" refers specifically to new/recent game that ape the 90's style, I have to go with Amid Evil.

[StoneMason]

Excluding classic Doom, I'd probably go with Quake, Duke Nukem 3D, and Blood for the classics. Modern stuff, Dusk and Amid Evil were great.

[Denim Destroyer]

I consider the term "Boomer-Shooter" to apply strictly to modern first person shooter games inspired by older games. So my favorite of these new FPS's would Overload. Straight to the point modern take on Decent that doesn't try too hard to be oldschool like other games. Sadly the game sold poorly so most future DLC and a potential sequel were cancelled.

[hybridial]

4 hours ago, Denim Destroyer said:

Straight to the point modern take on Decent that doesn't try too hard to be oldschool like other games.

 

Eh, the more "modern" things about it like the upgrade system I think dragged it down, though I appreciate it wasn't as stupidly hard as Descent. 

[BladeWolf]

One word - Ultrakill. I mean c'mon, Doom Eternal's fast pace, Quake style enemies and combat, Devil May Cry style score system, an entire act featuring a vaporwave-esque aesthetic (Lust), an evil version of you (V2), and the final boss voiced by meme legend Gianni. Kudos to Hakita for making such a good game. 

[BladeWolf]

One word - Ultrakill. I mean c'mon, Doom Eternal's fast pace, Quake style enemies and combat, Devil May Cry style score system, an entire act featuring a vaporwave-esque aesthetic (Lust), an evil version of you (V2), and the final boss voiced by meme legend Gianni. Kudos to Hakita for making such a good game. 

[whybmonotacrab]

I'm only going to go with the new ones, and stick exclusively to indies.

DUSK: It feels good to play, and David's past experience as a horror dev shines through in the back half of this quite nicely. Gets weirder and better the further in you go.

HROT: Another all caps 4 letter word game. One of the most atmospheric shooters I've ever played. It feels like nothing else, and the encounter design is superb. It's only in early access at the moment, but has so much potential.

 

[Gangstalker]

I dunno, I kinda like those Doom and Quake games.

[Coopersville]

Prodeus or Dusk.