7 – Gears of War
I can see people scoffing at the fact that I enjoy Gears of War. The macho, bro-energy, and downright ridiculousness bodybuilding aspect of the game’s Gears is exactly why I love the game. Unapologetic, fun, and better yet, it’s the title that perfected the art of the third-person shooter. When it launched on the Xbox 360, it didn’t just introduce a new mechanic; it crafted a brutal, visceral, and deeply satisfying experience around the simple act of taking cover, shooting, and gibbing ugly-looking aliens. The chunky, weighty feel of your character and the gory, gratifying combat made every firefight feel impactful. More than just a shooter, the game became one part of the trifecta of flagship titles for Xbox alongside other classics like Halo and Forza. The game recently got a new re-release, so if you haven’t tried it and enjoy my recommendations, this is one I’ll give you!
6 – Splinter Cell
It’s often that I see people asking for a new Splinter Cell game, but I came to believe that the first three Splinter Cell games were lightning in a bottle, and very hard to replicate today, as gamers’ tastes have evolved and mutated. Splinter Cell, as it was twenty years ago, was a one-of-a-kind experience you couldn’t find anywhere else in gaming, and the game was also a visual showcase for what was possible to do with 3D graphics in 2002. The game’s story is also heavily inspired by traditional Cold War themes of National Security, which permeated the media back then. All things said, Splinter Cell is a product of its time, and unfortunately for people like me, I don’t think any developer would be able to do it justice without ruining the franchise. And that’s also because, as a fan of the series, I don’t know where I would want the series to go.
However, as a third-person stealth action game, Splinter Cell created a level of tension that few other games could match, and to this day, I still remember missions and patrol patterns. Its core innovation was the dynamic use of light and shadow (which were beautiful and really put a strain on your GPU), with a visibility meter that dictated your every move. Sound also made a very big impact in gameplay, and the fact that Tom Fisher wasn’t a murdering machine and could be taken out easily by enemies meant that a single misstep could lead to disaster. The game’s realistic approach to espionage, combined with the iconic voice acting of Michael Ironside as special ops agent Sam Fisher, made for an unforgettable cinematic experience.
5 – STAR WARS Jedi: Fallen Order
For years, fans longed for a single-player Star Wars game that truly captured the fantasy of being a Jedi Knight, and aside from Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy and Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, those wishes never materialized until STAR WARS Jedi: Fallen Order delivered that and so much more. This action-adventure masterpiece draws direct inspiration from Souls-like combat, mixes it up with Metroidvania-style exploration, and peppers it with a new story set after the fall of the Jedi Order, with absolute chad Kal-Cestis on the run from the Empire. The soulslike combat isn’t as well done as the Souls series games, but it’s good enough to offer a satisfying and intense challenge at the highest difficulties. It revitalized the single-player Star Wars genre and proved that a bold, new adventure was exactly what fans needed. Of course, a lot of my enjoyment of the game comes from the fact that I’m a massive Star Wars fan, and if directly compared to other Souls games, the game doesn’t hold very well, but hey, there’s a reason this is my list, right?
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