They hit the mark years ago — why fix what isn't broken?

The 2000s represented a golden age for shooter games. Both first-person and third-person shooters saw a plethora of all-time classics released across a number of platforms during the aughts, while the immense success of consoles such as the PlayStation 2 and 3 and Xbox 360 helped spearhead the genre's push into the mainstream. More than two decades later, many of those games remain standard-bearers for shooters as a whole.

Many of the most notable shooters from the 2000s have been remade over the years, as their impact and enduring popularity make them attractive candidates for a modern overhaul. Others have received remasters, which aim to preserve the game's original experience while updating elements such as visuals, performance, resolution, and more for newer hardware. But which shooters from the 2000s remain so good that they still don’t need a full-blown remake? Let’s dive in. After all, we must "finish this fight."

Note: Games that have received remasters are eligible for this list, but those that have received a complete, from-the-ground-up remake are not.

There are few shooters from the 2000s quite like STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl. Set in an alternate version of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, GSC Game World's first-person shooter (FPS) throws players into a radioactive wasteland filled with mutants, hostile factions, bizarre anomalies, and valuable artifacts — all the while mixing traditional shooter gameplay with engaging RPG and survival-horror elements.

Source link