With the eighth generation of home consoles coming to an end last year, it's safe to say that third-person action-adventures ruled the era. The genre of gaming doesn't look like slowing down either, with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2, Elden Ring, and Grand Theft Auto VI being three of the most highly anticipated titles for the next generation of gaming.
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Although sword-fighting titles have made up a bulk of the third-person genre with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Dark Souls 3, and Monster Hunter: World leading the way, shooters have also carved themselves a spot in the popular genre of gaming. The shooter genre is historically known for its first-person gameplay, though these ten Xbox One games may prove pivotal in the genre's shift to third-person.
Updated April 26, 2021, by Jack Pursey: The first-person shooter genre has numerous releases in the pipeline for this year, such as Halo Infinite and Far Cry 6. However, the third-person shooter genre is lacking in big-name releases. There are a handful of exciting games scheduled which could surpass expectations, though highly anticipated third-person shooters like the aforementioned GTA 6 still seem to be some time away. To help tide players over until the next major third-person shooter hits stores, we've decided to expand this list by a further five entries.
15 Gears of War: Ultimate Edition (82)
Gears of War: Ultimate Edition released in 2015 on Xbox One, before coming to PC the following year. The game is a remastered version of the original Gears of War, with updated visuals and new multiplayer modes.
Ultimate Edition's Metascore of 82 may seem fairly harsh, especially considering that the original game received an aggregated score of 94. However, players can look at the game's drop in score positively in some ways. The most common criticism was that the game's level design and gameplay mechanics had become dated, which is a testament to how influential Gears of War was between 2006 and 2015.
14 Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (83)
The Deus Ex franchise has been a cornerstone of the cyberpunk genre since the iconic original game released back in the year 2000. The latest game in the series, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, is set two years after the events of Deus Ex: Human Revolution. It puts players in a world plagued by a divide between regular humans and those who are artificially advanced.
Along with its impressive Metascore, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided received numerous accolades from the Canadian Video Game Awards 2016, including Game of the Year and Best Narrative.
13 Bayonetta & Vanquish 10th Anniversary Bundle (83)
Sega and PlatinumGames marked the 10th anniversary of cult classics Bayonetta and Vanquish by offering players remastered versions of the two games. Bayonetta is one of few hack and slash titles ever to release outside of the Devil May Cry and God of War franchises. However, it's Vanquish that will make the collection appealing to third-person shooter fans.
The game's futuristic setting isn't just for story purposes. PlatinumGames created a ton of interesting and exciting gameplay mechanics that center around sci-fi technology, making Vanquish feel unique even to this day.
12 Control (84)
505 Games' Control was developed by Remedy Entertainment, the same studio behind Quantum Break and Alan Wake. As one would expect from the team, Control offers players a story-driven experience with numerous fantasy elements.
However, Control differs from Remedy's previous titles. Tts Metroidvania structure allows for exploration, as opposed to the linear format that most of the studio's releases follow. Metroidvania titles outside of their usual 2D side-scrolling style have always been fairly hit or miss. Thankfully though, Control ensures that it's thoroughly on the "hit" side of the spectrum. Its meticulously constructed world is a joy to explore.
11 *Resident Evil 3 (84)
The remake of Resident Evil 2 enjoyed enormous praise from fans and critics, as well as considerable commercial success. Considering this, it was hardly surprising to hear that the game's sequel, Resident Evil 3, would be receiving the remake treatment.
Unfortunately, Resident Evil 3 didn't manage to reach the same heights as the Resident Evil 2 remake. Fans were particularly disappointed with how the Nemesis was implemented. Still, the game is thoroughly enjoyable for any fan of the Resident Evil series who wants to revisit the classic game.
10 Hitman 2 (84)
The seventh main entry into the iconic stealth series Hitman was released in 2018. IO Interactive, the game's developer, didn't try to reinvent the wheel and kept the gameplay similar to its 2016 predecessor. There were a few innovations though, including concussive gadgets that provided players with valuable non-lethal tools; as well as a welcome return to Agent 47's briefcase, allowing players to inconspicuously carry large weaponry.
A sequel, Hitman 3, is just around the corner with a scheduled release date of January 21st, 2021.
9 Gears of War 4 (85)
The Gears of War series has quickly become one of Xbox Game Studios and Microsoft Studios' most critically acclaimed IP's. The first game in the series released at a pivotal time for Microsoft, coming just a few days before the release of the PlayStation 3 to incredibly high praise.
Gears of War 4 was the Xbox One's first main series Gears of War entry, and consequently had a large weight of expectations on its shoulders. The game's appearance on this list proves that the game was a critical success, though its 84 score is still somewhat underwhelming in comparison to the series' original trilogy.
8 Gears 5 (85)
The latest Gears of War title dropped the "of war" part of its name, but kept much of the gameplay similar to the series' previous Xbox One and PC game. The game takes place just a few months after the events of Gears of War 4, with Kait Diaz now taking center stage as the main protagonist.
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Although Gears 5 again fell short of the original trilogies 90+ Metascores, the game performed well awards-wise, picking up Best Xbox One Game awards from Gamescom and the Golden Joysticks Awards.
7 PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (85)
Despite being an enormous commercial success, it's fair to say that PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds was somewhat shortchanged when considering that it pioneered the battle royale genre's recent rise.
Epic Games' Fortnite was released almost exactly one year after PUBG and soon dominated the genre of gaming. PUBG Corporation took legal action against Epic Games over the similarity between the two games, though the lawsuit was dropped shortly after.
6 Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition (86)
One of gaming's most iconic action-heroes, Lara Croft, returned in 2013 with a rebooted series developed by Crystal Dynamics and Eidos-Montréal and published by Square Enix. The game originally released on the Xbox 360. It came to Xbox One consoles a year later, with remastered visuals and all DLC included.
The first entry into the rebooted series, Tomb Raider, created a new origin story for the English hero. Crystal Dynamics' highly ambitious game seemingly took inspiration from Naughty Dog's Uncharted and The Last of Us franchises, with its combination of over-the-top adventuring and survival mechanics.
5 Rise of the Tomb Raider (86)
Receiving the exact same score as this list's previous entry is Tomb Raider's successor Rise of the Tomb Raider. Square Enix's Rise of the Tomb Raider released just two years after its predecessor, despite Square Enix naming Tomb Raider (2013) as one of three games that they felt underperformed sales-wise.
Despite the commercial disappointment, Rise of the Tomb Raider kept its core gameplay similar to the first rebooted game. Among the minimal changes to the gameplay was the game's heavier focus on combat, befitting of Lara's origin story. This shows that she can now rely on her weaponry skills.
4 Resident Evil 2 (93)
Although it seems ridiculous now, remakes were once looked down upon in the gaming industry. Critics and audiences predominantly viewed them as low effort cash-grabs. This mindset has drastically changed in recent years, and Golden Joystick's Ultimate Game of the Year Resident Evil 2 is one of the key game's to thank for this.
Capcom did a fantastic job of recapturing the magic of the original Resident Evil 2, especially with their iteration of Mr. X who somehow become even more intimidating and terrifying than ever before.
3 Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (95)
The iconic Metal Gear Solid series received its latest entry in 2015 with Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, an incredible stealth title that offered players one of the most well designed and immersive open worlds to date.
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Despite the universal praise that the game received, Hideo Kojima suggested that the game was unfinished during an interview with IGN, confirming the suspicion of fans who were dubious about the game's abrupt ending. With the public breakup of Konami and Kojima Productions in mind, it's sadly unlikely that the game will ever receive the ending it deserves.
2 Grand Theft Auto V (97)
Despite releasing at the very end of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3's lifecycle, with players preparing to buy the next generation of console, Grand Theft Auto V managed to make an eye-watering $800 million in its first 24 hours. The game was re-released on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 just over a year after it initially hit stores, with a new first-person mode available.
Grand Theft Auto V has continued to make incredible amounts of money for Rockstar thanks to the game's online mode. Fans of the series seem to have a love-hate relationship with the game's online feature, as although it has provided excellent content, it is almost certainly the reason why Grand Theft Auto VI hasn't been released yet. Furthermore, with the success of the online mode in mind, fans shouldn't be surprised if Grand Theft Auto VI releases without an offline campaign.
1 Red Dead Redemption 2 (97)
The disappointment over a lack of Grand Theft Auto release on the Xbox One was somewhat subsided by the release of Red Dead Redemption 2. The game, quite literally, gave GTA V a run for its money, earning a whopping $725 million in its opening weekend.
Red Dead Redemption 2 amazed fans and critics. Its generation-defining open-world offered a level of realism players had never seen at such a scale. Furthermore, the game continued its predecessor's tradition of telling a more serious and often touching narrative than players often see in Rockstar games, with protagonist Arthur Morgan quickly becoming one of gaming's most beloved anti-heroes.