This week a lot of gamers are celebrating the release of Halo: The Master Chief Collection, which many feel is the best sci-fi shooter franchise of all-time. In light of this, We The Nerdy decided to talk about our favorite sci-fi shooters for  this week’s The Top 5!

John:

5. Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Deus Ex: Human Revolution is one of the more entertaining sci-fi games to be released in the last few years. Instead of focusing on pure shooting and quick pacing, Human Revolution gave you multiple options for completing the campaign. In fact, Human Revolution is one game that gives you the option of beating the entire campaign without killing anyone (besides main bosses). Yes, the shotgun and automatic rifle are exceptionally powerful, but Human Revolution also has very useful tranquilizer guns for both long and short range attacks.

Of course, it would help if I explained why Human Revolution is a good sci-fi game. Basically, Human Revolution focuses on a future where artificial limbs are all the rage, but only specific portions of the population get the good versions. The poor have to get black-market robot limbs that are actually pretty terrible. These robot limbs are extremely handy in that they unlock different pathways through the world based on your specifications. You can use robot legs to jump up to secret doors, or you can use robot arms to toss aside vending machines and reveal Arkham Asylum-style vents.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a sci-fi shooter at heart, but it has so many extra elements that make it a phenomenal game.

4. Singularity

Not many people seem to remember Singularity given the lack of marketing push by Activision, but they missed a great sci-fi game. Singularity took Raven Software’s stellar ability to create games, sprinkled in a dash of Bioshock, and created a fun, time-bending shooter. Singularity follows a soldier who crashes on a Russian island as he discovers the true horrors of scientific tinkering. This island is run by a crazy general who has a penchant for creating horrific monsters while trying to screw with time.

Singularity was a really well made shooter, but it also did more with time travel and puzzles than other games. Raven Software included mechanics where you could use time decay to open or close doors. Plus, you could use these time mechanics to trap monsters and soldiers in time warps and kill them with the power of time. The puzzles weren’t the most in depth, but they helped make Singularity more entertaining than a simple shooter.

3. Bioshock Infinite

The Bioshock series is very popular—for good reason—and I find Bioshock Infinite to be the best of the series. This game featured a city in the sky that housed a lot of racists. Of course, they were technically a religious group that focused on stopping the false shepherd, but most of the members were crazy racist dudes. Bioshock Infinite had a character at the center of the game named Booker who was on a mission to wipe out his debt by rescuing a girl named Elisabeth, but this game was created by Irrational, so the plot was way more convoluted.

Bioshock Infinite may not have had the creepiness of Bioshock 1 and 2, but it had something just as fun: traversal. Booker has a handy hook that can connect to railways and hooks all across town, giving him access to a faster and more entertaining method of travel. Even better, Booker can leap off of the hooks and brutally murder the enemy soldiers.

Bioshock Infinite didn’t have the best action, but the story and traversal quite made up for any downfalls.

2. Wolfenstein: The New Order

Wolfenstein: The New Order is the latest in a long line of Wolfenstein games made by different developers, but it is the best. MachineGames created a military shooter mixed with sci-fi that was infinitely deeper than first portrayed. The New Order had an upgradeable character, branching side missions, and some characters that were pretty fun to spend time with. MachineGames also included a decent amount of humor that kept the tone from becoming too serious or depressing.

The other part of The New Order that made this game awesome was the action. MachineGames is quite adept at creating guns that have weight and are fun to shoot. More importantly, MachineGames included a throwing knife and silenced pistol to make the stealth sequences more entertaining. Yes, the knife didn’t really help during the battles against giant Nazi robot dogs, so MachineGames included laser rifles and high tech grenades that would disintegrate large groups of enemies.

Wolfenstein: The New Order was exceptional in almost every way, minus a lackluster tutorial mission. The extra sci-fi elements and great action were just bonuses during a well made game.

1. Borderlands

Borderlands may not be as technologically advanced as Borderlands 2, or the Pre-Sequel, but I find it far superior in humor and entertainment value. Borderlands was the first introduction to the world of Pandora, as well as the entertaining characters like Marcus, Claptrap, Moxxi, and the original vault hunters. Plus, Borderlands has a very unique art style that keeps the game looking good no matter how old it gets.

The absolute best part of Borderlands is the mix of first person shooting and Diablo-style loot. There isn’t much better than murdering thousands of crazy bandits and wild beasts while searching for ridiculous weapons. Gearbox Software found a way to create entertaining weapons that electrocuted, burned, melted, and exploded all of Pandora’s residents.

Borderlands is pure fun, plain and simple.

Bryan:

5. Doom

Doom, along with Wolfenstein 3D are the fathers of the FPS genre. Doom had everything a good sci-fi shooter needs. Crazy looking non-human enemies, check. Unrealistic weapons that do massive damage, check. Simple yet fun gameplay, check. To this day, I occasionally still boot up a copy of Doom and play it for a few hours if only to beat a previous time. Tons of secret areas that I still find myself discovering give you incredible powerups.Doom is a  paragon of the science fiction shooter.

4. Perfect Dark

Perfect Dark was the spiritual successor to the N64 multiplayer gem, Goldeneye. Perfect Dark had graphics and sound that were incredible way back in 2000 and took full advantage of the N64 expansion pack. Throughout the lengthy campaign, protagonist Joanna Dark finds herself up against aliens, with some disguised as humans. Luckily, the entire campaign could be tackled in cooperative mode. The game also featured a neat mode called Counter-Operative. Counter-Operative let player two take control of various enemies in the level in an attempt to stop Joanna from completing her mission. On top of all this, Perfect Dark still featured the fantastic multiplayer present in Rare’s previous title. It’s a bit disappointing that this series has all but died, but Perfect Dark remains one of my favorite games of the N64 era.

3. Mass Effect 2

Mass Effect 2 shed it’s rigid rpg gameplay for a more streamlined Gears of War esque system. Tight controls and a simple ally control wheel make combat flow smoothly. Mass Effect 2 shines outside of combat as well. It features superior storytelling for both the universe and the multitude of characters who appear in the game. Your choices in game cause major effects on the plot, and can lead to characters redemption, life, death, or anything else you can think of. Keeping a good eye on your allies even leads to extra missions you can play through. The only downside I can think of for this game is the rather dull final battle, which the Arrival DLC helped to mitigate. Mass Effect 2 is a memorable game, an excellent shooter, and a world beating RPG that should be a must play not only for any shooter fan, but any gamer period.

2. Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Deus Ex: Human Revolution is one of the most unique, and sadly, underplayed titles of last generation. Our hero Adam Jensen is reconstructed as an augmented human and is out looking for a co-worker/love interest. As Jensen finds Praxis, he is able to upgrade the mechanical components of his body, which help change the way you play. If you feel like playing more stealthy, you can upgrade to get a cloaking device to hide from patrols. If instead you feel like going in gung-ho, you can use your upgrades to punch through walls and take less damage. This abundance of choice is present not just in the character customization screen shown above, but also throughout the gameplay and story. There a few different ways you can accomplish any task. As an example I can sneak into a police station through the roof or the sewer. Not only that, but I have the option to kill everyone there, or in my case draw them to my location with random gunfire and cloak myself to get to the now unguarded objective.

At the core of the story in Deus Ex is the debate over what is truly human. Some people in the world delight in the ease that these mechanical enhancements have brought to the world, while others revile the fact that people would mar their bodies. The conflict between the two is present and readily seen throughout the playable areas. Quality voice acting, give the different dialog options life. The immaculately detailed world, freedom of choice, and excellent storytelling help make this game my number two sci-fi shooter.

1. Metroid Prime

Metroid games have a lot to live up to, as Super Metroid is an all-time classic title. Luckily for gamecube owners, Retro Studios crafted a gem with Metroid Prime. Ditching the series traditional 2D plane for a full FPS experience was a risky move that paid off well. The planet Tallon IV where the game takes place is a beautifully crafted world, with a multitude of different environs to explore. Prime keeps up with the series’ love for exploration with a ton of hidden items to find. Near flawless controls help the player find these hidden areas and fight the many enemies and bosses of Tallon IV

In what I’ve always thought was a rather clever move, the game ditches traditional storytelling by leaving scannable items and relics throughout the world. These items reveal a little bit about the Chozo, Space Pirates, and even Samus herself, and slowly build a universe around you. The game even sets up for the rest of the trilogy with an excellent post-credits scene. Metroid Prime takes a legendary franchise and changes it in a fresh and interesting way, and for that it takes my top spot.

Eric:

5. Vanquish

If you’ve followed my previous work on We The Nerdy, you should already know that I am a big proponent of Vanquish, a forgotten gem from Platinum Games, Sega, and Resident Evil’s Shinji Mikami. While the story and characters in Vanquish are standard sci-fi fare, and the game is decidedly short, its systems are some of the tightest and most unique found in any third-person shooter to date. The most creative piece of the puzzle is the the player-character’s Augmented Reaction suit, which allows the player to rocket-slide in all directions AND enter bullet time at will. This provides for some truly breathtaking action, with the player boosting around the map while firing off well placed shots in bullet time. Few games have made me feel as much like a bad ass as Vanquish. Its spot in my Top 5 is well earned.

4. Borderlands

As someone who is a sucker for the addicting loot-level cycle found in games like Diablo, the Borderlands series gets me excited in a way few games can. And while the series hit critical mass with its huge sequel (which is admittedly an improvement on the first in every way), it is the original Borderlands that holds a special place in my heart, mostly because it felt like my own little secret. It was imperfect, for sure, with a bland color palate and some very rough edges. But while my friends were still obsessed with Call of Duty, I was enjoying my time romping around Pandora more than any other game of the generation up to that point. I spent 100+ hours leveling up my Commando and seeking out bigger and better loot. I am no completionist, but I checked off every box in that game TWICE; I loved it that much. When the inevitable Borderlands 3 hits the current generation of consoles, I know I will fall in love all over again; and hopefully this time I can enjoy it with some friends who share my obsession!

3. Half-Life 2

The original Half-Life flipped the script for the first-person shooter genre when it came out. Where most games of the time relied on separate cutscenes to move the plot along, Half-Life instead employed scripted in-game events, which avoided a disconnect between story and gameplay and instead crafted a cohesive, seamless narrative-gameplay experience that was, at the time, a revolution. This shift sent a ripple through the game industry at large, and as a result, Half-Life is widely regarded as one of the most influential games in history–hallmarks like Bioshock probably wouldn’t exist without it. However, I have to give the nod to the sequel, Half-Life 2. It is just as remarkable as the original in its seamless blend of storytelling and gameplay, but its modern sensibilities give it the edge in my mind. Plus, Half-Life 2 introduced a revolutionary mechanic of its own–the physics-bending Gravity Gun, a clear precursor to similar abilities in future titles (like the aforementioned Bioshock’s telekinetics).

2. Metroid Prime

Some may argue that Metroid Prime shouldn’t qualify for this list–after all, even Nintendo classifies the game as a first-person action-adventure, NOT a first-person shooter. However, some games are just so good that you try to squeeze them onto every list that you can. Metroid Prime is one such title. Stepping into Samus’s suit for the first time was an absolute revelation. The world was huge, detailed, and a joy to explore–from the foreboding Chozo Ruins to the beautiful peaks of the Phendrana Drifts. But more impressive was how successful Retro Studios was in translating the spirit of the Metroid series into a fully 3D world explored in the first-person. Everything just worked–including the morphball, the cycle of finding new items to unlock new areas, backtracking to use new abilities to find hidden power-ups, and even the series’ challenging platforming (a feat that was traditionally impossible to accomplish in first person games). Metroid Prime is a game that completely change my perspective of what the medium can and should accomplish; for my money, it is as damn-close to a perfect game as you can make. So while it may not be the shootiest shooter out there, it still deserves a spot on this list.

1. Halo: Combat Evolved

Perhaps Halo 2 is fondly remembered for taking the first game’s excellent multiplayer framework and bringing it online. And of course Halo 3 was the first in the series to enjoy an HD facelift. But while all of the Halo sequels and side-stories are great on their own merits, none reach the unflappable heights of the original. Its campaign was the first of its kind for console first-person shooters, including long missions on a huge maps with a truly remarkable sense of scale. It is also home to one of the biggest WTF moments in gaming history, with the introduction of the Flood simultaneously changing the gameplay and freaking out the player. But Halo’s true value came from its infinitely replayable multiplayer. Nothing since has felt as pure and as raucous to me as playing the original Halo’s local multiplayer alongside friends–be it 16 person matches on Sidewinder or Blood Gulch at my local LAN gaming center, or intimate 4-player face-offs on Hang ‘Em High or Chill Out, with all four of us huddled around one TV in my fraternity house. The maps were smart, the gameplay was tight, and the ability to blast my buddies with rockets and then shout profanities in their face earns the original Halo the top spot on my list.

Sean:

5. Wolfenstein: The New Order

Every once in a while, you just know a game is going to be special before you ever play the complete game. Wolfenstein: The New Order is one such game. With new studio MachineGames’ pedigree of developers originally from Starbreeze (check out my number 3) I knew the game would have great shooting mechanics, some good stealth mechanics, and I expected great presentation, but what I didn’t expect was almost Tarantino-esque story and dialogue. Easily the sleeper hit of this year for me, and one of the best sci-fi shooters I’ve ever played. I was sad when I finally got the Platinum for the game because it meant I was finally done with it. Here’s hoping it was successful enough for Bethesda to greenlight a sequel as soon as possible.

4. Red Faction

3. The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay

If anyone would have told me that a game based on the Riddick film series would not only be good but also one of the best games of the generation, I would have laughed in their delusional face. That is, until I played it. Cinematic, innovative, violent and offering several games worth of gameplay variety, Butcher Bay remains to this day one of my all time favorites of any genre. It’s really that good.

2. Half-Life 2

1. Titanfall

Titanfall, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love your traversal – no game I have ever played has made getting around the map as much fun as shooting enemies. With your incredibly smart map design, silky smooth mechanics and simple gameplay loop, movement is as much as star of the show as the shooting.

And let’s talk about that shooting. Guns feel good. Most are well designed and balanced (except Shotguns – worst weapon in competitive shooters) and offer a great compliment to any style of player.

Titans – such a novel concept, and smartly executed. I love calling down my Titan in a clutch moment, turning the tide of the game.

Most of all, you’re just so damned fun to play.

Sam:

*Disclaimer: I did not consider games that could be described as RPG-Shooters

 5. Gears of War 2

RAZORHAIL! Gears of War set the bar for 3^rd Person Cover-based shooters, and then, Gears 2 cut that bar in half with a chainsaw strapped to the bottom of a machine gun. But seriously, Gears 2 took that fantastic gameplay, ironed out (most of) the bugginess and then turned it up to ten. The campaign in Gears of War 2 is fantastic and manages to tell a much better, and more personal, story than its predecessor. Add to that the online play. Competitive and tense, Gears 2 PvP multiplayer was great, but the star of the show was the absurdly fun, and often imitated, wave-based “Horde Mode.”

4. Metroid Prime

Metroid Prime is probably the best game that ever hit Nintendo’s Game Cube (Maybe bested by Smash Bros., but that’s pretty much it). A little lighter on combat than the others on this list, Prime earns its place largely because of its excellent gameplay, and its wonderful level/environment design. Enemies were varied, tough and exciting to fight, and the exploration elements added an extra dimension without taking away from the core shooting mechanics. Though the story left a little to be desired, the experience of actually playing the game and the promise of new suits was more than enough to drive me forward from start to finish. Metroid Prime is amazing, and outside of all night Smash Bros. Melee session with my high school buddies it is the most fun I had on the Game Cube.

3. Halo: Combat Evolved

Halo: Combat Evolved is largely, and in my opinion correctly, credited with being the game that was finally able to bring first person shooters to the console space. But even ignoring all that, Halo: CE established a rich Sci-Fi universe that has now expanded into a veritable multimedia empire. Master Chief had his humble beginnings here, where he was purposefully left as a blank slate in order to give players a more immersive experience. The game’s story is simple, but it is exceptionally executed and the missions, save one (that’s right I’m looking at you Library) are a blast to play. And then of course: LAN Parties. Lug your Xbox, 4 huge controllers and a TV over to a friend’s house, and proceed to binge on pizza, soda, and glorious, glorious (slightly unbalanced) multiplayer.

2. Half-Life 2

There’s a reason the Internet craps its metaphorical pants every time there is even a sniff of Half-Life 3 news, and that reason is Half-Life 2. It’s a game that I would expect to see on almost everyone’s list and for good reason. Half-Life 2 let’s you do it all, run terrified and unarmed from vicious guards, race a hovercraft through a sewer system, take on alien dictators with nothing more than a (super charged, super awesome) gravity gun, and everything in between. The variety of weapons you wield in this game deserves special mention, because it is just so damn fun to pick up an explosive barrel with a gravity gun, fling it at a group of enemies, then that up by chucking a few pheromone bombs in order to attract ravenous Antlions, and then beat the survivors to death with your trusty crowbar. This game is just so damn good, and if you need more reasons as to why it’s on this list – just go play it. I struggled with this or the next game for the number one spot, but ultimately I voted not necessarily with my head, but with my heart.

1. Halo 3

Bungie made two excellent games before Halo 3 and two more afterwards, but I think this is where their efforts hit the highest mark. In my opinion Halo 3 tells the richest and most satisfying story of all the Sci-Fi shooters that I’ve ever played. And though you are given the monumental task of saving planet earth from the Covenant, and wiping the universe clean of the Flood once and for all, the main feature here is Master Chief’s relationship with Cortana. The game is filled with emotional moments between its two leads; none more potent than their final scene together, highlighted by the now famous line: “Wake me, when you need me.” On the way to that ending, you have what I consider to be one of the best, most diverse, FPS campaigns out there. Halo 3 has signature vehicle levels, tight and intense corridor shooter moments, and big open battlefields that let you tackle nearly impossible odds in whatever way you see fit. And, for my money, this is also Halo’s best multiplayer suite. I loved Halo 3’s sandbox, and it was a dorm room staple for me all throughout college. It also included the impressive Forge mode, game theater, which countless custom game types created by the community that made their way into Bungie’s official playlists. Halo 3 is hands down my favorite Sci-Fi shooter. If you haven’t had the chance to play it yet I cannot recommend it more highly. If you have, do yourself a favor, and play it again (possibly as part of The Master Chief Collection).

Whew! That’s quite a few great lists! What did we miss or what did we include that you wouldn’t have? Let us know in the comments!