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Back in the early 2000s, first-person shooters were raw, ambitious, and constantly experimenting with the genre itself. This was the era when cover systems were optional, objectives weren't hand-held, and healing was done through medkits instead of just standing still.
Many games in this era helped shape the DNA of the modern shooter, pushing hardware and game design forward. Sadly, they're nowhere to be found today — not on storefronts, not in remasters, and not even the conversations younger players have. Once the backbone of the genre, these fantastic FPS titles from our childhoods are now ghosts.
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5 I.G.I.: I'm Going In — Where did you go?
Rough around the edges, but the I.G.I. series found a cult following
"Where's my guy?", I'd asked my brother when he showed me Project I.G.I. somewhere in the early 2000s. That's right, Project I.G.I. was the very first FPS game I ever saw, and I was amazed at the concept of a first-person perspective in-game. The series spawned two sequels, and it did manage to build up a cult following over the years. However, plans for a follow-up just never went anywhere.
That was until 2022, when, after nineteen years, a new I.G.I. game was announced. I.G.I. Origins, a third game, was announced with a cinematic trailer, and would be made on Unreal Engine 5. Project I.G.I. itself was a technical pioneer, and the second game was lauded for its graphics, which were better than the standard at the time. So, it made perfect sense that I.G.I. Origins would be using Unreal Engine 5's capabilities. Now, for all those who grew up playing the two I.G.I. games in the 2000s, this was great news, and I myself joined the official Discord server for the devs for any and all updates.
Sadly, the studio was shut down just a year after the announcement, and the parent company said in their statement that I.G.I. Origins' development hadn't "produced sufficient traction". Today, the third I.G.I. game's Steam page is a desolate place to visit, with no gameplay or release date information — just the announcement trailer and a bunch of screenshots.
Project I.G.I.: I'm Going In
Systems
Released December 8, 2000
Developer(s) Innerloop Studios
Publisher(s) Eidos Interactive
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4 The Rage franchise has faded into obscurity twice now
It was doomed from the very start
After id Software veered very far away from the quintessential Doom experience and gave the world DOOM 3, they didn't get the reception they expected from the game. While a technical powerhouse, DOOM 3 felt rather different from the first two games that had made the game such a staple of the FPS genre. As such, the studio decided to work on an all-new IP, and Rage was born. This franchise would have Doom's signature crunchy gunplay, but also open-world exploration and vehicular combat — two ideas the company had always wanted to work on. The first Rage game was actually received well because it got a lot of things right, even though its world felt just a little bit hollow.
Then, out of nowhere, Rage 2 showed up, almost a decade later in 2019. This time around, the game had a more grim vibe, but also more powers, madness, and color. Sadly, Rage 2 came and went without leaving much of a dent, which is something I will always be mad about. The combat was fantastic, yes, but everything else around it was so half-baked that the wasted potential alone drove me up the wall. Thanks to the misstep that was Rage 2, the series never found its rhythm, and today, it's remembered more for its potential than its actual legacy. Props to the Rage franchise, though — not many games manage to fade into obscurity twice.
Rage 2
Released May 19, 2019
ESRB M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes
Developer(s) Avalanche Studios, id Software
Publisher(s) Bethesda
Engine Apex: Avalanche Open World Engine
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3 Medal of Honor couldn't set itself apart
It got lost in a sea of tactical shooters
Before Call of Duty became the de facto military shooter in everyone's libraries, Medal of Honor was the crown jewel. My first brush with it was probably Allied Assault, although truth be told, I can't even remember (which is the whole point of this). Medal of Honor had everything going for it — the series gave us heart, cinematic flair, and missions in war that felt so human — something rare for shooters at the time.
However, once Infinity Ward was formed and former Medal of Honor devs went over, Call of Duty started eating Medal of Honor's lunch. From there, the decline of this decorated franchise was quick and brutal. EA even tried to rejuvenate and revive the series in 2010, but it was clear that they had gone the "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" route, and 2010's Medal of Honor lacked any sort of identity. The sequel, Warfighter, tanked even harder, which became the final nail in the coffin. Credit where it's due, though — they still attempted a revival in 2020 with a VR title, but everyone and their dog had moved on by then. Medal of Honor didn't just fade — it was outclassed by the very people who once made it great.
Medal of Honor: Warfighter
Released October 15, 2012
ESRB m // Blood, Intense Violence, Strong Language
Developer(s) Danger Close Games
Publisher(s) EA
Multiplayer Online Multiplayer
Franchise Medal of Honor
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2 F.E.A.R. was a phenomenal idea that should have never died
The only thing that has come close is RE7's third act
Oh boy — F.E.A.R. gave me nightmares back in the day. To this day, no game has combined traditional, tactical FPS action with psychological horror quite like F.E.A.R. did. I still remember the first time Alma showed up — I must've been eight or nine years old, wondering why I was feeling afraid while holding an assault rifle, of all things. The F.E.A.R. series is known as a true masterpiece — well, at least some of it. The game leveraged a remarkably intelligent A.I. for its time, which was so clever that enemies would flank, flush, and corner you, instead of just ducking into cover and waiting to eat a bullet.
F.E.A.R. 2 and 3 tried expanding Alma's lore, but in doing so, they failed to balance terror and tactics quite like the first game. The series itself went through a lot of hoops to get where it did — publishers kept changing, and the rights of the IP became messier than Alma's retconned story. F.E.A.R. 3 was much like Dead Space 3 — solid gameplay, but the horror elements were just not there. So, the game received mixed reviews, and the franchise just... fizzled out. The remarkable F.E.A.R. games will always have the bones of a brilliant series, but they have become a relic of a time when FPS games could still innovate, but not just for the sake of innovation.
F.E.A.R. 3
Released June 21, 2011
ESRB m
Publisher(s) Warner Bros. Interactive
Engine Despair Engine
Multiplayer Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer
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1 Soldier of Fortune is one franchise I wish never died
Stuck now in licensing limbo and obscurity, Soldier of Fortune might never be coming back
Believe it or not, my first time ever playing a Soldier of Fortune game was at an Internet café, where I went to get some printouts done. Within the first half hour, I'd seen more limbs fly than in any war movie. Soldier of Fortune made you feel every bullet, which, as I later found out, was thanks to its remarkable GHOUL damage system. It was brutal, it was gory, and it was gloriously over-the-top. But underneath the carnage was actually a pretty solid tactical shooter with great weaponry.
Then came Soldier of Fortune II, built on the id Tech engine, and it made everything better. The gunplay was tighter, and the mercenary fantasy kept players like me hooked. However, in the PS3/Xbox360 era, when the third game, Payback, came out, it was pretty much a nothingburger. It looked like one of the hundreds of shooters out there at the time, and felt like a straight-to-DVD sequel — soulless.
And this was because it was never a Soldier of Fortune game — it was just another shooter that Activision slapped the Soldier of Fortune name-tag on at the last minute to sell it for full price. From then on, it was radio silence — this could very well have been a long-standing FPS series known for its tactical depth and adult tone, but instead, it got buried under a pile of forgettable imitators.
I truly believe that Soldier of Fortune could actually thrive today, since we're back in the age of gritty realism and visceral combat, but I'm not quite sure the publishers would have the guts for it.
Soldier of Fortune: Payback
Released November 13, 2007
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These FPS titles helped build the tactical-FPS foundation
Once the backbone of the genre, these games are now ghosts.
These memorable FPS titles were never just one-hit wonders — they were building blocks that defined an entire era. Sure, time hasn't been kind to them, but I would be the first in line for a proper comeback.
It hurts to see how casually these franchises were discarded or left to obscurity. In a genre where "innovation" is now just done for innovation's sake with a "make FPS great again" hat on top of it, maybe it's time we finally started listening to the titles we left behind.
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