Looter shooter games

[vee-kay]

I know we BL fans are so accustomed to the tried-n-trusted looter shooter mechanics of these BL games, that no other game series tends to scratch that unique itch, so we keep coming back to these BL games, despite their much-discussed flaws.

But on that topic, let me ask our dear friends here...

Do you have any recommendations for some good looter shooter games?

If so, please shout out some games you played and liked, which can try to scratch that "looter shooter FPS" itch for us.

And since this is a BL3 forum, we can discuss what differentiates those games from BL3, and are they having some unique features and gameplay ideas that we would like to see incorporated into BL4? Let's try to add some fresh insights into this forum, rather than just the usual bickering and help-me queries.

[vee-kay]

In case, you didn't know - Humble Bundle store still has that awesome deal going on for "Best Boomer Shooters", which includes these great (rated Overwhelmingly/Very Positive on Steam) games: Ultrakill, Turbo Overkill, Forgive Me Father 2, Deadlink, Prodeus, Quake II, Postal: Brain Damaged Connoisseur Edition. Go get that sweet sweet deal for just $18+, and yeah, you can activate and play those games on/via Steam !

Risk of Rain 2 is currently on a discount, and it's got Overwhelmingly Positive rating on Steam. Seems like a great looter shooter game, I'm gonna try it out.

Another FPS looter shooter (kinda) game "OMFG : One Million Fatal Guns" has recently been free to play, so I've been having some wholesome fun in it (though it is a simplistic easy game). It has some really whacky guns (including a gun that shoots scornful text)! And it has no bloodshed (enemies are little robots, like those cute annoying cleaner bots in Wall-E movie), so it can be recommended for kids to play.

[Uzkniso o.o]

This is where we run into a problem and another reason as to why people want Borderlands 4 so bad: there's barely any other game that "scratches that itch". There's Tom Clancy's Division series, which sucks and then there's Outriders. Those seem to be the only games that actually tried to do what Borderlands series does (as close as possible), but failed.

There's not much to talk about here.

[WanderingArtist]

robo quest has some gun variety

[Bankai9212]

I could mention nioh but it’s more hack n slash, while having some more is cool there really isn’t much else they can do with the concept sorta like the current arpg loot games.

[Uzkniso o.o]

There's also Destiny series, but if they were amazing, then everyone would just play that.

[vee-kay]

Originally posted by Uzkniso o.o:

This is where we run into a problem and another reason as to why people want Borderlands 4 so bad: there's barely any other game that "scratches that itch". There's Tom Clancy's Division series, which sucks and then there's Outriders. Those seem to be the only games that actually tried to do what Borderlands series does (as close as possible), but failed.

There's not much to talk about here.

There are a few games that ought to have scratched that "looter-shooter FPS RPG" itch like Borderlands series did, but they failed to do so...

Mad Max game was supposed to be the Borderlands looter-shooter madness meets Arkham style combat meets Fallout4 post-apocalyptic world meets Just Cause 4 weather phenomena, but the game got so boring so fast. A lot of its game world was samey copy-paste, and vehicular fights & builds weren't too complex (compare this to even a mobile game like Crossout, which had far more complex vehicle builds, numerous weaponry and intense vehicular combat), and while the hand-to-hand combat was good and weather phenomenon was fun (fleeing an advancing duststorm while avoiding lightning strikes never gets old!), and the guns and gun fights felt like a chore (compare this to the extremely moddable and extremely satisfying Fallout4 guns and gunfights). I think game was a flop, so unfortunately there's no likelihood of a sequel that would fix most of these problems.

Cyberpunk 2077 is the best alternative which ticks most of criteria we expect in an FPS RPG, though I wouldn't call it a looter-shooter, still it's good a lot of content for fun gameplay and intense gunplay. But it requires faster newer gaming PC, in order to run well (but wow, what a beautiful game it is!).

Far Cry 5 is a game I loved (I haven't tried Far Cry 6 yet), and its gunplay is solid (as is the case with all FC games), but the gun variety was shockingly less (and even mods cannot do much for the lackadaisical gunplay; however, there are hundreds of modded maps to play for free, as Ubisoft released the Map Editor and provided lot of assets for mapmaking freely from many of its games), but its storyline, characters and questing are excellent, though the RPG mechanics were dumbed down compared to previous games.

Fallout4 has good gunplay too (and becomes awesome due to availability of lot of mods, especially those that add guns, realistic gun animations, etc.), excellent atmosphere as a post-apocalyptic world, and decent questing, but a lot of that world is just empty wasteland, and the game gets boring after a while, even with mods.

Destiny 2 was something that gamers had lot of hopes from, but it is a sheer disappointment. Most of the game is an exasperating grindfest, the guns are nice but good guns are hard to acquire (and too much relies on luck rather than skill), and the maps and quests are mostly empty and boring. and enemy AI is merely aggressive, not intelligent. When the devs removed maps/content they had provided earlier, it left a sour taste for gamers.

This is where Borderlands series outshines most other FPS RPG games, because of its sheer number of varied maps (so solo adventuring is not so boring, and coop makes it all 10x more intense fun), interesting enemie, funny characters, decent storyline (except BL3 , LOL), and of course, the uber awesome gazillion guns and excellent gunplay that make Borderlands series so unique and fun to play.

Gamers lauded Borderlands TPS (The Pre-Sequel) for its Moon based maps and gameplay, but too many fetch quests and backtracking made the game irritating. But there's another game based on an alien planet, that's basically Far Cry on colorful steroids:
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.
I am yet to play this Avatar game, but it looks like it is a fun alternative to all these games, that ticks most of the boxes and does it all well. Its gorgeous Pandora world, animals & mounts (including flyable Ikran and rideable Direhorse), characters, combat, etc., look to be really interesting and fun.

Helldivers 2 and Deep Rock Galactic Survivor have got rave reviews for their intense combat and excellent coop, but I'm not sure how much variety in guns and loot they provide. Worth picking up when they are on a sale.
I think if the devs add a lot of loot variety to these games, that'll be even more fun, but coop may become unbalanced I guess.

I haven't tried The Division, though I've played the old Tom Clancy Rainbow Six games, and I (mistakenly) though Division is similar stealth combat FPS strategy game (Deus Ex, Metal Gear, Dishonored being the other veterans in this genre;keep an eye on that remake of Thief also), but thanks for your recommendation, I'll have a dekko at this Division game.

If we want simple good looter-shooter game, then Risk of Rain 2 seem to be currently the only decent alternative to Borderlands series, and despite its simplistic graphics, it is an excellent fun game, and even more remarkable because it is an indie.

[vee-kay]

Originally posted by WanderingArtist:

robo quest has some gun variety

Thank you, I'll have a look. What did you like in Robo Quest aside from gun variety? Does it do gunplay/combat, adventuring/questing, storyline, characters well too?

[vee-kay]

Originally posted by Bankai9212:

I could mention nioh but it’s more hack n slash, while having some more is cool there really isn’t much else they can do with the concept sorta like the current arpg loot games.

ARPG games (Diablo clones) are always loot games. I feel Diablo II, Grim Dawn and Torchlight II, Titan Quest are the best in this genre. Last Epoch is shaping up well, and it seems good. Path of Exile is okayish, but I don't like its greedy microtransactions and forcing the bad inventory management system (too less inventory space for a looter ARPG game). Divinity Original Sin 2 is a much better fantastic game, if people like turn-based ARPG games.

Baldur's Gate 3 and its predecessors (Baldur's Gate series and Icewind Dale series) are fantastic RPGs too. BG3 has swept all GOTY awards, and kudos to Larian Games for making such a beautiful masterpiece. We gamers needs more such awesome games.

When we talk hack-n-slash, there's one game series that's underrated but so awesome: Vermintide and its sequel Vermintide 2. Please check out this game, this is intense combat, and such excellent atmosphere and gameplay, it's a shame these games are not more popular. Get them when they're on a deep discount sale.

Thanks for recommending Nioh. I haven't played Nioh yet, but it was given away for free on Epic store a few years ago, and its video trailers make it appear to be third-person hack-n-slash similar to Monster Hunter, Dragon's Dogma remake and Witcher 3. There are many good games in that genre too. Alongside Nioh, I also want to try that Wukong, Remnant, Kingdom Come Deliverance and Ghost of Tsuhima (when it comes to PC) games.

[vee-kay]

Originally posted by Uzkniso o.o:

There's also Destiny series, but if they were amazing, then everyone would just play that.

Destiny series are the definition of tedious grindfest. Since it is a free to play MMO FPS, I was so eager to play it, but it feels so empty and boring, the maps are slow to load, with random difficulty spikes, and getting good loot seems to be more luck than skill. The devs did us gamers dirty by removing previously available/sold content.

You'll have more fun playing Warframe, as it's also free with fun combat and lots of characters, but heads up : it gets a lot of big updates frequently.

[Bankai9212]

If you play nioh play 2, besides it be a prequel it just plays better in general.

[TheSmilingDoom]

I just discovered that the OG looter-shooter, Hellgate London, is getting a sequel (after 17 years no less, lol). If they get that right, Borderlands will have a serious contestant for the looter shooter throne. I loved that game despite it's technical quirks and lack of polish. The lore and the atmosphere were top notch. Super stoked about this, but sadly this is going to be in the making for quite some time until we'll get to see it.

[Bankai9212]

If history repeats it will crash and burn like the original. Compared to back then the current landscape it would be hard for it to compete with other mmos.

[vee-kay]

Originally posted by TheSmilingDoom:

I just discovered that the OG looter-shooter, Hellgate London, is getting a sequel (after 17 years no less, lol). If they get that right, Borderlands will have a serious contestant for the looter shooter throne. I loved that game despite it's technical quirks and lack of polish. The lore and the atmosphere were top notch. Super stoked about this, but sadly this is going to be in the making for quite some time until we'll get to see it.

I never played Hellgate London, as I had dismissed it as some Doom clone Metro Exodus wannabe. I'm tempted now to have a look at it.

Originally posted by Bankai9212:

If history repeats it will crash and burn like the original. Compared to back then the current landscape it would be hard for it to compete with other mmos.

MMOs are bad for the looter shooter genre, because they focus on endless grinding, empty wastelands, innumerable fetch quests and microtransactions.

And talking of MMOs. Destiny2 can go suck a decayed lemon, it is a shame what Bungie did to it.

What we need is a solid FPS game that's mainly single-player (but also smoothly online coop capable) game, with excellent mechanics, with lots of interesting semi-randomized loot, that can serve as a looter shooter.

Remember Titanfall2? It has arguably the best single-player campaign in FPS history.
Now if we can get a Titanfall3 that's a looter shooter, it would be a match made in heaven.
Too bad, the devs (Epic) instead decided to focus on battle-royale game Fortnite instead.

[Bankai9212]

Titan fall 2 was a curated campaign combining the movement with looter shooter elements would bog down the experience same issue nioh has. Hell gate is a third person game so not sure how it’s a clone of doom let alone metro considering it came out before that game.

[Uzkniso o.o]

Originally posted by vee-kay:

Mad Max game was supposed to be the Borderlands looter-shooter madness meets Arkham style combat meets Fallout4 post-apocalyptic world meets Just Cause 4 weather phenomena, but the game got so boring so fast.

I enjoyed Mad Max for what it was. Had a blast playing it.

Originally posted by vee-kay:

Cyberpunk 2077 is the best alternative which ticks most of criteria we expect in an FPS RPG, though I wouldn't call it a looter-shooter, still it's good a lot of content for fun gameplay and intense gunplay. But it requires faster newer gaming PC, in order to run well (but wow, what a beautiful game it is!).

Cyberpunk launch made me never care about it. Maybe I'll try Cyberpunk 2 if it's ever going to release.

Originally posted by vee-kay:

Far Cry 5 is a game I loved (I haven't tried Far Cry 6 yet), and its gunplay is solid (as is the case with all FC games), but the gun variety was shockingly less (and even mods cannot do much for the lackadaisical gunplay; however, there are hundreds of modded maps to play for free, as Ubisoft released the Map Editor and provided lot of assets for mapmaking freely from many of its games), but its storyline, characters and questing are excellent, though the RPG mechanics were dumbed down compared to previous games.

I love Far Cry series. Played FC1 (the original), FC2, FC5, New Dawn, FC6. Will play FC7. It's fun sneaking up on dudes.

Originally posted by vee-kay:

This is where Borderlands series outshines most other FPS RPG games, because of its sheer number of varied maps (so solo adventuring is not so boring, and coop makes it all 10x more intense fun), interesting enemie, funny characters, decent storyline (except BL3 , LOL), and of course, the uber awesome gazillion guns and excellent gunplay that make Borderlands series so unique and fun to play.

Yea, again, there's just no other games like the Borderlands series.