Shooter Video Games

Inversion is a third-person shooter with a modern, sci-fi setting, and concussive action that is distinguished by gravity-control powers and destructible environments. In the main campaign, players take the role of an ordinary cop named Davis Russel, who finds himself in extraordinary peril when his city is attacked by an unknown force, armed with futuristic technology. Battles are now waged with weapons that can crush objects, reverse the force of gravity, or remove its effects altogether. The entire story can be played cooperatively, and online multiplayer competition is also available.

Developed by TimeShift creator, Saber Interactive, the game uses a version of the Havok physics engine to model collisions and destruction in game's vertigo-inducing skyscraper canyons, where rubble from a crumbling building may as likely fall upwards as downs, or hang weightless in mid-air to obstruct passage or provide cover. The game offers plenty of shooter action, but learning to use gravity to attack enemies indirectly, with objects and debris in the environment, may be crucial in major battles. Players will also manipulate gravity to solve puzzles and progress to new areas. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier is set about 10 or 15 years in the future, a time when advanced technology augments the squad-based tactics that have become the backbone of modern military operations. As members of a small team of highly trained Ghost operatives, players engage in strike-force styled missions designed for surgical accuracy and efficiency. Even the most foresighted plans are sure to unravel in the chaos of a live firefight, however, so players must also communicate with their teammates, in order to adapt to constantly changing mission conditions.

A cooperative multiplayer mode allows up to four human players to work together throughout the game's main campaign, but even computer-controlled teammates are endowed with the tactical training and circumstantial awareness to support a solo player. When they say "ghost," they mean it. Of all the speculative weaponry featured in the game, no device in the Future Soldier's armament is more important than the optical camouflage cloak. It can render a soldier nearly invisible, giving him the ability to disappear into shadows and a chance to advance (carefully) across open ground to more advantageous positioning, even in broad daylight, without being spotted by the enemy.

The game also outfits Ghosts with lightweight exoskeletons to enhance their speed and strength in the field. In all, a small arsenal of hyper-tech weapons and defensive devices is available, including some that were inspired by actual design concepts proposed to the U.S. military. The versatile "bullpup" caseless modular rifle, which can be refit on-the-fly for a wide range of deadly purposes, is standard issue. Combat with unmanned drones -- rolling robots, armed to the teeth -- also plays a role, both in the main campaign and in competitive multiplayer modes.

Following the lead of earlier Ghost Recon adventures, Future Soldier's battles are not won through boisterous frontal assaults or courageous one-man stands, but more realistically, with good planning and coordinated readjustments in the field. Compared to earlier games, stealth is more prominent than ever, often leading to close combat and ninja-like takedown moves. The story is set in a time of international upheaval, as Russia's legitimately elected president is deposed by a nationalist coup and conflicts erupt near the country's eastern borders. Beyond these Northern European engagements, the campaign eventually leads players to missions in the Middle East, central Asia, and above the arctic circle. As new intelligence is uncovered during the course of a mission, players responsible for making the split-second, life-or-death decisions in the field sometimes must strategically reconsider the larger diplomatic picture, instead of plodding on toward pre-set tactical objectives. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Released in conjunction with the third feature film in the series, the Men in Black video game offers a mix of accessible action and lighthearted humor. The original story is inspired by the movies and comic books, and the play style is reminiscent of an arcade light gun shooter. Players don the dark glasses to move through on-rails action sequences, employing the latest in galactic technology to scan for disguised aliens, zap the memories from unwitting civilian eyewitnesses, and engage in sizzling sci-fi firefights against extraterrestrial ne'er-do-wells. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

The series that introduced "bullet-time" gunplay for dramatic and artful slow-motion shooting sequences returns after a seven-year hiatus with Max Payne 3. The gritty and vengeful protagonist, whose family was viciously murdered by drug addicts, has left his role as a New York City detective to start a clean slate in another country: Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Yet Payne cannot escape the violence that has tragically shaped his character. Twelve years after the events from the second game, Payne finds himself victim of a double cross. An older, wearier Payne must once again rely on his primal instincts to find a way out of his quandary. The action takes place from a third-person perspective as Payne utilizes an assortment of weapons to mete out his distinctive brand of justice.

For the first time in the series, Max Payne 3 includes a multiplayer component that has players earning experience, acquiring skills, and completing objectives in a sequence of events. Players will choose a faction and then battle the opposing team, using bullet-time and slow-motion dodges to gain a tactical edge on the competition. Objectives range from collecting duffel bags of money to disarming bombs to conquering territory. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Combining first-person shooting with modern naval tactics, Activision's Battleship is an action-adventure based on the 2012 film from Universal Pictures, with strategic play inspired by Hasbro's classic tabletop game. The game is set in Hawaii, where aliens launch their amphibious incursion of Earth, but follows an original, parallel storyline. As demolitions specialist Cole Mathis, players command the "siege on the sea," managing the fleet to outmaneuver and outgun the enemy. They'll also engage in the "war on the shore," leading troops in shooter combat against the invaders.

On land, the outdoor shooter action is fierce and fast-paced, with powerful weapons and high-tech body armor that encourage risky, front line assaults. At sea, players command their frigates, cruisers, destroyers, submarines, and battleships in real-time combat, competing for advantageous positioning and control of key locations. Battles play out concurrently across the region, and gamers can switch back and forth between these two modes of play. Character equipment and naval vessels can be custom-upgraded throughout the adventure. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Designed by the team behind Warhawk on PlayStation 3, Starhawk is third-person space shooter that places you in the middle of an epic war against your choice of computer-controlled or online players. Two factions fight over a powerful resource called Rift Energy in the far reaches of space: the Rifters, a ragtag group of human colonists, and the Outcast, former humans transformed into monsters. Players will engage their foes in space as well as on land.

Starhawk players can also generate bases, vehicles, and defensive weapons on the fly while attempting to complete mission objectives. Up to 32 players can compete in online matches, with the game supporting four-player cooperative action in multiple game types as well. Online players can enter tournaments, view leaderboards, participate in clans, and track both progress and upcoming events on Android-powered mobile devices. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

A sequel to the 2005 stealth shooter, Sniper Elite 2 returns players to the battlefields of World War II for solo assignments behind enemy lines. Posing deadly puzzles of tactical positioning and split-second timing, each mission demands preparation, patience, and steel-nerved execution. Reconnaissance is crucial, in order to take the right shot at the right time, while remaining concealed for a safe escape to the next waypoint. Precision shots are rewarded with graphic "kill cam" cutaways, which show the bullet impacting the victim's skeleton with a slow motion, x-ray effect. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Operation Raccoon City challenges squads of highly trained paramilitary specialists, with third-person shooting and tactical action that plays out in the tense, creepy environments of the influential survival horror series. The narrative looks back to the time of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3, with a fresh perspective. In the aftermath of the T-virus outbreak in September 1998, players take the roles of Umbrella Security soldiers, charged with clean-up and cover-up. Armed with the latest bio-organic weaponry, players engage in modern military operations of unilateral morality.

The difficulty of these operations increases exponentially, with the arrival of U.S. Special Forces agents to conduct their own investigations. As elite Umbrella operatives, players must eliminate any evidence of the biological disaster, including the monsters it spawned, as well as any survivors who may escape to expose the truth. Even as the action turns from single-player horror to squad-based shooting, the setting is replete with Resident Evil lore and apprehension-inducing play mechanics. Playing from the perspective of the "bad guys," gamers have an opportunity to rewrite Resident Evil history, by reversing an influential battle or eliminating a key character.

Traditional PvP and PvE elements blend in the games' multiplayer modes, as gamers must battle directly against the bloodthirsty zombie monsters that infest the title location, as well as against operatives on the opposing squad. A four-player co-op mode pits an Umbrella Security Service squad against computer-controlled zombies and government agents. Operation Raccoon City was developed by contemporary SOCOM designer, Slant Six Games, in collaboration with the series creator, Capcom. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

A reimagined version of Bullfrog's 1993 isometric strategy game, Syndicate is a futuristic first-person shooter designed by Swedish developer Starbreeze Studios. You play as a computer-enhanced agent named Miles Kilo in a world ruthlessly run by mega-corporations. Working on behalf of Eurocorp, Agent Kilo must use his militarized neural chip implant, combat training, and advanced weapons to infiltrate rival corporations, assassinate key targets, and retrieve important technology.

Miles' chip implant lets him analyze the world around him. Digital overlays will appear over people, defense turrets, security doors, and other objects, allowing players to hack or breach systems to override their controls. Since the general population has also received neural implants, they can be breached as well -- allowing you the option to influence minds in violent or peaceful ways.

Each type of ability, whether it's seeing through walls or slowing time, is fueled by adrenaline that's maintained through combat and performing other high-risk actions. As you progress, you'll be able to acquire new equipment, chips, and weapons to enhance your character's abilities. In addition to the single-player campaign, Syndicate offers four-player online co-op support in nine missions inspired by the original game. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

In the same destroy-or-be-destroyed spirit as the best-selling games that bore the title before it, Twisted Metal for PlayStation 3 is a violent vehicular shooter, with arcade pacing and fighting-game styled rivalries. Players choose from more than a dozen vehicles, with different balances of speed, handling, and durability, and each heavily armed with a distinct mix of missiles, machine guns, and (often darkly humorous) mascot special attacks.

The new "Juggernaut" is a full-sized tractor trailer that can blast through barricades and bullet spray, loading up with two additional teammates for increased firepower, as they man its multiple mounted turrets. For the first time in the series, some vehicles can take to the air. The "Talon" is a small helicopter with a big mini-gun. Combat plays out across apocalyptic battlegrounds full of ramps, shortcuts, blind corners, and destructible landmarks.

The story has each player allying with one of four factions, inspired by some of the most memorable characters from earlier Twisted Metal games. A split-screen option is available for two to four players on the same console. As many as 16 can battle online, over the PlayStation Network, in a variety of multiplayer modes.

The PlayStation 3's 2011 version of Twisted Metal was developed by Eat Sleep Play. The studio's co-founders, David Jaffe and Scott Campbell, were responsible for the design, direction, and technical development of previous games in the series, including the PS2's Twisted Metal: Black and the 1995 PlayStation original. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide