Shooter Video Games

Resurrection of Evil is a stand-alone expansion of 2004's technology-advancing Doom 3. The game's single-player campaign casts players as an engineer, sent to investigate a strange beacon signal coming from the now-abandoned industrial base on Mars. While the same style of desperate, one-against-the-world shooter gameplay prevails, many missions are set in more natural, cavernous environments and the new player character has access to different equipment, including the fan-favorite double-barreled shotgun, and a Half-Life 2-esque gravity gun. The game also offers new online multiplayer options, for subscribers to the Xbox Live service. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Endorsed by the prominent enthusiast publication Splat Magazine, this paintball game is designed to present a realistic simulation of the tactics, action, and excitement that draws countless weekend warriors to the indoor and outdoor arenas where the sport is played. Game types include Capture the Flag, Siege, Center Flag Pull, Center Flag Push, and Elimination. The single-player mode has players battling their way up the ranks, through 20 competitions against increasingly skilled teams. Multiplayer combat is supported as well, for up to 14, through the Xbox Live service. The game ships with an editor that allows players to create their own multiplayer maps. ~ All Game Guide

After two tours of duty in Desert Storm (2002 and 2003) and battles through the thick jungles in Vietnam (2004), Pivotal Games' Conflict series of military shooters looks to take its fight to the terrorists, with this modern warfare adventure. Veteran characters Bradley, Jones, Connors, and Foley have undergone intense counter-terrorist training for their missions in diverse, "hot spot" locations around the world, but nothing could fully prepare them for the challenges they face as the deadly organization known as March 33 begins to put its plans in motion. To prevent the terrorist plans from succeeding, single players once again take control of a small squad of soldiers, making use of each individual's skills as the situations require. Multiplayer modes are supported for online gamers. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Far Cry has players controlling mercenary Jack Carver, who has recently arrives a tropical island to find himself alone and outgunned against a mysterious militia. The game runs on developer Crytek Studios' own "CryENGINE," which features unpredictable enemies that use group tactics to make Carver's job more difficult. Enemy units include scouts, stalkers, snipers, and grenadiers, each of whom can call for reinforcements to arrive by land, sea, or air.

Fortunately for players, Carver can gain access to a variety of weapons and items, such as motion-sensing binoculars to help in isolating targets from afar. Fighting, however, isn't always the answer when one is severely outnumbered, and players may choose to rely on stealth tactics to help see them through. Far Cry: Instincts is the Xbox version of the PC original, Far Cry, which was critically praised for its enemy AI, outdoor environments, and technological proficiency. ~ All Game Guide

The first follow-up to Road to Hill 30 returns players to World War II, in the new role of U.S. Army Sergeant Joe "Red" Hartsock. Players will witness the D-day invasion at Normandy first-hand, through Hartsock's eyes, before pressing forward to Carentan and beyond. Once again, the game calls on virtual squad leaders to organize the men beneath them to operate as a team; instead of hell-bent running and gunning, soldiers must work together to recon their surroundings, provide cover fire, and pin down the enemy, before they move in for the final kill. This teamwork is well served by a sense of camaraderie, which can be developed through the game's RPG-style aspects.

Aside from the setting and characters, new features in Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood include weapons such as the M3 "grease gun" and vehicles like the M10 "Wolverine" Tank Destroyer. The enemy has access to new resources as well, however, and refined enemy A.I. is designed to pose at least a much a challenge as in Road to Hill 30. Earned in Blood also introduces a same-screen cooperative mode and expanded online multiplayer support. As in the development of the first Brothers in Arms game, developer Gearbox elicited input from real-life veterans, including Airborne Ranger Col. John Antal, in its effort to create a historically accurate World War II setting. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

This fourth full release in the series that first brought the techno-thriller fiction of author Tom Clancy to the forefront of gamer consciousness, Rainbow Six: Lockdown deploys its counter-terrorism challenges on PC and all three 128-bit generation consoles. The Rainbow Six games are known for allowing players to target sophisticated objectives with surgical strike styled operations, and featuring characters and squads that become more skillful with successful missions. Lockdown turns the tables, challenging Team Rainbow with vengeful enemies who become more deadly as the game progresses. Gameplay follows the format of earlier Rainbow Six games, as players choose a three-soldier team from an international selection of crack operatives, then plan and execute their operation. A new single-player mode lets player take the role of Ding Chavez, returning leader of Team Rainbow, or Dieter Weber, a sniper who must provide cover from afar for his teammates, as they execute their orders in enemy installations. The Xbox version of Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Lockdown is playable over the Xbox Live network, and supports an exclusive "Career" mode that lets players create and develop a custom multiplayer character. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

This stand-alone add-on for Xbox offers new missions, maps, and modes that continue the gameplay set forth in the original Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2. Developed by the series' creators at Red Storm Entertainment, Summit Strike includes 11 single-player missions and 15 new weapons. Multiplayer gamers are challenged with a total of two dozen squad-based, solo, and cooperative game modes. The new "Heli Hunt" mode has players avoiding detection by -- and whenever possible, eliminating -- resurgent fleets of enemy 'copters that seek them out. "Armor Strike" mode has opposing teams infiltrating each other's territory and competing to "laze" the most enemy armored vehicles for destruction. ~ All Game Guide

Based on the intense, 2003 PC version of the first-person shooter, the Xbox edition of Delta Force: Black Hawk Down offers real-world warfare and extensive support for online multiplayer gaming. The game represents Novalogic's thoroughly researched interpretation of Operation Restore Hope, casting players as fictional characters in the center of the real-world event that took place in Somalia in 1993. Players can choose from the roles of Sniper, Gunner, CQB (Close Quarter Battle) specialist, or Medic.

As in previous Delta Force games, players must use intelligent tactics as they lead their squads through battles in large, outdoor environments. As many as 50 players can fight together over the Xbox Live service -- the highest number of single-session players supported by any Xbox game at the time of release. Eight modes of play are available online, including Deathmatch, Search & Destroy, Capture the Flag, and Team King of the Hill. A split-screen co-op mode is also available, for up to four players, and 16 single-player missions are included as well.

Publisher Novalogic has pledged a portion of the proceeds from the Xbox version of Delta Force: Black Hawk Down to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, a charitable organization that provides financial aid, educational counseling, and scholarship grants to the children of Special Operations personnel who were killed in the line of duty. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

EA Games' Medal of Honor series once again deploys first-person shooter fans to some of the most heated battles of World War II, in European Assault. Players take command of a squad of specialist operatives and engage in critical missions in the European Theater. As they move through the storyline, players become acquainted with powerful, recurring characters that represent the most ruthless officers to ever serve in Hitler's armed forces. Actions taken in the field affect future missions, and the success of Allied effort overall.

The single player campaign has gamers taking the role of U.S. Army Lieutenant William Holt, who has the honor of being chosen as the first field agent to serve under the newly formed Office of Strategic Services. Holt embarks on a number of secretive, commando-style missions, such as gathering intelligence about Nazi troop movements and sabotaging the Axis' development of atomic weapons. In addition to these clandestine operations, Lieutenant Holt faces plenty of historical shooter action, as his missions lead him to vital engagements across Europe, including Stalingrad and the Battle of the Bulge.

Like earlier games in the series, European Assault boosts detailed historical accuracy in both its mission locations and available equipment. The storyline of European Assault was written by accomplished screenplay author and movie director John Milius, who known for his creative contributions to films such as Dirty Harry, Jaws, and Apocalypse Now. The counsel of other experts was recruited as well, including Captain Dale Dye, USMC (ret.), who has served as the series' Military Technical Advisor since it launched in 1999. Once again, developers also consulted with the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Advent Rising is a sci-fi shooter with a storyline penned by author Orson Scott Card, whose video game credits include The Dig and the Monkey Island series of adventure games. Advent Rising tells the story of a supposedly peaceful race called the Seekers. The setting takes place in a universe where planets have banded together to shape future policy and promote goodwill throughout the galaxy. It is a universe where members of an intergalactic council have appointed the Seekers as overseers in the development of new civilizations before these planets are permitted to join the esteemed council. Yet the Seekers are not as diplomatic as they seem. Another species has learned of a sinister plot by the Seekers to eliminate the human race.

A small band of human freedom fighters, led by a man named Gideon Wyeth, plans to stop this form of genocide at all costs. Players assume the role of Gideon while exploring the 3D worlds from a third-person perspective. Advent Rising offers a variety of weapons with which to thwart the armies of Seekers, and players will also be able to commandeer vehicles and channel special mind powers for protection as well as offense. The first of a planned trilogy of titles, Advent Rising uses Epic Games' Unreal technology to create the worlds in which players must battle. Orson Scott Card has also written a companion novel to expand upon the ideas found in the game, which can be purchased at the time of Advent Rising's release. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide