"This was a great year for gaming". It seems as though that phrase is repeated every January, and with good reason. Since the PC gaming boom of the early 1990's, each successive year has brought with it games that have excelled in their genre and raised the bar just a bit higher.
1998 was no different. Almost every major genre was represented by at least one banner game, in many cases more. Blizzard's Starcraft and Bungie's Myth II stirred the stagnant waters of real-time strategies while titles like Falcon 4.0, European Air War and Jane's WWII Fighters broke new ground in the combat flight simulator genre. The sports category was especially refreshing this year with the graphically impressive FIFA 99, the technically accurate Madden NFL 99 and the outrageous NFL Blitz. The RPG genre was bestowed with two absolutely gripping yet completely different games in the form of Final Fantasy VII and Baldur's Gate while amateur racers everywhere were mesmerized by the likes of Need For Speed III, GrandPrix Legends and Viper Racing.
However one genre begs to be acknowledged… and was it ever in 1998. Of course, we're referring to the ever-popular FPS, or first person shooter genre. Started by a young Id Software, the genre was born with the release of Wolfenstein in 1992 and instantly germinated into one of, if not the most successful niche of gaming.
Today, multi-polygonal, skeletal animated models replace the 2-dimensional sprites of Id's pioneer game; Simple corridors have made way for expansive levels; Bland tiles have been supplanted with vibrant and crisp textures; Repetitive objectives have been shaped into intricate storylines. Things sure have changed since the $5 shareware days.
1998 saw the launch of a host of first person shooters, each powered by a 3D engine (or an incarnation of one) more impressive than the next. All in all, well over 20 titles were accounted for last year; a staggering figure. We separate the gristle from the meat and serve up ten of 1998's biggest shooters in Sharky Extreme's Shooter Shootout. We start off with the cold and migrate to the hot.
