7 Obscure FPS Games

[@Lolotrixx]

Never heard of any of these games. Awseome video, keep up the great work man

[@SheolAbaddonus666]

I've never played it but there is an FPS game called World War Zero on steam. Also, on GOG, there is another game called "Venom. Codename Outbreak", which was made by GSC Gameworld - the guys behind S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

[@freeckycakeOG]

Oh yes, Iron Storm's World War Zero is great. I think you'll see it mentioned in my second part of "Classic Hidden Gem FPS Games" Venom. Codename Outbreak & Vietcong have been on my list for years, but I honestly didn't know Venom was from the developers behind STALKER. Awesome to know!

[@RickyIcecubes]

Black is the most underrated FPS of all time IMO

[@HDbacon]

I remember Clive Barker's Undying, I only ever played the demo but was pretty cool horror FPS. Nice video!

[@TheJayson8899]

I loved Mace Griffin as a kid

[@arkgaharandan5881]

mace griffin difficulty is what happens when you fail the first rule of game design, "if the difficulty is just right, then its probably to hard" because you are the person who made the game and the maps knows where every enemy is so its too easy for you and you need to make it harder. Its surreal how hard mace griffin can be at times. Redline on the other had is impossibly hard at all times. Play psychotoxic, as long as you strafe towards one direction the enemy cant hit you so its easy.

[@freeckycakeOG]

Don't forget the snipers in Mace Griffin. They react too damn quick. Like, the moment you enter a new level, you get shot by these guys. It always makes you go " what the hell just happened? wait, who's shooting? from where?". I didn't go far in Psychotoxic, but I remember the anger. That game and Necrovision (original), have some of the fastest enemies I've ever seen.

[@SAYHI2JAMMY]

great video, glad i randomly stumbled upon this channel ♥ gonna be checking out a few of these

[@SAYHI2JAMMY]

LMFAO CLIFF BARKERS ONION

[@freeckycakeOG]

Hey, glad you found this channel. There's a lot to cover when it comes to FPS games. All I need is time! "LMFAO CLIFF BARKERS ONION" KZbin can sometimes be funny

[@johannlabertaler6095]

I tried to play basically every FPS game possible in the last few years and I thought I covered them all, I crawled through all of abandonware sites and played all the slavjank, but man, I did NOT expect these!

[@freeckycakeOG]

This is just the beginning ;)

[@dhoffnun]

I played Redline when it was new, and it impressed me at the time being the first game I'd played with seamless transitions between FPS and vehicle combat. It's standard now, but was something else at the time. Ha, I also remember trying to get ZPC working on my computer ages ago

[@IzunaSlap]

Undying is classic. Its obscurity is absolutely criminal.

[@dwyerrr]

great video bro. love from scotland!

[@deathssnumberonefan]

Machine Head on the Saturn and PS1 I think is one of the most underrated and obscure first person shooters ever.

[@freeckycakeOG]

Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to tackle obscure PS1/Saturn FPS games in the future!

[@deathssnumberonefan]

@@freeckycakeOG for awhile I played through several. Tunnel B1 is another but it’s not as intuitive. Machine Head was also from Core Design, same people who did Tomb Raider.

[@Deadforge]

Damn a new underrated FPS channel.

[@ThommyofThenn]

Now adays i select them based on how delightful their accent is. Been on an estonian kick lately, before that it was netherlands

[@dignusdingus3709]

I never knew Clive Barker had a game before Jericho.

[@freeckycakeOG]

Now you do!

[@PenguinDT]

ZPC needs a remaster and a proper NightDive treatment - for the art alone. Always loved BRUTE!'s striking style.

[@100Servings]

These are great videos, and your retro style gets better with each one. You're definitely creating your own aesthetic, and your humor is great. Mace Griffin was supposed to be a big property. He was voiced by Henry Rollins, and there was serious talk of a movie before the game came out. The big tech breakthrough was being able to transition from foot to spacecraft almost seamlessly. Unfortunately, it was basically just FPS in full 3D with no gravity. Still a fun game, if you don't mind the repetition. Undying is unique in that it's one of the only FPS games where you shoot left handed. It also had heavy involvement by Clive Barker himself, from the character and writing, to voicing a character himself in the game. While I prefer Jericho, Undying was a much bigger leap forward in technology and gameplay. Totally underrated. If you're into some really obscure stuff (which you obviously are), check out the game Cyber-Org. I was in the military and living in Japan in the late 1990s, and despite not speaking the language, I bought and played a ton of Japanese games. Cyber-Org was published by Squaresoft in 1999 and was inspired by American comic books in design. The voiceovers were all in English, and American game magazines showed it coming out in the US, but it never did. You played as three different characters, a human and two aliens, and fought your way through an enormous alien fortress. Along the way, you would find more weapons, modify them, level up, and use the different character skills to gain access to areas, like one character could glide, while another could destroy walls with his punches. It seemed like it would have been a hit, but it never was. It's just strange to be such a big fan of a game I have absolutely no one to talk about it with. Weird. Keep up the good work! Your Blood Will Tell video was amazing! Good stuff!

[@freeckycakeOG]

Hello, 1000Servings. It's good to see you again! I'm glad you enjoyed the video. Yes, I've read a bit about Mace Griffin, and like you said, there were plans for a movie. What I also know is there was going to be a sort of sequel (?) to the game called Falcone: Into the Maelestrom. Unseen64 details bits of that game, but nobody is really sure why the game looks similar to Mace Griffin in so many ways. Strange.. I would love to do a history video about the game, but lately it's been difficult to contact the creators of Brave: The Search for Spirit Dancer without getting ghosted :/ Hopefully, in the near future! I wish Clive Barker would return to make a game. But I think since the sequel to Undying was cancelled and seeing how Jericho also failed commercially, I doubt he has any motives to come back :/ Oh yeah, Cyber-org! It was once shown on my Facebook Obscure Hub. Good stuff. Wait a minute, you lived in Japan!? that's great! I didn't know that! I also didn't know the game was inspired by American Comic Books!. Maybe this game will be worth mentioning in one of my videos in the future. Perhaps a history of the game if I find any anything? Don't worry, I'm growing my group so that everyone can talk about games nobody cares about. You know the very obscure games that are slowly getting lost in time :/. I'm also guilty of this because whenever I mention games like say " Legend of Kay " or " Brave: The Search for Spirit Dancer ". There's little interest :/ Thank you once again, 1000Servings for the kind words. The Bujingai video will probably surpass Blood Will Tell in terms of production as I had to resort to a translator to fill the gaps Wiki has missed. Also a little bonus for you, I-Ninja will soon get a video as well. I contacted the developers, and they told me what inspired the game, and how it all began :D

[@AmericanGringo97]

I discovered your channel and I love your content.

[@freeckycakeOG]

Thanks @AmericanGringo97 I'll be doing a community post in the following days to inform everyone about the upcoming 3 videos I have planned.

[@RationalistRebel]

An obscure FPS that came to mind was Gunman Chronicles. I don't recall it being a particularly remarkable game from 2000, just one of many that utilized the popular Half-Life engine. It's wasn't bad, but not great either...mostly average. Like a few others back then, it had an "assistant" that occasionally chimed in with new objectives, plot points, and one-sided banter. Think of a low budget Cortana...only with an unpleasant voice that becomes grating after awhile. Of the few on the list I've played, I found Undying mostly enjoyable. The open-world exploration and haunting atmosphere were highlights of the game. Unfortunately, there isn't enough going on in and around an abandoned mansion to make the open exploration fulfilling. Getting lost isn't so bad if there's something to fill the void. Thief is an excellent example of how to fill those otherwise empty spaces. The only major complaints I had with Undying was the pacing, the unskippable death cutscenes, and the underutilized magic mechanic. If I recall correctly, you don't reach the second boss till around the halfway point. The distance between the remaining bosses becomes progressively shorter, as if the development was rushed even more after each one. Oh, and the obligatory non-ending to leave an opening for a sequel that wasn't ever going to be made.

[@RationalistRebel]

Another that might be worth mentioning is Ultima Underworld. Sure, it's technically an RPG. However, it had first-person exploration with full 360° movement through levels more 3D than either its labyrinthine dungeon-crawl predecessors or Wolfenstein 3D. It also had "ranged" weapons, which could qualify it as a "shooter". Underworld's grid-based level design could have angled corner walls and sloped floors with variable heights. In terms of complexity, it was somewhere between Tomb Raider and Wolfenstein 3D--which came out around a year after Underworld. Yep, a 3D first-person action game that predated Wolfenstein and was more advanced! It even had some static 3D props. Characters and most objects were sprite-based though. To be fair, ID's Catacomb 3D was a bit older, so I'd still credit it as the first "modern" FPS. Almost no one does though... Wolfenstein was actually based on that engine, it's just a much more polished game.

[@freeckycakeOG]

You know, I've been seeing the topic of " what was the first FPS game" for years and other questions about engines and such. I don't have any idea if anybody covered such topic, but if not, maybe I can do that once I'm done with my upcoming FPS video. Not long ago, a guy suggested several games to talk about on my next video, one of them was Gunman Chronicles. I'll have to get around to playing it so I can have a good idea about the game. There are too many obscure games to cover. Luckily, the goal of this video was to let everyone know about these games and whether they're worth it or not. So there's always an obscure title out there waiting to be covered.

[@RationalistRebel]

@@freeckycakeOG Yep, for every game that became popular in a given genre and year there's at least 20 that didn't. Most of them fell into obscurity for good reason, they just weren't as good. At best, they were merely average, a solid game that added little of note to the genre. Many others were buggy, barely finished, or outright broken. A few are actually noteworthy, yet forgotten all the same. I think both Ultima Underworld and Catacomb 3D would fall into that camp. TBH both were flawed games, yet they broke ground for the genre defining games that followed. As for the "first" FPS, most old school gamers and retro enthusiasts just say Wolfenstein 3D without ever digging any deeper. While it certainly defined the "modern" concepts of the genre, the roots of 3D first-person action games are much older. An example that I'd only recently uncovered is The Eidolon by Lucas Film Games--the forebearer of Lucas Arts. The game is similar to Catacomb 3D, a fantasy dungeon crawler with full 360° movement and ranged attacks shot at enemies in grid-based mazes. Rather than textures, jagged fractal-generated arches span the the walls and ceiling. It's essentially a FPS...from 1985! Yep, a 3D action game that ran on 8-bit computers! Looking at it, I get how it's possible--the graphics are crude to say the least. It's just mind-blowing that some cleaver artists and programmers actually fulled off such an astonishing feat. And yet, I don't think even The Eidolon is the first game that could technically qualify as a FPS. The earliest 3D first-person action game that might fit is the original Battlezone arcade game from 1980. Sure, it's a "tank sim". It still has full 360° movement and shooting at enemies in a defined landscape with 3D vertex rendered wire-frame objects. Other first-person action games that I can think of before then, such as space shooters, only had randomly generated backgrounds lacking a defined 3D world.

[@Ironfist528]

Mace Griffin...Man, what a throwback...I played it a ton when I was younger and enjoyed it immensely back then. I didn't grow up playing space sims so it amazed me how seamlessly they were able to transition between space and ground segments. I loved it so much that I wished they had many more of those sections with even more unique ships to fly. That game was pretty much the reason I got into playing star citizen. I eventually got it much later when I was an adult and while I still love the game subjectively, it has several problems. Most of the levels are too easy, with pretty questionable AI, with difficulty spikes. Whistleblower ESPECIALLY is super unforgiving with the checkpoints, not to mention that it likely has the most hilariously badly written cutscenes I've ever seen. A fun game, and I wish there were more like it, but I can see why it ended up fading into obscurity for its era.

[@stephensalex]

Cliff Barker's Onion, yes the finest FPS ever made!

[@freeckycakeOG]

The lost sequel to Clive Barker's LMAO

[@stephensalex]

@@freeckycakeOG Kidding aside, it was an excellent game. I still remember the "spawn donkeys" cheat code was my favorite.

[@michaeltylerstewart]

Neat video, I haven't heard of a some of these!

[@mattc7420]

Awesome! I actually wasn't aware of ZPC.

[@SimianScience]

i remember going to a thrift store in 2001 and there was a mountain of copies of redline. in there i found a copy of shogo and bought that instead. then i got the demo for redline

[@milos2478]

I love your videos man, there is 2011 youtube energy in your style. Have you grow up watching Balgrog stuff? Channels and Blog's that cover FPS history and Underrated FPS stuff are the best and I am big fan of that kind of culture for more than a 14 years. And can you make some kind of a videos about these titles: 1.Commandos Strike Force (2006) very fun WW2 tactical FPS 2.Quake 2 Zaero (1998) Unofficial commercial expansion pack 3.Juggernaut: The New Story for Quake II (1998) Unofficial commercial expansion pack 4.Quake 2 Unseen was a cancelled third party commercial add-on for Quake II later released online as a free mod 5.Malice for Quake (1997) Unofficial commercial expansion pack 6.SHRAK for Quake (1997) Unofficial commercial expansion pack 7.Gunman Chronicles (2000) this game is on Goldsource engine and some of the Half life members worked on the title.

[@freeckycakeOG]

Hello, Milos2478. It's good to see you again! I'm glad you've enjoyed the video! Hmmm, the name " Balgrog" doesn't ring a bell. Actually, now that you mention it. It's the first time I hear about him. May just give the channel a shot. Who knows what gold lies there. The thing with obscure FPS channel is usually they don't stay forever, and I haven't found a lot that cover actual obscure FPS shooters. You come to mind along with MarphitimusBlackimus, other than that not too many. You've made some great suggestions! Yes, I can cover those games along with other topics like Russian-only FPS games.However, the issue I'm struggling with when it comes to making these videos is that most of the games I want to cover don't work. Tried Neuro, no bingo. Tried GORE, but no luck. I'm still new to this domain of abandonwares. But once I manage to iron down these issues, it's smooth sailing! The next video about stuff concerning FPS games will take a while, though. My day job has gotten busy a bit, and I'm at 30% of finishing my video of Bujingai, which required so much researching to fill the gaps Wikipedia left off. Maybe in the future I could do a history video about Commandos Strike Force or Gunman Chronicles. Only time will tell! Once again, thank you Milos2478 for taking some of your time to watch this video. I hope that you will one day remake some of your videos for the new generation. Or why not take on the challenge and cover indie shooters? Can't wait!

[@OMPVGAMES]

Zajebiste video!!!❤❤❤ super montaz i ciekawy wybor gier!!!

[@freeckycakeOG]

Dzięki!

[@elPominator]

Lifeforce Tenka was one of the first FPS games I ever played. Definitely a bizarre experience for a 7 year old me! My dad loved Mace Griffin too, it was like a biedronka brand Halo CE

[@unrealscythe8413]

great content i just subscribed 👍

[@Patty-P]

At 11:40 did you mean to say Thirteen, instead of Twelve? XIII is what I think you are referring to

[@freeckycakeOG]

Yes, my bad. I was sure I said Thirteen Gah! That's embarassing.

[@Patty-P]

@@freeckycakeOG not at all. I knew what you meant. Great video

[@Gruntvc]

XIII is neat, love that cel shaded art style. That's what Shogo Mobile Armor Division needed.

[@Patty-P]

Haven’t finished the video yet, but my obscure shooter recommendation is “Outlaws”. My dad had a copy when he started letting me play pc. I always thought it was really badass. It’s got a special place in my heart, so I am biased, but I think it’s worth looking into if you enjoy these older shooters :)

[@freeckycakeOG]

Outlaws and Redneck Rampage are fantastic!

[@danielhathaway8817]

Redneck rampage is a maddening, borderline unplayable mess. Killer soundtrack tho

[@cathybannister1311]

I forgot about Epidemic, thank you! As soon as I seen it in the the thumbnail I knew I had to watch the video. I remember Mace Griffin being huge when it came out, but I think the over hype made it get forgotten quick. I know I was excited about the game, but after playing it I never got my own copy. Bargain bin price/digital sale, sure but as kids I that don’t get paid minimum wage, not worth full/new price.

[@freeckycakeOG]

You're right. It's not hunting the sealed copy of this game (PS2 version). Luckily, some copies go for as cheap as 5 dollars. In my opinion, Mace Griffin started pretty good. However, once you get into half of the game, that's where frustrating moments start to arise :/ From what I read, the developers had big plans for this game. Such as a sequel and a comic/movie in the works. All of them were ultimately cancelled along with the developers behind it going under.

[@mastergame1311]

Ubersoldier 2 rules. It sucks, but in a fun way.

[@freeckycakeOG]

Well, yes. But its flaws didn't let me put it on my top 30 favorites :(

[@NickGreiner1988]

Starship troopers can't be that obscure, i have heaps of people on steam who play it

[@freeckycakeOG]

None of the games I mentioned in the intro are obscure.

[@izumisena-vg1ed]

Not obscure, but "blood" is great

[@chrisstokoe3169]

Ohhh man when mace Griffen came into my life on Xbox it was revolutionary changed my life just wish the made the sequels planed damn shame I still have it installed on my laptop

[@GWG_GameChannel]

*Интересные игры в подборке*

[@freeckycakeOG]

эй, спасибо за просмотр

[@joe125ful]

Ubersoldie 1 is still fun to play.

[@Chronic.]

Twelve? You mean Thirteen don’t you?

[@freeckycakeOG]

Yes. English isn't my native language, so issues are bound to occur. Sorry :/

[@BioPhoenixReviews]

epicdemic i remember playing before and i agree it seem like a great game for an early FPS but the long levels and figuring out what to do what makes it annoying. if it had a check point system it would have been very impressive. the last game showed has a pretty cool style to it and makes sense it was the same artists that did KFMDM album covers

[@freeckycakeOG]

I really didn't like how you had to restart from the beginning of the level if you die. The other issue I left out in the video (because I could easily turn it into a review) is the turrets and alarm. Basically, you have to always scan your surroundings because if a camera catches you off guard and it rings an alarm, every turret will come to get you. And they won't stop. If I remember correctly, I stopped at stage 5 just because of this. Hopefully, I return soon! and yea, ZPC is great. A friend showed me a couple of abandonware sites that offer working downloads for Windows 10. So, I may try those in the future.

[@BioPhoenixReviews]

@@freeckycakeOG oh yeah i forgot about the alarm thing. and yeah i will check out ZPC someday

[@freeckycakeOG]

@@BioPhoenixReviews If you manage to finish Epidemic you'll be the only KZbinr who finished the game XD. I don't think big sites reviewed or anyone at HG101 either. Your chance! XD

[@BioPhoenixReviews]

@@freeckycakeOG lmao i may once i get enough patience. but im surprised no one covered it

Codename Tinka ---> Lifeforce Tenka

[@1oneguythat]

i only play hardass games

[@Gruntvc]

When it comes to PS1 FPS games, I'll stick with the Medal of Honor games. I'd like to try Codename Tenka, but playing a 3D FPS without modern twin analog controller options? Nah. Redline looks neat, I'll add it to my wish list. I'd aloso recommend checking out Boiling Point: Road To Hell on Steam or GOG. I'd like to see a new single player focused FPS like that one now. And if you're interested in a really obscure PS1 FPS that was Japan only? Look up, Expert. It's like Wolfenstein 3D meets Die Hard plus anime influences. I'd buy a translated remaster for current consoles and pc. Ever play Chrome from Techland? It's not available on any pc digital stores. Would like to see Techland make a new sci fi military FPS like that instead of more zombie games.

[@freeckycakeOG]

MOH is a good one, there are also Disruptor and Exhumed aka PowerSlave which had some great movement even while using the D-Pad controls. I can understand why not many wouldn't want to try Codename Tenka on the PS1. There is also the fact that it doesn't run at 60fps, which may turn some people off if you they're looking for that smooth and sweet 60 FPS. "Boiling Point: Road To Hell" Damn, I haven't heard of this. From the screenshots I saw it looks like a Die Hard: Nakatomi Plaza-similar? I could be wrong. Oh yes, Expert! I have the ROM downloaded but never got around to playing it sadly. "Ever play Chrome from Techland?" No, but I heard about it. I did play Pariah though years ago, but I don't remember quite a lot about it. I think I will put those into my part 2 of FPS hidden gems! "Would like to see Techland make a new sci fi military FPS like that instead of more zombie games." I agree! I'd love to see them make another Call of Juarez game!

[@Gruntvc]

@freeckycakeOG, I have played Disruptor and I liked the FMV cutscenes. I did get Nightdive Studios' Powerslave remaster, but haven't played it yet. Codename Tenka is the only one I haven't played and it hasn't been remastered. Boiling Point: Road To Hell is basically Eurojank Far Cry 2. You're action dad, Saul Myers, and the main objective is to rescue your kidnapped daughter. But, it's an open world with lots of factions to work for. Same dev also made a sequel/prequel to Boiling Point as well as a science fiction game too. All 3 can be bought on Steam, only Boiling Point is on both Steam or GOG. I have Pariah on the original Xbox, but it was just ok. Better off playing Urban Chaos Riot Response or Area 51. And if you want a paranormal cowboy Halo? Darkwatch is for you. 👍 Yes, a new Call of Juarez could be great. Unfortunately, I think Techland's next game is a fantasy one.

[@freeckycakeOG]

@@Gruntvc "Boiling Point: Road To Hell is basically Eurojank Far Cry 2. " *Remembers weapons jamming on me during hectic gunfights* Oh God... I will give Boiling Point a shot. Thank you for the suggestion! Funny that you mention DarkWatch. I just finished it a few months ago, and looked up some preview trailers. The game was heavily changed, and there was a sequel. Unfortunately, it got cancelled.... "I have Pariah on the original Xbox, but it was just ok. Better off playing Urban Chaos Riot Response or Area 51." OR Chronicles of Riddick Escape from Butcher Bay!

[@Gruntvc]

@freeckycakeOG, You're welcome and yeah weapon jams can occur in Boiling Point too. Darkwatch was going to get a sequel!? We were robbed. Too bad the dev got banished to the CoD mines. Dude, The Chronicles of Riddick Escape From Butcher's Bay and Dark Athena need to be rereleased, especially since we're going to get a 4th Riddick film soon. The Darkness 1 could be remastered as well. Heck, I wouldn't mind seeing Starbreeze's Syndicate FPS get rereleased too. I miss the Starbreeze that made great single player focused FPS games.

[@freeckycakeOG]

@@Gruntvc That game too? Damn.. Yes, High Moon also made the best Transformers games trilogy. A blast from start to finish, but Hasbro was like " I don't like this anymore " then shit hit the fan, and the games got delisted. Ironically, they did the same to Transformers Devastation. Hasbro probably hate games in general. I loved Syndicate too! I didn't care Gmannlives said about how it's not innovative or boring. Who cares!? the game was a blast. Sucks there will never be a sequel anytime soon...

[@jojotoofor9eight766]

Being as objective as possible, most of these games are only "obscure" because they were awful.

[@peterlawson8040]

Comment

[@Darth-Claw-Killflex]

You never having heard of them, and obscure are not the same thing.

[@freeckycakeOG]

You'd be surprised to realize a lot of the games showcased on this list are obscure to the average player. I personally didn't want to go full obscure from the start, exploring the abundance of abandonwares, Russia-exclusives and such. Those are reserved for another time :D What are some obscure FPS stuff you got in mind?