Top 9 Best PC Games - First Person ShooterWhile first person shooters - where the player usually runs around with a huge arsenal, defeating an army all by themselves - are very popular, there aren't many periods of European history which can be adopted. The main one, indeed the only one so far used, is World War 2. This is my selection of the very best PC WW2 FPSs. This is the best online multiplayer experience with a history twist on the market today. Play as one of the forces on the decisive eastern front (Ostfront) during World War Two in battles with up to fifty players a side and on maps large enough to make flanking manoeuvres possible. Graphics are good, realism is high and tanks are available. All a friend of mine could say about his first go on this was “intense”. He loved it and he normally hates the Second World War (within which this is set), so that gives you some idea of how good the frantic action and genuinely stunning graphics are in this sequel to arguably the best WW2 FPS of all. Unfortunately, even with four storylines – including the Eastern front – the game is short if you can’t go online. Call of Duty 3 was only available on the consoles and 4 is modern. EA have breathed new life into the WW2 FPS genre by making you an airborne soldier, letting you literally jump into numerous countries on the western front. Linearity is also greatly reduced: steer your parachute to select your landing site and complete your objectives in your order of preference. As a US soldier you take part in some of the iconic battles, including D-Day and Operation Market Garden. Graphics are good and multiplayer is also available. By abandoning the pretence of total realism and constructing a battlefield designed for multiplayer gaming – capture reinforcement points to dominate sectors, capture them all or wipe the opposition out to win - Battlefield 1942 created a superb online experience skinned largely in WW2 graphics. Log in, pick a side and find yourself in a pitched battle between two teams with total freedom of movement and some harsh vehicles. (Can be played solo, WW2 realism mods available.) ‘Road to hill 30’ and ‘Earned in Blood’ both came out this year, attempting to bring greater accuracy – both in tactics and locations – to a saturated WW2 FPS market. They only partially succeeded, leading to an experience that was sometimes frustrating, especially as you struggle with squad A; graphics fiends may also be disappointed, but that’s their problem! A game to invigorate the most jaded of pallets, Call of Duty brought new intensity to the World War 2 fps experience. It wasn’t just the good graphics, attention to detail or atmospheric design, but the chance to play soldiers from three different theatres, including a put-upon Russian who starts the battle without any means to fire back… Historical accuracy is good (even for an fps!) and an expansion has been released enabling online play. A first person shooter set during the Second World War, Medal of Honour: Allied Assault casts you as an American Agent working to derail the Nazi war machine, with missions involving fictional subterfuge and sabotage, as well as factual battles. The opening D-Day Omaha beach level is by far the best in any fps (borrow the game to play that, even if nothing else), but solid graphics, nice gameplay and modicum of historical detail make the rest of Medal of Honor good, but not exceptional. This WW2 set first person game does something a little different, casting you as a sniper active in Berlin during the final days of the war (jn fact, as your main aim is to stop the Soviets from getting German nuclear plans, it’s almost a Cold War game). Sneaking about, using carefully aimed shots on soldiers and fuel tanks, this is one for the patient and methodical players. Definitely not a game for anyone new to the genre, Hidden and Dangerous is renowned for being tough – you use more than the mouse and arrow keys here! Players control members of a six man squad who go behind the lines on secret missions and the careful use of different skills and co-coordinated actions is key to victory. Detail is good, but the AI can be problematic and the demanding engine responds well to a lowering of the graphics settings. | 
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