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[UnluckyKate]

Wolfenstein: The New Order
Titanfall 2
DOOM (2016)
Portal 2



Yeah, Respawn has an amazing track record for FPS campaigns. They did Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, Call of Duty 1, 2, 4, and MW2, which were all fantastic for their times.

Titanfall 2 is a masterclass in pacing and game design.

New Order is actually very close to HL2 imho, design wise.

Doom is raw.

Portal 2 is clever.

I agree with your list, all above somehow are better than HL2 in their own right but only New Order feels very HL2-esque to me

 

[LCGeek]

Titanfall 2
Doom 2016
Wolfenstein: TNO

That's just off the top of my head, I'm sure I could dig up at least a dozen more.

HL2 was revolutionary at the time but it has not aged well.

Stuff like Ravenholm is still great but there's long stretches of like, terrible vehicle sequences and awkward physics puzzles that are junk.

Outside of missing crysis this is my list.

HL2 isn't that great and your end comment sums up why. I also think it's action is lacking. If it didn't have atomsphere or good puzzle it would be a horrible hybrid fps.

 

[Phrozenflame500]

Half Life 2 holds up remarkably well for a 13 year old game, but ultimately it's still a 13 year old game.

 

[ghibli99]

I don't like using the word "surpassed" since it implies inferiority IMO... I'd rather think of them as "just as memorable", in which case I would put games like Doom, CoD4, Bioshock, and Portal 2 up there.

 

[kamspy]

Dishonored
Prey 2017

 

[Frank West]

Three.
Bioshock
Bioshock 2
Bioshock Infinite

edit: Portal 2 is not an FPS, imo. It's a first person puzzle game.

 

[SomTervo]

If we're counting FEAR for its AI, then we also have to include its level design, which is intrisically linked to the AI.

And if we're saying its AI, gunplay, and level design are all better, we may as well concede that the game as a whole is better.

Nah, FEAR has a pretty weak story, abysmal character animations and poor world interaction. It has no puzzles.

HL2 is great for puzzles, world interaction and the character animations (i guess that impacts immersion) is amazing, well ahead of its time.

 

[StarPhlox]

In the last year

DOOM
Titanfall 2
Prey
Dishonored 2

 

[Juraash]

So...someone is going to have to explain the Bulletstorm thing to me. I played that at launch and remember it being pretty bad from a narrative standpoint. Even with its gameplay, I remember it feeling like a slog. Am I remembering something wrong here?

As for the OP, I'm not sure what FPS campaigns have surpassed it, but I can think of a few that are at least tied with it.

FEAR and Wolfenstein TNO are the first two that come to mind, Wolfenstein especially. That game had lots of good action but the story pretty thoughtful despite being filled with ridiculous crap like giant Nazi robots. I also imagine you'll see a lot of mentions of Bioshock and Titanfall 2, though I haven't actually played either.

I think in terms of action or set pieces you can probably find a fair amount of games that at least match HL2. The story, atmosphere and world of HL2 and it's episodes are really what stand out to me. And, for me at least, the list that match it on those fronts is much shorter.

 

[Horp]

People saying Halo games surpass Half Life 2 make me both sad and also makes me feel very sorry for people having such a lack of taste, or just off-taste.

 

[bathsalts]

Not sure why you'd say TNO isn't as good--it's got better guns, better enemies, better variety, better pacing, better storytelling... like, I can't think of a single thing that TNO does worse than Half-Life 2 except maybe texture resolution. >_>

Hmm I really think it was the sound design that ruined that game for me, I'd argue the guns being better as well, the half baked stealth, etc etc.

I'd also add Rage as a better, and ironically Black Mesa

 

[Sad Affleck]

hmm. Not convinced by the mentioned games. HL2 through to EP2 overall I don't feel has been surpassed in terms as of balancing an actual narrative, characters, gameplay variety and ntroducing new mechanics to the genre.

Sure individual games might have better shooting or graphics (especially the latter) but as a whole package? I'd need receipts to believe that not lists.

This is exactly what I was preparing to write but you beat me to it. Many games have bested HL2 in individual areas but none can really compete with the full experience.

 

[capitalCORN]

Not many. I'd argue S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is the only one that adds substancially to the FPS oeuvre since.

 

[Sad Affleck]

Not many. I'd argue S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is the only one that adds substancially to the FPS oeuvre since.

Yes! S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is still so far ahead compared to modern open world shooters.

 

[Izuna]

Titanfall 2

...
EDIT: Bioshock was later? Then that too, and I'll throw Infinite in while I'm at it.

Infinite was GARBAGE and the worst thing about the dlc is that it made B2 non-canon


Doom as fun as it is does not have a good campaign...

this Gen, Titanfall 2 and TNO for sure

 

[Waldo Lydecker]

Each his own but I personally found HL2 to be incredibly boring and overrated. All those long boring sections driving, scary Ravenholm that even by 2004 standards isn't boring at all, a simple story about one guy vs the Aliens, a guy that is also a mute shell without dialogue, simple linear storytelling etc. etc. etc.

 

[Izuna]

You guys need to play Timeshift.

With that ending? Nope

For last gen... Of the top of my head, if tps doesn't count...

Bioshock
Bioshock 2
Halo ODST
AvP(3)
MW1
MW2

I'm probably missing a couple obvious ones

 

[CHC]

I would say Wolfenstein: The New Order does a lot of the same things just as well, if not better. Probably my favorite FOS campaign since then. There have been tons of other good ones, though.

It's always hard with games like HL2 to claim something is objectively "better" if you were part of the release time mania. Games like that and MGS2 were such "events"' at the time of release that it's really hard to separate their content from their legacy and say "X or Y game is demonstrably better."

 

[Whompa02]

In terms of gunplay and story there have been quite a few that have been listed here. But I think in terms of pacing and atmosphere very few, if any, have matched it. It feels like a real adventure in a real world, there's such a strong sense of place, and it rarely feels like a connection of levels strung together. The vehicle levels people complain about make the world seem huge and real, especially since they are peppered with spots that feel organic for you to get out and explore.

Good post.

 

[Rickenslacker]

People saying Halo games surpass Half Life 2 make me both sad and also makes me feel very sorry for people having such a lack of taste, or just off-taste.

It makes me sad too. Sad about how high a pedestal people can place on an FPS with such weak gunplay and encounter design. Half-Life 2 is great as an experience, and definitely as a world to be in, but I don't find it that hard to surpass it in terms of FPS gameplay being that between taking in the sights you're fighting enemies that feel like potato sacks with weapons that feel like BB guns.

 

[InsaneTiger]

Plenty, I find the story in HF2 to be pretty boring. Alex is the only interesting character. The only we reason I want a sequel is because it ended on a cliffhanger and because Portal is connected to the universe, that's it.

 

[Duxxy3]

Let's see...

Not in any order:

Modern Warfare
Titanfall 2
Bioshock
Wolfenstein: The New Order

Advanced Warfare and Doom are right on the edge. I don't know if it surpassed it, but I liked Bioshock Infinite a lot.

If anybody in this thread hasn't played the Titanfall 2 campaign... GO PLAY THE TITANFALL 2 CAMPAIGN!!!

 

[Izuna]

It makes me sad too. Sad about how high a pedestal people can place on an FPS with such weak gunplay and encounter design. Half-Life 2 is great as an experience, and definitely as a world to be in, but I don't find it that hard to surpass it in terms of FPS gameplay being that between taking in the sights you're fighting enemies that feel like potato sacks with weapons that feel like BB guns.

Have you played ODST?

 

[Rickenslacker]

Have you played ODST?

Yeah, loved it.

 

[rodrigolfp]

the ones that you like more

 

[Horp]

It makes me sad too. Sad about how high a pedestal people can place on an FPS with such weak gunplay and encounter design. Half-Life 2 is great as an experience, and definitely as a world to be in, but I don't find it that hard to surpass it in terms of FPS gameplay being that between taking in the sights you're fighting enemies that feel like potato sacks with weapons that feel like BB guns.

Some guns are so so, thats very true. Grav gun makes up for it x100.
Encounter design i brilliant.
Story is pretty crap though.
But the Halo games are sluggish, boring and all guns are bad, and All encounters are crap. It's an fps game for consoles before that was a defined thing. So they are basic, slow-mo, open 90% and having slow moving slogs of enemies.

 

[Gnome Scat]

Yeah, loved it.

ODST deserves more love around these parts, it's my favorite Halo campaign.

 

[Kaji AF16]

-Crysis
-Halo: Reach
-Far Cry 3
-Doom (2016)
-Titanfall 2

 

[ActWan]

Wolfenstein The New Order

 

[mrlion]

None.

There are good stories on FPS yes but not in the same caliber as HL2.

 

[Cranster]

People saying Half Life 2 surpass Half Life 2 make me both sad and also makes me feel very sorry for people having such a lack of taste, or just off-taste.

Same can be said for your tastes. And if you want to go deep into critical acclaim, Halo 1 and Perfect Dark are rated higher than Half Life 2.

 

[Barry Burton]

Bioshock, Wolfenstein: The New Order and Doom are the best FPS campaigns I've played since Half-Life 2. I'm not sure if any of them surpass HL2 for me, but it's close.

Titanfall 2, The Darkness and Modern Warfare 2 would be on a tier just below those.

 

[peppers]

Don't get the titanfall 2 mentions at all, was OK, but 4 hours long and nothing special imo.... Stalker is one of the best shooters ever, roughness and all.

After saying that I expect another rush of "HL2" is overrated, despite most games people list borrowing directly from it. Very few shooters touch HL2 imo.

Bioshock infinite cannot hold HL2's jock strap, gunplay was mediocre at best.

Lol, Titanfall 2's campaign goes from "huh pretty ok" to "what the fuck this is incredible" exactly 4 hours deep.

 

[Mobius and pet octopus]

I'm happy people don't have HL2 on a pedestal anymore apparently. I enjoyed the game but it's very dated.

 

[dimmer]

So much hate on HL2 in here,wow! No HL3 for you then.
On topic, was Escape from Butcher Bay mentioned or are you all infants?

 

[Baron Von Beans]

The new DOOM is the only FPS I've played in a long time that made me smile the way I did during each play through of HL2. Shadow Warrior was a decent effort, and Wolfenstein was great too. But DOOM deals it for me. It was incredible. I really need to play Titanfall 2 still. B

 

[Carlius]

Uh... too many to name? Half-Life 2 isn't great from a mechanical or a narrative perspective, which are the two things we play FPSes for.

Halo 3 shits on Half-Life 2. Bulletstorm demolishes it on a narrative front. Titanfall 2 blows it away. Doom outplays it. Call of Duty 4 has dramatically better pacing. Crysis is way more interesting in the combat department. FEAR is the second greatest first person shooter of all time.

Half-Life 2 is a low bar. It would be easier to list worse FPSes. You got Killzone 2, Resistance 2, Darkest of Days, Legendary, Turning Point: Fall of Liberty, Halo 4, Halo 5, Black Ops 1-3... probably some others?

i was reading and agreeing until u said bulletstorm. then i stopped, closed gaf and went on with my sandwich.

 

[Elitist1945]

Resistance 3

 

[Sad Affleck]

The vehicle levels people complain about make the world seem huge and real, especially since they are peppered with spots that feel organic for you to get out and explore.

Agreed. It's crazy how many different styles and settings HL2 successfully juggles. It's an immersive sim, a horror game, a puzzle game, a road trip game, a platformed, an FPS. You move from cityscapes to the open road to industrial installations to futuristic towers. You are hunted, then you are the hunter, you are weak and then you become a badass, you fight everything from tiny headcrabs to huge striders. It has a tight linear campaign that still gives you a lot of opportunities for emergent gameplay. The game has everything.

 

[Temeculan3000]

People saying Halo games surpass Half Life 2 make me both sad and also makes me feel very sorry for people having such a lack of taste, or just off-taste.

It's a bunch of people who played HL2 in 2014 instead of 2004, "because they heard it was a classic" and then will judge it as a game that came out in 2014.

 

[Zap Rowsdower]

Wolfenstein: TNO
Dishonored
Prey (2017)
New Doom
Deus Ex: HR
Bioshock
Shadow Warrior (2013)
Call of Juarez: Gunslinger
Metro: Last Light
STALKER: Call of Pripyat
etc

I found Half-Life 2 to just be okay when I first played it back in like 2009. I honestly don't care at all that we'll probably never see 3.

 

[Reebot]

HL 2 is rough.

Many games do it better.

A fallen classic.

 

[Rickenslacker]

It's a bunch of people who played HL2 in 2014 instead of 2004, "because they heard it was a classic" and then will judge it as a game that came out in 2014.

Hello, I played it on release, begrudgingly got my Steam account for it at the time. I was definitely drinking the Kool-Aid on my first experience, but the years following have allowed me to think more critically on it as a whole. 2004 didn't last forever.

 

[Decider]

Don't get the titanfall 2 mentions at all, was OK, but 4 hours long and nothing special imo....

Agreed. I played and felt as if I wanted to like it more than I actually did. Competent but underwhelming and not as clever as people suggested that it was when I talked to them about it before my playthrough.

Same can be said for your tastes. And if you want to go deep into critical acclaim, Halo 1 and Perfect Dark are rated higher than Half Life 2.

Halo fans are still touchy, I see.

 

[Jonneh3003]

Very few. Halo 3, Wolfenstein The New Order, Doom and Crysis come close but Half Life 2 is simply one of the best First Person Shooters ever made.

 

[VLiberty]

Base Half Life 2? Then Resistance 3 and Bulletstorm, maybe New Order too. Half Life 2 shined with the episodes, the base game has pacing issues and there are a lot of lows even though the highs(see: Ravenholm) are outstanding.

I've still got so many fps to play though. Bioshocks, Titanfall 2, Shadow Warrior, Metros, DOOM and others...

 

[noomi]

Man I really need to beat titanfall 2 don't I?

Bought it and backlogged it.

 

[Cranster]

Halo fans are still touchy, I see.

And yet...

People saying Halo games surpass Half Life 2 make me both sad and also makes me feel very sorry for people having such a lack of taste, or just off-taste.

 

[RyanHardy101]

Played HL2 recently and it's an ok game, so, there are a lot of better FPS nowadays.

Any CoD campaign since 4 with the exception of Ghosts;
Bioshock Infinite;
FEAR (this one by a long mile);
Wolfenstein The New Order;
Resistance 3;
Halo 3,4,Reach,ODST;
any Killzone except the first;
Superhot;

Titanfall 2 was good but it's not even top 25 of the best FPS I've played, it's good but extremely forgettable with one excellent level.


Half-Life 2 is the most overrated game I've played so far without a doubt, but I'm sure it was good at the time.

 

[Stone Vagabond]

Half Life 2: Episode 1 & Episode 2