Feel the Wrath of My Mighty... Um... Supersoaker

Looking for a single-player, level-based FPS with the feel of Doom or Serious Sam, and not all that interested in getting pwned by smack-talking teenage jerks with way too much time on their hands in online play? Then Commander Josh is the thing for you.

Created by one guy (really!), Commander Josh has graphics at about Quake level, and some pretty involved levels. As to the supersoaker--well, your main weapon is a watergun. Shorts out the androids who are your main opponents, see, without breaching the walls of the Mars colony, which is good because it's nice to continue breathing. Maybe if the Chronicles continue, you'll get to use some more awesome weaponry.

Blow Things Up Real Good

DevastationZone Troopers is not a deep game--but there is a lot to be said for picking one thing and doing it well. And DZT does precisely that: it's a Ramboesque third-person shooter (in nicely rendered 3D) where you run around, gun blazing, and blow things up real good. Cathartic fun, in other words.

Doing the Impossible

Today, first-person shooters take millions of dollars, years, and huge teams to develop, right? It's just impossible for a lone-wolf developer to create an FPS that's compelling.

Well, maybe not--if you concentrate on innovative gameplay instead of polygon count and particle effects. That's what Rune Trollebo has done.