Can a Gory, Third-Person Shooter Be Called 'Elegant'?

Imagine a game with something of the aesthetic of Doom III, the combat intensity of Diablo, and the care and attention to detail of a Blizzard title--in an isometric third-person shooter at an amazingly low price given the days of continuous gameplay it offers.

I Long for Combat

...as one of the units in Starcraft says. If you long for combat, you'd be hard put to find a better game than Crimsonland, which is a pure, fast, intense third-person gorefest. Story? Pah! Who needs story when there are things to shoot, with a wide variety of high-powered weapons and 50 levels to conquer. Shoot, grab the powerups, retreat when necessary, and shoot some more.

In Space No One Can Hear You Giggle

Derelict's backstory is straight out of Aliens: you encounter and board a derelict spaceship which proves to be teeming with nasty alien critters who try to eat you and whom you must mow relentlessly down with high-powered, futuristic weapons. But the Alien series is brooding, dark, and bloody, while Derelict is light hearted, well-lit, and rather charming; the aliens may want to eat you, but they're aliens out of Nick Jr. rather than Lovecraft.

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.

A Command Directive Says There's No Such Things as Flying Saucers, Soldier

Devastro is, at its core, a level-based top-down shooter in which you control a squad of soldiers destroying ETs and blowing up their UFOs. Your soldiers level-up during play (in RPG fashion, and you may find yourself replaying a level in order to avoid the death of a character you've worked to upgrade); main weapons are guns and grenades, though you get to control some cool vehicles in later levels.

The combat is rarely as intense as in frenetic overhead shooters like Crimsonland or RIP, but Devastro has something those games lack: actual humor. It seems the Army isn't too keen on acknowledging the existence of UFOs, though it understands the importance of wiping out the alien invaders. The story is carried through a series of comic-book-like cut scenes at various points in the game, and is amusing enough to keep you engaged and eager to wipe out those evil enemy saucers Sir! That don't exist. Yes Sir! Ready for deniable action Sir!

"Diablo Lite"

Evil Invasion is in the mold of fast, frenetic overhead-view third-person shooters like Crimsonland or Robotron, but with a difference: rather than gory combat with futuristic weapons, this game is set in a fantasy world, the "weapons" are magic spells, and there's an RPG-like character advancement system. You can think of it as "Diablo Lite," if you will; more retro graphics, and not as much depth, but a similar aesthetic. Good gory fantasy fun.

Drivin' an' Shootin'

The first thing you notice about Mexican Motor Mafia is that the music is seriously kick-ass--as is the introductory sequence, carried in graphic novel-like images and text. It is also definitely not for the tots; your brother is executed, gangland-like, in front of his small children. You have to go after the killers, of course.

The actual game is a top-down driving-and-shooting game, something along the lines of the original GTA. You use the WASD keys to tool around, aiming with the mouse and blasting away at enemies, driving into towns along your route for new ammo, equipment, better cars, and so on.

An oblique-overhead third-person shooter set in a science complex overrun by genetically engineered baddies, Project Xenocone is fast-paced, challenging, and tense enough to satisfy fans of horror shooters. Maybe a little too challenging, in fact, given the lack of saves except between levels.

One unusual feature: the monsters are apparently immune to regular bullets, but luckily you quickly acquire a special gun that can harm them. However, half can only be killed with red energy, and the other half with blue; you fire one with the left mouse button, and the other with the right, and can run out of one kind of ammo before the other. This adds another edge-of-the-seat aspect to the game, particularly given the low light levels prevailing in the overrun complex.

RIP is a fast, instense overhead-view third-person shooter with hordes of enemies to destroy and pretty nice sound and graphics. It's a lot like Crimsonland, in other words, which is by no means a bad thing.

But it has some differences, two. For one thing, your character doesn't move; you fire from a "turret" which stays in a fixed position on each level. That may sound like it diminishes your tactical options, but it has advantages too; levels are specifically designed around the fact that your position is fixed, with obstacles channeling the flow of attackers and such, and level design is one of the strengths of the game. And the fact that you can focus on just shooting makes RIP far easier to play than many other Robotron-esque titles.

RIP-Snorting Overhead Shooter Returns for More Carnage

The RIP series is the king of third-person, overhead shooters--fast, frenetic, nicely balanced, and with intuitive UI and a host of weapon types. With each outing, Elephant Games seems to get better.

The first two games (RIP and RIP Strikes Back) featured three oddball characters--Death, Halloween, and Rock 'n Roll--each with slightly different characteristics; they're in RIP 3 too, but if they're too silly for you, you also have a choice of more typical, merc-like characters.

In any event, if you're a fan of games like Crimsonland or Alien Shooter, you'll find a lot to like (and blow up real good) in RIP 3.

Note: While each of the three games are available independently, you can also get the RIP Trilogy, all three for a somewhat reduced price--a good deal, if you don't have at least one of the three already.