What, in your honest opinion, is THE most advanced first-person game for its time?

DentonSHODAN on 16/4/2010 at 21:36

Notice I said first-person game, and not "shooter" specifically. Is it the series of Maze games released in the 70s and 80s? Or perhaps one of the early 90s titles? Or would you say today's first-person games, despite innovations in technology, are still more advanced for their time than earlier first-person titles?

It's up to you to decide. Choose wisely.

Al_B on 16/4/2010 at 21:40

As this is Comm Chat I'd have to vote for navigating around London on a Friday night.

demagogue on 16/4/2010 at 21:46

Well, first-person walking around in the modern era is pretty cool. But if we're talking about for its time, I'd have to say right around the dawn of the Stone Age. Sure the tasks weren't quite as cool (arguably). But holy kelp if the resolution and sound quality weren't just as top notch then as it is now.

Al_B on 16/4/2010 at 22:15

OK - this post has now been moved to General Gaming. I'm biased, but the Ultima Underworlds and SS1 were very advanced for their time. In 1992/93, having object physics, almost full freedom of movement, transparent and semi-transparent textures were revolutionary at that time. Even half a decade later (or more) there were few games that did everything that those games implemented.

Briareos H on 16/4/2010 at 23:05

System Shock is still the most advanced first-person game.

june gloom on 16/4/2010 at 23:40

Yeah, definitely System Shock 1. Way, way, way ahead of its time.

DentonSHODAN on 17/4/2010 at 03:34

Quote Posted by dethtoll

Yeah, definitely System Shock 1. Way, way, way ahead of its time.

More so than the Ultima series it was built upon? (I ask because I have not played the Ultima series.)

Shadowcat on 17/4/2010 at 06:13

Underworld was amazing for its time, but System Shock did it all much better (and not terribly long after), so it gets my vote too. Underworld is in second place, though :)

Also Elite and its sequels. It's hard to draw comparisons between such disparate types and generations of game, so I'm not going to try to choose between these and the Looking Glass games, but Elite on a 32K BBC Micro was just unbelievable, and the Frontier games were massively ahead of their time in terms of the level of simulation.

Descent gets some kind of honourable mention for blowing my mind, but that was more to do with awesome design and coding than being any more "advanced" than its peers.

Fragony on 17/4/2010 at 08:13

No one lives forever, perfect FPS.

Scott Weiland on 17/4/2010 at 08:14

For me it was Unreal back in 1998. It wasn't only the graphically most advanced game the time it was released, it also had incredible atmosphere, level design and music. And no other game has left the impression and impact that walking out of the Vortex Rikers has left. It was the first and the last moment in games ever where I uncontrollably gasped out WOW. Only entering the Cragsleft prison cells in Thief can compete with that moment in my memory lane.