The first person shooter is perhaps the genre that has gathered the biggest number of fans in the entire computer gaming industry. And it's pretty easy to understand why: people love guns. And first person shooters give people what they want: a lot of guns to play with and many monsters to kill in an array of different environments. And you end up saving the planet and, of course, the love of the nice girl that's always getting into trouble.
As you probably know, guns always make an appearance in any shooter out there. Whether it's Half-Life, Halo, Crysis, Unreal, Quake, Wolfenstein or Call of Duty (there are, of course, other FPS games but it would take me forever to name them all; this is not a top 10), each of these games includes variants of classic FPS-esque weapons. In this article, I am writing a few words about the weapons that are most used in games and their real life counterparts. I'll not be mentioning fists since... well, there's not much to say about them without turning this article into an anatomy class.
That being said, the first in line is the
Combat Knife. Computer game players everywhere (and especially Counter Strike players) will recognize this as it is the all-time favorite close combat weapon of FPS game creators. Its real life counterpart is not so deadly, however, being mainly used as a utility tool for clearing foliage, chopping branches, opening ammo crates and so on.
Next is a weapon that I believe to be featured in every FPS game that has appeared since Catacomb3D.
The Pistol, or more commonly called, handgun. In the FPS genre, the pistol is the last line of defense (if you get to use the knife, you're really in trouble) and usually used when the player runs out of ammo for his/her main weapons or when he/she wants to save up on ammo for the more tougher fights. And, basically, that's its use in real life as well. Pistols are especially favored in close combat situations where a firearm packs a greater punch than your fists will ever do.
Next in line, and also a personal favorite,
the Shotgun. An item that evolved together with the FPS genre, the shotgun is a First Person Shooter gamer's close combat favorite. Whether it's the usual twelve gauge version, sawed off version or automatic version shotgun, you'll find this old timer in just about every shooting game that wants to make an impression on the market.
Its real life counterpart, by the way, is just as useful in close quarters combat as the video game version. Not many firearms pack such a punch at a close range (without also injuring the shooter), therefore the shotgun is one of the most feared weapons on the planet. And FPS games make sure it remains just that.
This next item is not only my favorite but also everyone's, so I'll give it some extra space:
the Assault Rifle. The Assault Rifle is a gamer's favorite choice, offering firepower, maneuverability and handling pretty well in all situations. If you've played any of the games mentioned above, it's probably your favorite, too. For its real life counterpart, things are basically the same. The assault rifle is so famous that it is actually the standard issue infantry weapon in most, if not all modern armies.
And as far as assault rifles go, the United States M16 and the Russian AK-47 assault rifles have made history. The M16 has been the US Army primary rifle since 1964 and it's continuing its tradition even now thanks to the improvements that have been made over the years.
The Automatic Kalashnicov is Russia's primary assault rifle and has been so since 1949. It has also benefited from many improvements over the years. A funny fact regarding its versatility is that the AK-47 is also a favorite of terrorists around the world (yes, just like in those games you are playing).
Another classic weapon is
the Grenade, an anti-personnel weapon that is present in more than 90% of first person shooters. It's usually used for clearing out large groups of enemies although nowadays it has other purposes as well. The basic grenade types are: fragmentation, concussion, percussion, smoke, riot control, incendiary, stun, sting, impact stun, anti-tank. These types are used both in games and in real life.
Next in line, we have
the Sniper Rifle. When you're planning on taking out a lot of enemies, doing anything like that without keeping the distance is usually bad for your health. That's where the sniper rifle comes in, allowing you to make precise shots from as far as 2.300m (and even farther when playing a video game). The fact that this weapon has such a long firing distance is enough to terrify even the toughest of bad guys.
Last but not least is the
Rocket Launcher. Perhaps the ultimate classic weapon, the Rocket Launcher is meant to offer a great deal of damage with a limited set of projectiles. Just like in real life, you have to recharge after one projectile is fired (usually). While in-game you generally fire the Rocket Launcher against huge monsters with a crazy amount of health, in real life, things are a little bit different. The Rockets are usually fired against aircrafts, vehicles or bunkers.
This concludes my presentation of FPS classic weapons and their real life counterparts. I will continue by enumerating a few that weren't classic enough to fit into the category: the minigun, the flame thrower, the plasma gun, the fists and the crowbar.
