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id emerges from hibernation to a FPS landscape that has changed considerably since they ruled the roost. Do they still have what it takes to dominate?

id defined the first person shooter for an entire generation of gamers.  From Wolfenstein to Doom to Quake, they pumped out standard setting shooters for years before going quiet after the 2004 release of Doom 3.  In the years since, they have worked diligently on an all new IP that slowly morphed into the finished product that we know today as Rage--a game that stays true to the aesthetic and spirit of its predecessors while borrowing a few trappings from more contemporary games.  Does it have what it takes to hold its own in a world dominated by the likes of Call of Duty, Halo, and Battlefield?  You better believe it does.

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I'd try to name a worse shooter, but nothing comes to mind.

Call of Juarez: The Cartel is the third game in the Call of Juarez series, with each game preceding it being decent, albeit with some minor problems. They have always had a western theme which made the series differ from many other shooters today, something I've appreciated. The Cartel drops the Western theme and, coincidentally, all of the fun as well. I almost felt like I was playing Dog the Bounty Hunter the video game rather than Call of Juarez. If that's not enough to dissuade you, I don't know what is.

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Worship the god out of the machine

Twelve years ago, Ion Storm created the original Deus Ex, combining role-playing elements into a first-person shooter, something that, while done before, had never had such polish. The game won multiple awards and still regarded as one of the greatest PC games of all time. Stepping into the role of a UN agent in a cyberpunk, dystopian future, you unraveled a massive conspiracy threatening the entire world. In 2003, a sequel, Deus Ex: Invisible War was released and while generally well-received, it failed to deliver the quality and poise of its namesake and has become a sore spot for fans. Today, 11 years later, Square Enix has tried to revitalize the franchise and bring in a new generation of gamers while catering to the old guard with Deus Ex: Human Revolution - and boy did they succeed. Deus Ex: Human Revolution has managed to deliver one of the most enjoyable games I have played in years.

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"I hear you got a bug problem, ma'am."

There's no question that die-hard Earth Defense Force fans may be a little turned off by the latest title in the series, Insect Armageddon. As something of a spin-off of the main series, the title has been developed by western studio Vicious Cycle Software, rather than the typical folks at Sandlot in Japan. In the shift to D3Publisher's western office, Earth Defense Force has seen some slight changes in an effort to build a stronger third person shooter for western players. As someone who has enjoyed the likes of 2017 and Zangeki no Reginleiv, the changes are a mix of both good and bad.

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