5 Great FPS Games With Unique Control Schemes

The FPS genre is famous for giving players hours of adrenaline-rushing combat as they fire their entire arsenal against area enemies and strong bosses who will stop at nothing to end their run early. FPSs have been around for more than three decades, and over the years, the game mechanics, graphics, and ideas for weapons have only continued to improve.

Playing an FPS with a standard controller and using the right trigger to fire is fun, but sometimes, when developers insert unconventional, yet interesting control schemes into their games, something wonderful is created. Here are some of the best FPS games with a unique control scheme.

Killzone: Shadow Fall

The PlayStation’s DualShock 4 Controller Shines Here

• The game is set several decades after Killzone 3
• Players can use the DualShock 4’s touchpad to select OWL’s mode

Set 30 years after the events of Killzone 3, Killzone: Shadow Fall presents players with a story where two opposing factions (the Helghast, and the Vektans) cohabit a city that is divided by nothing but a very big wall. Players who completed Killzone 3 will probably remember the Petrusite detonation that took place in that title, which inevitably, caused the destruction of the planet Helghan. This led to the inhabitants of Helghan relocating to the planet Vekta, and now it’s up to players to help maintain the balance on a planet where tensions are high.

Killzone: Shadow Fall features an advanced combat drone known as OWL, which can be controlled by players in several ways. What gives this title a unique control scheme, is that players can use the DualShock 4’s touchpad to select OWL’s mode. Swiping right will activate Zip line Mode, while swiping down will engage Shield Mode, and so on.

Red Steel 2

The Wii’s Motion Sensors Make The Experience Amazing

• The original Red Steel was not warmly received by many
• Players can use their Wii Nunchuks to fight

Red Steel 2 opens with the unnamed hero, who’s been captured by a criminal group of thugs known as the Jackals. In a surprising turn of events, the hero manages to escape and rescues his old swordmaster, thus unleashing a series of events that lead to the rest of the game. While Red Steel 2 did not receive a standing ovation, its reviews were mostly positive, and it did a great job at redeeming its prequel, which many players weren’t happy with at the time. When the Nintendo Wii was first released, it innovated in terms of gameplay, allowing players to use their controllers as part of the experience, and Red Steel 2 does so wonderfully.

Related

6 Indie FPS Games With The Best Weapons

These indie first-person shooters feature iconic weapons.These indie first-person shooters feature iconic weapons.

Advertisement

While playing the game, players can make use of their controller to swing their katana, block incoming attacks, and fire their weapons to decimate their enemies. This makes for a very unique control scheme that, while not exclusive to this title, is, and was, very different to what other consoles were offering.

DOOM Eternal

Combining Various Weapons And Switching Between Them Quickly Is Key

• The 2016 DOOM reboot breathed new life into the franchise
• The Ballista-Super Shotgun combo is very powerful

While the DOOM franchise has been around for more than three decades, after the 90s, it seemed like its time in the mainstream spotlight was over—at least to the degree of success the 90s titles had enjoyed. However, all that changed with the 2016 reboot DOOM, and the sequel, DOOM Eternal. While the 2016 title was set on Mars, the sequel was literally Hell on Earth, as the demonic forces had taken over the planet.

Although DOOM Eternal doesn’t feature control schemes as unique as other entries on this list, the game allows for a complex combination of commands through buttons that make the experience amazing. While other FPSs would punish players for trying to switch between a wide variety of weapons in a split second, DOOM Eternal seems to reward it. A good example of this is the Ballista-Super Shotgun combo, which can dispatch even the most powerful enemies in seconds—all players have to do is perfect the skills required to switch between them quickly while dodging.

Metroid Prime Trilogy

Aiming With The Wii’s Controller Adds A Welcome Challenge

• This title includes three great entries in the franchise
• Many players argue that Nunchuk responsiveness in this game is even better than the joystick in other titles

The Metroid Prime Trilogy is a compilation of three of the franchise’s greatest games: Metroid Prime, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. This title features adrenaline-rushing encounters with a wide variety of enemies, including gargantuan bosses who will put even the most skilled players to the test. Similar to Red Steel and Red Steel 2, as well as several other Wii titles, the Metroid Prime Trilogy uses the Wii’s Nunchucks to aim, which makes the experience very entertaining, and adds an extra challenge for players who are not used to this mechanic.

Advertisement

Related

5 FPS Games With Hard But Satisfying Gunplay

FPS games are known for being fun and fast-paced. Here are some FPS games that are considerably hard, but also very satisfying to play.

While some games with similar features don’t quite nail the right motion configuration to give players a smooth experience, the Metroid Prime Trilogy excels at this, with many players even agreeing that it’s easier and more responsive to aim with the Nunchuks than it is with a regular joystick.

GoldenEye 007

A Timeless Classic That Used An Unconventional Controller Layout

• GoldenEye 007 had a wonderful multiplayer that helped shape FPS multiplayer modes in later years
• The unique “Honey” control scheme allowed for fun gunplay that felt more realistic than other layouts

GoldenEye 007 is a game that most players who are old enough to remember the Nintendo 64 will likely still cherish, even if they haven’t played the title in ages. Following the events of the movie of the same name very closely, this title offered players an extremely entertaining campaign, as well as a very complete multiplayer mode that helped make it a timeless classic. Since the Nintendo 64’s controllers were so unique in design, they allowed for some particular control schemes.

Walking around in GoldenEye 007 was fairly simple, as it relied on the N64’s central joystick to do so. Looking up, down, and from side to side was a bit more complicated, as that required players to press the D-Pad on the left or the C-buttons on the right. However, what takes the cake is the button for firing James Bond’s weapon, as that was linked to the “Z” button, which was on the back side of the controller. This allowed for very entertaining gunplay that strays considerably from modern FPS controller layouts, and probably even from those available at the time.

Advertisement

More

5 Great FPS Games You Cannot Buy Anymore

These FPS titles were fantastic, but sadly they’ve evaporated from the shelves.