Tired of Call of Duty multiplayer? Here are three free alternatives
- 9 years ago
Every year Activision delivers us a cavalcade of Call of Duty fun in one form or another – featuring single player, co-op, and multiplayer. But, I think at this point we all know, that most fans come for the multiplayer.
But if you are tired of the yearly change over, there are other choices of first-person shooter that you can enjoy for free without ever having to upgrade. And these are our three favorite.
Gotham City Imposters
Gotham City Imposters is set in the Batman universe. But rather than casting anyone as one of the fiction famous heroes or villains, it has you take the place of a wannabe – a thug or vigilante with delusions of grandeur trying to play the part of the Joker or Batman.
The beautiful part of this is that it allows for really entertaining customization, as you build your character’s look and loadout from makeshift elements. Batmen will don crash-helmets, skintight leathers, and ill fitted capes as the go to war against an army of makeup smeared Jokerz (that’s with a Z) who are armed with bizarrely comical homemade guns. There are literally a 1000 levels of upgrades for your characters too – all stuffed with unlocks – to make sure the process of perfecting your character never gets old.
Of course no amount of customization will save a game if the action isn’t fun, and Gotham City Imposters delivers in spades. It feel slick and fast, while the comic style ensures that, even when running on its minimum specs, with 12 people running around the map, it looks good.
Never is this clearer than when utilizing a cobbled together grappling hook, which allows you to zip you around the many maps with fluid ease.
Unfortunately the player base is a little quieter than it used to be, but it’s still a great game that we think deserves an 8/10.
Warface
For all modern warfare fan, Warface is the free-to-play game we would recommend. This class based shooter has a more traditional military feel than many other free games on the market, while still keeping a fast arcadey pace.
That said, while the action is fast and frantic, it retains some realism. Developer Crytech have kept you feeling nice and squishy – with a full burst from an automatic weapon more than enough to end your current life. It’s a good balance that stops you getting complacent as you may in a more gung-ho shooter, but doesn’t go full simulation like Counter Strike.
A good selection of maps also keep you thinking tactically for your team, making sure that your next spawn will compliment your side’s current makeup alongside the map. Some more open maps may see you selecting a sniper to offer distance support to your team of shotgun wielding maniacs, while on a tighter map the same team may be better served with you playing the part of a medic to get them back in the fight.
The only downside is that like many free to play games, there are some pay-to-win traps, and the already dedicated player base can be hard to break into unless you are particularly gifted at first-person shooters. Though in fairness, a good XP and match making system go some way to combating this.
Still, Warface looks great, its scalable for all systems, and fast class based action make it easy to recommend to shooter fans looking for a challenge – which is why we have given it a 7/10.
Team Fortress 2
Despite being eight years old, it is still hard to beat a good game of Team Fortress 2. Certainly in part its continued relevance is due to Valves continued support and evolution of the product, but also it is down to the genius of the games original design.
Each of the games multiple character classes have always fulfilled a very specific and distinct role. Be it the obvious damage dealers of the Pyro and the Heavy, the support classes like the mechanic and medic, or the inexplicably confusing spy, everyone has a part to play.
This makes learning your class vital – but also learning exactly demands that you know exactly what every other class can do also, ensuring you know their weakness and strengths if you are to have any chance of beating them. The visual design aids in these with every character having a distinct silhouette that makes them clearly distinguishable at any distance – making sure you know when to attack or run.
With so many year on the market, Team Fortress 2 is also blessed with 18 game modes - which is more than pretty much all the competition –taking place across more maps than are easily countable. None of which includes mods have been created by its still incredibly active community.
Really - at this point - the fact Team Fortress 2 has gone free to play is just the icing on the cake, as it stands as the quintessential multiplayer online shooter for PC. Which is why we have given it 9/10.
But if you are tired of the yearly change over, there are other choices of first-person shooter that you can enjoy for free without ever having to upgrade. And these are our three favorite.
Gotham City Imposters
Gotham City Imposters is set in the Batman universe. But rather than casting anyone as one of the fiction famous heroes or villains, it has you take the place of a wannabe – a thug or vigilante with delusions of grandeur trying to play the part of the Joker or Batman.
The beautiful part of this is that it allows for really entertaining customization, as you build your character’s look and loadout from makeshift elements. Batmen will don crash-helmets, skintight leathers, and ill fitted capes as the go to war against an army of makeup smeared Jokerz (that’s with a Z) who are armed with bizarrely comical homemade guns. There are literally a 1000 levels of upgrades for your characters too – all stuffed with unlocks – to make sure the process of perfecting your character never gets old.
Of course no amount of customization will save a game if the action isn’t fun, and Gotham City Imposters delivers in spades. It feel slick and fast, while the comic style ensures that, even when running on its minimum specs, with 12 people running around the map, it looks good.
Never is this clearer than when utilizing a cobbled together grappling hook, which allows you to zip you around the many maps with fluid ease.
Unfortunately the player base is a little quieter than it used to be, but it’s still a great game that we think deserves an 8/10.
Warface
For all modern warfare fan, Warface is the free-to-play game we would recommend. This class based shooter has a more traditional military feel than many other free games on the market, while still keeping a fast arcadey pace.
That said, while the action is fast and frantic, it retains some realism. Developer Crytech have kept you feeling nice and squishy – with a full burst from an automatic weapon more than enough to end your current life. It’s a good balance that stops you getting complacent as you may in a more gung-ho shooter, but doesn’t go full simulation like Counter Strike.
A good selection of maps also keep you thinking tactically for your team, making sure that your next spawn will compliment your side’s current makeup alongside the map. Some more open maps may see you selecting a sniper to offer distance support to your team of shotgun wielding maniacs, while on a tighter map the same team may be better served with you playing the part of a medic to get them back in the fight.
The only downside is that like many free to play games, there are some pay-to-win traps, and the already dedicated player base can be hard to break into unless you are particularly gifted at first-person shooters. Though in fairness, a good XP and match making system go some way to combating this.
Still, Warface looks great, its scalable for all systems, and fast class based action make it easy to recommend to shooter fans looking for a challenge – which is why we have given it a 7/10.
Team Fortress 2
Despite being eight years old, it is still hard to beat a good game of Team Fortress 2. Certainly in part its continued relevance is due to Valves continued support and evolution of the product, but also it is down to the genius of the games original design.
Each of the games multiple character classes have always fulfilled a very specific and distinct role. Be it the obvious damage dealers of the Pyro and the Heavy, the support classes like the mechanic and medic, or the inexplicably confusing spy, everyone has a part to play.
This makes learning your class vital – but also learning exactly demands that you know exactly what every other class can do also, ensuring you know their weakness and strengths if you are to have any chance of beating them. The visual design aids in these with every character having a distinct silhouette that makes them clearly distinguishable at any distance – making sure you know when to attack or run.
With so many year on the market, Team Fortress 2 is also blessed with 18 game modes - which is more than pretty much all the competition –taking place across more maps than are easily countable. None of which includes mods have been created by its still incredibly active community.
Really - at this point - the fact Team Fortress 2 has gone free to play is just the icing on the cake, as it stands as the quintessential multiplayer online shooter for PC. Which is why we have given it 9/10.