10. First Person Shooters
Now this is one the more hated genres right now. Usually, people hate the First Person Shooter genre for games like Call of Duty and because it doesn't change a lot. While I agree with these people on some of these points, I don't think First Person Shooters deserve to be considered a bad genre. If you ask me, there are more good things than bad things in this genre. First of all, it is a very competitive genre and a great genre for online multiplayer. Trust me, there are a lot of skilled players in this genre that will give you a rough time in online matches. Sure, you'll find a hacker from time to time but that is depending on what games you play. Second, First Person Shooters can be varied. Not all First Person Shooters are war-themed games. You have some class based shooters like Team Fortress 2, some human vs monster like Primal Carnage, you also have horror shooters like F.E.A.R. Three, it is an immersive genre. Given that you experience the action though your character's eyes make you feel like you are inside the game. It can make some freaky moments like being chased by zombies all the more scary. There are other reasons why they're great but it will take too much space for this countdown. But with all of that said, why is it so low? Well, being a single-player gamer, the First Person Shooter genre just doesn't satisfy me that much, the fanbase is really terrible and the previously mentioned issues. Some of my favorite shooters include Counter Strike 1.6, Team Fortress 2, Quake II, and Tribes Ascend. With that being said, First Person Shooters are at my number ten spot on this list.
9. Rail Shooters
Yet another genre that involves shooting! Rail Shooters (which are also know as Cabal Shooters) is an shooting in which your character moves from point A to point B automatically and you have to shoot enemies and avoid obstacles along the way. The genre started out with the arcade game Cabal in 1988. In Rail Shooters, you either have a first person perspective where you only shoot the enemies on the screen and your character moves forward automatically or you have a third person view of your character which you can move around the screen while automatically advancing. What I like about Rail Shooters is how action packed they are and just how intense and hectic the gameplay is. Sure, you may not be able to move your character around but trust me, when you play a great Rail Shooter, you wouldn't give a single crap about these little details. While you usually find them in arcades, Rail Shooters can also be found on consoles. Star Fox, Star Fox 64, Sin & Punishment 1 & 2, House of the Dead Overkill, Rez, Killer 7 are all examples of console Rail Shooters. Unlike First Person Shooters, Rail Shooters aren't as common which makes them even more enjoyable. Another thing I like about Rail Shooters is the single player modes and the challenge. The single player has you playing through several levels. Usually, levels are quite short but have immense replay value. In some Rail Shooters, you can invite one, two or even three friend to play along with you (but these are usually the arcade ones). Also, they are hard, for the most part and you know I love a high level of challenge in my games. The themes also vary. Some may take talk play in outer space (like Star Fox), others may take place in the future (like Sin & Punishment) and others may take place in modern days (like Time Crisis). It is also fun when you go play the arcade ones and you use the two pistols and pretend to be a badass. You've no scoped your enemy in Call of Duty? Please, I've taken down a tyrannosaurus with my pistols in The Lost World: Jurassic Park. I admit I don't play Rail Shooters very often (given that there aren't many that come out these days) but when I do, it's always tons of fun.
8. Survival Horror
You know, sometimes, I like getting scared. So where do I go for a frightening experience? Survival Horror games. Being a subgenre of Action Adventure, Survival Horror games are sort of like Action Adventure games that give the player a few tools (if nothing) so you can survive and usually are meant to scare the player. This term came up after the original Resident Evil game released, back in 1996 but has been around since the 80s. If there is one genre that is praised solely because of the feeling it gives to the player, it is definitely this genre. We know we are going to crap our pants but we WANT to whenever we play a Survival Horror game. Also, it is one of the most immersive genres out there as well one of the more atmospheric ones out there. That is a big plus in my book. Also, I love how Survival Horror promote thinking rather that mindless killing. In some Horror games, the game will punish you for killing the wrong enemies, like in Resident Evil on the harder difficulty. This adds more strategy to the game and WILL force the player to think before they start wrecking the whole place. I also applaud the ingenious use of music in this particular genre. The music in Survival Horror games aren't particularly epic but they're rather a message that tells the player that there is some danger ahead, a message that tells something happened here. And it helps a lot with setting up the atmosphere of the game. As much as I love the genre though, there hasn't been many Survival Horror games lately. Sure, there are many indie developers that focus on this genre, but there games are usually short and I don't like short games. I wish more developers focus on the Survival Horror genre, I mean, it has a lot of potential. With ZombiU coming out for the Wii U, there might be a chance big developers will start caring about Survival Horror games.
7. Real-Time Strategy
I'll say it right now, I don't play a lot of Real-Time Strategy games. But when I do, I always enjoy it. What is a Real-Time strategy game? Well, it is a subgenre of the Strategy genre. It came to life with ''Utopia'' for the Intellivision in 1982 but truly started getting critical acclaim in the 90s with games like Command & Conquer, Warcraft and Starcraft. In most Real-Time Strategy games, you are sort of like a commander who gives orders to your character(s). They can build buildings or attack the enemy in Real-Time which means you can get attacked at any time rather than getting attacked and then attacking after the enemy attacks (like a turn-based RPG). This is possibly why I prefer Real-Time Strategy games more, I'm not that much into the turn-based thing. I feel like it is a lot more fast-paced than Turn-based Strategy games. As the name implies, it is a Strategy game and you have to use your brain to come up with a good strategy to defeat your enemy which another reason why I love RTS games so much. Also, with RTS being a very online friendly genre, you'll be challenging a lot of tough player. I don't know why but I feel like RTS players are a lot more competitive than FPS players. I don't know, this is just me. I absolutely love RTS games but it is low because, honestly, I haven't played a lot of RTS games and because the fanbase is very irritating at times. Some of you may think these are bad reasons to put it low on the list but this is my list.
6. Puzzle
Yes, I just put Puzzle games over RTS games, Survival Horror and First Person Shooters. I know, I find that weird too but I really like Puzzle games. I know what you are thinking ''Well you must have a damn good reason to like Puzzles games.'' Well, I admit, I don't really have a very good reason why I prefer Puzzle games over the four previous genres. I just feel like Puzzle games are very relaxing as opposed to RTS, Survival Horror, FPS and Rail Shooter genres. Sometimes, I feel stressed when I play a FPS because I constantly get killed but this almost NEVER happens in Puzzle games. Like RTS games, Puzzle games force you to think rather than act mindlessly, which is always a plus in my book. Also, they are always different from each other which is great too. I do acknowledge the fact that there are many boring Puzzle games but there are just as many good ones. Some of my favorite Puzzle games include the Brain Age games, Portal (haven't played Portal 2 but I should), Pushmo and World of Goo. Really, I think the Puzzle genre is very under-appreciated. This is honestly how I feel about the Puzzle genre which is why it lands in my number six spot.
This ends the first part of the Top Ten video game genres. See you in the second part. Until then, have a good day.
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