I ask, you answer. Chop chop, people. For the sake of clarification, I'm counting pretty much anything before 2001, so that would include stuff like Half-Life or Unreal. If you REALLY want to, just make two choices, one pre-Half Life, one post. Your call.

Me? Well, Doom's pretty high up there, there's no denying that. But I'm actually cheating on Doom with a little number called Rise of the Triad. Oh, sure, it's not much of a looker... it's running off of the Wolfenstien 3D engine, stretched as far out as you possibly CAN stretch it. It's got these weird little habits, like having only four weapon slots, only one of which holds 'special' weapons.

Oh, but it's got an amazing personality, and it's absolutely WILD once you really get to know it. It's got a lightning-fast pace, including a lot of fun stuff like bounce pads in its levels. Its weapons are just so much FUN to use, like the drunk missile, which I'd dare say is more fun to shoot than almost all the weapons in Doom. And it's got an amazing sense of humor. And it's DAMN good at music.

DOS Game: Rise Of The Triad[/align:26phfct3]

If I wanted to be shallow, though, I'd have to go for its younger, prettier, more foul-mouthed sibling, Duke Nukem 3D. Pretty much everybody knows this one, sure, but that doesn't mean it's not a really good game. Everybody knows it for its main character, sure, who's constantly spouting off one-liners like a pull-string toy caught on a ceiling fan. But it's not just that, no. The levels are fantastic, with just the right mix of 'realism' and exploration, and it can be fun to just wander around and check out the sights. I mean, sure, it's pretty cool to go around blowing things up in the surface of Hell, but fighting through places like "Babe Land" and a fast food joint just has that creative touch, you know?

The gunplay's pretty good, too, but my one real complaint is that the game is HARD. For as awesome as the game hypes Duke up to be, he's actually pretty flimsy, and a couple of shotgun blasts can take him down, if you're unlucky. But... well, still, that's why they've invented quicksaves. The weapons are fun, too, and the pipebombs are some of the most fun I've HAD in an FPS.

Here's a dirty little secret of mine, though: I've always sort of kind of had a preference for the N64 version. Yeah, yeah, I know it's censored, but it's just got a different, less gritty feel to it that I like. It sort of reminds me of the 2D platformers more, where Duke wasn't QUITE as angry about everything. That, and I much prefer the idea of rescuing the women you find trapped in the levels instead of having to put them out of their misery. There's some pretty fun new weapons and some different levels, too.

Thankfully, for people like me, there's a very nice mod that recreates the experience nicely. But here's the N64 version, for reference.

Duke Nukem 64 - Map02 - Gun Crazy[/align:26phfct3]

((Yes, I just compared old first person shooters to a sexy lady/lad/your gender of choice. It's 3:30 AM and I can't sleep. I can make whatever analogies I want.))