Characters With Class: The New Era of Arena Shooters

Shooters have dominated gaming in many respects for ages, from Quake to Halo to Destiny. But even as the core genre has shifted down different paths things have remained hypercompetitive as titles challenge each other for visibility, user-retention, and eSports dominance. Games like Titanfall and Evolve roared out the gates, but today titles need to look to the future immediately after launch to stay relevant. What’s in the box rarely cuts it anymore to cultivate a community. New shooters on the market aren’t just playing against the current crop of hot new titles, but all the shooters still keeping their audiences engaged year after year like CS:GO and Team Fortress 2. 

Now a new breed of shooters is taking the tried-and-true elements of team-based running-and-gunning and infusing them with character personalities that make up “classes” and the objective-based gameplay that’s become the staple of the MOBA genre. Sometimes they are even including the waves and bases that make up the core of the conflict. 

As with many emergent genres before it, this destination hot spot is on the PC, and the console scene is brimming with competition.  What’s in store for the future of FPS? Let’s take a look.

Overwatch (PC)
Publisher: Blizzard
Developer: Blizzard
Release Date: Beta October 27

Blizzard’s character-driven riff is infused with plenty of elements from Valve’s Team Fortress 2, but it takes the team-shooter to another level by eschewing a class system in favor of powerful personalities. Special character-defining abilities create intense, game-changing moments, which makes things more exciting and more watchable than other conventional fare. These special abilities are on hefty cooldowns, so in that regard they can be compared directly to Destiny or Call of Duty: Black Ops III specialist skills, but they feel unique in the context of the different game environments that Overwatch’s 6v6 objective-oriented teamplay serves up. Overwatch is packed with tanks, supports, and other classes that don’t fit neatly into the one-size-fits all shooter design often focused on gun packages and perks. The game has just gone into a closed-beta environment, but we’re expecting big news out of BlizzCon for Blizzard’s first FPS title. Check out more here

Gigantic (PC, Xbox One)
Publisher: Motiga, Microsoft
Developer: Motiga
Release Date: TBA

Forget waves of creeps and static bases waiting around to be demolished – Gigantic takes the core tenets of the MOBA and mixes things up significantly with frenzied third-person action. Players attempt to wrest control of power points from the opposing team to channel power to their “base,” which happens to be a gigantic, mobile monster that can decimate an entire enemy team with ease. Players can set up defenses and buffs at these capture points as they send the opponent’s beast into vulnerable states where big chunks of damage can be dished out. Close matches end up in massive team-vs-team brawls that occur in the shadow of these two titans as they go at each other and errant players that dare to peek out from under cover. As one of the most “MOBA-feeling” offerings in this new batch of blasters, players level up and select skill modifiers over the course of the match to suit the situation, whether that’s building out your assassin with some serious close-range staying power for extended slicing and dicing or pumping up your pets on an offbeat support caster. Gigantic offers cross-platform play between PC and Xbox One. Check out more here

Call of Duty: Black Ops III (PS3, Xbox 360, PS4, Xbox One, PC)
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Treyarch
Release Date: November 6

While this may seem like an odd addition to the list, the multiplayer components of the upcoming Call of Duty title make it fit neatly alongside some of the more envelope-pushing entries. While the Pick-10 system has always encouraged players to build their own class in some respects, the specialist designations that are available go a long way to making each class have a bit of personality beyond your carefully customized loadout. The “ultimate abilities” that are either a powerful weapon or special skill function in many respects to ultimate skills from Destiny and Overwatch, providing something that can change the course of a match if used in the right place at the right time. A wide swath of objective-oriented multiplayer maps helps facilitate this feeling of team-based class-carnage, something that’s not always in focus during standard Team Deathmatch or Kill Confirmed battles. Learn more about specialists here

Check out even more on the next page!

Battleborn (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
Publisher: 2K Games
Developer: Gearbox Software
Release Date: February 9 2016

Battleborn is unusual because it is one of few standard-box model options on this list, eschewing the free-to-play philosophy that’s behind many of the titles here. We’ve been keeping an eye on this once since our big cover-story blowout, and it’s almost time to fully dive into the action. While the elements we’ve seen take plenty from MOBAs, Gearbox’s own style is clearly infused into many of the sci-fi characters and settings, and it’s also interesting that the title plays with the concept of loot – something missing from many of these new-age arena shooters. Check out more at our Battleborn content hub 

Lawbreakers (PC)
Publisher: Nexon
Developer: Boss Key Productions
Release Date: 2016

Cliff Bleszinski’s (Gears of War) new project is yet another upcoming attempt to capture all that makes the team-shooter great. As is the case for many of these titles, shooting is only one way to get things done, as melee characters come into focus, offering different playstyles and abilities. As is often the case with this new breed – there are some staple character offerings that play nice with the style and sensibilities of traditional shooters for players that enjoy it, but there are also options that go far outside of established conventions with unique ranged weaponry or close-combat kits. Tradeoffs are everywhere as you find the right class for you, and the 5v5 law-vs-outlaw blaster takes place in a futuristic world where even the laws of gravity don’t always hold true.

Paladins (PC)
Publisher: Hi-Rez Studios
Developer: Hi-Rez Studios
Release Date: TBA

Hi-Rez Studios was already sort of preparing for this fusion-future when they went off track with their entry into the MOBA market with Smite (link to review), and they’re adding their own little nuances to their entry into the fray.  Blending shooting, objectives, and lane-pushing isn’t that radical of a concept, as many of the titles here are doing that in some respects, but Paladins also incorporates card-collection into the formula. The cards provide the level-up system with some random elements, as you’ll have to select which card you think is best from a selection of three each time you rise in rank. You can continue to augment selected cards as you level, so while you may enter each game with a plan, you don’t know exactly when each card is going to show up – or if it will even be relevant to you when it does. Learn more here

Rainbow Six: Siege (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Release Date: December 1

It’s up to you and the rest of your squad to determine the best route to victory using your respective arsenals – and your minds. Whether you’re guarding a hostage or planning an extraction, every minute aspect of the siege plays a factor when you’re trying to lead your team to a win. Teamwork is essential for victory, and with breachable barriers of all kinds, you’re going to have to plan fast and on the fly. With 20 “operators” (classes) players will be able to select exactly the kind of tactical kit they need to handle various situations. These all come with their own special set of equipment and abilities. Check out more on Rainbow Six: Siege here.