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Third-person shooter (TPS) is a subgenre of3Dshooter games in which thegameplay consists primarily of shooting. It is closely related tofirst-person shooters, but with theplayer character visible on-screen during play. While2Dshoot 'em up games also employ a third-person perspective, the TPS genre is distinguished by having the game presented with the player's avatar as a primary focus of the camera's view.
A third-person shooter is a game structured around shooting,[1] and in which the player can see theavatar on-screen in athird-person view.[1][2] Third-person shooters are distinguished from other shooter games that may present the game from a third-person view such asshoot 'em ups, as the game is presented with the player's avatar as a primary focus of the camera's view.[3] Third-person shooters are analogous tofirst-person shooters in terms of immersion, but simply displace the camera from being at the eyes of the character to a point slightly above and behind them in most cases.[3][4]
It is a 3D genre that grew to prominence during the 2000s, especially ongame consoles. It featuresshooter game elements, sometimes combining these with the jumping and climbing elements ofpuzzle-based games andbrawlers. Third-person shooter games sometimes incorporate anaim-assist feature to compensate for the difficulty of aiming from a third-person camera. Many include some form of first-person view, which allows precise shooting and looking around at environment features that are otherwise hidden from the default camera. In early examples of the genre, the player would often be required to stand still to use first-person view, but newer titles allow the player to play like a FPS.
These games are closely related tofirst-person shooters,[5] which also tie the perspective of the player to an avatar,[6] distinguished only in a minor change of position of theplayer camera.[7] While the first-person perspective allows players to aim and shoot without their avatar blocking their view,[6] the third-person shooter shows the protagonist from an "over the shoulder shot" or "behind the back" perspective.[5][8] Thus, the third-person perspective allows the game designer to create a more strongly characterized avatar[6] and directs the player's attention as in watching a film. In contrast, a first-person perspective provides the player with greater immersion into the game universe.[9]
Third-person shooters allow players to see the area surrounding the avatar more clearly.[6] This viewpoint facilitates more interaction between the character and their surrounding environment, such as the use of a tactical system inGears of War,[10] or navigating tight quarters.[11] As such, the third-person perspective is better for interacting with objects in the game world, such as jumping on platforms, engaging in close combat, or driving a vehicle. However, the third-person perspective can interfere with tasks that require fine aiming.[12]
Third-person shooters sometimes compensate for their distinct perspective by designing larger, more spacious environments than first-person shooters.[13]
The boundaries between third-person and first-person shooters are not always clear. For example, many third-person shooters allow the player to use a first-person viewpoint for challenges that require precise aiming, while others simply allow a player to freely switch between first and third-person perspectives at will.[6] The first-person shooterHalo: Combat Evolved was actually designed as a third-person shooter, but added a first-person perspective to improve the interface for aiming and shooting.[14] The game switches to a third-person viewpoint when the avatar is piloting a vehicle,[6] and this combination of first-person for aiming and third-person for driving has since been used in other games.[15]Metroid Prime is another first-person shooter that switches to a third-person perspective when rolling around the environment using the morph ball.[16] Many games in the genre such as theARMA series and its descendants (including the popular battle-royale shooterPUBG) allow players to freely transition between first and third-person perspectives at will.
Alexander R. Galloway writes that the "real-time, over-the-shoulder tracking shots ofGus Van Sant'sElephant evoke third-person shooter games likeMax Payne, a close cousin of the FPS".[17]
2D third-person shooters have existed since the earliest days of video games,[18] dating back toSpacewar! (1962);[18] third-person perspective shooting is also featured in itsclones,Galaxy Game (1971) andComputer Space (1971).[19]Arcade shooters with a 3D third-person perspective includeNintendo'sRadar Scope (1979),[20]Atari'sTempest (1981),[21]Nihon Bussan'sTube Panic (1983),[22]Sega'sSpace Harrier (1985),[23]Atari'sXybots (1987),[24] andSquare's3-D WorldRunner (1987).[25] andJJ (1987)[26] Third-person shooters for home computers include Dan Gorlin'sAirheart (1986)[27] and Paul Norman'sBeyond Forbidden Forest (1986).[28]
Konami'srun & gun shooterContra (1987) featured several third-person shooter levels where the player trudges through indoor enemy bases.[29] Konami'sDevastators (1988)[30] is a third-person shooter[31] where, rather than moving forward automatically, the player walks forward by holding the Up direction, as the background slowly scales toward the screen.Devastators also featured various obstacles that could be used totake cover from enemy fire,[30] as well astwo-playercooperative gameplay.[32] A similar shooter released that same year wasCabal (1988),[33] which inspired many of its own "Cabal clones", such asNAM-1975 (1990) andWild Guns (1994).[34] Kurt Kalata of Hardcore Gaming 101 cites Sega'sLast Survivor (1988), released for arcades and then ported to theFM Towns andFM Towns Marty, featuring eight-player deathmatch. He notes that it has a perspective and split-screen similar toXybots, but with entirely different gameplay and controls.[35]
In 1993,Namco released a two-player competitive 3D third-person shootervehicle combat game,Cyber Sled.[36] A year later, Elite Systems Ltd. releasedVirtuoso on the3DO. This was an early example of a home console third-person shooter which featured a human protagonist on-foot, as opposed to controlling a vehicle, and made use of polygonal 3D graphics along with sprites in a 3D environment.[37]Fade to Black (1995) was also a fully 3D third-person shooter released around this time, but as well as featuring an on-foot protagonist rather than a vehicle, utilised entirely polygonal 3D graphics.[38]
Tomb Raider (1996) byEidos Interactive (nowSquare Enix Europe) is claimed by some commentators as a third-person shooter,[39][5][40][41][42] and Jonathan S. Harbour of theUniversity of Advancing Technology argues that it's "largely responsible for the popularity of this genre".[5] Other commentators have considered it influential on later third person shooters such asBloodRayne (2002),[40]The Contra Adventure (1998),[43]MDK (1997),[44]Duke Nukem: Time To Kill (1998),[45]Burning Rangers (1998),[46] andHeavy Metal: F.A.K.K. 2 (2000).[42] The game eschewed the popular first person perspective of games such asDoom, instead making use of "third person" viewpoints, wide 3D environments and a control system inspired byPrince of Persia.[8][47]Mega Man Legends (1997) byCapcom is another early 3D third person shooter which took a different approach to the genre, mixing this with arole-playing game influence. Around the same time,Deathtrap Dungeon (1998) byEidos Interactive andMediEvil (1998) bySCE Studio Cambridge (thenMillennium Interactive) were some of the first 3D games in the genre to include third person shooter influences in a fantasy setting, with fictional or alternative weapons achieving the same effect as a gun for the player.Die Hard Trilogy (1998) byFox Interactive was met with critical acclaim at the time of its release,[48][49] and the section of the game based around the firstDie Hard film in the trilogy was another early take on a 3D third person shooter.
Syphon Filter (1999) byEidetic (now Bend Studio) combined the perspective ofTomb Raider with action elements of games such asGoldenEye 007 (1997) andMetal Gear Solid (1998).[50] Richard Rouse III wrote inGame Developer that the game was the most popular third person shooter for thePlayStation.[51] The Nintendo 64 version ofArmy Men: Sarge's Heroes byThe 3DO Company was released the same year as Syphon Filter, and is an early example of a popular third person shooter which introduced the player being allowed to control aiming of their weapon themselves by means of two control sticks. InTomb Raider andSyphon Filter, on the other hand, the protagonists automatically aimed at antagonists.[8][51] Forcing or allowing the player to control aiming themselves, either using control sticks or a mouse, would go on to become commonplace in later games in the genre, such asOni (2001),Max Payne (2001) andSOCOM (2002).[51]Max Payne (2001) was acclaimed as a superlative third person shooter, inspired byHong Kong action cinema.[52] Several platform games with third-person shooter elements were also released during that time; examples includedRatchet & Clank and most of the games in theJak and Daxter series, both of which were designed for younger audiences than most third-person shooters.
Resident Evil 4 (2005) was influential in helping to redefine the third-person shooter genre,[53] with its use of "over the shoulder" offset camera angles, where the camera is placed directly over the right shoulder and therefore doesn't obscure the action.[54] An importantgameplay mechanic that helped revolutionize third-person shooters in the past decade was thecover system.Koei'sWinBack (1999)[55] has a cover system.Kill Switch (2003) features the cover system as its core game mechanic,[56] along with a blind fire mechanic.[57]Gears of War (2006) employedtactical elements such as taking cover,[58] influenced byKill Switch,[59] using off-center viewpoints inspired byResident Evil 4. The game also employed grittier themes than other titles and used a unique feature which rewarded the player for correctly reloading weapons.[60]Gears of War, as well as games such asArmy of Two (2008), place a greater emphasis on two player cooperative play,[61] as doesResident Evil 5 (2009).[62][63] As of 2009, the third-person shooter genre has a large audience outside Japan, particularly in North America.[64]Vanquish (2010) byPlatinumGames featured a gameplay style reminiscent ofbullet hell shooters, with bullets and missiles coming from all directions.[65]
The third-person shooter genre is still quite popular in contemporary gaming circles. In 2012,Rockstar Games releasedMax Payne 3, which was praised for its refined gameplay. In 2015, Nintendo published multiplayer third-person shooter gameSplatoon for theWii U, which was followed by two sequels forNintendo Switch in 2017 and 2022 respectively, withSplatoon 2 being one of the console's highest selling games andSplatoon 3 becoming one of the fastest selling Switch games. In the late 2010s, the third-person shooterbattle royale gameFortnite Battle Royale saw huge popularity. Thesurvival horror gamesResident Evil 2 andResident Evil 3: Nemesis were remade in2019 and2020 respectively, featuring third-person shooter gameplay similar toResident Evil 4.
Clearly this early third-person shooter [Spacewar] paved the way for the FPS proper. The rockets are drawn on the screen against a 2-D backdrop of stars.
Some of the earliest video games, such as the mainframe gameSpacewar! (1962) and commercial games based on it likeGalaxy Game (1971) andComputer Space (1971) also involved shooting . . . [T]hese games featured shooting from a third-person perspective.
Radar Scope owed much to the popularity ofSpace Invaders andGalaxian, but nevertheless felt original thanks to its 3D third-person perspective.
[Tempest] corresponds to a third-person shooter, by contemporary standards.
Even Flashback's own sequel, Fade to Black, was a fully 3D third-person shooter.
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