One of the best things about modern gaming has been the ability to play classic FPS games on modern consoles.
Sometimes it’s through a remaster, as is the case with Metroid Prime being brought to the Nintendo Switch. Sometimes, it’s a throwback, like the dark cult classic that’s part of Xbox Game Pass.
Sadly, not every great FPS game gets to enjoy its due time in the light of today’s consoles. There are so many games of all kinds that are stuck on old systems.
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For the latest Metal Gear Solid 4 news in the end coming to modern consoles, we wanted to take a look at the best FPS games stuck on old game consoles.
10
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
Still waiting for that Remaster, Nintendo
As I said about Metroid Prime Remastered above, it feels right to start with the next one everyone is waiting to jump into the Nintendo Switch family.
You’d think 2025 would be a great time. Metroid Prime Remastered was a success, and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was due out at the end of the year. But we haven’t seen the rumored Metroid Prime 2: Echoes remaster see the light of day, meaning the console is still stuck on both the GameCube and Nintendo Wii.
Sure, Nintendo could add it to the GameCube as part of Nintendo Switch Online, but it would make more sense to give it the same love as Metroid Prime. Maybe it’s the franchise’s 40th anniversary this year.
9
A black watch
Vampires and Cowboys, Oh My!
Despite its excellent premise of playing a vampire cowboy in the Old West, Darkwatch sadly didn’t set the world on fire.
Is it a product of its time during the Xbox/PS2 gaming era? It’s possible, but given the excessive number of live service games that come and go these days, I’d argue that we have a greater need for 5-10 hour single player rollovers.
Darkwatch didn’t do anything new or revolutionary, but it wasn’t supposed to. Play as a vampire cowboy in the Old West, full of fast and fun FPS gameplay.
Given Capcom’s recent track record when it comes to gameplay, Darkwatch could be an excellent choice for an unknown reboot or re-release.
8
TimeSplitters 2
We are out of time
There are plenty of great FPS games from the early 2000s that stand the test of time.
Metroid Prime and Halo are generally considered the best of the best, and you can still play them on modern consoles today. Behind those classics, however, is the TimeSplitters franchise, with TimeSplitters 2 being the best in the trilogy.
Developed by Free Radical Design, led by several veterans who worked on GoldenEye 007 and Perfect Dark, TimeSplitters captures the best of those old-school shooters in one stunning package. Sadly, the said package is stuck on old hardware. Given the fact that the most recent attempt to bring the franchise back never materialized, it might as well stay that way.
7
Resistance: The Fall of Man
Boomer Shooter of the PS3 era
Given the success of the DOOM reboot, you can see that we will be seeing a revival in the boomer shooter genre.
Sadly, that hasn’t really been the case, even though we already have established options for testing the water. One of them is the Resistance franchise, originally developed by Insomniac Games for the PlayStation 3.
While Insomniac is moving forward in the series after its third entry, surely someone else can pick up the mantle and bring it back to modern audiences. Oh, and while they’re at it, can they also update the game’s AI, too? That would be great.
6
Killzone 2
Gone But Not Forgotten
Look, there was no way Killzone 2 was going to live up to the hype from its iconic E3 debut trailer. Having said that, it’s still a great FPS game.
Killzone 2 is a huge improvement from the original, delivering a fast-paced, non-stop single-player campaign that delivers a truly next-gen experience similar to what Gears of War did on the Xbox 360.
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Sadly, Killzone 2 didn’t launch Sony’s next-generation franchise, and the IP was short-lived. I didn’t understand why it just fell off. I get that Guerrilla Games has moved on from Horizon, but why isn’t anyone else taking up the mantle? Or at least let’s play old games on modern hardware.
5
Red Bell 2
Much better than the original
I was very happy with the original Red Steel, but we all know how that turned out: a complete disaster.
The second, however, is a real diamond in the rough. It’s still an ultimately flawed experience, as we now know that using motion controls as an FPS selling point is a failed endeavor, but Red Steel 2 is a surprisingly good time.
Think of it as a solid B-grade movie. It won’t win any awards, but it’s still a lot of fun. If Nintendo and Ubisoft can find a way to bring it to the Switch 2, I’d be fine with that.
4
Medal of Honor
PS1 Classic
One of the most important card games of all time, PS1’s Medal of Honor helped define the modern WWII first-person shooter. It was a cinematic FPS experience that ran on the PlayStation 1, of all systems. The technical limitations of the system did not hold anything here.
While Alien Resurrection would later come along and help set the standard for console FPS (though it would also be out of the category), there’s no denying the importance Medal of Honor had on the genre and gaming as a whole.
It may not have aged well, but it’s still an important piece of gaming history that deserves to be played in a different way today.
3
Abandoned: The Origins of Crime
Xbox 360 Sleep Gem
While technically speaking not an FPS, Forsaken: Criminal Origins is still a first-person horror game launched around the Xbox 360 back in 2005.
It would see a sequel three years later, but since then, the franchise has, surprisingly, remained dormant. Series creator Jace Hall posted on Facebook in 2015 that he was “thinking about finding a passionate and proven Indie development team,” but sadly, nothing materialized.
With the horror franchise enjoying new heights based on the recent success of Resident Evil and Silent Hill, maybe it’s time to get The Damned out of Xbox 360 purgatory, especially since it’s no longer available on Steam.
2
Nobody Lives Forever
This is painful
I don’t know what Monolith Productions is doing to keep their old school games stuck on old hardware, but here we are.
Nobody Lives Forever is an excellent FPS/stealth hybrid that captures the pure fantasy of the spy genre and backs it up with amazing FPS gameplay. A game that doesn’t take itself too seriously but still delivers an incredible amount of polish and pizzazz.
The biggest stinker here is that No One Lives Forever was also released for Windows alongside the PS2. Sadly, with the game’s IP rights stuck in limbo, this one will never see the light of day again unless you have an old PS2 or PC hardware lying around.
1
007 Night Fire
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If I made this list in, say, 2020, then GoldenEye 007 would be a sure thing. However, it was eventually re-released on Xbox and Nintendo Switch in 2023. We can stick to the James Bond franchise when considering other FPS games that stuck to old consoles.
007 Nightfire is one of the best shooters of the PS2 era that you can play, backed by an amazing campaign and multiplayer that could hardly be better.
Sadly, Nightfire has had the misfortune of being compared to early 2000s FPS juggernauts like Metroid Prime and Halo. Given the way things have been trending lately in the genre, however, I think the remake will go very well.
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