In the world of video games, the shooter genre, divided into two main categories FPS and TPS, is one of the most widely represented today. This is especially noticeable in the PC gaming segment, where shooter games take up almost half of all annual game projects released.
But there is one important nuance here, which is very unpleasant for owners of weak computers. The fact is that the genre of shooters requires from its representatives maximum entertainment and realism, a cinematic picture and an abundance of special effects. All this endows most of today’s shooters with sky-high system requirements that are insurmountable for the weak and even for most of the mid-range PCs.
Fortunately, there are several ways to get around these annoying limitations. First, you can play old shooters that were once considered real hits in the gaming industry. Secondly, good FPS and TPS can be found among indie games, which, as you know, have much more democratic requirements than games in the AAA category.
Finally, even among new shooters, from time to time, there are well-optimized games with flexible graphics settings, which allows you to tailor them to the capabilities of your computer.
Let’s remember which of the current shooters are suitable for weak PCs. And we will not remember absolutely everything, but we will limit ourselves only to the best representatives of the genre.
Series Half-Life
Let’s start with the legendary sci-fi series Half-Life, both games of which are ideal for owners of low-power computers.
None of the seasoned gamers who are well versed in the gaming industry would dispute the fact that each of the Half-Life parts is a reference shooter with a lot of cool ideas. Moreover, there are many gamers for whom the Half-Life franchise is the best and most beloved among all computer games related to the first-person shooter genre.
Counter Strike 1.6
Also known as the “old” Counter Strike.
This is a legendary online shooter that has gone through many subsequent rebirths, but at the same time retained its original concept of gameplay. Playing the good old “Counter”, you will not lose anything at all, because the newfangled Counter Strike: Global Offensive differs from it only in improved graphics and physics, a couple of new maps and modes. The principle and features of the gameplay remained unchanged. And the online players in it are consistently high and have hundreds of thousands of friendly users from all over the world.
Max Payne
A third-person shooter with a dark noir atmosphere, arguably the best ever released on the PC.
A unique game in which the plot, gameplay and atmosphere turned out to be equally successful, having won a multi-million army of fans for Max Payne. This ingenious and unique game was released in 2001, which means that today almost any computer, even the oldest and weakest, can handle it without any problems.
SWAT 4
Representative of tactical shooters, the gameplay and storyline of which is devoted to combat operations conducted by the elite SWAT police unit.
A very hardcore and at the same time addicting game that amazes with the highest degree of its realism. And all because the gameplay of SWAT 4 fully reflects the real actions of the police from the SWAT squad, because when creating the game, the developers consulted with former and current fighters of this unit.
Call of Duty
This legendary shooter was released back in 2006, revolutionizing the representatives of its genre, dedicated to the events of World War II. If earlier such games covered the far-fetched and completely unconvincing feats of gallant loners, then the shooter Call of Duty decisively deviated towards realism and historicism, showing the hostilities of that time in a much more reliable way.
Here, the player does not act alone, but together with the soldiers of his unit, controlled by AI. The hero easily dies when evading team interaction, uses the trophy types of weapons and equipment at hand. The battles themselves have become truly epic due to the increased scale of missions and mesmerizing special effects.
Crysis
Last on our list of shooters is what was once the most technologically advanced and demanding PC game, and is now easily played by even the weakest machines.
Crysis is a fantastic shooter in which the hero fights against aliens and earthly enemies, using the capabilities of his advanced combat suit. Despite its age, the game remains quite beautiful, which is a definite plus in the eyes of those gamers.
