So lately, I've been playing a lot of older FPS games. Two nights back I marathoned Episode 1 of Wolfenstein 3D (tried to speedrun it, got killed) and followed up with Blake Stone. Then a copy of Blood arrived in the mail and I've been on that non-stop.

An IRL friend let me borrow his copy of Return to Castle Wolfenstein, and to be honest... it reminds me of Medal of Honor more than its namesake. I'm not saying Medal of Honor is bad (it's actually pretty fun) but I find with more modern FPSes (to me, "modern" FPS begins with the original Half-Life and goes from there), I have to be in a certain mood, because they focus more on being cinematic and telling a story, whereas the classic style was more about visceral thrills--you turn a corner and OH SHIT THERE'S THIRTY IMPS AND THREE CYBERDEMONS, and an Arch-Vile just because the game REALLY wants you dead.

Wolfenstein 3D, lately, I've found is really fun because of the tension it places on you--a room full of enemies is a legitimate threat because just one well-placed shot can drain two-thirds of your energy, and there's always this sense of relief whenever you clear a room without taking too much damage and realize those three blue-suited guards were the only guys guarding that health kit... but then you keep watching the door, worrying that your gunshots might've alerted nazis in other parts of the level and they might be coming for you, and if they sneak up behind you then, well...

PROTIP: These games are more fun if you DON'T quicksave after every encounter. In fact I've learned to only save at the end of each level when I'm standing in front of the exit, or else at the beginning of each map. This helps keep that all-important tension and also helps me learn the map.

So, what are your favorite classic First Person Shooters?