Counter-Strike vs Planetside 2
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike is one of the the pioneers of the team-based multiplayer, action-shooter game genre and it is thanks to these games that we now have games like Combat Arms or even Blacklight. That said, you probably have heard of Counter-Strike so I'll keep this simple. The game places you into a team - either as Terrorists or Counter-Terrorists - before the match and your team will be given an objective to do, be it taking out enemy sites, rescue hostages or simply taking out the other team. For the "vanilla" version of Counter-Strike, the multiplayer community is pretty nice overall and definitely not as toxic as in the latest installment.However, the graphics can be rather painfully outdated in this game. So, unless you are feeling nostalgic or if you don't really mind old graphics, then Counter-Strike might just be the game for you.
Planetside 2
Planetside 2 is a sci-fi-themed MMOFPS game that's the explosive sequel to its predecessor, Planetside, which was released back in 2003. In a way, the game is more inclined towards the extravagant and yet is still rather down-to-earth mainly because it features massive battlefields where hundreds to even thousands of players can battle it out for their faction. In fact, the game has an exciting gameplay which may bring to mind the games in the Battlefield franchise albeit the futuristic sort.Not to mention, Planetside 2 has an actual war playing out on the map where players who won a certain battlefield will essentially "claim" the land for their faction. The tug-of-war-like power struggle between factions help to bond the players in a way that resembles the deep rift between the Alliance and the Horde in World of Warcraft. The game is also developed by Daybreak Games which is in pretty good company along the likes of EverQuest 2, DC Universe Online and Lord of the Rings Online.
So, if you're looking for an epic MMOFPS game to fully immerse yourself in, then Planetside 2 is your best bet. If not, there are plenty of other casual shooters out there, but you can definitely expect that none of them can measure up to the faction-vs-faction tension, which usually erupts into another battle, offered in this game.