Half Life 2: Episode One vs Insurgency
Half Life 2: Episode One
Half Life 2: Episode One is the first standalone game in Valve's spin-off trilogy for its game series, Half Life. Featuring a gameplay that closely resembles Half Life 2, its namesake, this game provides loyal fans of the game a nice continuation (somewhat) in the series' storyline. Similar to Half Life 2, this game has a lot more scripted scenes as well as puzzles and strategic combat rather than simply adding in more aliens for you to fight and weapons for you to fight with.Despite its rather short game duration, Half Life 2: Episode One gives its hardcore fans something to chew on as they wait - endlessly - for a Half Life 3. And naturally, being released in 2006, the game has a more polished look. To be honest, it's a great alternative game to Half Life 2.
Insurgency
Insurgency is, without a doubt, the best game to play if realism is a key criterion for you when choosing your first-person shooters. Unlike other tactical shooters, there is no cross-hairs to help you (just sights) or the bullet-soaking feature that so many games use. In fact, with a well-aimed shot, which in itself can be a pretty difficult feat at times, you can easily take down an opponent even if the fella has body armor. The realism doesn't even stop at the gameplay - the game even provides realistic gun sounds which will allow real-life gun aficionados to differentiate the different types of guns simply by listening to the fire. Your loadout can also be upgraded but each upgrade you make will have realistic effect on your weight, stamina and movement speed. So, you'll need to choose upgrades depending on which aspect you are willing to sacrifice.The game, however, is a fully multiplayer game. It features over 7 PvP multiplayer game modes as well as 5 unique co-op multiplayer modes. That said, if you fancy getting some practice before diving into some actual PvP, you can play the game with bots offline in any of the multiplayer modes you like. The game even has an in-built, squad-based 3D VOIP system that only allows for nearby players, both friendly and opposing, to hear you.
It is rare to find realistic shooters anymore nowadays, but Insurgency aims to change that. With incredible graphics and a painstakingly-detailed and realistic gameplay, it is an impressive first-person shooter.