Hey guys I have been replaying my old FPS games (again) due to lack of new fun FPS games and I just realised Randy Pitchfork (gearbox) was extremely right when he said that modern FPS just don't have any exploration anymore. It actually did make some of the levels in Duke Nukem forever more fun then they should have been. (He also said it in the promo videos for DNF).

So here is my question: are there actually modern FPS games that have good level design that promotes fun exploration? Or even enviromental puzzles so you have to search to progress in the levels (like jumping on fallen pillars as an easy example).

I can only come up with the bioshock series (I just got out of bed)m but they have a different approach to it (not counting inifinte): Bioshock 1 and 2 seem to put you in mini open world levels, so naturally there is some exploration but in these games it's more realistic world building then exploration imo (not saying that's a bit thing).

So again: fun newer FPS with exploration that i might have missed?

Serious Sam 3 has a bunch of secrets and little nooks and crannies.

Borderlands

The S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games and E.Y.E. Divine Cybermancy come to mind, if only because they're semi-open world-ish. Shadow Warrior (2013) also comes to mind, it's linear overall but there are a lot of little nooks and crannies to explore to find secrets (which it's chock full of).

Edit: I guess you could count Fallout 3/New Vegas as they're sort of FPS-ish but I really wouldn't recommend them at all if you're looking for a (primarily) FPS game.

Yeah I really like serious sam 3 The problem for me with borderlands is (even if I did like the game) the exploration is pretty meaningless and shallow. Is EYE a fun game? I have it for a while now but never installed it...

I would like to acquante you to the Deus Ex series, but then I would be doing the obvious yet right thing by doing so

Hell Deus Ex Human Revolution was a game of the year all years I believe in 2011 or 12?

I do like Deus Ex and Human Revolution. Hated Invisible war though...

Yeah I loved Rage even if the story mission were a bit to lineair, the shooting felt amazing. Just checked it and i played 44 hours with it... (played through it twice and then a semi third time for the dlc)

Invisible War is rather the black sheep of the series for the fans, but I think is just good as the original, hell the visuals have aged well to this day, excep for the MC's face and his expressions

My main issue with the game was: everything felt pointless. I didn't care for any of the factions because they were all equally boring and uninteresting. And the completely pointless side quests... why the hell would I want to destroy a coffee shop...

I don't know, I liked how the story was written, and I guess that option in a videogame can already be self defeating,but I liked the idea game had going, better writing than dragon age 2 anyday, and who wouldn't vandalize a coffe shop?, you need food to keep your strength up, or so I need back when my phisical copy actually worked on my PC

To me it is though my current playthrough has kinda stalled (accidentally tried out the wrong power at home base and now a merchant I need hates me haha). It reminds me (and a lot of other people) of Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines though I have a hard time pinpointing just why haha, it's all Deus Ex-y). The only bad things I have to say is that the respawns can be really annoying (enemies respawn often even at the lowest setting) and you have to fully complete a level if you want to save as there are no mid-level checkpoints (that I remember).

The Far Cry serie is also semi open world with secrets areas and easter eggs.

The original Crysis is a good one, it isn't so much exploration to find secrets but exploration to find your own path to your objective. Finding alternate paths is almost necessary when playing it in the Delta difficulty so you do not alarm too many of the KPA troops and get overwhelmed by them.