I second this.

I have to try it one day. In the mean time I still haven't tried F.E.A.R etc, but I don't have much time to play games lately :(

I agree, I would recommend Wolf 3D, but I think that Doom is a better place to start. Especially seeing as Episode 2 of Wolf 3D was so ridiculously hard compared with the first episode.

Say what? You play FPSs for their story? I think you're doing it wrong. =P

So I take it you finally learned playing FPS with a controller?

Most console versions of shooters let you disable any aiming assistance completely. And I always use that option if it's available because I don't like auto-aim whatever input device I'm playing with. Of course it's more challanging then, but I never encountered any game that became insanely hard or virtually unplayable after deactivating auto-aim, even with a gamepad.

Maybe what you said applies for games that doesn't have such an option - like it's the case with A:CM. The aiming assistance is locked and can't be disabled. If the PC version doesn't have such an assistance it's clearly a disadvantage and perhaps ruins the balance. And like you already mentioned, the overall level of difficulty is rather high in this game, because your life energy can be gone within moments, especially at the beginning when you're still busy getting used to the conrols.

Let's just agree that A:CM is a really bad choice for a rookie to get into FPS games, whatever platform you're playing on.

One question. I hear A:CM got a huge update a while after launch, but I think most (if not all) negative feedback I've heard was about the release version. Did that patch actually get it fixed somewhat?

I think yes since aliens don't just stand around anymore.

Yeah, maybe try Doom with the Aliens TC added

People, stop recommending Doom, Quake, Wolfenstein, Unreal, etc. The OP played old FPS titles, I think they meant that either they spent a long time without playing one and now it's hard to get back into it, or that they think they're bad at "modern" FPSs.

Yes to both :).

I was pretty good at them until the turn of the century. After Rainbow 6 Cover Ops, I had a long drought of not playing them and then lost all control of my skills. Now it looks like I am playing with my non-dominant hand most of the time. I do have an occasional game of average play.

Yeah Doom is relatively easy, I beat it just yesterday on ultra-violence and didn't find it very difficult at all. The hardest part about them was finding my way and looking for secrets. Might do a nightmare run somewhere down the road but I'm tackling Heretic in the meantime.

Well play Bioshock Infinite. The FPS component, while not great, is serviceable - and it's a game with probably the best writing of today.