3rd-person shooters optimized for controllers?

Submitted ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨mohab@piefed.social⁩ to ⁨patientgamers@sh.itjust.works⁩

I don’t feel comfortable using a mouse and I have no interest in working on my mouse skills. I play all of my games with either a controller or a keyboard, and I’m looking for 3rd-person shooters I can play with a controller.

I’m mainly interested in action games. I’m OK with a world with gated areas a la metroidvanias/soulslikes, but I’m not interested in full-on open world or narrative-driven games.

Examples of 3rd-person shooters I enjoyed playing with a controller: Gungrave, Vanquish, and Evil West.

Examples of 3rd-person shooters I don’t enjoy and have no interest in: Uncharted, The Last of Us, Red Dead Redemption, Dead Space, Control/Alan Wake, or GTA.

I mainly play on PC, Steam in particular, but I’ll boot up emulators if the game is worth it.

source

Comments

Sort:hotnew top

ISOmorph@feddit.org ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

I don’t feel comfortable using a mouse I mainly play on PC

You sir, are definitely one in a million

source
- halcyoncmdr@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Not by a long shot. There’s a reason Steam has an entire section of the library page that shows controller compatibility. Not to mention Big Picture mode and all the living room gamers. Keyboard sand mouse on a couch is terrible, no matter what hardware you have or how you try to convince yourself it’s not.
  
  I personally use a controller 99% of the time. In both casual and competitive games.
  
  source
  - mang0@lemmy.zip ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    Huge difference between not feeling comfortable at all with using a mouse and preferring to use a controller depending on context
    
    source
- Rooster326@programming.dev ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  That’s not even close to true.
  
  15% of Steam sessions are using a controller on a PC
  
  steamcommunity.com/games/…/4142827237888316812
  
  source
  - actionjbone@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    Yeah, these days I play everything with a controller - because I’d rather sit on the couch than in a desk chair.
    
    source
  - mang0@lemmy.zip ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    Please explain how people sometimes using controllers on PC means that there exists a considerable amount of PC gamers who are uncomfortable with using a mouse.
    
    source
    -> View More Comments
- mohab@piefed.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  I wish I wasn’t if true, but I already put all of my skill points in keyboard and controller, and I don’t have enough reasons to work on my mouse skills.
  
  source
  - boletus@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    Wait keyboard and controller? At the same time??
    
    source
    -> View More Comments
- Denjin@feddit.uk ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Snob
  
  source
- SlothMama@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago
  I exclusively game on PC with a controller too, and when a game doesn’t have support for a controller it is a deal breaker.
  
  source
- CallMeAnAI@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Nerds need to grow up and stop this nonsense. Millinials are pushing 40 and you still don’t understand that non casuals are the minority.
  
  source
- tal@lemmy.today ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  There was an era, very early on, when PC first-person shooters were generally played with the keyboard. Wolfenstein 3D. I remember people who specifically wanted to play Doom with the keyboard rather than the mouse.
  
  source
  - Lembot_0005@lemy.lol ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    Doom 1-2 was for the keyboard the same way as Wolf3d.
    
    source
    -> View More Comments
- Drusas@fedia.io ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  I used to play WoW that way back when all I had was a laptop (2004?). Got surprisingly good at it. Still, I would recommend using a mouse.
  
  source
  - Doc_Crankenstein@slrpnk.net ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    TIL WoW can be played with a controller
    
    source
    -> View More Comments
tal@lemmy.today ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

I don’t feel comfortable using a mouse

You might also consider, if you’ve never tried one, using a trackball. Might be a benefit outside of just games, too, if you’re using a PC. There are some people who really strongly prefer them and dislike mice for various reasons (including some people who find mice to be more-problematic for some sort of repetitive stress injury they have).

I prefer a mouse as pointing device, but one can’t really use one if lying on a couch or in bed or something, and I keep a trackball around that I sometimes use in those cases.

Trackballs aren’t as common these days as a mouse alternative, given that laptops with trackpads have become more-prevalent, but I’m more accurate with one than with a trackpad, and if I couldn’t use a mouse, I’d probably spend a lot more trackball time.

We do have a trackball community here: !trackballs@discuss.tchncs.de

source
- mohab@piefed.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Interesting, I may consider picking one up, thanks.
  
  source
  - sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    You may also consider a vertical mouse.
    
    There are cheap but decent ones on Amazon, Kysona and Nulea (I think? sp?) make some, and there are also rather expensive ones.
    
    Basically, you hold the house as if you are holding a cup of soda.
    
    They were basically mainly marketed as ergonomic, for carpal tunnel sufferers… but when you think about it, a very long gaming session, everyday, all the time, whatever… yeah the ergonomics do actually make more sense, they’re fairly close to the same grip and shape of many trackball mice.
    
    Alternatively, get a new Steam Controller when they come out in a few months.
    
    Its a controller; sticks, buttons, pads triggers, also has two little uh, kinda like laptop track pads.
    
    Its basically a Steam Deck w/o the screen in the middle, but lighter and more ergonomic.
    
    I play older shooters (often emulated) with sticks, newer ones with a pad.
    
    As far as a third person shooter that works well with controllers?
    
    Uh… Splinter Cell Chaos Theory?
    
    You can get that on Steam.
    
    Metal Gear Solid V?
    
    Those are both probably narrative driven though, MGSV has multiple open worlds, basically?
    
    source
- Rooster326@programming.dev ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  As someone who has spent far more hours with a trackball, and has been using them for over 2 decades. They are fantastic.
  
  But they aren’t good for FPS games.
  
  I just use a controller and I don’t play competitively.
  
  Feel like you’d have a better time buying a console IF you ONLY wanted a controller AND you wanted to only play competitive PVP games. Neither trackball nor controller can compete without some kind of aim assist.
  
  source
eezeebee@lemmy.ca ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
I’m also a PC gamer who prefers using a controller. No doubt a mouse is better for aiming, I just find a controller more comfortable and easier to relax with while playing, especially after working a desk job all day.

You should check out Remnant 2 and Risk of Rain 2.

source
- BilboBargains@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  People play FPS games on a PC using a controller?
  
  Image
  
  source
  - SlothMama@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago
    Yes, I do exclusively.
    
    source
  - Doc_Crankenstein@slrpnk.net ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    Hey, people are allowed to play with a handicap if they want.
    
    source
  - eezeebee@lemmy.ca ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    Yes. Unless it’s the rare occasion I want to play something competitive like CSGO then I’d use m&k.
    
    source
  - PuddleOfKittens@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    I played through the Tomb Raider reboot with a controller, mainly because I thought it would be mostly non-gun stuff (and I was sort of right) and the non-gun stuff played easier with it. Also I use IJKL instead of WASD and I didn’t want to have to rebind literally every single key on yet another game. Controllers suck for aiming regardless of which thumbstick I use to aim, so there’s no point rebinding it and I can just use defaults.
    
    source
cRazi_man@europe.pub ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
OK with emulation? Then start with the first Ratchet and Clank game and play through all of them in order up too the most recent one on Steam.

source
Rose@lemmy.zip ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Gears of War, which was built for consoles and thus controllers.

source
tal@lemmy.today ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
store.steampowered.com/search?sort_by=Reviews_DES…

Steam list of third-person shooters sorted by user rating for which controllers are preferred or full controller support is present.

source
- belluck@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  FYI, the filters are AND, not OR, making this list really small. Kinda weird for Steam to have it like this even for controller filters.
  
  source
  - Cris_Color@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    Huh… Yeah that is odd, “or” probably would have been more helpful 😅
    
    Or two separate lists, since controller being preferred probably does generally come with controller support
    
    source
Alcyonaria@piefed.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Remnant from the ashes 1 and 2

source
- mohab@piefed.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  I was just looking at Remnant before posting this. Good to know it’s fun with a controller!
  
  source
  - alaphic@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    Those games are super underrated imo… Have a great “Dark Souls with guns” kinda vibe and so many secret outfits
    
    source
actionjbone@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
You might like the Max Payne series.

Third-person action shooters with bullet time.

source
- mohab@piefed.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  I tried all 3, the aiming cursor is too small. I remember looking into the options, and I couldn’t find any way to make it larger. Maybe I missed the option or there’s a mod for this?
  
  source
  - tal@lemmy.today ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    If you’re playing PC games on a TV from a couch — I’m just guessing here, but if you’re (a) using a gaming controller and (b) having difficulty seeing the aiming cursor, I’m wondering if that might be the case — one other issue you might run into with PC games is FOV.
    
    It’s pretty normal for FPSes (I haven’t looked at third-person shooters, though I assume that the same is true) to have something of a fisheye lens effect, because the monitor actually represents only a small portion of your visual arc, yet you want to let the player see something comparable to what the character would. Even more true for a TV (bigger, but also usually so much further away that it is a smaller portion of the visual arc) than a monitor.
    
    expertbeacon.com/do-humans-have-120-fov/
    
    Research shows the average person sees about 135 degrees horizontally per eye. Stitch our binocular vision together, and we get approximately 114 degrees of FOV.
    
    pcgamingwiki.com/…/Glossary:Field_of_view_(FOV)
    
    PC games should be designed with a high FOV of around 85-110 because players normally sit closer to their display.
    
    Console games should be designed with a lower FOV of around 55-75 because their players usually sit further from a display; normally the distance between a couch and a TV.
    
    Usually there’s still going to be some fisheye lens effect (the FOV setting is higher than the actual portion of our visual arc that the display takes up), but it’s not so dramatic as to make people nauseous or look weirdly distorted.
    
    You can typically fiddle with the FOV setting in PC games, but games are also gonna be balanced for one FOV, so if you crank your FOV in a PC game down, it may make the thing more-difficult than the game designers intended.
    
    source
ProfessorHoover@infosec.pub ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Have you played Returnal? It’s an action focussed third person shooter bullet hell roguelite. There’s a story of sorts, but I’m sure you can play without acknowledging it.

source
Romkslrqusz@lemmy.zip ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Maybe you need a controller with motion / tilt support?

source
- tal@lemmy.today ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  I think that it’s the other way around — he’s fine with using a controller, is unhappy with the mouse.
  
  Though if someone does want to play first-person shooters on a gamepad, I understand — I’ve never done it myself, that the preferred route by people really serious about the gamepad is the gyro-using flick stick. I understand that Steam Input plus appropriate configuration can provide support for it to games that don’t natively support it, and the WP article says that there’s some kind of direct support that went into Steam Input a few years back that I hadn’t been aware of.
  
  source
  - Romkslrqusz@lemmy.zip ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    My line of thinking is that games optimized for controllers will usually have sticky aim or aim assist, whereas those that maybe lack controller support won’t necessarily have those features.
    
    Gyro adds that last little bit of precision that could potentially bridge the gap
    
    source
    -> View More Comments
Katana314@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago
Some of the Resident Evil games felt more natural on controller than mouse for me. Even though you’re aiming and shooting, the laser sight feels more intuitive on a thumbstick. Specifically thinking of 4 and 5.

source
Katana314@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago
Some of the Resident Evil games felt more natural on controller than mouse for me. Even though you’re aiming and shooting, the laser sight feels more intuitive on a thumbstick. Specifically thinking of 4 and 5.

source
HereIAm@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Maybe the new shadow warrior games, or painkiller series. I imagine any game made in the past decade would play just fine on a controller. God of War, while having quite a bit of narrative is still very much an arena fighter. The new doom games, while not third person, also fit that slot very nicely. Star Wars Fallen Order is quite souls-like. Helldivers 2 is really fun if you want some casual multiplayer fun. Control might fit the bill. You’re free to wander around, but you can also just follow the quest markers for a streamlined experience with solid combat. I hope one of those games might inspire you! I tend to gravitate towards more first person story driven shooters myself.

source
Cris_Color@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
I was gonna reccomend splatoon 3 but its a switch game that’s primarily online multiplayer matches, and while you can absolutely play it with sticks only it REALLY shines brightest with motion controls (yes, really. Motion control for fps aiming is amazing), but lots of people do play with purely analog sticks for aim.

Probably not quite what you’re looking for, but it does have a single player story and a really cool looking rougelite/roguelike mode, though I haven’t played the latter. And then it also has an online cooperative mode.

Splatoon is a really unique movement shooter where shooting or attacking leaves colorful ink on the ground, which you can then swim in for mobility, health regen, and refilling your ink tank (your ammo). The enemy (in single or multiplayer) leaves their own ink color that slows you down, stops you from swimming, and slowly damages you when you’re standing in it.

The result is a really interesting, fast paced fps about controlling space effectively and out maneuvering your opponent with a wide variety of weapons all with their own playstyles- the unique weapons are a huge highlight of the game

source
rem26_art@fedia.io ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Idk if its exactly the genre you're looking for, but Armored Core 6 is on PC, and pretty much all the other games in the series were on console, so the game plays well with a controller. You customize and control a mech in 3rd person and shoot stuff in different missions.

source
Drusas@fedia.io ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
I prefer Borderlands on a controller.

source
Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
As an avid KBM user, I played through “Returnal” with a Dualsense on my computer and wouldn’t recommend any other way! It uses the Dualsense’s triggers and haptics and it’s definitely made for controller play. I loved the game and would fully recommend it.

source
Sidyctism2@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Just cause 2 & 3

source
Krudler@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
I’m sorry, it’s not a game suggestion, but consider getting a legacy steam controller, or getting the new one in February

source
Zahille7@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
The Destroy All Humans! remakes are pretty fun

source
- mohab@piefed.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Damn, I just realized I kinda always subconsciously ignored this series for some reason. Added to my list, thanks.
  
  source
  - Zahille7@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    They’re fun and campy, taking most of their inspiration from those old sci-fi B-movies. Some of the humor might not have aged very well, particularly in the second one, but there’s a disclaimer at the beginning of each game that says as much.
    
    For instance, the second game takes place in the 60s, and in a couple levels some of the thoughts you can scan are a little questionable.
    
    source
    -> View More Comments
captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire. 3rd person shooter designed for controller.

source
- mohab@piefed.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Thanks, I’ll add it to my list.
  
  source