Summary
For any kind of shooter game to keep the playerengaged and immersedin the experience, it needs to have solid gunplay, which essentially refers to how realistic the guns look, sound, and feel, while still being fun to use. When a game has good gunplay, it makes chaotic gunfights so much more exciting and intense, and if there’s any developer who’s managed to execute it the best over the years, it would undoubtedly be Ubisoft.
A lot of Ubisoft’s titles, especially in theTom Clancyseries, are gritty and realistic games that place a high emphasis on immersion and action, so it only makes sense that the guns would need to feel believable rather than just simply being pea-shooters. Thankfully, Ubisoft has seemingly mastered the art of integrating excellent gunplay in their games, and there’s no better example of this than the following examples.
6Rainbow Six Vegas 2
Because Of How Lethal The Guns Are, It Makes Every Gunfight Incredibly Intense
Because of how utterly lethal the guns are inRainbow Six Vegas 2, with each of them being able to melt health bars with just a handful of shots, it ends up making firefights verystrategic and methodical. As the player’s squad and the enemy forces hide behind cover to protect themselves, every movement becomes extremely risky since it only takes an accurate barrage of bullets to take someone down, and this ends up making the guns in this game feel incredibly powerful and effective.
Even the pistols, which would normally be little more than peashooters in other games, can dish out a tremendous amount of damage, so long as players can get with the recoil and fall-off range. When playing in third-person, the reticle of the weapons will also fluctuate depending on how fast the player is moving, and how many bullets they’re pumping out at one time, so it can make them a little difficult to get used to at first, but this also means that mastering them becomes all the more rewarding.
While theSplinter Cellseries is usually known for being stealth games first and foremost,Conviction’s gameplay leans a lot more into the action side of things, pitting Sam up against groups of enemies whom he will need to take down using his combat and weapon expertise. Despite this drastic change, Ubisoft did a very commendable job at making the guns feel very effective and responsive in this game, especially when activating Sam’s"Mark & Execute"ability, which can instantly take down multiple enemies at once with deadly precision.
Splinter Cell Convictiondoesn’t exactly care about making shootouts feel fair, and instead, gives Sam all the weapons and gadgets that he needs to deal with the swarms of soldiers that come his way. This ends up making the gunfights extremely over the top and a ton of fun to be a part of, largely thanks to just how immensely powerful each of Sam’s guns feels to use.
Although the guns in the firstDivisiongame already felt great to use, they ultimately also seemed a little weak because of howbullet-spongymany of the enemies were, often requiring hundreds of bullets to defeat. Thankfully, Ubisoft decided to dial down the enemy durability in the sequel, and as a result, it allows every gun to pack way more of a punch and feel as though they’re dishing out tons of damage when the trigger is pulled.
It also can’t be ignored just how incredible the sound design of this game is, with the crackling noise of bullets ricocheting off shields and shattering glass adding just a touch more realism to combat encounters. It also helps that every type of gun feels very different to use, meaning every player has their personal favorite, which helps to make all gunfights feel fresh and unique.
3Far Cry 2
The Jamming System Adds A New Level Of Immersion
TheFar Crygames have always had rock-solid gunplay, but Ubisoft decided to go the extra mile when developing their guns for the second game, with the weapons almost feeling like characters of their own due to the way they act in battle. As playersventure across Africain search of the Jackal, they’ll be able to stumble across a plethora of broken-down and rusty guns which, while useful, also have the chance of jamming on the player if they rely on them too much.
Not only does this encourage players to switch out their guns constantly, keeping gunfights from ever becoming stale, but it also makes the guns feel incredibly realistic, not only for the player, but also for the enemies, whose weapons are also able to break down, and even blow up in some scenarios. Because the environmental design ofFar Cry 2is also top-notch, it means that bullets can realistically fire through sandbags, topple over trees, and pop the tires of a car, which results in some chaotic but thrilling encounters.
Unlike a lot of open-world games where players can pick up a gun and start blasting with master proficiency, this isn’t exactly the case withGhost Recon Breakpoint,where nearly every gun is incredibly hard to use reliably. Because of how large the crosshair is in third person, and the staggering amount of recoil in first person, it means that landing shots is much easier said than done, but when the bullets do reach their target, it just feels all themore satisfying and rewardingafter taking the time to learn how the weapon works.
While many gamers are accustomed to AI enemies having some sort of lock-on feature where they can fire at them from any angle, they feel much more believable and human inBreakpoint, with their aim constantly being affected by distance, terrain, and even weather effects. The gun noises also sound extremely high quality, and they will even make a noticeable echo effect when being fired indoors, which is a nice added detail that makes encounters feel just that much more immersive. Considering that the game features a staggering number of weapons, it’s an absolute joy mixing and matching them to see which feels the most punchy, reliable, and overall fun to use for gunfights.
Rainbow Six Siegeis often heralded as one of the best and most immersive tactical strategy shooters on the market today, with players being encouraged to sneak their way around the maps and only engage in gunfights when necessary. However, while the guns themselves deal a staggering amount of damage if they manage to make contact with an enemy, they all have their unique recoil pattern which helps to set them apart, while also making them quite tricky to fully master.
This adds an extra layer of realism toSiege’scombat encounters since it’s never a guarantee that any player is going to get a quick kill just by aiming down and shooting,making gunfights unpredictable and incredibly intense. Because of how the destructible environments work inSiege, it also encourages players to get creative with their guns to create new sightlines, rotation holes, and even traps, all by blasting through a wall or floor when the situation calls for it. There hasn’t been a shooter game that’s managed to execute fun and realistic gunplay quite likeRainbow Six Siege, and that’s a testament to just how much time and effort Ubisoft has poured into making the game as good as it can be in the years since its release.
