Looter-Shooters: Why Are We Loving It?

Looter shooters are a new phenomenon in the gaming industry, but this does not mean that the genre cannot boast cool games.

This game genre brings the addictive loot-based gameplay of Diablo to first or third-person shooters. These titles are known for exciting gunfights, various classes of items with unique abilities, and constant updates to help keep the game fresh. A subgenre can be specific, but the formula can be quite different, which is why we decided to compile a list of its best representatives.

Features of the genre

Perhaps, first of all, you should start with the origins of a different genre - RPG. In role-playing games, one of the main elements is equipment. It affects the main characteristics of the hero under control. It is very looted - the loot that players have always received along the way. Nowadays, it has an understandable gradation in the gaming industry - common, unusual, rare, mythical, and legendary equipment. The closer to the legendary, the better the characteristics and effects of a given weapon or armor.

The tendencies of role-playing projects began to be traced in games for a long time. And even in early versions of GTA (an RPG game and a shooter), they met, if you research this issue now. Of course, at that time, players were tied to an established association - if RPG, then magic, fantasy, medieval atmosphere, etc. However, all those elements that formed the role-playing (characteristics, gradual character development, an abundance of tasks, a world to explore, etc.) are also present in looter shooters. But no one calls Destiny 2 a pure RPG. Since the basis of the gameplay is based on constant first-person gunfights.

Distinctive features of the genre:

1. Loot. You get equipment by completing tasks or by killing difficult enemies and bosses in the game world. Each time the difficulty level increases. The pool of equipment falling from enemies includes dozens of options, which brings variety and collectibility. In looter shooters, equipment is a weapon and modules, such as scopes, butts, etc.
2. PvE. A prerequisite is the joint passage of various missions, where 4 people are taken as the standard. Thanks to PvE, players get more pleasure because they can show off their uniforms with other users or simply enjoy the vastness of the game world with friends.
3. Futurism. It turned out that the setting of the distant or near future has become the most convenient for looter shooters. It's all about technology and freedom of action. The developers add the most incredible weapons and armor with modules to create a new fantasy world. Lasers, rifle grenades, black holes, nets, thermal and biological visors, scanners, and other gadgets.

All these points bring replayability into the gameplay. You can start to go through the missions in pursuit of the best loot. Of course, success largely depends on the design of locations, graphics, and ease of management. In 2019, the main problem can be called LootBox - boxes with a random reward inside. The fight against them continues, and in various countries, the government prohibits a kind of roulette.

The best representatives of the genre

Today, several important and rather successful projects can be noted.

1. Borderlands - released in 2009, the first part conquered a large audience, becoming a real hit among shooters. At that time, no one had yet come up with a name for the genre but simply perceived the project as something new and unusual. In 2019, Borderlands 3 was treated more strictly because gamers have become more literate and more experienced.
2. Destiny is a dilogy of fantastic first-person shooters. It features beautiful graphics and an exciting storyline. The developers drew attention to fashion trends, and new projects began to appear according to the template.
3. Tom Clancy's The Division is another dilogy created according to a well-known scheme but using unique mechanics. The component of the shooter has also changed because the camera view has changed to a third person.

Anthem came out in 2019, a project from BioWare, once famous for their Mass Effect trilogy. Unfortunately, the game turned out to be a failure for some reason. It is content, and the awkward design of deaths and resurrections, as well as controls. In addition, the developers added too little content to the starter version, and the announced plot was not worked out and blurred.

Prospects for the genre

However, such a failure did not affect looter shooters in general because Tom Clancy's series continues to evolve, and add-ons are coming out to Destiny. Another thing is that mechanics can soon get bored. To keep users on a short leash, developers just need to try and update the game constantly. The slightest stagnation hurts all loot-shooters, as well as collectible card projects.

So, it turns out that the newly born genre is a service game in which you spend a lot of time, or you just pay for it. Looter shooters will live as long as possible. And the developers don't even have to add a coherent plot - it's all about the entourage. It is designed to play a leading role in many ways.

Conclusion

Looter shooters are a new genre among video games that immediately captivated gamers with their uniqueness. Here is everything to keep you in the game and make you play it a new way every time. New weapons and armor from chests, bosses of different classes and levels, new missions, and pumping branches - that is why looter shooters are so popular. If you are tired of shooters and want to try something different, you can always find new games in the free NetEnt slots.