Amiga FPS history


Can you explain what FPS(First Person Shooter) games are? I think FPS games must have following features.
#1: The 1st-Person Perspective
#2: Player can rotate by any degrees, not by 90 degrees.
#3: Battle scenes must be required. Player's hit point decrease by enemies attacks, then player dies after his hit point is gone.
In addition, the 4th feature would be necessary if we search games like "DOOM".
#4: The map consists of narrow paths and looks complicated.

The first game which has all 4 features was "The Eidolon", the game for 8bit computers.
Until "Wolfenstein 3D" was released, many 3D games were released. But they had "adventure" elements.
It meant "adventure" elements took much more time to solve mysteries or understand how to go farther , rather than epic battles.
In Amiga scene, those 3D adventure games were released in 1988 ~ early 1990s. I call them "The 1st wave".
All titles are NOT Amiga exclusive, however, each title was the best version in terms of graphics & sounds out of all conversions.
CD32+FDD users can play those games. But actually you should play them if you surely want to play them yet after you play "The middle of the 1990s~" games.
Yes, "The middle of the 1990s~" games, which I call "The 2nd wave", are clone games of "Wolfenstein 3D"/"DOOM".
So I recommend you to play "The 2nd wave" games first if you are interested in Amiga FPS games.
CD32+FDD users can play many "The 2nd wave" games, however, some games are very hard to boot. See below.

"The 2nd wave" commercial games (1995~2002) list:


Title Name
Year
Now free?
Where to
download
ABD
Mainly
use...
Manual
protection?
Difficulty setting
exists? (hardest)
Save / Password
is available?
# of
Tries
# of
Levels
Map is
flat?
Boss enemy
exists? (#)
Gory scenes
exist?

Alien Breed 3D
1995
Permitted ->
Dream17
CD32 version exists.
Pad
Yes
no
Password
1
16
no
Yes (2)
Yes

Alien Breed 3D2:
 The Killing Grounds (2MB)
1996
Permitted ->
Dream17
Lv.2
Keyboard
Yes
no
Save
1
16
no
Yes (1)
Yes

Behind The Iron Gate
1995
Permitted ->
AmigaFuture
Lv.2(retail),Lv.3(ADF)
Mouse
no
no
Password
1
25
Yes
no
no

Breathless
1995
Permitted ->
AmigaFuture
Lv.2(retail),Lv.3(ADF)
Keyboard
Yes
no
Password
3
20
no
no
Yes

Citadel
1995
Permitted ->
PPA.pl
Lv.2(retail),Lv.3(ADF)
Keyboard
Yes
Yes(HARD)
Save
1
21
Yes
no
Yes

Genetic Species
1998
Now PD
aminet.net
Lv.5
Keyboard
no
Yes(NORMAL)
Password&Save
1
19
Yes
no
no

Gloom
1995
Permitted ->
Games Coffer
CD32 version exists.
Pad
no
no
Save
3
21
Yes
Yes (1)
Yes

Gloom Deluxe
1996
Permitted ->
GitHub
Lv.1(retail),Lv.3(ADF)
Pad
no
no
Save
3
21
Yes
Yes (1)
Yes

Gloom 3: Zombie Edition
1997
Now PD
aminet.net
Lv.5(retail),Lv.3(ADF)
Pad
no
no
Save
3
50
Yes
Yes (1)
Yes

Fears
1995
  no
--
CD32 version exists.
Pad
no
Yes(HARD/3)
Password
1
30
no
Yes (1)
Yes

Monster (Monstrum)
1995
  no
--
Not tested.
Pad
no
no
  no
6
20
Yes
Yes (1)
no

Nemac IV
1996
Permitted ->
AmigaFuture
Lv.5
Keyboard
no
no
Save
1
27
Yes
Yes (2)
no

Nemac IV Director's Cut
1997
Permitted ->
AmigaFuture
Lv.5
Keyboard
no
Yes(IMPOSSIBLE)
Save
1
40
Yes
Yes (2)
no

Project Battlefield
1995
Permitted ->
AmigaFuture
Lv.3(ADF)
Pad
Yes
no
Password
1

Yes

no

Project Intercalaris
1996
Permitted ->
AmigaFuture
Lv.3(ADF)
Pad
no
Yes(Weteran)
  no
1

Yes

no

Testament
1997
Cheap Price
APC&TCP
Lv.2(retail),Lv.3(ADF)
Keyboard
Yes
no
Save
1
17
Yes
no
Yes

UBEK
1995
  no
PPA.pl
Not tested.
Keyboard
no
Yes(ZOMBIE)
Save
1
18
Yes
no
Yes

Zombie Massacre "Gloom4"
1998
Now PD
aminet.net
Lv.5(retail),Lv.3(ADF)
Pad
no
no
Save
3
21
Yes
Yes (1)
Yes
All titles above are Amiga exclusive.  Yellow letters: Poland exclusive titles. Retail copies are extremely rare, and their language is Polish only.

Exclusion list:

Title Name
Year
Amiga
exclusive?
ABD (Not tested.)
Heretic & Hexen
2000
no
Lv.7 ("Heretic" requires 030 CPU.)
Heretic II
2000
no
Impossible.
Heretic II : The Siege
2000
no
Impossible.
Quake ( clickBOOM )
1998
no
Lv.6
Quake: Mission Pack 1
1998
no
Lv.6
Quake: Mission Pack 2
1998
no
Lv.6
Quake: Resurrection Pack
1998
no
Lv.7 ("Malice" & "Q-Zone" requires 030.)
Quake II
2002
no
Impossible. (AGA port still requires 060.)
Shogo : Mobile Armor Division
2001
no
Impossible.
Trapped
1996
Yes
Lv.5
Trapped II
1997
Yes
Lv.5
X-men: Ravages of the Apocalypse
1998
no
Lv.7 (It was said 030 was strongly recommended.)
Reason: It's pointless if we play those non-"Amiga exclusive" games which requires so hi-spec on our CD32. PC(Windows) version is recommended.
             "Trapped" & "Trapped II" are RPG games rather than FPS games. (Do you remember "Ultima Underworld" ?)
Those excluded titles are included in the number of commercial FPS games in this website, however, I won't mention detail of them anymore.
"Commercial games" mean that they were physical version which had retail boxes and instructions.
This page doesn't mention "Digital copy exclusive" games and shareware games, which are not included in the number of commercial FPS games in this website.


"The 1st wave" commercial games (1988~1994) list:

Ttile name
Year
Now free?
Where to
download
ABD
Manual
Protection?
Save / Password
is available?
Map is
flat?
Boss enemy
exists? (name)
Gory scenes
exist?
Castle Master
1990
  no
--
Lv.2
no
Save
no
Yes(Magister)
no
Castle Master II : The Crypt
1991
  no
--
Lv.2
no
Save
no
Yes(Kerberos)
no
Colony, The
1990
  no
--
Lv.2 (Not tested.)
no
Save
Yes
no
no
Corporation
1990
  no
--
Lv.2 (Not tested.)
no
Save
Yes
no
no
Corporation Mission Disk
1990
  no
--
Lv.2 (Not tested.)
no
Save
Yes
no
no
Cybercon III
1991
  no
--
Lv.2
Yes
Save
no
Yes(Brainstem)
no
Dark Side
1989
Permitted ->
Amigaland
Lv.4 (Use WHDLoad.)
no
Save
no
no
no
Driller
1988
  no
--
Lv.2 ("Virtual Worlds" ver)
no
Save
no
no
no
Infestation
1990
  no
--
Lv.2 (Not tested.)
no
Save
Yes
Yes(Gardian)
no
Jurassic Park
1993
  no
--
Lv.2 (Not tested.)
no
Password
Yes
no
Yes
Resolution 101
1990
  no
--
Lv.2
no
Save
Yes
no
no
Robinson's Requiem
1994
  no
--
Lv.2 (Not tested.)
Yes
Save
no
no
Yes
Robocop 3D
1992
  no
--
Lv.2
Yes
no
Yes
Yes(Otomo)
no
Sleeping Gods Lie
1989
  no
--
(Not tested.)
no
Save
Yes
?
no
Total Eclipse
1989
Permitted ->
Amigaland
Lv.2 ("Virtual Worlds" ver)
no
Save
no
Yes(Shabaka)
no
There are no "Amiga exclusive" games, however,
each Amiga version has the best graphics & music out of all conversions, so recommended if you're interested in those titles. 
"Beverly Hills Cop" and "Death Mask" were excluded because they didn't have #2 feature of 4 features which FPS games had.
"Mercenary" series were also excluded because they didn't have #3 feature of 4 features which FPS games had.
Those excluded titles are not included in the number of commercial FPS games in this website.


3DCK games (all freeware)

Many free games were created using "3D Construction Kit" which was released in June 1991.
They have all 4 features that FPS games should have, however, they also have loads of "adventure" elements.
If you like "The 1st wave" games, maybe you also like these 3DCK games.
These 3DCK games are including in some compilation CD32 formatted disk. See below.
Title name \ Compilation CD
Games & Goodies
Assassins CD
Assassins CD 2
Assassins CD 3
Assassins CD 4
Devils Abode
no
no
no
Yes
no
DIY Game
Yes
no
Yes
no
no
Endurance
no
no
no
Yes
no
Ghost ship
no
Yes
no
no
no
Meteor
Yes
Yes
no
no
no
New Stubb City
no
Yes
no
no
no
Radiation
no
no
Yes
no
no
Raise the Titanic
no
Yes
no
no
Yes
War of the Worlds
no
no
no
no
Yes
Wastelands
Yes
Yes
no
no
no
World of the War 4
no
no
Yes
no
no
If you have CD32+FDD, you can also download titles above & others from aminet.net or www.3dckconstructionkit.co.uk(External link),
and transfer them to your own diskettes. (ABD=Lv.3)


>>Return to the top page.

I tested each games on PAL console because many titles don't work at 60Hz.
On NTSC CD32, some titles never work even if we change the signal to PAL using "Early Startup Control" menu or "Degrader". (eg. "Robocop 3")