1998 was a great year for FPS gamers, as developer took chances on a proven genre by adding new gameplay mechanics. LucasArts' Star Wars: Jedi Knight – Dark Forces II blended FPS traditions with 3rd-person lightsaber wielding, and Activision released an RTS-based remake of the seminal title Battlezone. DreamWorks Interactive graced us with Trespasser, ahead of its time with physics-based gameplay. Unfortunately, Trespasser was also apparently ahead of any available physics technology, and the game was noteworthy for being comically unplayable. Among this era's respectable titles were Monolith Productions' Shogo: Mobile Armor Division and Ritual Entertainment's SiN.
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II
SiN
Shogo had an anime-inspired art style and was part FPS, part mecha combat simulator. Monolith Productions, headed at the time by the vocal Jason Hall, positioned itself from the start as a game developer and game engine developer, with licenses for Shogo's Lithtech engine available even before the game shipped. Monolith would go on to develop several FPS titles, including the fun (and funny) No One Lives Forever series - based on the melodrama of 60's spy novels - and (after Jason Hall's departure) the hit F.E.A.R..
SiN was touted as a story-based FPS with non-liner gameplay. With a few drivable vehicles and more than one way to complete certain objectives, SiN had potential. Powered by the Quake II engine, its level design and art direction were top-notch; however, the game was rushed to meet the 1998 holiday season, and SiN is best remembered for unconscionably long level load times of up to a minute or more, as well as a number of critical bugs. Ritual Entertainment would go on to produce a number of FPS titles, including the first instalment of SiN Episodes in 2006, part one in a planned series of staggered releases which would resurrect the SiN universe. Sales for SiN Episodes were rumored to be extremely low, and Ritual's recent purchase by casual games developer MumboJumbo almost certainly means that evil vixen Alexis Sinclair has seen her last appearance in an FPS.
Shogo: Mobile Armor Division
Thief: The Dark Project
In contrast to the shoot-first-ask-questions-later meme that made FPSs popular, Looking Glass Studios took a different direction with Thief: The Dark Project. Set in a medieval town, Thief charged the player with completing various unsavory missions by moving with stealth through the shadows. The proprietary Dark engine made the most of lighting effects to create a dark, mysterious world. Only by sneaking quietly past guards and moving undetected through the city could missions be completed. Where Thief was a pure "sneaker", Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six, developed and published by Red Storm Entertainment, was a hybrid of sorts. Part FPS, part stealth sneaker (a la the Metal Gear series of console games), Rainbow Six defined the tactical shooter genre. Players take the role of team leader of an elite counter-terrorism unit and must complete missions with regard for the team members lives. Moving undetected through missions is key to survival. The success of Rainbow Six spawned a number of sequels, and the series is now a staple on the PC and various consoles.
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