One year after the Nintendo 64 released, one of the most iconic FPS titles ever would be released by the name of GoldenEye 007. From the same developers who would later make Perfect Dark, GoldenEye 007 was set in the world of famous spy James Bond or Agent 007. Players would get to experience the epic combat and gadgets of the James Bond world through his eyes as they would fight various villains and enemies from the movie. With solid controls—for the time, mind you—and great graphics it was easy to see why GoldenEye 007 was one of the best Nintendo 64 titles ever. Are you ready Agent 007, the world needs saving and you’re the only one for the job in GoldenEye 007.

Prior to the 1990s, a lot of first person shooters (FPS) were being released on various consoles. However, once GoldenEye 007 dropped on the Nintendo 64, it would become apparent that shooting titles from then on would have to really adhere to its standards. With an explosive single player and amazing multiscreen multiplayer, GoldenEye 007 would essentially lead to the same concepts being explored in Perfect Dark. Even today, fans of not only the James Bond world but the gaming world in general consider GoldenEye 007 a must play for true gamers. That’s why we at Honey’s Anime can’t recommend enough this amazing title to enjoy some of the best the 1990s had to offer in terms of FPS titles.

A war is brewing between two large forces. On one hand, you have humanity and the other, an alien race known as TimeSplitters. While the year is 2401, the TimeSplitters are able to use a resource called Time Crystals to travel back in time and alter various events. These altercations are causing profound effects in the current year leading to Earth becoming worse and worse as time goes on. The Earth sends out two space marines—Sergeant Cortez and Corporal Hart—to stop the aliens from their continued time altering plans. While they fail to stop them initially, Cortez is able to go through time and now has a means to stop the TimeSplitters from wreaking anymore havoc on the time continuum.

TimeSplitters 2 was destined to be amazing from the gate thanks to team members who created GoldenEye 007 working on its development process. Players would control Cortez—who would end up in different bodies depending on the time period—shooting various enemies and killing mass amount of aliens. Not only could players take a friend along for co-op play, they could even duke out in a 16 player battle royale. These elements were all found in Perfect Dark and it’s why we consider TimeSplitters 2 a perfect match for our list. With so many ways to play and tight controls, even after all this time, TimeSplitters 2 stands as one of the best FPS games alongside others on this list.

The Year is 2075 and humans have been venturing out into space in search of much needed minerals. The biggest deposit of usable miners has been found on Mars leading Ultor Corporation to send workers to mine Mars for the Earth’s survival. However, Mars is a deadly land filled with horrible work conditions and an odd plague that seems to kill off workers rapidly as time goes by. A new miner named Parker has just arrived on Mars hoping to make some money and find a new outlook on life but it won’t be long before Parker is involved in an uprising from those who feel their lives are being abused by the Ultor Corporation.

Red Faction was a revolutionary title for its year of release. Thanks to the in-game mechanic known as GeoMod technology, players could shoot the walls and floor of Mars and actually see damage according to the fire power used. This actually allowed players to make their own routes towards different areas and was an interesting concept even today. Like Perfect Dark, with tons of weapons and even a solid 4 player multiplayer mode, Red Faction was endless fun and really showed the power of the PS2 hardware. Even though there have been several new installments in the Red Faction series, the first still is considered by fans and us here at Honey’s Anime to be the best of the series hands down.

Gordon Freeman was assigned to work at the prestigious Black Mesa to create something legendary. Donning a special type of hazmat suit, Gordon is set to use a specimen in conjunction with the Anti-Mass Spectrometer for an unprecedented new revelation. However, things go very astray when the machine seems to start breaking down and ends up creating a portal to an alien world populated by creatures known as Xen. Now, Gordon must somehow fight through the overpopulated facility and learn what really happened during the experiment. Gordon Freeman was once just a scientist but now must become something much more in Half-Life.

Honestly, there aren’t many who haven’t heard of Half-Life from the developers Valve. Half-Life would still to this day be considered one of the best game franchises ever made by Valve before games like Left 4 Dead or even Portal. Players would control Gordon Freeman as they would explore an alien infested Black Mesa armed with only their wits and plenty of weapons—including Gordon’s now, iconic crowbar—to create pure devastation. Half-Life like Perfect Dark would be a shooter people wouldn’t see coming and that was what made it so awesome. With tons of expansion that were created and even some being released today by diehard fans, Half-Life may have aged in terms of graphics but that doesn’t mean the fun of blasting aliens has diminished in the slightest. If you have never played Half-Life, we urge you to change that right this minute and play this game on either the PC or PS2.

The year is 2052 and JC Denton is a fresh agent who just completed his training to be a UNATCO agent. However, immediately JC’s services are needed when a shipment of vaccines to stop a deadly virus are stolen. As JC begins his mission he learns that this seemingly simple crime has some deeper routes that lead a much larger scale war going on behind the scenes of the world. While JC may not be fully prepared for the way that is about to occur, he will have to rely on his own skills and training to somehow help him succeed where others failed. JC’s globetrotting adventure begins in Deus Ex.

The Deus Ex series has been gaining an impressive following as of late thanks to recent installments but let us not forget where it all started. Developed by Ion Storm, Deus Ex is in many ways similar to Perfect Dark but it goes into different territories thanks to its RPG mechanics. As players advance in the game they can not only equip new weapons and gadgets but can also use special perks to increase their skills with specific weapons or with hacking. The name of the game in Deus Ex is choice as players can experience Deus Ex in so many different ways depending on how they take down enemies or even how they talk to certain characters. The newer games may be considered amazing titles, but Deus Ex released in 2000, and was pretty impressive given the time period. For those who may love the Deus Ex lore, starting with the first game will be a must to get the full story of events that take place after the other Deus Ex titles.

Let’s end our list on another game with a female protagonist that knows how to take care of business. In No One Lives Forever 2, players assume the role of U.N.I.T.Y. agent Cate Archer as they go on another mission to save the world. The US and Soviet Union are fighting for a small island named Khios that can be a true strategic position for the one who runs it. Meanwhile, Cate’s mission bring her to Japan to stop an odd meeting of criminal minds. However, during the meeting, Cate is badly wounded by a ninja and is luckily saved by U.N.I.T.Y. saving her life. Cate would love to rest and recuperate fully but as she recovered tensions are now at a fever pitch and new moves are being made. It’s up to Cate to stop those who wish to use the island of Khios for bad intentions.

Fitting our final title on this 6 Games Like Perfect Dark list ends with No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.’s Way. Players assume the heroine Cate in this first person experience. Like Perfect Dark, while Cate is able to use weapons to her disposal, she can also rely on stealth to succeed in a mission. Though it was released in 2002, No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.’s Way featured stunning graphics and very impressive FPS elements that still wow us even today. What also was impressive—again similar to Perfect Dark—is the epic story that makes No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.’s Way feel like a movie more than a video game. Unlike most of the titles on this list, we know that No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.’s Way could have been missed by the public and that is a shame seeing as how it is a very impressive game truly. If you are one of those who missed this game yourself no time like right now to check out No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.’s Way.