When it comes to most shooter experiences, first-person fans usually go to bat for mouse-and-keyboard controls. While it can take some time getting used to using keys, aiming with a mouse is incredibly faster than using an analog stick to aim for headshots. That said, controller setups have gotten a lot better over time, where sometimes the differences are marginal.
Some shooters are even better with controllers, or at least it doesn’t matter how fast players are with headshots, because they are different experiences. The debate over controllers vs keyboard and mouse controls will never get settled, but let’s go over some games where it just makes sense to use a controller.
Resident Evil Village
Thank Goodness For Aim Assist
Resident Evil Village was designed with a controller in mind, like most games in the Resident Evil series, but it does run well on PCs and even Steam Decks. The advantage controllers have over mouse and keyboard controls is aim assist, which is necessary to save on ammo.
Resident Evil Village is not as stingy with ammo as other games in the series, as eventually players will get a good arsenal and more bullets than they can handle, but initially, it will be tricky. Every way a player can save on ammo, like upgrading ammo capacity when a gun is empty, is a good idea. Using aim assist to pull off continuous headshots on a controller is another good strategy.
Fallout 3
Relying On V.A.T.S.
Fallout 3 was the first game Bethesda designed after acquiring the license to the Fallout series. The big switch put the camera in first-person, ultimately turning it into a shooter. However, the gunplay is not as snappy as something like Halo 3, which was also a big game from this era.
The fix for this is a system called V.A.T.S., which lets players pause combat and target specific parts of an enemy’s body, and then the bullets or laser beams will hit those targets depending on how accurate the player is. That’s why using a controller is not that big of a deal since players will want to rely on V.A.T.S. more than just trying to pull off headshots themselves.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
In The Not Too Distant Future
Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a cyberpunk immersive sim taking place in the not-so-distant future of 2027, and starring a security officer named Adam Jensen. As a cyborg, players can upgrade their bodies in specific areas to increase weapon handling, stealth, hacking, breathing techniques, and so on.
Most missions in the game will present players with alternate paths, meaning that players can be just as happy making a gun-happy cyborg as they can with a ninja. That said, as good as the first-person gunplay is, Deus Ex: Human Revolution does lean more towards stealth with lethal and non-lethal takedowns. Also, in gunfights, players can take cover, reducing the need to constantly aim for headshots as they can instead take their time popping off rounds from behind cover, which is to say a controller is a good way to play Deus Ex: Human Revolution.
Halo: Combat Evolved
The OG Console Shooter
Halo: Combat Evolved launched as an Xbox exclusive, so it was designed around the idea of a controller setup. While it did eventually get a PC port, and some players preferred using a mouse and keyboard in this version, Halo: Combat Evolved is still a golden example of how a shooter on a console should function. It was a revolution that still holds up to this day on the original hardware, and players will not feel like they are being constrained without precision aiming using a mouse.
The weapons also have something to do with this feeling, along with enemies, as their bodies and heads were easier to hit with bigger ranges from weapons like the Needler or the standard pistol. In later sequels, Halo fans could debate which is better in the competitive, but overall, this first game is still great with a controller.
Mullet Madjack
Adrenaline Junkies
Mullet Madjack is a fast-paced roguelike shooter with an 80s/90s cyberpunk aesthetic. Players need to keep their adrenaline up, and the faster and more elaborate they kill enemies, the better their meter will fill up. Most rooms players go into are narrow hallways, and the enemy models are fairly big.
The tight spaces and weapons have a good area of effect, meaning that enemies won’t absorb bullets no matter where players shoot. So, a keyboard and mouse setup to headshot enemies is not really needed, the way the game was designed, even though it did come to PC first. It’s all about being brutal, cool, and quick, which makes it such a good modern shooter.
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This article originally appeared on GameRant and is republished here with permission.
