The 7 Best RPG Shooter Video Games

We're hoping that Borderlands will be the greated RPG shooter hybrid ever. But we're going to hold off crowning it with any superlatives until after the release. That's why we created this list of the best RPG-shooter video games already published.

The community here has been discussing this list for the past month. We started by narrowing down the candidate pool to the ten RPG shooters. There were three qualifications. First, the game had to be a first-person or third-person shooter.

Second, the game had to have substantial role-playing game elements. We looked for multiple character classes, skill and abilitiy improvements, weapon modifications, two-way non-player character interaction, inventory systems, trading, and story lines affected by player actions.

Third, the game had to do both genres well.

The community then voted on their top five choices and points were awarded to each game based on their selections. Sorry Hellgate: London, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines, and Neocron. You didn't make our top seven. Here are the ones that did in reverse order with their point totals next to each name.

7. System Shock 2 - 28 points

Year published: 1999
Metacritic score: 92 (PC)
Developer: Irrational Games, Looking Glass Studios
Publisher: Electronic Arts

Fitting that the System Shock franchise kicks off the list since it inspired many of the great RPG shooters. Designer Warren Spector says he built Deus Ex on the foundation laid by System Shock. Also inspiration for Bioshock. Sequel to 1994 PC game System Shock. Second in series also melded RPG and first-person-shooter elements. Players choose a character with a Marine, Navy, or OSA (paranomral military branch) background. Can upgrade character with cyber-modules earned from completing objectives. "The great thing about this system is that it allows you to play the game as completely different characters which gives the game an entirely different feel," said IGN's review of the game.

6. Too Human - 43 points

Year published: 2008
Metacritic score: 65 (Xbox 360)
Developer: Silicon Knights
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios

Vaporware that actually made it. Originally slated for release on the Sony PlayStation in 1999, finally came out for 360 on 2008. Microsoft funded a development budget of $80 million. Norse-mythology inspired sci-fi setting. Gameplay is from a third-person persepective with an adjustable camera. Robust character customization. Players opt for a character from five different classes: Berserker, Bio Engineer, Champion, Defender, Commando. As players level up, they ahcieve better combo attacks, access to stronger items. Has a relatively measly Metacritic of 65 for this list. Many critics say the game didn’t live up to its potential.

5. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl - 75 points

Year published: 2007
Metacritic score: 82 (PC)
Developer: GSC Game World
Publishers: THQ, GSC Game Publishing

The first meltdown at Chernobyl was bad. The second one that happens in this game is a lot worse. The players control an amnesiac "Stalker" exploring the hyper-radioactive area around the Chernobyl Power Plant. Actions taken throughout the game determine the ending the player receives. No player skill improvement system but widely acknowledged to have RPG elements for its rich list of equipment and robust inventory system. Players find better weapons, ammunition, weapon attachments, armor and artifacts as the game progresses.  Sandbox style gameplay means different games usually take different paths. Publisher GSC Game World has announced a sequel, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat, to be released in autumn 2009.

4. Deus Ex - 97 points

Year published: 2000
Metacritic score: 90 (PC)
Developer: Ion Storm Inc.
Publisher: Eidos Interactive

Set in a dystopian future where lethal pandemic of "Gray Death" runs wild. Completed objectives yield "skill points" which improve character's abilities in eleven different areas. Nanotech devices also boost character abilities. Also customizable are the weapons. Laser sights, silencers and other objects can be added to guns to up its attributes. Players have considerable control over how the plot develops through their decisions while interacting with non-player characters. Developer Warren Spector also worked on fellow RPG shooter System Shock. 21st on IGN’s 2005 list of Top 100 Games of All Time.

3. Mass Effect - 113 points

Year published: 2007 (360), 2008 (PC)
Metacritic scores: 91 (Xbox 360), 89 (PC)
Developers: BioWare Edmonton (Xbox 360); Demiurge Studios (PC)
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios (Xbox 360); Electronic Arts (PC)

Popular shooter offers RPG hallmark of robust character customization. Players opt from six character classes: Soldier, Engineer, Adept, Infiltrator, Sentinel, and Vanguard. Added depth is the ability to decide the character's back story. Players use special tech abilities and magical attacks known as Biotics in real-time combat. Said IGN review Erik Brudvig in 2007 "Though the game looks like a standard shooter, it's an RPG through and through." Two sequels are planned. Maybe even some big screen action. The former CEO of Marvel bought the rights to create a film adaptation.

2. Bioshock - 130 points

Year published: 2007 (PC, 360), 2008 (PS3)
Metacritic scores: 96 (PC), 96 (Xbox 360), 94 (PS3)
Developer: 2k
Publisher: 2k

Developers purposely tried to break the rules. "Our goal with BioShock is to redefine what it means to play a first person shooter," said Bioshock lead designer Ken Levine pre-release.  Part of the answer was creative RPG-esque customization. Players use "Gene Bank" to upgrade abilities.  Plasmids grant offensive powers like telekinesis, insect swarm and Electro Bolt. Recommended relevant reading: BioShock, An RPG In Disguise from Critical Gaming.

1. Fallout 3 - 131 points

Year published: 2008
Metacritic score: 93 (Xbox 360), 91 (PC), 91 (PS3)
Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks, ZeniMax Media

Developer Bethesda followed its instant RPG classic Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion with an action role-playing hybrid. Fallout 3 melded real-time and turn-based combat and an ample attribute system. Numerous awards: GameSpy, Gamesradar, IGN and Gamasutra all named it their game of the year in 2008. Even the game's toughest critics give the game grudging respect. Said Borderlands Guide voter iLXeNk: "Boring story, clunky aiming (Console) without VATs...(The) thing that makes up for all of it: Tons of exploration and side quests and the unkillable sidekick Fawkes (I dare someone to try and kill him!)."