Last week, in our roundup of the best tablet games , we covered the best of the FPS genre , and today we're doing the same with third-person shooters, where combat is usually more cover-based. Here are some of the best TPS games currently available on the App Store and Google Play .
Frontline Commando
The benchmark saga in the third-person shooter ( TPS) genre , although there are some tough competitors, is probably Frontline Commando . In fact, its creators, Glu , are the ones most committed to this mechanic (as opposed to first-person shooters) and are behind several other popular titles. This particular game is a particularly safe bet not only because it boasts millions of downloads, but also because it has remained very faithful to the classic formula, including the last survivor storyline and the war setting. If you try it and get hooked, there are also several more installments to continue with, including a couple set in World War II.
Brothers in Arms 3
If there's any title that can rival Frontline Commando in popularity among third-person shooters, it's probably Brother in Arms 3, the game Gameloft offers as an alternative to its FPS Modern Combat. As with all of this studio's games, the graphics are one of its main attractions, while the story, also set in World War II, is a bit more conventional. Not only is there a campaign mode, but it also features a solid multiplayer mode, where you can play solo or in teams, with the goal of climbing the ranks.
Overkill 3
In general, recent shooters have increasingly favored a first-person perspective, so it's at least unusual to see a franchise reverse course and return to third-person in its latest installment, but that's precisely what happened with Overkill 3. This is good news, in any case, for those who prefer third-person shooters , as it offers a great opportunity to change the setting, with a more science fiction feel , battling robots and various types of war machines. The variety of environments is also appreciated. Of course, there's no shortage of multiplayer, in this case with a particular emphasis on cooperative gameplay.
Rival Fire
We've already mentioned that Glu is one of the most interesting studios in the third-person shooter genre, and we're going to include another one of their titles, because Rival Fire is one of the most interesting games of last year. If you haven't tried it yet, it's definitely worth giving it a shot, even if it doesn't yet have the popularity of some others, especially if you're most interested in the multiplayer mode. It's heavily focused on squad combat , with teams of four soldiers, and you'll have many characters to choose from. Each one has different abilities, and it's important to keep this in mind when choosing your characters to achieve the most effective combination.
Gangstar, New Orleans
A slightly different approach within the FPS genre is taken by games inspired by the classic GTA series , such as Gameloft 's Gangstar saga . Of course, we can go straight for ports of the original Rockstar games, but these have the advantage of being free and designed specifically for mobile devices. Here, gunfights take a backseat to exploration and racing, which does offer some variety, but isn't ideal if you don't want to take your finger off the trigger. There are several installments, and in fact, the highest-rated is arguably the previous one, Gangstar Vegas, although we've decided to highlight the latest, which takes us to New Orleans.
Max Payne Mobile
The bonus entry on our list is for those willing to make a small investment, although it's not too expensive and saves us from in-app purchases. Max Payne Mobile is a port of the original title, a landmark in third-person shooter history , the one that introduced the much-imitated "bullet time" mechanic , and it's a great option both for indulging in nostalgia if you played it back in the day, and for discovering it for the first time. In this case, there's no multiplayer, but in return, we get an elaborate and complex plot and a charismatic protagonist, instead of a more conventional war story.
