ODST was the best of the series, really. It kicked established series formula to the curb and tried something different, and was a ton more enjoyable for it.
Deux Ex: Human Revolutions. If you like a game with detail and you can explore, this is the game. Amazing game with an incredible amount of detail and storylines and places to explore. Stuff like posters, ebooks, computers to hack, secret places, etc.
But a lot of games allow you to explore areas once you’ve cleared them, and it’s all too often not what you’re intended to do.
Deus Ex:HR seconded.
Damn I was gonna pull the Deus Ex card. I suggest the original Deus Ex as well, but human revolution has better atmosphere and is more modern if that’s what you’re looking for.
Wish I could say more, but nothing’s coming to mind right now.
Hm, would Bioshock count? There was a lot of fighting, but there was tons of room to explore for both loot and story, and the levels were largely non-linear.
Yeah I think Bioshock would for sure. It’s a great game.
Even if the endings were shit and there were like four enemies.
Homefront is also not a bad game either. They even said the gameplay was supposed to mirror Half-Life 2’s style. I am assuming they meant as in not as bum rushed as Call of Duty is. You can’t compare the two, but Homefront gives you times to think things out, but has those moments where you will have to think fast and execute, but without the madness and BS that CoD will give you.
My personal complaint wasn’t so much the lack of variety of enemies, but rather the fact that they were everywhere. You couldn’t even backtrack to a vending machine without killing a few splicers that come up out of nowhere.
You know, for all the shit people give to Halo, it actually has a very nice story, with some breathtaking and imaginative, fantastic environments. Like the ringworlds themselves, or Bungie’s take on future urban sprawls, particularly in Halo 2 and ODST.
Homefront was pretty underrated. I liked it, I just thought it needed a bit more polish and some extra length.
Check out Borderlands 1… Borderlands is pretty cool, the first one is very underrated… a new Borderlands just came out. Also, you should check out RAGE. RAGE is very fun, and… you should really get DOOM 3 BFG Edition when it comes out… It’s a remake of DOOM 3, Ressurection of Evil, includes a 7 or 10 level expansion called “The Lost Missions” and features re-releases of DOOM 1 and 2 in widescreen… I liked old-school FPS games like DOOM, Quake, Wolfenstein, Unreal, and Half-Life for a reason… they were very fast-paced hardcore first-person shooters… but they also gave you a sense of immersion and you felt like you could explore a level… sighs that’s why I love Black Mesa! 
but the thread title is slow-paced fps… 
I think that’s more of this specific forum’s attitude rather than the general consensus.
I don’t think it’s a very exploratory game series though (with the exception of ODST). The entirety of the gameplay is based around fighting. No puzzles or anything, and if you’re lost, there’s probably a nav-point to direct you exactly where you need to go, which is almost always another fight.
Not saying that’s a bad thing. It’s just a different style. But what I think really shines IMO is the story. It’s different from Half-Life though in that it’s played out via traditional cutscenes and vignettes rather than direct involvement.
I’d say games like Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, they are really slow going sneak around games.
^ Chaos Theory is my favorite of those.
That was the first one I tried I think!
I did rage quit though. Slow games are not my thing. Way too impatient.
Whereas I managed 8 out of 10 missions with 100% stealth rating on Hard. Silly me, being all obsessive about my games XP
And if you think Chaos Theory is hard, just wait until you try the original Splinter Cell.
Knockouts can only happen from behind, and sometimes you have to hit them twice to make them go down. :fffuuu:
Plus, on consoles you don’t get save anywhere.