A few weeks ago a co-worker and I hit the mean streets of downtown San Francisco in search of some Xbox first person shooter goodness. Because he couldn't wait for Brothers in Arms to come out for the PC he was urging me to pick up the Xbox version, which I was sort of planning to do anyway, but I had set my sights on Star Wars: Republic Commando. However, something unexpected occurred five minutes after walking into EBGames on Powell Street.

I didn't know what the heck I wanted.

Thing is, I wasn't expecting to be blindsided by Eidos' Project Snowblind and Vivendi Universal Games' budget title Judge Dredd: Dredd Vs Death. They all appeared to have something good to offer me, and because I'm an impulse shopper, thirty minutes of deliberations did me no good, as I left with all four. Thankfully, all four are pretty good (even Dredd).

The Xbox has always been home to more shooters than the PS2 and GameCube but 2005 is a bit ridiculous. Those four games that I purchased were released in a two week period, and with commercials playing non stop for at least three of them, I know that I wasn't the only gamer blitzed by the sudden FPS horde, and this is why I decided to write this article. Not only have I listed all of the previously released Xbox shooters that have come out already (with impressions), but I've also listed some upcoming ones that are worth checking out (or not). It's always a great idea to do your research, but if you're like me, you already know you're going to buy them all anyway.

Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath
Publisher: Electronic Arts

EA kicked off 2005 in style with Oddworld Stranger's Wrath, and while this game isn't a full-fledged first person shooter you will spend a lot of time in that particular point of view. In the game you play as the Stranger, a bounty hunter out to collect on the heads of several most wanted creatures. Not only can you take them down with melee attacks but also with your trusty crossbow that's capable of firing live ammo!

Stranger's Wrath is a phenomenal game not only because it's an absolute joy to play but also because its uniquely-stylized appearance truly sets it apart from other shooters. You won't explore a world like this anyplace else.

Star Wars: Republic Commando
Publisher: LucasArts

LucasArts has really been on a role with its Star Wars games and Republic Commando is the publisher's latest critically-acclaimed hit. In it you play as a leader of Delta squad of...well...republic commandos, tough-as-nails clones who are sent to the farthest reaches of the galaxy to clean up the messes that no one else wants to take care of. Along the way you'll destroy battle droids, trandoshans, and geonosians, and the developers tossed in some battle strategy for good measure by allowing you to issue commands to your squad mates.

Republic Commando shines because it's extremely easy to get into. Instead of mapping all of the commands to the d-pad LucasArts put in place a one button system so all you need to do is look at something and press A. Also, the combat is really intense, with hundreds of laser beams whizzing past your helmet and thermal detonators being chucked every which way.

I'm also a huge fan of the sounds in this game, which are vintage Star Wars. While the game features original music, all of the sound effects appear to have been ripped from the first two films, and if you have a hot stereo system you need to play Republic Commando with surround sound. Bottom line, if you're a Star Wars and/or first person shooter fan, you'll be very pleased with this game.

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