November 2004 was an incredible month for FPS games that still hasn't been surpassed

The best years in gaming are often talked about, but when it comes to the best years months in gaming, November 2004 should be part of the conversation, especially for fans of first-person shooters. First-person shooters are among the most popular and critically acclaimed video games of all time, and some of them are the most expansive. There has been no shortage of classic FPS games released over the years, but there are sure to be some that stand above the rest.

When you think of titans of the first-person shooter genre, a few big franchises come to mind. It belongs to one of the best FPS franchises ever Halo, Half-lifeand Metroid Primeand they all fill a unique niche in the genre. Halo offers a cooperative campaign and an incredible multiplayer experience Half-life focuses on providing a thrilling single-player adventure with innovative physics-based mechanics. Metroid Primemeanwhile, it's all about solving puzzles and exploring mysterious alien worlds. They're all different but high-quality FPS experiences, so it's strange that all the new entries in each franchise dropped in the same month in November 2004.

EA's 8 Best First-Person Games, Ranked

EA is known for its more famous FPS games, but the company's best first-person titles go far beyond the work of DICE and Respawn.

In November 2004 Hello 2, Metroid Prime 2: Echoesand Half-Life 2 all released within a week of each other. Hello 2 dropped on November 9 as an Xbox exclusive Metroid Prime 2: Echoes was released on November 15 as a GameCube exclusive. Finally, Half-Life 2 released on November 16 as a PC exclusive. Needless to say, FPS players were well fed that week. Hello 2 is often hailed as one of the best multiplayer FPS games of all time, with an incredible 95 rating on Metacritic. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes maybe it didn't get as high marks as the original Metroid Primebut it was also critically acclaimed, earning an overall score of 92 on Metacritic. And then there is Half-Life 2which has the highest rating of all at 96, making it one of the top 20 rated video games ever made. Those three games alone would be enough to make November 2004 not only one of the best months in FPS gaming history, but one of the best months in gaming history. But there was even more to it in those days, believe it or not.

Counter-Strike: Source, Killzone, Medal of Honor: Pacific Assaultand GoldenEye: Rogue Agent are some other FPS games that were also released in November 2004. Non-FPS games that were released in November 2004 that were fantastic include titles like Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal, How 3, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eaterand World of Warcraft. And that's not all. Whether you're an FPS fan or not, November 2004 is clearly one of the most ridiculous months in all of video game history.

The Nintendo DS handheld was also released in November 2004.

Will we ever see another month like November 2004?

The increasing development time means that it is highly unlikely that any other month will come close in volume to November 2004. It was one new game release after another, and while the FPS genre was the most represented, every other major genre got some love as well. High-profile new game releases simply aren't coming out at the same pace as they used to, but fall is still typically an exciting time for FPS fans, at least.

Who is that character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Who is that character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Easy (7.5s) Medium (5.0s) Hard (2.5s) Permadeath (2.5s)

Every autumn there is a new one Call of Duty game to play, and sometimes there are other new FPS titles in the mix as well. Last year, Battlefield 6 hit the scene with strong reviews and sales, apart from Cod in just weeks. More new FPS games are sprinkled throughout the year, with Doom: The Dark Ages on the scene a few months ago Battlefield 6 and Black Ops 7and High Guardian launched just last month. It's nowhere near November 2004 levels, but at least there are still big new FPS games coming out every year.