First-person shooters are one of the most serious genres in gaming. This is because most of them focus on war or killing of some kind, which isn't a good subject matter for comedy. Plus, these games are often so action-packed that there's little time for the characters to share jokes.
However, it isn't impossible to provide a bit of levity in these titles, especially when you're dealing with fictional conflicts instead of real ones. As a result, several titles in the genre have provided laughs over the years. These are the ones who've done it best.
8 Bulletstorm
Bulletstorm is a game all about killing with skill as you're encouraged to take down enemies in unique and stylish ways. This feature alone can lead to plenty of funny moments. But where the humor in this title really lies is in the dialogue. Protagonist Grayson Hunt and his allies share a lot of humorous interactions.
Most of them are hypermasculine characters, which is a large part of their comedic style. And while it can be a bit much sometimes - especially the excessive use of profanity - they're often so outrageous it's funny. Plus, some of their quips can even be creative at times.
7 Halo 3
The Halo series has always dealt with humor in an interesting way. Rarely do you see comedy in cutscenes or involving major characters. Instead, the humor is typically provided by the enemies and your nameless marine friends during gameplay.
In Halo 3, if you take your UNSC allies' weapons or stare at them for too long, they often say something humorous. As for your adversaries, the grunts, in particular, are filled with funny bits of dialogue, ranging from silly insults to ridiculous cries for mercy. On top of that, the game's physics can sometimes cause laughter, as can a few of the sillier easter eggs.
6 Battlefield Bad Company 2
During Battlefield Bad Company 2, you follow the titular unit consisting of Marlowe, Sarge, Sweets, and Haggard. They're the stereotypical characters you'd expect to see in a war film. However, they show more personality than any other protagonist in the Battlefield series. And they inject plenty of humor into the single-player story.
They regularly participate in witty back-and-forths with one another. Also, they have long-drawn-out nonsensical conversations that provide plenty of laughs in what is an otherwise serious game and series.
5 Borderlands 2
The Borderlands series has always been known for its humor, as each game delivers solid laughs. Much of it comes from the outlandish characters that are present in each entry. Some are hilariously violent or just plain weird. One of the funniest characters in all gaming is introduced in the second instalment, and his name is Handsome Jack.
The guy is a ruthless murderer, but he's also incredibly charismatic. Throughout the story, he regularly talks to you. Usually, the conversations consist of him taunting you, commenting on your actions, or just going off on wild tangents. His antics are thoroughly entertaining.
4 Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon
Most of the Far Cry games have some comedy in them, but it's a major focus of Blood Dragon. The standalone expansion is a homage to action movies from the 1980s. As such, it is packed with references and has the same over-the-top tone as a lot of those films.
The main character has a seemingly unlimited number of one-liners that he delivers during the adventure. Several of them are clever, but most are intentionally cheesy. The title also includes some funny fourth-wall breaks, especially in the tutorial, which mocks the average video game tutorial.
3 The Operative: No One Lives Forever
Set in the 1960s, The Operative: No One Lives Forever is an FPS influenced by spy movies from that period. And while it's not exactly a parody, the title is more humorous than the average spy flick.
A lot of the comedy comes from random conversations. For instance, you can overhear a hilarious discussion between two men where one wants to sell a monkey to the other. That's the sort of absurd humor No One Live Forever provides. There's also a healthy dose of sight gags, and the devious spy protagonist, Cate Archer, delivers some funny quips, too.
2 Timesplitters: Future Perfect
Future Perfect is the third entry in the Timesplitters series. It differs from its predecessors by putting more emphasis on the story. Thankfully, it manages to maintain the series' wit as it's filled with comedic moments. Most of the humorous situations spawn because of the dim-witted nature of the main characters.
None of them are completely dumb, but they are prone to making silly mistakes. For instance, the protagonist Sergeant Cortez ends up giving the main villain the idea for his evil scheme. Speaking of Cortez, many of the jokes in the game come at his expense as the somewhat serious hero tends to look foolish a lot. Plus, his "time to split" catchphrase is lame and hated by pretty much everybody.
1 Portal 2
It's debatable whether Portal can be called an FPS, as it's really a puzzle game. But it is played in first-person and you do shoot things - albeit you fire portals instead of bullets - so it just about fits the description. There's no debate that both main instalments are hilarious, particularly the second one.
Portal 2 includes the classic AI GlaDOS, who delivers countless witty lines. She's joined by the equally comical Wheatley and Cave Johnson. All of them provide brilliant one-liners and rambling monologues as your own character stays quiet. They all add plenty of personality to an already enjoyable puzzler.