If anyone has seen The Matrix, then you’re familiar with Bullet Time. In essence, Bullet Time in video games allows players to drastically slow time down in order to unleash a flurry of bullets in quick succession, or typically give you enough time to accurately line up your shots for those critical hits. Today, we’ll be looking at five games that have managed to nail the Bullet Time mechanic, and give you that feeling of complete power and control over your gunplay.

F.E.A.R.



F.E.A.R., or First Encounter Assault Recon, is my all-time favourite first-person shooter. Not only is it a superb horror title, but the gun combat has yet to be topped, even within its own series. The Bullet Time in F.E.A.R. is some of the most satisfying and downright incredible visual and audio spectacles you will ever see. This is thanks in large part to the amazing attention and care that went into making the game an exhilarating blast from start to finish, perfectly using sound and atmospherics to create a palpable sense of dread, and in the case of Bullet Time, absolute carnage. When you enter Bullet Time here, the sound drowns out and time moves at a crawl, allowing you to devastate nearby enemies with blood-splattering glory. The point man clearly has some almost superhuman tricks up his sleeve.

Red Dead Redemption



The Bullet Time in Red Dead Redemption, called Dead Aim, is pretty iconic at this point (and not in the Ubisoft way). Rockstar Games have clearly done their homework when it comes to making you, John Marston, feel like the sharpest shooter in the West. Dead Aim will significantly slow down time and allow you to plan each shot accordingly, so when you exit Dead Aim, the shots come out fast, deadly, and accurate. It’s a simple mechanic that can be used in dire situations, whether you need to escape to regain health or simply want to dwindle the numbers on a large mob of enemies. No other game has come close to putting you in the shoes of Clint Eastwood.

Max Payne



Arguably the grandfather of Bullet Time, Max Payne creatively uses the mechanic to not only slow down time for that accurate dead-shot, but also allows you to perform acrobatic leaps and jumps around the area to avoid being a hot target while suspended in slow motion. For its time, Max Payne was simply ahead of the competition, introducing the gaming world to this new, exciting way to manipulate time. It paved the way for most entries on this list, and remains the grandmaster of the Bullet Time. However, that’s not to say it’s perfect, since many came along and pretty much one-upped Max Payne in pretty ingenious ways of their own. For example…

Total Overdose: A Gunslingers Tale in Mexico



This underrated gem is pretty much the embodiment of a Robert Rodriguez film in video game form. Largely inspired by the likes of Once Upon A Time In Mexico and Desperado, Total Overdose brought us to a pretty gritty and baron open-world Mexico crawling with gangs, drugs, and mariachi’s. The Bullet Time in Total Overdose takes the acrobatic style of Max Payne and adds its own level of spice, such as being able to bounce off walls, spin in a circle for a deadly tornado of bullets, and blow the heads clean off enemies shoulders while catching their hats in mid-air (I kid you not, it’s there). Total Overdose’s special brand of insanity easily makes it the most unique game on this list to use Bullet Time.

TimeShift



TimeShift is another underrated gem on this list, and one that’s mostly unheard of in the gaming community. However, its fluid time-bending gameplay is some of the coolest I’ve ever seen, and manages to do Bullet Time plenty of justice. The best part about TimeShift is that you get to savour the little details while in slow motion. Particle effects litter the area while enemies’ faces turn from confidence to sheer shock and horror as they quickly realize that you have the ultimate upper hand in a fight designed to twist and warp time at your leisure. The game is unfortunately quite short, but every second is, quite literally, worth your time.