Plenty of action, role-playing, and survival horror games have that already. But for adventure games, that is more like an exception; the norm is still point-and-click interface with restricted viewpoint and movement.
To qualify as having "first-person freedom of movement", the player's viewpoint must be seen from a first-person perspective, and the movement must not be scripted, pre-rendered, or presented as "slideshows" (as in Myst) - in other words, the player must have complete control as to when and where to move in a 3D virtual environment. So here is a short list I can think of. Anyone know of more?
Under a Killing Moon (1994)
The Pandora Directive (1996)
- These two lack advanced keyboard controls (e.g. no WASD keys).
Overseer (1998)
- One of the first adventure games with hardware acceleration for graphics.
Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned (1999)
- Has interesting mix of 1st and 3rd person view.
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gameplay video
3 games in the Myst series has it:
realMyst (2000)
Uru: Ages Beyond Myst (2003)
Myst V: End of Ages (2005)
The Starry Expanse (in development)
- Fan-made remake of Riven with first-person freedom of movement.
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Official site.
Frogwares has made several Sherlock Holmes games that can be played in both 1st (with freedom of movement) and 3rd-person perspective. The latest and upcoming "Crimes and Punishments" will use Unreal 3 engine, which promises new heights in graphics quality for an adventure game:
Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened (2006)
Sherlock Holmes versus Arsène Lupin (aka. Sherlock Holmes: Nemesis, 2008)
Sherlock Holmes versus Jack the Ripper (2009)
The Testament of Sherlock Holmes (2012)
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments (upcoming, 2014).
Darkness Within 2: The Dark Lineage (2010)
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gameplay video
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playable demo
Dear Esther (2012)
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gameplay video
Gone Home (2013)
- This is an immensely acclaimed (but also very short) independent game about a deserted home filled with bittersweet memories of the missing family.
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gameplay video
