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New Zealand476 Posts
Preamble: This isn't a review. It doesn't contain critical analysis, just the subjective opinions of one person. The intent is to remember the games I've come across in my life and share the nostalgia, nothing more. And some of those games I didn't play in great depth.
Today we look at one of the most important milestones in the history of video games.
DOOM
Developer: id Software
Platform: PC
Release Year: 1993
Stephen's Rating: 6/10
![[image loading]](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KC_gwWawIkk/TsRRI29PedI/AAAAAAAAAj0/t0y0_ju5dJI/s320/Doom_cover_art.jpg)
DOOM was one of the pivotal points in video game history.
Basic Plot
The game is set on Mars where an organisation called the UAC are running teleportation experiments between the moons of Phobos and Deimos.
You play an unnamed space marine exiled to Mars (actually Phobos) for assaulting an officer (after he ordered you to fire on civilians).
The experiments go wrong, and "evil" begins to pour out of the Phobos portal. Everyone else dies, and as the last man standing your (totally realistic) goal is to destroy all of the demonic beings in your way to protect Earth.
![[image loading]](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3Uf9Aoaw920/TsRRMjycEGI/AAAAAAAAAj8/aHdBQ98L8zs/s320/doom_flash.jpg)
Gameplay
The game built upon the Wolfenstein 3D engine. It was not truly 3D but did include many new features which pushed the boundaries for first person shooters:
- Non-perpendicular walls.
- Dynamic environments (moving terrain, platforms which raised and fell).
- Height differences.
- Full texture mapping to all surfaces.
- Enemy AI was improved, enemies could hear your gunshots from great distances.
- The player fought from the first person perspective using weapons to engage enemies. There were a variety of enemies to face.
DOOM had a small hint of the active cutscene content familiar with Half-Life. For example; you might be wandering along and see a new weapon in the distance. As you approach it, all the lights go out, and you find yourself suddenly surrounded by enemies.
Other than that DOOM was a classic first person shooter. Control was simple (keyboard only for the PC), and the game revolved around balancing your health, armour, and ammunition while fighting through hordes of enemies.
As with Wolfenstein 3D there were a multitude of secret passages and items to find.
![[image loading]](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-i96Jw1XHJRY/TsRRRqjJNiI/AAAAAAAAAkE/od2stz6lLPo/s320/doom.jpg)
Positives
Purely from a technical point of view DOOM was the next step in heading toward truly three-dimensional graphics in video games.
The sense of isolation and danger was really well represented in the game. It slotted into the horror genre well.
Negatives
There is little to complain about given the technology of the time and what the game set out to achieve.
Memorable Moments
I have a cousin who used to play this game on the hardest difficulty and would re-start the entire game if he died.
 
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Doom was "the" classic first person shooter, not "a" classic first person shooter.
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New Zealand476 Posts
On August 15 2012 12:08 KingDime wrote:
Doom was "the" classic first person shooter, not "a" classic first person shooter.
I would argue that Wolfenstein 3D was the original FPS, then DOOM lifted the bar, and Quake completed the transition to actual 3D graphics. And then I think Half-Life became "the" classic first person shooter. That's why in my opinion it's "a" classic FPS.
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You have it as a 6/10 but don't really state what you didn't like about the game. I know this isn't a game review, but why'd you feel it deserves that score instead of higher?
Just curious because I happen to be one of those who was terrified of this game when I was younger but I couldn't stop playing. Probably an 8 or 9/10 from me.
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New Zealand476 Posts
On August 15 2012 12:40 duncan.mc wrote:
You have it as a 6/10 but don't really state what you didn't like about the game. I know this isn't a game review, but why'd you feel it deserves that score instead of higher?
Just curious because I happen to be one of those who was terrified of this game when I was younger but I couldn't stop playing. Probably an 8 or 9/10 from me.
My ratings are generally based on the impact it had on my life. To me, DOOM was something I played a bit but I was much more affected by other games of that era; Ultima Underworld and Ultima VII for example, which had a profound impact on me. I know it's not objective... from an objective "This is how good the game is" point of view I think it deserves an 7.5/10. I would rate it higher, but the story really lets it down and a story or at least some kind of narrative is something every game should have. From an "impact on the world" point of view DOOM is a 9/10 for sure. Tricky to put a number there  I should perhaps start using a few different ratings... Thanks for your input.
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doom was the shit.
I used to have sleepovers with friends when we were like 7 and 8 and we'd stay up all night playing 2 player games through all the levels. and we had like thousands of custom levels we downloaded and had on cd's. was called D!ZONE or something, it was amazing.
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I played a DOOM95 demo CD that came with my computer (back in 1996) obsessively for many months. Thinking back now, I'm surprised at how much content was provided on that demo CD. I even found a copy of a Simpsons mod of DOOM a year or so later, did anybody here ever play that?
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On August 15 2012 12:20 DRTnOOber wrote:Show nested quote +On August 15 2012 12:08 KingDime wrote:
Doom was "the" classic first person shooter, not "a" classic first person shooter. I would argue that Wolfenstein 3D was the original FPS, then DOOM lifted the bar, and Quake completed the transition to actual 3D graphics. And then I think Half-Life became "the" classic first person shooter. That's why in my opinion it's "a" classic FPS.
Don't forget Catacomb 3D which came before Wolfenstein and was probably the first of all the first person shooters.
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Katowice25012 Posts
Midi Maze beats Catacombs by several years and had multiplayer (and I guess Maze War if you want to get really technical -- but the feel of that game is totally different as it's nearly turn based).
Though in fairness Carmack and Romero claim to have not heard of it until long after the completion of Wolfenstein.
I also think the distinction between "the classic" and "a classic" is really silly if you're going to give that award to Half-Life. HL's true impact wasn't felt until years later while Doom made the entire genre mainsteam by itself, alongside of completely revolutionizing the tech that goes into the games (as well as popularizing the distribution techniques so much so that it was covered in Forbes), so either you call neither "the" or you pick Doom. Half-Life's importance is considerably different and I think you're doing a disservice by placing it ahead of Doom on that kind of arbitrary rank.
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New Zealand476 Posts
On August 15 2012 15:43 heyoka wrote:Midi Maze beats Catacombs by several years and had multiplayer (and I guess Maze War if you want to get really technical -- but the feel of that game is totally different as it's nearly turn based). Though in fairness Carmack and Romero claim to have not heard of it until long after the completion of Wolfenstein. I also think the distinction between "the classic" and "a classic" is really silly if you're going to give that award to Half-Life. HL's true impact wasn't felt until years later while Doom made the entire genre mainsteam by itself, alongside of completely revolutionizing the tech that goes into the games (as well as popularizing the distribution techniques so much so that it was covered in Forbes), so either you call neither "the" or you pick Doom. Half-Life's importance is considerably different and I think you're doing a disservice by placing it ahead of Doom on that kind of arbitrary rank.
True, I eat my words. Nuff said.
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