‘DOOM’ is a title I’ve played on many occasions, but never as an adult. It was one of the couple of games installed on a PC that my Cousin had, and I enjoyed it every time, even though I sucked terribly at it and never got to the end.
To go back to this game as an adult, having played the 2016 reboot and many other FPS games that owe a debt to this game, I’m surprised that it holds up so well. Of course, it’s dated mechanically and graphically, but not many FPS games made today have a comparable atmosphere, it’s just dripping with it, from the music to the labyrinth level designs. It all comes together to create the feeling that the game gives you. Not to mention the sound design for many weapons, that have such a weight and kick to them that they feel extremely satisfying to use. I imagine playing this back in 1993 and having my mind blown by the level of quality on display for the time.
On a less enthusiastic note, there were periods when I was playing where I felt that there was a lot of repetition, particularly with the abundance of the same enemy types and the copy/paste quality of some of the textures and areas. Additionally, it’s pretty short, but you could argue that if it were longer then the repetition would be even more detrimental.
Furthermore, the jump in difficulty from the first 3 episodes to the 4th titled ‘Thy Flesh Consumed’ is really stark. This could be seen as a benefit for the gamers who have mastered the previous 3 episodes, but in my opinion, the best games gradually take steps towards being more difficult. If each episode felt incrementally more challenging and then ‘Thy Flesh Consumed’ was exactly as it is now, it would not stand out so much as a negative of the game for me.
‘DOOM’ is often credited with creating the FPS genre, and although that is debatable, the impact that this game has had on the entire industry is not up for debate. This game is as important as Pong, Tetris and Super Mario Bros.
To go back to this game as an adult, having played the 2016 reboot and many other FPS games that owe a debt to this game, I’m surprised that it holds up so well. Of course, it’s dated mechanically and graphically, but not many FPS games made today have a comparable atmosphere, it’s just dripping with it, from the music to the labyrinth level designs. It all comes together to create the feeling that the game gives you. Not to mention the sound design for many weapons, that have such a weight and kick to them that they feel extremely satisfying to use. I imagine playing this back in 1993 and having my mind blown by the level of quality on display for the time.
On a less enthusiastic note, there were periods when I was playing where I felt that there was a lot of repetition, particularly with the abundance of the same enemy types and the copy/paste quality of some of the textures and areas. Additionally, it’s pretty short, but you could argue that if it were longer then the repetition would be even more detrimental.
Furthermore, the jump in difficulty from the first 3 episodes to the 4th titled ‘Thy Flesh Consumed’ is really stark. This could be seen as a benefit for the gamers who have mastered the previous 3 episodes, but in my opinion, the best games gradually take steps towards being more difficult. If each episode felt incrementally more challenging and then ‘Thy Flesh Consumed’ was exactly as it is now, it would not stand out so much as a negative of the game for me.
‘DOOM’ is often credited with creating the FPS genre, and although that is debatable, the impact that this game has had on the entire industry is not up for debate. This game is as important as Pong, Tetris and Super Mario Bros.