look. is doom influential? yes. is doom a requirement for us to get where FPS games have gotten? absolutely. but this is one of the most poorly aged games i think i've ever seen.
first, the glaringly obvious: the lack of vertical camera movement is... uncanny, to say the least. it makes a lot of the vertical combat in this game feel extremely off, and removes a lot of the possibilities for this game to have fun level design.
secondly: this game's level design just hasn't held up. most of the levels are mazy and confusing, but not in a fun way. i don't feel gratified when i beat these levels - i feel annoyed. the bosses are also PITIFULLY easy. like not even close to as hard as the levels. i played most of the game on the middle difficulty, for those of you wondering.
not to say doom '93 is an awful game, not at all. the music is excellent, the enemy designs are unique, and there's a good amount of content here for a game released when computers had less power than a damn calculator. but, realistically, it's not a game that holds up in 2024.
i think you should at least play doom '93, but don't feel the need to finish it out. it's an essential stepping stone, but we've passed that stone for a reason.
first, the glaringly obvious: the lack of vertical camera movement is... uncanny, to say the least. it makes a lot of the vertical combat in this game feel extremely off, and removes a lot of the possibilities for this game to have fun level design.
secondly: this game's level design just hasn't held up. most of the levels are mazy and confusing, but not in a fun way. i don't feel gratified when i beat these levels - i feel annoyed. the bosses are also PITIFULLY easy. like not even close to as hard as the levels. i played most of the game on the middle difficulty, for those of you wondering.
not to say doom '93 is an awful game, not at all. the music is excellent, the enemy designs are unique, and there's a good amount of content here for a game released when computers had less power than a damn calculator. but, realistically, it's not a game that holds up in 2024.
i think you should at least play doom '93, but don't feel the need to finish it out. it's an essential stepping stone, but we've passed that stone for a reason.