DOOM

Game: DOOM
Developer: id Software
Platform: PC
Release Year: 1993
Stephen's Rating: 6/10

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.

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.

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.