Doom

The Good
Well, you naysayers be damned, but DOOM really did change the face of gaming in a massive way when it was released. Who doesn't remember it? Office networks being used for 4-player DOOM Fragfests, DOOM being Top Download on God knows how many BBSes for months and months on end, people talking about it in schools, offices...ANYWHERE! DOOM is a household name now, but what made it such? Read on, people.

First, DOOM is all about action. Raw, white-knuckle action. You're a hardened Space Marine out to kill the vile hellspawn that killed your buddies, and you're doing it the only way you can: big guns blaring. It's a simple formula that WORKS, and so well, in fact, that I've yet to see a 3D shooter that's all about the simple, "kill the evil guys and survive" premise that DOOM offers. The gameplay is pretty simple. You traverse each level, shoot anything that tries to shoot, claw, bite, or otherwise maim you, pick up some sweet firearms (BFG 9000, anyone?), and make your way to the exit. But above all else, try to stay alive!

But if you think that that's all the game is, you'd better keep reading: you do have to use your wits as well as your trigger finger, because you have to learn where certain items are placed, especially health items. God forbid you end up ambushed in a certain room by several shotgun-toting Sergants, only to end up escaping with about 5% health and almost no ammo. If you come across a stash of health and ammo in, say, a little out of the way room with no enemies near it, remember where it is for just such an emergency.

Well, the gamplay is out of the way. So what about the rest of the game? Well, I've got to admit: even for being released nearly 7 years ago, the engine in DOOM is still pretty cool. I remember playing DOOM when it first came out on an old 386 DX/40 with 8 MB of RAM, and seeing that engine running so smoothly and being so damn impressed. Also, the game had a very eerie, creepy feel to it, made even moreso with great music and sound effects. The enemies, despite looking very cheesy now, were especially creepy looking back then. And, to be honest...I did jump the first time I saw the Baron of Hell at the end of the first episode...I think it was that scream it let out when it saw you.

The Bad
It's DOOM...what's not to like about DOOM?

The Bottom Line
Everyone who's played DOOM knows what it's all about, and the shareware and full versions are still readily available in millions of locations. DOOM is forever a classic, a technical innovation, and just an all-around great blast.

Have you met your DOOM today? :)