Mmm... Doom! (Doom (PC))

Member Name: RayWhitney

Product:	Doom (PC)
Date:	04/10/08 (108 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Classic game, still plays well, great atmosphere, good ideas

Disadvantages: Might be hard to play on modern PCs, so check out the Xbox 360 Live version

Doom is one of those milestone games, one of the big moments in gaming history that, one way or the other, changed how the hobby evolved. I think it's safe to say that this was the original 3D first person shooter, and for a long time it was the best. But how does it stand up now, against the likes of Halo, Half-Life and that other one with the gears?

Doom puts you behind the eyes of a space marine - the only survivor of a mission that went terrifyingly wrong. Stranded on a spacestation with only demons and zombies for company, the only way out is to blast your way through. Armed with a pistol, shotgun, chain gun, rocket launcher, plasma cannon and chainsaw (plus an incredibly handy right hook), you must travel through Hell itself to save your hide.

Progress through the levels of the four scenarios (each of them representing a different area of the journey) is gained by shooting creatures who stand in your way and unlocking hidden areas by flipping switches and finding keys. The gameplay system seems pretty primitive nowadays - there is no capacity to aim your gun, your character can't jump or manipulate his environment outside of pressing buttons - but by breaking it down to the core elements of FPS gaming, Doom was capable of creating an intense, paranoid experience that could easily be picked up and played.

Even today, the game is a tough cookie, and a sinister one at that. There is no voice-acting, and very little story aside from explanatory text at the end of each scenario. This all adds to the paranoid feel though. You'll never know what's round the corner, and the monsters spawn in such a way that you'll never be safe anywhere - even areas that you've ploughed through already with your chaingun can be plagued with fireball-throwing devils and giant flying eyeballs when you go back.

The beautiful thing about Doom is that the simplicity of the genre of the time means that the game is easy to pick up, and doesn't demand a degree in control-padology for someone to enjoy it. However, that's not to say this is a light and easy game. Even on a standard difficulty level this is a beast that will have you sneaking around corners and running backwards, firing into the hordes insanely.

The enemies (flying firey heads, zombie marines, big orange beholders) and weapons are iconic, so anyone with a love for FPS should know this game inside out. It should be a right of passage. Despite its aged graphics, this plays out like one hell of a movie, tense and tough until the end. Ironically, nothing like the actual Doom movie.

(This review has been cross-posted to ciao.co.uk under the same username)

Summary: The first, and one of the best.