DIGITISER
  • MAIN PAGE
  • Features
  • Videos
  • Game Reviews
  • FAQ

HAPPY DOOMS(BIRTH)DAY

12/12/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
The PlayStation just done turned 20, and it’s already time for another meaningless gaming anniversary; it’s 21 actual years since Doom was released – that’s just one year to go until it’s 22 years since Doom was released, and barely a year since it was 20 years since Doom was released. Whupppp-pppp-ppuppiesss!

This week, Doom co-creator Jon “Jubb-jubb” Romero took to a graceless social media platform called “Twitter” to share a selection of previously unseen behind-the-scenes artwork and photos from the making of Doom. You can see some of them with your eyes and mind here.

It’s difficult now to remember the impact Doom made at the time. If you imagine a moose falling off a tall building onto a tramp you'll only be partway to grasping how big an impact it had. Even if you multiply the number of mooses, increase the height of the building, and reduce the health of the tramp, you're still not going to get it.

Graphics and technology have reached a level where it’s doubtful there’ll ever be such a quantum jump for games again. In part, we think that because we can't really recall one that's happened in the decades since. At the risk of forcing you to sniff our clichés, after Doom nothing was ever the same. 

We could harp on about it setting the template for first-person shooters – building as it did on the foundations laid down by Wolfenstein 3D – but you're smart. You already know that. What Doom really got right, as all the great, epoch-shaking games have, was coupling era-defining, iconic graphics with sublime gameplay, and an utterly unique atmosphere. It was close to perfect.

Picture
MOOD FOR DOOM

Doom was also one of the first games to be motored by the Internet – newsgroup buzz got people talking, before a shareware version was uploaded to FTP servers. 


Cue a global phenomenon, and reduced productivity throughout the Illuminate-controlled world. 


It’s a rarely remembered fact that it wasn’t until 1995 that the game was properly released commercially, as The Ultimate Doom.

We recall playing it for the first time on Teletext’s terribly poor PCs – having to reduce it down to a postage stamp-sized window to make the frame rate bearable. This may shock you, but we don't think we ever properly played a full-screen version until the Atari Jaguar. That's how rubbish we were.

And despite that handicap, it still gave us the "willies" (ha ha). For all the alleged survival “horror” games that have followed in its wake, we honestly can’t think of a game since that’s freaked us out quite as much as Doom did. The sharp, sudden rasp of a cacodemon’s roar. The pools of darkness. The flickering lights. And so on and so forth.

A FINAL PARAGRAPH

So. There you go. Another week, another gaming birthday. Well done, Doom, for existing and being good, and for somehow enduring across the years. 

Next year we'll be seeing Doom 4, maybe. Hopefully. Let us all join hands, roll our eyes into their sockets, and sing a sinister and  threatening song about hoping it will be better than rubbish.

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    This section will not be visible in live published website. Below are your current settings:


    Current Number Of Columns are = 2

    Expand Posts Area =

    Gap/Space Between Posts = 12px

    Blog Post Style = card

    Use of custom card colors instead of default colors = 1

    Blog Post Card Background Color = current color

    Blog Post Card Shadow Color = current color

    Blog Post Card Border Color = current color

    Publish the website and visit your blog page to see the results

    Picture
    Support Me on Ko-fi
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    RSS Feed Widget
    Picture

    Picture
    Tweets by @mrbiffo
    Picture
    Follow us on The Facebook

    Picture

    Archives

    December 2022
    May 2022
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    November 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014


    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • MAIN PAGE
  • Features
  • Videos
  • Game Reviews
  • FAQ