This
is the one that started it all. Well, not technically, cause id
software actually started the First Person Shooter genre with their
nearly as good Wolfenstein 3D. But uh, this was the big one. The one
that truly changed the landscape and broke the boundaries. Taking the
initial gameplay of W3D, id elevated it to a new level, literally, with
elevated level design and way more colorful backgrounds. From a ravaged
Mars base to the bowels of Hell itself, Doom was an exhilerating
experience back in the good ol days of 1994. Nothing like it had ever
been seen before, and pumping a shotgun shell into a demonic hellspawn
for the first time was a truly empowering moment.
Has
the first person shooter genre moved beyond the corridor crawls of Doom
and its many clones? Well... yes, it's number one for nostalgic
reasons, but history must be respected. They're the foundation for what
we have now, and should be appreciated. There aren't enough adjectives
to describe everything Doom made me feel when I played it, but this
landmark in computer gaming is one four letter word that cannot be
tossed around lightly.
