I am sure that this is probably the most recognizable game on my top ten. Doom isn't the game that started the first person perspective craze, but it was revolutionary in its own way. By the simple addition of stairs and elevators, there were suddenly enemies looking up at you, or looking down.

What this added to first person gameplay were puzzles which included the element of heighth. The graphics were also a breakthrough, as walls of buildings, windows, and floors and ceilings where carefully designed. This game became the standard for first person games (and is to blame for the countless number of boring unoriginal spinoffs) luring gamers with its simple run around a level shooting everything in your path. A simple cure for those blood thirsty gamers.

The enemies in Doom start off with the pistol dude, and the shotgun dude. Then as the game progresses, various monsters start appearing. In Doom I first episode- there were hardly any monsters, but it still maintained the intensity by having contrasting levels and making good use of things like radioactive floors. The design put into these levels is just phenomenal. There are millions of level editors out to find, and I don't know of any friend-made level that even compares to the design of the levels in the game. The levels have to be well made so that they aren't confusing to navigate, and that they aren't too tough. And they must take advantage of all of the features which make the game so fun (falling floors, dumb enemies, secrets, etc.).

Doom 2 was also a very good game. It didn't stray far at all from the concepts of Doom. There was the introduction of the double-barrel shotgun, and a few more enemies, but that was all. The new levels were bigger and weirder (you'd understand if you've played them both) but in all it was still a blast. However, once you've played Duke Nukem 3d, or Quake, this game just feels flat.

Why would that be? Well, this game was still a two-dimensional game. Even though it gave the appearance of 3-dimensions, it was still constructed through a flat map. You can never occupy a space directly above you or below you if you catch what I'm getting at. You can not aim up, look up, or jump, or do any of those things that the new 3d games allow. Infact, the enemies are also two dimensional in this game. They take up zero space. You can put an infinite number of enemies on one spot, and I tell you that can make for a difficult level. That reminds me of how the enemies actually kill each other. This is the only game I know where if you enter a room invisible, and shoot a guy that he'll turn and shoot whoever else is in the room, even if it's another enemy! It is one of those little things that make the game that much more enjoyable.

Oh, and the network play. Yes, this game also revolutionized network games. With up to four human players battling each other, it became an adventure to really discover who the superior player is. Unfortunately, whoever gets the rocket launcher first will dominate. It's still fun. Not that it is bad, it's still amazing, but there are other games that I'd rather play over a network. It's simple. Just run and shoot. Just a little tougher than pointing and clicking.

Steve's Rating for Doom

Gameplay
Fun
Difficulty
Graphics
Sound
Network

Overall Rating:

Steve's Rank - 6th