It was Wolfenstein 3D that started the first person shooter. The game was very successful and put id Software on the map. A year later, however and the company was looking to change it up. They still wanted a to do a first person shooter, but the World War II setting had grown a little tired. They wanted something darker and they would leave Earth entirely to find it. The result was Doom, a game that would launch a new franchise and was released 25 years ago.
The story of Doom is very simple. A space Marine has been assigned to Mars. The company he works for tries out a teleportation system that goes horribly wrong. Demons from hell begin talking over the facility and only Doom Guy (as he has become known) can stop them. His battle will take him through the facility and even to hell itself.
The biggest things about Doom is how fast paced it is. You have very little time to think as monsters keep coming after you. The only solution is to use ever weapon (including your fists) to keep yourself from being overwhelmed. The graphics are pixelated, but it stills holds up. The game is just straight up fun as you go through level upon level. the weapon design goes from a chainsaw to the BFG.
Why was this shooter the game that started the first person shooter genre. Because there was simply nothing like it on the market. Compare it to the game that preceded it and you can see that id saw where this type of game could go. They knew what the players wanted and gave it to them. This kind of foresight allowed people in later generations to think that Doom was the game of it’s kind.
The game was not perfect, it would take the sequel to reach the highest level, but Doom has kept the basic concept. The 2016 reboot might have better graphics and sound, but the core mechanic of fast paced gameplay remains the same. There was simply nothing like Doom and now, there is simply no franchise that is still as good.
