Friday, September 30, 2016

Doom II Came Out 22 Years Ago Today

As we all know, id Software changed the word of gaming with their release of Doom in 1993, but I didn't get my 1st taste until Doom II: Hell on Earth was released in 1994. There isn't much difference between Doom and Doom II. The gameplay and graphics are pretty much identical, except that Doom II has bigger levels, more enemies, and more weapons/bonuses/secret areas. How do you make the greatest game of it's time better? Make more of said game! And they did.

Doom II has a special place in my heart as it was really the 1st PC game that I invested myself into. I had played other games, but Doom II was something else. It was different. It was a rock star of a game in it's time. Word had already spread across the world about Doom so Doom II had an aura of greatness around it before I ever played it. When I'd boot the the Doom II .exe file, it's haunting menu screen and music filled me with dread, but then as soon as the 1st map loaded my dread turned to excitement and the fun began... every single time. Here are three questions that only had to ask myself once.

"Who are these two dudes with their backs turned to me?"

"Why is there a chainsaw hidden behind me?"

"Why are there demons trying to kill me?"

Only once because none those questions mattered once the fun took over. Doom isn't about "Why", it's about "Doing" because that's the fun part.

The 1st time I saw (and heard) Doom II's end boss, the Icon of Sin, it blew me away, and then when I turned wall clipping off and found John Romero's head on a stick, I was flabbergasted. It was truly the 1st game on PC that felt like more than just a game to me. It was huge in level design and in scope. It made me appreciate the skill and talent that goes into making a video game and made me want to make them too. I'm not a game developer but I probably wouldn't have gotten into graphic design had the striking look of Doom II not influenced me at the young age of 10-13 years old. Doom II may not have been 1st, but it was my first, and it has influenced my life as much as anything else from my past.

However the best part, and what I like about Doom II most is, here we are 22 years later and I could still boot up Doom II, or any of the other Doom games and they are still just as fun. A true testament to this franchise.