Doom (1993) Retrospective Review

By: Nik S

When it comes to first-person shooters a few titles come to mind: Call of Duty, Battlefield, and Counter-Strike. They're titles which have been out for over a decade and really stood the test of time. Though they're not the ones who got the genre popular, they just improved upon a formula that's already been out for just over 30 years. The genre started its violent roots with Wolfenstein 3D by id Software, but that just helped to get the groundwork started for what was to come. Soon after a small title by the same company, which was absolutely free (or pay whatever you want), simply titled Doom was released. The company, as well as the entire video game industry, was shocked by how much attention this one title got. It easily became the most influential game in the entire genre, sprouting several clones and sequels. It's to no one's surprise that this game truly stands the tests of time (as long as you don't have to deal with Bethesda's DRM on modern consoles).

With Doom 1, 2, and 3 being released onto modern consoles it was a no-brainer to dive back into these old classics. But the big question is: does the game still hold up after 26 years? Mechanics and graphics have drastically changed over this time. Graphically, the game emulates the original quite well just with a few updated models and a fresh coat of polygons. Things can get a little blocky if you get face-to-face with a demon, but that can be easily overlooked. While you're blasting demons with your shotgun you'll be accompanied by the MIDI guitars that haven't changed at all from the original game (though the sound has been updated for surround-sound settings).

The iconic weapons are back and still work well for the game's limitations. Of course, you have your shotgun, chain gun, plasma gun, but most importantly the BFG 9000. All the original levels are back and still have that original Doom feel to them. Unlike modern shooters that have a linear way of doing things, this old classic wants to keep you guessing where you're supposed to go. The game makes use of puzzles by having color-coded doors and the keys associated with them hidden somewhere on the map. Once you've beaten a level and see the par for the time you almost feel like you need to go back and run through it just to see if you can make it.

On modern consoles, there's now trophies and achievements to unlock. They are your basic ones for completing chapters (three canonical chapters for episode one) and ones for difficulty. Even on a high definition display from today's consoles the game still looks really good. Doom guy's (the name was given to him by the community) face at the bottom is still expressive as ever. Depending on your level of health depends on if he's going to wiggle his eyebrows, look like he just got dumped by his girlfriend, or that he just got done going 10 rounds with Mike Tyson.

After 26 years the game still holds up really well, despite a few minor flaws from its current publisher (i.e. DRMs). Most fans say the game is broken on the Nintendo Switch due to this, but Bethesda says they're working on making logging into their servers optional. If you can overlook that flaw then you can pick this game up on PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC for $5.

Check out our video review on Doom (1993):