DOOM (1993) for XBLA
After the glorious fucking triumph that was 2016's DOOM, I thought it only fair to go back to the beginning and visit the original for the first time. Though this year's DOOM played like a dream - a fiery, dub-metal crimson dream - I had no context for how true its aim was when compared to the OG. I had no PC as a kid and somehow never veered into one of the game's countless ports. I figured there would be some wincing on my part when it came to graphics or certain gameplay mechanics (this game came out in 1993, mind you, and I have zero nostalgic attachment to it), but I was thrilled to find that after 20 something years, this shit still owns.
There's nothing to say about this game that has already been said, so I'll try to stick to my perspective as a DOOM virgin. I played XBLA release, which my research tells me is the truest and most complete representation of DOOM, second only to the original PC version. I can't tell you how it controls compared to a mouse and keyboard, but it sure feels great on the 360 pad. Of course the lack of Y-axis movement was occasionally maddening to me in the year 2016, but it was easy to overcome after a brief while. The graphics are dated, but that's to be expected. When matched with the art design and the perfect blend of awesome cheeseball music, it's still wonderfully immersive. And Doomguy's animations downright tickle me.
The level design is outstanding for the first three episodes. Much like the 2016 incarnation, it finds a way to manage breakneck speed, tense combat and sprawling maps beautifully while hitting a pitch perfect difficulty curve. I'm kind of in awe at how well the 2016 and 1993 renditions compliment each other so well without ever feeling like copies of each other. And then "Thy Flesh Consumed" hits.
The fourth episode's status as a kinda/sorta bonus episode that takes place between DOOM and DOOM II (but maybe it doesn't??) is fitting as it does not fit into DOOM much at all. Its maps are much smaller and less interesting, its story does not line up with the first three episodes at all, and by god is it fucking hard. It feels the cheap kind of hard, too, with enemies littering every inch of the screen. I'm all for a challenge, but this feels nowhere near as refined as the first three episodes. It's not bad enough to kill the rest of the game, but it leaves a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. What 2016's DOOM did brilliantly was teach the player how to mow down hordes of demons through experience and different strategies. "Thy Flesh Consumed" feels like a suicide mission with every continue.
I'm thrilled to have played through 1993's DOOM, as it's made me appreciate 2016's DOOM that much more. And I'm stoked to start up DOOM II next.
