It might be an unpopular opinion--and it's with all due respect to a lively community that creates WADs to this day, all of which potentially make even better use of DOOM's mechanics than even DOOM does (I don't know because I haven't played any of them, and probably won't!)--but this has not aged well.

The level design, much lauded by modern critics, feels shittly, lazily labrynthine to me. The shooting, while basely fun, gets old after three or so levels, and the only challenge left (if not playing at a nightmarishly unpleasant difficulty level) is wandering around trying to find where in the hell you even are. If the atmosphere were slightly more unique, and less drab (and maybe this is simply a problem of age rather than design choice), it would perhaps not be so daunting to have to backtrack... but as it stands we are forced to roam through empty, brown, dark hallways for large portions of the game.

I respect DOOM for its influence and place in gaming history, and its unbelievably solid coding, of course! But playing it today, the only good thing I have to say about it is that the shotgun sound and animation is one of the best ever. Beyond that, I couldn't feel the magic.

Pretty much everything has already been said about this game - pretty much where it takes everything from Wolfenstein 3D and expands on it, and turns it much more into something that feels just a bit more lived in - and with added violence, enemies and so on. Really, there's so much to like about this game - and I think one of the main reasons it still holds up is that there's such an efficiency to it, with its simple, arcade style gameplay where you just blast monsters to pieces, find keycards and reach the end of the level and that's it.

Really, just playing this game for about an hour can get me into a good mood again - and I think this game can be so primitive that a lot of people interpret it as just "RIP AND TEAR. DIE DEMONS" but there's very much an effort here to turn this into a horror game. Some of the set-pieces in this game can be strangely scary and atmospheric (namely all the empty corridors, and also how this game plays with lighting - which was really innovative for its time.)

The DOS version is really good, and the PS3/Xbox 360 versions are surprisingly really functional - although it's also strange just where the emphasis lies about this game depending on what platform you play on. The original Playstation version of this game was just downright creepy and terrifying with its atmosphere and its droning synth score - whilst some versions place an emphasis on heavy metal, violence and gore. I find it interesting just how people interpreted this game - either where the marine is just terrified, barely making it through absolute hell (as in Doom 3) or he's a masochist who loves brutalising hell demons (as in the amazingly awful Doom comic, and some of the modern entries of the series.)

Either way, this game is just really fun to play. It's a great example of how good level design and just making the rest of the game so easy to follow but also incredibly challenging can result in a really fun time - something that's just great to pick up and play.

DOOM is a game that needs no introduction or explanation. Everyone knows what it is, everyone knows the legacy it left behind, and it's one of those games that everyone takes for granted. Between mods, sourceports, sequels, reboots, questionable DOOM games with the number 3 on their title, there's enough DOOM to last anybody a lifetime, to the point where I wonder how many people even played vanilla DOOM and how long ago most people did.

The good news is, on its own DOOM is still a really fun, well designed game. It's impressive how not only did id Software essentially invented a genre here (Wolfenstein 3D notwithstanding), but also how much they knew of the strength of their own mechanics. It's very rare that developers figure it out this quickly, usually there's sequels that iron out whichever issues pop up, but what you get here are three pretty good episodes containing still some of the greatest layouts in FPS history, and generally great examples of how to design FPS levels (hence the countless WADS, lots of them even better than what's on display here). They're varied, well paced, there's tons of little things to discover, and you probably won't even notice you've been playing the game for 3 hours in a row. Not every level is a hit, especially a couple of later ones where the game becomes less a shooter and more a game of guessing which transporter will bring you where, but even in these lesser levels the strength of the movement, shooting, and basic design principles still show through.

Obviously, DOOM should be played at least once by every shooter enthusiast. It may be a game that's been bested since, both in terms of gameplay depth and level design depth, but the core fundamentals are so sound here that it's easy to see how this little game spawned an IP, a whole genre of clones that will later on oversaturate the market, and maybe most importantly a passionate community of modders, designers and just people that are still playing this game almost 30 years later.

‘DOOM’ is a title I’ve played on many occasions, but never as an adult. It was one of the couple of games installed on a PC that my Cousin had, and I enjoyed it every time, even though I sucked terribly at it and never got to the end.

To go back to this game as an adult, having played the 2016 reboot and many other FPS games that owe a debt to this game, I’m surprised that it holds up so well. Of course, it’s dated mechanically and graphically, but not many FPS games made today have a comparable atmosphere, it’s just dripping with it, from the music to the labyrinth level designs. It all comes together to create the feeling that the game gives you. Not to mention the sound design for many weapons, that have such a weight and kick to them that they feel extremely satisfying to use. I imagine playing this back in 1993 and having my mind blown by the level of quality on display for the time.

On a less enthusiastic note, there were periods when I was playing where I felt that there was a lot of repetition, particularly with the abundance of the same enemy types and the copy/paste quality of some of the textures and areas. Additionally, it’s pretty short, but you could argue that if it were longer then the repetition would be even more detrimental.

Furthermore, the jump in difficulty from the first 3 episodes to the 4th titled ‘Thy Flesh Consumed’ is really stark. This could be seen as a benefit for the gamers who have mastered the previous 3 episodes, but in my opinion, the best games gradually take steps towards being more difficult. If each episode felt incrementally more challenging and then ‘Thy Flesh Consumed’ was exactly as it is now, it would not stand out so much as a negative of the game for me.

‘DOOM’ is often credited with creating the FPS genre, and although that is debatable, the impact that this game has had on the entire industry is not up for debate. This game is as important as Pong, Tetris and Super Mario Bros.

It's hard to criticize the single most influential FPS of all time without sounding nitpicky or contrarian, but the truth is that while Doom is masterful in many ways, it very apparently left room for improvement, as evidenced by Ultimate Doom's additional episode, Thy Flesh Consumed, and the expansiveness of user-made .WADs.

Knee-Deep in the Dead and The Shores of Hell are simplistic, but brisk, constantly keeping the player flowing through the enticing action that Doom's menagerie of demons and arsenal of weapons provide.

Inferno offers some more complex levels, but at the cost of that aforementioned flow, and can often feel obtuse or bloated.

Ultimate Doom's addendum in Thy Flesh Consumed proves that while Doom's base is strong, what really elevates it is excellent level design. Not every level here is a hit, but most offer compact, yet intricate almost puzzle-like levels that require problem solving above just twitch reaction in combat.

Throughout Doom, there are aspects I question, such as certain power-ups resulting in headache-inducing color overlays on the screen, or the game's obsession with making you wade through puddles of toxic sludge in what begins to feel like every other level, but by playing through the game, it's no mystery it was the sensation it was.