It has been actual decades since I did anything more than poke around a couple levels in the original Doom, and this release inspired me to sit down and play it through from beginning to end. And the end, my take is this: goddamn are these games incredible. This isn't news to me or anyone else, but sitting down and making my way through the campaign, hunting down secrets, and just giving it my focus in the way I would a new game has helped me appreciate it anew. It helps that aside from a few particular secrets, most of the levels have evaporated from my memory and feel totally fresh.

The original Doom (Episodes 1–3) is a legit masterpiece, and not only has it held up insanely well, I'd go so far as to say it could stand toe-to-toe with any other FPS, including ones released this decade, and would still eclipse many of them.