Doom

The Good
Well, I'm not going to tell you much about this, as most of the other review have done a great job of doing that.

But I do know this, I was one of the people who got suckered in playing Doom. Back then (my disclamer) I recall having run out of 'decent' games. Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not, considering suddenly the sudden rush of die hard Doom fans. The fact most serious veteran gamers usually fall under the categories of either RPG, Strategy or Adventure games (as most memorable games were usually that) would consider Doom a 'great achievement' in gaming history a laughing matter.

Why so, because those genres above had one thing in common that made them more a genre or more a 'game' (in my personal subjective opinion) than other genre's or games (e.g. such arcade based games). They had a decent storyline you could related with...personalize with...a message from the developers to the players. Now Doom on the other hand...

Hey, Doom is a fun game. No doubt about that...well to a certain extent (tell you the bad stuff later). But the fact is to obviously arrogant SOB's like myself who dare call themselves a veteran (if not elite, muahahaha) gamer. Doom is just a game, comparible and as groundbreaking as...Space Invaders...Mario Bros. Those Kiddie kind of games. Read: K I D D I E Yes, kid's. Kid's love this game. Because practically it's a brainless game. If I were a parent, games like this would concern me. No educational value what so ever. Yes, educational value. Something you learn from RPG, Strategy, Adventure games: Puzzle solving, Logic, History, etc. Anything. What do you learn from Doom? Yes, I can chainsaw a walking beefsteak into a medium rare Big Mac with lots of ketchup. Now is this what you want your kids to grow up with???

The Bad
Hmmm....I think I overdid the don't like part...hehehehe.

Anyway, there is another thing I would like to point out. This is the first game that after a couple of hours playing (note: I ran out of games, justifies me playing Doom...hehehe), Doom was the first game that made me feel sick. Yes, sick...nausea, dizzy, stomach cramps. Why? Something to do with the graphics, a programmer friend of mine once told me. It seems that games like Doom have 'layers' in their graphics, fast moving later. (Notice King's Quest 1, where the key objects show last?). Most First Shooter games don't have that now (e.g. Counterstrike), it's like one screenshot after another. Well, whatever our visual sensors detect, they report it to the brain and the brain signals the body. The fact that your body starts to feel nausea and dizziness, those reports can't be good.

Well, if the body sub-consciously responses negatively to the game, it says a lot about the game itself, eh?

(Disclaimer: Programmers should understand more 'bout the hell I was trying to explain up there...I'm a lawyer not a programmer)

The Bottom Line
I have more respect for Duke Nukem. At least that game had some 'added humor' in it. I'm against violence in games. But I'm all for educated violence. Muahahaha!!