This year we’re putting together a list of 31 Retro Horror games. Games that have come from dead console generations, back to haunt us. Sadly, not all of these games will be available for you to play due to the complicated nature of video game preservation. However, we’re going to note if it’s possible to play them on modern hardware. We’re going to be covering games from the Seventh Generation (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii) and earlier. So basically anything before 2006.
Day 4
DOOM
The seminal first person shooter. Not exactly a horror game, per se, but it's one that definitely reveled in its horror themes. Imps, demons and reanimated corpses fight alongside horrific cybernetic amalgamations of flesh and machine. While playing DOOM you will often find yourself low on ammo, in dark corridors with unsettling flashing lights and monster growls coming from somewhere you can’t see. It’s only because of our overwhelming firepower do these monsters not feel as dangerous.
DOOM isn’t just a game, it’s an entire phenomenon. Not only is it a series that is ongoing (thanks to 2016’s DOOM) but it has been one of the faces of the video game industry–and not always in a good way. Inciting moral panic it sits alongside games like Mortal Kombat or Vice City’s “Hot Coffee” mod. But it left a lasting impression in the games industry beyond the controversy it garnered on release: it was one of the most played games of its time, partly in thanks to its shareware distribution. It was also lightning fast and incredibly addictive thanks to id software’s design team and the brilliant programming by John Carmack. People are still getting DOOM to run on various bits of hardware in an ongoing effort to answer the question, “can it run DOOM?”
Due to its popularity DOOM has lept from its humble PC origins and ported to almost every game console that has come since its release. There were some truly impressive ports in the early days of Doom popularity, like the Super Nintendo version that seems almost magical in its ability to almost pull off a playable version of DOOM with its limited hardware. DOOM 64 added more to
the story while completely changing the tone and atmosphere by changing the game’s visuals and removing the upbeat metal soundtrack and replacing it with one that is more ambient and gloomy.
Then there’s the notoriously bad ports, like the 3DO version that runs at a less than tolerable framerate–but with a soundtrack that has been completely redone by a metal band. So at least that’s pretty cool.
If you want to play DOOM today it’s not too hard–you can even Google “play doom in my browser” and you can probably find a way to play it in moments. There are official ways, too, however, like the recently released DOOM + DOOM II pack by Bethesda. Not only does it offer both of the DOOM games, it gives you access to all of the expansions as well as community mods. And its available to play almost everywhere on modern systems, from Steam to Switch. Playing DOOM 64 is also pretty easy, as it was also recently rereleased for modern consoles. You have no excuse not to play DOOM.
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