We're doomed

Last night I had the satisfaction of striking a game out of my Hall of Shame: The PS1 version of Doom. I remember Doom being very popular when I was a kid but whilst I played the shareware version, I never actually sat down and played it all the way through. So what better way then a version that incorporates both Doom 1 and 2?

There's a lot of talk going round of how people want a return to the glory days of the First Person Shooter: Where it was all about having as many guns as possible and mowing down as many people as possible. Granted, this freedom may have fallen out of favour due to a) People moving to the realistic shooters b) Doom's connections to the Columbine Shootings (Okay, so shooters inspiring kids to pick up a gun is nonsense but the knowledge that two Doom fans did pick up a gun certainly an uncomfortable notion).


But you know, I would like to see such a return. Why? Because they were fun! I mean, with Doom, the idea that you are taking on the forces of Hell is audacious enough but to place you as the eventual victor? Bring it on! Better still, Doom provided a real sense of being a desperado: Facing all these dudes and having so many limited ammo. What do you do? Charge in guns blazing! Try doing that realistic shooters! In fact, while I'm at it, the appeal of Doom lies in it's unrealistic nature: the guns are absurd, you're one man army against a horde of demons and the buildings were designed by an architect who was either drunk or stoned at the time. After all, why should realism get in the way of the fun?

For these reasons I will certainly see myself returning to Doom for future mayhem - either when I have the need to blow of some steam or to get 100% kills and secrets on all levels. And for a game to still hold such staying power seventeen years after release, says a lot.