I remember walking past a computer shop way back in '92(?) and glancing inside - and being transfixed by the image on a 15" monitor about ten metres away. HOLY CRAP WTF went my brain as I was compelled to investigate, and was rewarded with my first experience of a truly immersive game with atmosphere to burn. The fact that it was totally freakin badass was icing on the cake. Many, many hours were subsequently spent in DOOM, DOOM 2, and my all-time fave, Quake. ID was god to me.
Then they started fucking it up with Quake 2, and I was sad. DOOM 3 was kinda okay, but it sort of missed the mark for me and the end was so stupidly difficult I never finished it. But those first numbers, I played through like half a dozen times each over the years, latterly jazzed up with more modern engines to make my trips down memory lane actually tolerable to 21st century eyes (can’t remember what the term for that is; it’s not ‘porting’ IIRC). Sadly, no later port of DOOM could match the original’s MIDI tunes…
So much awesome. And I tell you what - this trailer reminds me more of the feel of DOOM and DOOM 2 more than DOOM 3. That’s a mighty fine thing. Gonna have to upgrade my machine one of these days.
Going back without using a new engine is hard because some of the ID classics predate mouselook; and you forget just how much mouselook changed shooters. Until you have to go back to not having it…
This was really where the DNF failed. Duke Nukem 3D itself was a satirical, over-the-top game poking fun of bombastic 90s action movies. It was basically The Last Action Hero of videogames – bazookas, babes, and badasses. Even the game’s cover was an homage to Army of Darkness.
But Duke Nukem Forever played all those tropes straight, portraying Duke as someone to admire rather than someone to be laughed at.
I haven’t played it, but supposedly the new Shadow Warrior managed to update the original and retain the cartoony schlock vibe but minus the juvenile racial humor aspects. The protagonist is still named Lo Wang, though.
It is quite good. Not any male gaze candy (other than easter eggs that I have not found). Heck even in the original the male gaze candy would call Lo Wang a pig and open fire.
I am currently stuck on a miniboss type fight, and I am not quite quick enough with the key comobs/reaction time. Maybe I need to start over in easy mode. Lo Wang gets teased by the daemon helping him for being a comic book nerd when his art on the wall is all first issues and not naked ladies.
